“It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Krishna because he is the marginal energy of Krishna and a manifestation simultaneously one and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Krishna has three varieties of energy.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya, 20.108-109)

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जीवेर ‘स्वरूप’ हয় — कृष्णेर ‘नित्यदास’
कृष्णेर ‘तटस्था-शक्ति’, ‘भेदाभेद-प्रकाश’
सूर्यांश-किरण, यैछे अग्निज्वालाचয়
स्वाभाविक कृष्णेर तिनप्ৰकार ‘शक्ति’ हয়

jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’
kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā-śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’
sūryāṁśa-kiraṇa, yaiche agni-jvālā-caya
svābhāvika kṛṣṇera tina-prakāra ‘śakti’ haya

1. My dog

“Can you believe what that one scientist did? In the name of public health, too. I cannot tolerate cruelty to such wonderful animals. Okay, don’t think I have gone off the deep end. I am still going to eat what I eat. The dinner table is not going to suddenly look different. But for some reason, these dogs are so wonderful. They are better than humans, if you ask me. They should be protected at all costs. Just think of all that they do for us.”

2. My family

“They are everything to me. I know that they sometimes take advantage. They might one day run away, never thinking about me or what I have done for them. Still, I feel a sense of purpose. It is my duty to protect them. It is my obligation to provide for them. I would not have it any other way.”

3. My sports team

“They call me a diehard fan for a reason. We have been through some tough times. There were the lean years. Now, things are better. People are jumping on the bandwagon. I don’t mind. I have such an attachment for this team, for the players. I take inspiration from them. I rejoice when they win and cry when they lose.”

4. My community

“I walked these streets as a kid. Well, it would be more accurate to say that I rode my bicycle. But you know what I mean. I was born and raised here. I have civic pride. I think this is the best place in the world to live. The people are tough, but also nice. They care for one another. I hope we maintain our traditions going forward, to pass along to future generations.

5. My country

“How much do I love my people? I am willing to die for them. I will fight any enemy, foreign or domestic. I will not tolerate disrespect of our flag, which is sacred. The people that came before us paved the way. They fought to defend our shores, to maintain our borders, to preserve our culture. The least I can do is honor their sacrifice by taking the responsibility myself.”

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada offers both the challenge and the subsequent assurance. The challenge is to try to always think of God, to worship Him, to offer prayers, to maintain a steady connection, through what is known as yoga. The recommended implementation of that yoga, suitable to the particular time and circumstance, is the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

The objections fire from every direction. The names are sectarian, you see. Krishna must be a god only for the Hindus. There is no point to forcing yourself to worship, if it is unnatural. There is no proof that this practice will create a connection. There is no evidence that there is someone listening on the other side, to act as a receptacle to accept the worship. There is no justification for thinking that there is a need to love. Since when did loving God become a thing?

The assurance is that there will be nothing strange to the process, the more one commits to it and the more time they spend in it. This is because the very meaning of dharma is to have this love. The position of the living being is to serve. The constitution of the living being is something like infinite endurance. I am unbreakable. So are you. We will always be vibrant. We will always be alive.

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः

nāsato vidyate bhāvo
nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas
tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ

“Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent there is no endurance, and of the existent there is no cessation. This seers have concluded by studying the nature of both.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.16)

But for some reason, we do not feel it. We think that we are dying, that we are depressed, that we have no hope. Therefore, we find outlets to express our inner desires, to act on our tendency to serve. To that end, there are different objects of worship, though we tend to not view them in that way. In the above review, we see that there is love from all angles. No one has to tell the individual. No one has to force them. The love is just there. Whether it is towards one living being or many, towards a small place or a giant collective, there is always love.

One angle of vision into understanding God is to take the sum total of everything. If you love your spouse, then think of other married people and how they love each other. If you love your dog, then think of other kinds of animals, who can also be loved. If you love your country, then consider that the entire universe is merely the complete collection of all divisions. This vision of singularity, unity from the diversity, is known as Brahman. Bhagavad-gita also describes it as the avyakta-murtina. It is the object of worship that cannot be seen. It is unmanifest, but still there. God is the avyakta-murtina.

मया ततम् इदं सर्वं
जगद् अव्यक्त-मूर्तिना
मत्-स्थानि सर्व-भूतानि
न चाहं तेष्व् अवस्थितः

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.4)

The worship involving chanting the holy names and directing offerings to the archa-vigraha is seeing the vyakta-murtina. Two sides to the same coin, as they say. The standing of the object of worship is not dependent on the angle of vision. Whether I think the sun has set or is steadily rising through the morning mist, the sun still exists. It has its own standing, independent of external viewpoint.

We can try for ourselves. We can follow the recommendations from the acharyas, from saintly people, from spiritual guides, and from sacred texts. The origin of those recommendations is the object of worship Himself. He advises us to always think of Him. In that way, we will surely come to Him, which means we have found transcendence.

मन्-मना भव मद्-भक्तो
मद्-याजी मां नमस्कुरु
माम् एवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवम्
आत्मानं मत्-परायणः

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.34)

In Closing:

Towards purification ascending,
Path directly descending.

From object of worship stated,
Well into dharma reinstated.

Not unnatural or forced,
In our inner qualities sourced.

That tendency universal impression,
Simply turn in highest direction.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, love, poem, poems, poetry