Four Kinds Of Resistance To Worship With Impunity

“When Indra understood that the sacrifice offered by the cowherd men in Vrindavana was stopped by Krishna, he became angry, and he vented his anger upon the inhabitants of Vrindavana, who were headed by Nanda Maharaja, although Indra knew perfectly well that Krishna was personally protecting them. As the director of different kinds of clouds, Indra called for the samvartaka. This cloud is invited when there is a need to devastate the whole cosmic manifestation.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 25)

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1. You have to follow according to ritual

“Come on, man! You can’t just make stuff up, now. You have to follow what other people do, based on established tradition. There is a time and a place for everything. I get it that you have this sentiment. You are fired up, as they like to say. But heed my warning. You follow this renegade behavior to your ruin.”

2. You are not of the proper class

“Come on, man! You can’t just impose on a particular culture. You can’t appropriate their traditions for yourself. There is someone guarding the door. You have to be allowed entry. You must belong to the proper group. Sadly, you took birth in a different class. Wait your turn.”

3. Do you see anyone else doing the same?

“Come on, man! Why are you being difficult? People will make fun of you. No one else is worshiping the same way. They will think that you have lost your mind. Draw too much attention to yourself and they might lock you up.”

4. You are going to anger the gods

“Come on, man! Don’t tempt fate. These people are not to be messed with. Do you understand what they can do, in retaliation? Why would you want to make them angry? Okay, so you have a specific sentiment. Do me a favor. Keep it to yourself! Once you start expressing your beliefs, in flaunting your devotion, you invite trouble.”

…

It is a dichotomy, for sure. On the one side, you have the origin of everything establishing tradition. We inherit from our parents, our grandparents, and those who came before them. That is the meaning to tradition, after all. We may not know what we are doing, why we are doing it, or to where it will lead us, but since others have set the standard, we follow. We trust that they knew what they were doing. We kind of like the idea of continuing something that goes back hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Indeed, this was one of the justifications Arjuna used for his sudden change of course. Arriving on the battlefield as the best of the Pandava fighters, the son of Pritha abruptly halted. He indulged his doubts. He pondered the purpose to it all. Just what would come of slaying other men? If they would die, then their family traditions would perish along with them. How would future generations be guided, subsequently? To where would the children turn?

उत्सन्न-कुल-धर्माणां
मनुष्याणां जनार्दन
नरके नियतं वासो
भवतीत्य् अनुशुश्रुम

utsanna-kula-dharmāṇāṁ
manuṣyāṇāṁ janārdana
narake niyataṁ vāso
bhavatīty anuśuśruma

“O Krishna, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.” (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 1.43)

In the ensuing conversation, where the trusted guide named Krishna assured Arjuna that fighting was the proper decision, we learn that yajna is established for the upliftment of man. They can rise to higher standards of consciousness through formal sacrifice. To where will they direct their offerings? Well, why not start with something vital like the rain? Pay homage to the clouds, to the atmosphere, to the controllers of nature for supplying that which is necessary for the continuation of life.

सहयज्ञाः प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः
अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक्

saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā
purovāca prajāpatiḥ
anena prasaviṣyadhvam
eṣa vo ’stv iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk

“In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Vishnu, and blessed them by saying, ‘Be thou happy by this yajna [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you all desirable things.’” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.10)

The other side is the behavior of Krishna Himself, especially in the notable incident of the first Govardhana Puja. For lack of a better term, this was something like God giving the middle finger to tradition and blind faith in allegiance to gods, while lacking knowledge of the bigger picture. The people of Vrindavana were known to worship Indra, the king of heaven. This worship was authorized. This worship was useful. The tradition was proving to be valuable. It had already passed every quality assurance test.

Now, here was this charming, adorable child of bluish complexion, megha-varna, suggesting something entirely different. He wanted everyone to worship Govardhana Hill, instead. Krishna advised against delay. Take everything that was already set up for Indra and simply move towards the nearby hill. Amazingly, the people agreed. They maintained the original spirit. They were still showing appreciation. They had not mistakenly turned to atheism. Govardhana was dear to the cows, who were dear to the community. There should be no harm in worshiping Govardhana, in a formal show of appreciation.

The worship was actually with impunity. Krishna would protect the people. As described in the above hypothetical conversations, we see that there might be significant resistance to a show of appreciation in line with the wishes of Shri Krishna. To become a devotee is to usually go against what people in society are doing. To worship without motivation and without interruption, with steadily increasing enthusiasm, utsaha, is to challenge the beliefs, the interests, and the objectives of others.

Someone like Indra can do more than threaten. He can attack. He did so on that occasion. After the first Govardhana Puja, which was successful, Indra sent the cloud of devastation. The samvartaka received the task of washing everyone away. Success was on the horizon, but then Krishna absorbed the blow. He took the just worshiped hill and raised it in the air. Govardhana, which was recently an object of worship, now became an umbrella. Ever since, it is known for that association, for being the symbol of protection offered by the one who protects the devotion of His devotees.

In Closing:

High into air to project,
Symbol that sure to protect.

When devotees His way going,
And no other savior knowing.

The love spontaneous and true,
To one of cloud-complexion who.

Despite what others to say,
My path always to stay.