“Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me – and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.10)

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वीतरागभयक्रोधा मन्मया मामुपाश्रिताः ।
बहवो ज्ञानतपसा पूता मद्भ‍ावमागताः ॥

vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā
man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ
bahavo jñāna-tapasā
pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ

1. The one with their dog

“I used to see them all the time. It was fun. We had regular appointments. But things changed once they got that dog. Man, do they love their dog! You cannot say anything negative about the dog, either. They will get so upset. Never mind that the thing keeps barking. It attacks you as soon as you enter the front door. But what can I say? This is their new interest. Who am I to interfere?”

2. The one with their job

“You know, ever since they got that new job I barely hear from them. It is like they are puffed up by the stature afforded by the higher income. We have known each other forever, and I never cared how much they earned. I guess they were not the same way. They seem to always be competing with me. Oh well. I hope they find some meaning in their life now, even if it comes at the cost of close friendships.”

3. The one with their wife

“I am only telling you this. I think it is kind of pathetic. You get married and that suddenly means the end to your friendships? You have to take permission before doing anything or going anywhere? Come on, dude! She will respect you more if you respect yourself. What can I say? I don’t want to interfere. Let them be happy. It is a sad situation, that’s all.”

4. The one with their kid

“I am not jealous. I mean that. I wish them well. It is a little strange, though. You have to admit. As soon as the child enters their life, priorities change. They do everything for their kid. They have abandoned all of their own friends. When you speak to them, all they talk about is the kid. It is like they want to show off how much they love being a parent. Good for them, but the drastic change is not healthy, if you ask me.”

5. The one with their art

“Always with the writing. Always with the drawing. Always with the music. Get out of your room already! Interact with others. Step into the real world. I get it that art somehow got you through the tough times, the isolation, the loneliness, the bullying at school, and the like. But I am not a negative influence. I am a well-wisher. You should make time for people like me.”

…

It is perhaps the most common criticism. The philosophy is otherwise universally appreciated. By friend and foe alike. From those outside the tradition and those born into it. From academic scholar and those knowing only the visuals. Bhakti-yoga is devotional service. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada intentionally translates it as “Krishna consciousness.” The foundation of the philosophy is the distinction of the individual. They are spirit soul, eternal to the changes of space and time. They are not the elements that cover them. Those elements always shift in their composition, in their association, in their exact volumes and proportions, while the individual inside remains the same.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

The criticism we mention relates to escaping from the world. Like ducking out of a difficult flight by hitting the emergency eject button and descending safely to the ground using a parachute. Like the self-respecting quitter deciding that they have had enough and bailing from the operation. Like the person who settles for the sidelines due to fear of giving it a try. You see, if you never enter the arena then no one will criticize you for failing.

The devotees essentially escape from the real world. They take shelter of their sacred chants, like the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. They bypass commenting on contentious issues of the day by relegating every fault to the broader category of Kali Yuga, which is the current age marked by increased quarrel and hypocrisy.

It is like they found the real world too difficult to live in, so they use the excuse of bhakti-yoga to escape. They are worshiping the deity, which never rejects the individual. It does not necessarily respond to prayers with audible sounds. Someone has been rejected so many times, so they decided for the option where there never can be rejection.

In response to this criticism of cowardly escape, we can look to the examples described above. So many people ignore their friends and family once a strong interest develops. It is like the one interest they had been waiting for their entire lives. They were sitting in a room, passing the time with friends, but the relationship was not genuine. They had this potential inside of them waiting to be unleashed. Not until they found a corresponding interest could they really dive in. As a result of choosing that direction, everyone else took secondary priority.

There is no fault in giving highest priority to spiritual life. There is nothing to escape since the conditions in maya are not real. They are only temporarily manifest. This body itself is set for destruction. It is already gone, in a sense. We can never regain our childhood form. We will never find that innocence again. Neither can the same energy levels be matched. But we are still around. We are still vibrant. We are still alive.

Why not surrender to a path that will meet all of our needs? In the process, we will actually gain appreciation for other living entities. The issue of resource contention might prevent interaction to the level previously experienced, but then everyone has to juggle such competing interests. If we use all of our resources for pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for staying close to Him, for maintaining a steady consciousness of His kindness and features, then there is everything to gain. We are escaping from the land of despair and sadness, shokadhama, and finally experiencing real success and happiness.

तब लगि कुसल न जीव कहुँ सपनेहुँ मन बिश्राम
जब लगि भजत न राम कहुँ सोकधाम तजि काम

taba lagi kusala na jīva kahum̐ sapanehum̐ mana biśrāma
jaba lagi bhajata na rāma kahum̐ sokadhāma taji kāma

“For as long as there is not devotion to Shri Rama and the release of material desires, which are like an abode of grief, the living being should not expect to find welfare and peace of mind, even in a dream.” (Dohavali, 131)

In Closing:

Ways of this world to depress,
So escape quick to press.

Such that the deity to see,
Never to reject will He.

And other friends pushed out,
Fixed in routine and devout.

Reality that world of misery to toss,
For bhakti-yoga never a loss.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhakti yoga, dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry