“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.10)

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तेषां सतत-युक्तानां
भजतां प्रीति-पूर्वकम्
ददामि बुद्धि-योगं तं
येन माम् उपयान्ति ते

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te

“Listen, I am not explicitly advocating for change. Do not take this as a submission to speak at a formal meeting of advisors, similar to how a parent might appear before a schoolboard in order to petition a change to the curriculum taught to the students. I am merely sharing some of my observations and concerns. The purpose is purification, both for myself and future generations of sadhakas, who are devotees in the longstanding tradition of bhakti-yoga, which can also be described as sanatana-dharma.

“In the line of instruction of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, whose lineage reaches the golden avatara Himself, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, there are certain established practices, principles, and regulations. We are likely familiar with the emphasis on the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. If considered as a positive regulative principle, pravritti, then the associated practice is to chant this mantra on a set of japa beads, on a daily basis, going around the mala at least sixteen times. This is for the people who want to qualify for formal entry into the disciplic succession, through initiation.

“The negative principles, nivritti, are avoiding four things: meat eating, gambling, intoxication, and illicit sex. Not that I am against the core principles. The foundation is solid. Any person who can stay in line is doing a great service for both themselves and the society in which they live. The only thing is that times have changed. Consider just how different things were fifty years ago. No cable television service. No internet. No smartphone. Children played outside. They were told to return home only when the streetlights came on. Parents actually had time to interact with other adults. There was freedom to accept or decline medical treatment, even if it was administered through injection.

“People were known to hitchhike across the country. You could find a job pretty easily, without much paperwork. It was difficult to get your hands on illicit materials, without others discovering your habit. Consider also that for the vast majority of the presence of mankind, the driver has been a separate occupation. In other words, if you had to travel somewhere, you likely were not the person steering the mode of transport.

“Today, many people have to drive. They have to get behind the wheel. They have to clean their own house. They have to manage the family. They have to maintain both the inside and outside of the home. How is anyone going to find time to chant sixteen rounds, then? Consider an honest person trying to give up caffeine, as another issue. That can be a dangerous proposal. Depending on how strong their addiction is, a few days without coffee or tea might make them excessively drowsy. If they have to operate a motor vehicle, to get to work, for instance, then the two don’t go together. You have to be alert and awake to drive a car. You can’t be chanting your rounds on a japa mala with one hand and turning the steering wheel with the other. You can’t be dozing off and risking an accident all because you are trying to qualify for formal association with some teacher. That is inviting danger.

“Also, how are people supposed to avoid illicit materials when the visuals are literally shoved in their faces? Do you see what people wear today? If even a female tries to advise another female on the need to dress modestly, they will be destroyed in the public arena. You can’t even have civil discussions with people, about anything. In light of the degraded conditions, how do you expect any person to become a disciple in good standing? How can they succeed in pleasing the Supreme Lord, in connecting with Him through yoga, when the requirements are too strict? Isn’t it time to rethink the regulations?”

For this troubling age of Kali, which is known for increased quarrel and hypocrisy, the requirements for success are really twofold. This is nicely explained in a couplet of poetry from Goswami Tulsidas. The two conditions are potent enough to erase bad memories, regrettable experiences, and even complete lifetimes that are currently considered squandered.

बिगरी जनम अनेक की सुधरै अबहीं आजु
होहि राम को नाम जपु तुलसी तजि कुसमाजु

bigarī janama aneka kī sudharai abahīṃ āju
hohi rāma ko nāma japu tulasī taji kusamāju

“The many past births you spoiled can be rectified right now, today, if you start chanting Shri Rama’s holy name and renounce bad association, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 22)

Chant the holy names and give up bad association. Harinama-sankirtana is what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu promoted. Asat-tyaga is the technical term to describe the principle of staying away from those who are not interested in genuine spiritual life. How is it possible to avoid such association when that is all the association we currently have? How can we chant the holy names when there is no time?

The secret is that even a little effort can go a long way. The acharya emphasizes numerical strength. Start with something simple. Start with anything. Just start. Use that as the foundation. Build from there. If we only chant the holy names, through a mantra, one time in a day, as long as we repeat that practice, in something like a vow, we make progress. The Sanskrit is dridha-vrata. Shri Krishna says that devotees chant His glories with such dedication. The glorification is constant, satatam. There is endeavor. There is work. There is effort. This is simultaneously a kind of sacrifice.

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

It is true that the conditions change, over the course of a single lifetime, across decades, and surely across centuries. Bhagavad-gita promises help. If the devotee tries, they will get assistance. From where exactly? Krishna shines the lamp of knowledge from within. He guides the devotee along the path, such that they reach the final destination, whether today, tomorrow, or after much time.

In Closing:

Light from within to shine,
Such that destination to find.

Whether tomorrow or today,
Or after passing many a day.

Despite conditions degraded,
Opportunity not faded.

Just the holy names chant,
Dedication your success to grant.

Categories: questions

Tags: bhakti, dailyprompt, four regulative principles, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, yoga