“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

1. The judge

“Can you tell me what is going on in the world lately? I grew up viewing a judge as someone to be respected. They are impartial. Their only allegiance is to the law. They might even carry around a small version of the founding documents of the country in their coat pocket. They take great strides to maintain impartiality. They don’t want to even give the appearance of impropriety. Fast forward to today and they are all corrupt. I think they are more biased than some of the attorneys arguing in front of them.

“The judges are still in the position of authority, mind you. They have their appointment. In some places, they are elected. I would much rather approach someone in the community, someone who I can trust, to resolve disputes. These professional judges have spoiled everything, if you ask me.”

2. The public health leader

“Can you tell me exactly what these people do? I am being serious. I know there are thousands of them working in the federal government. Just how many lives have they saved? I know for certain than in the most recent scam it was their very recommendations that killed millions of people. There are poison injections still taking place, routinely administered, wherein the victims have no recourse. After experiencing adverse reactions, they cannot sue the manufacturers precisely because the health officials give them liability protection. The injured patients might complain, but no one will hear them. I think we would be much better off without these officials. You can say it would become the wild west, but at least we would be allowed to breathe and not be locked in our homes for two years at a time.”

3. The doctor

“I remember a long time ago listening to a lecture by a famous economist, wherein he advocated for the removal of licensure. He was speaking to a group of doctors at an esteemed medical facility. At the time, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. You mean we should just let anyone become a doctor? No requirement to get a medical license?

“Fast forward to today, and I completely understand. At the drop of a hat, without any backing scientific evidence, the entire community of licensed physicians required patients in their office to cover their faces. Okay, so that is supposed to stop the transmission of a seasonal respiratory illness. If that is the case, why didn’t you recommend the same years ago? It means that you are admitting to being a quack either right now or in the past. Why would I want to get treated by a quack?

“Do you see what I am saying? They are tied to their credentialing system. These people are not independently thoughtful. They have abandoned common sense in order to go along with the herd. That is the worst way to practice medicine, let alone any field involving the health of innocent people.”

4. The transportation service

“Have you noticed that practically overnight our society has changed the way it travels? I am talking about ground transportation, in particular. You used to call a taxi. There were only so many of them around. I came to learn that the limitation was based on the price for a medallion. That is basically the license to operate a taxicab. The cost was prohibitive, in order to limit the supply. This was good for the existing drivers, but bad for consumers.

“Today, we have the ridesharing apps. Okay, the quality varies. You might not always get the best person, but just look at the difference in supply. A complete overhaul of the system, with added convenience, tracking, and accuracy. This all happened because the licensing model did not apply. We see the same occurring in the hospitality industry. I am telling you, licensing is quickly being exposed for the scam that it is.”

5. The guru

“Listen, I am not trying to find fault. I am not looking to be offensive. Trust me, I am not affiliated with that group which begins with the letter ‘R’. I realize that the people in your group love to make fun of their philosophy, even going so far as to call it a heresy. You say that it is foolish to think you can take formal initiation from someone who is no longer in this world. It is the worst precedent to set, you see.

“Okay, that is fine, but what about the system under which you operate? You know what I am talking about. The licensed guru model. You can also call it the rental guru system. I see no precedent within shastra. I have never heard of anyone saying you determine your guru based on your geographic location or what some preapproved list says. That is preposterous. And that approval list keeps changing. Because the gurus on the list keep falling down. And I’m not talking about descending rapidly down the stairs. These people did horrible stuff. They only lost their guru license after they got caught. Some of them later got reinstated. I guess it is okay to lie, cheat, steal, and abuse innocent people for a little while. Take a break from making disciples, and then continue later on. Pick back up where you left off.

“I would much rather operate outside of the system. Give me an unlicensed guru any day. I will determine for myself whether they are qualified or not. I know countless pure devotees. These are the people you have never heard of, by the way. They go about their business with dignity, strength, courage, and a quiet confidence. But of course, if I share any of these sentiments out loud, I will quickly be shown the door.”

…

Indeed, this aligns with the nature of duality, which is a feature of the material world. On the one hand, licensure aims to protect against unqualified candidates mucking up the system. The license is a kind of certificate of authority, bestowed by people already established within the field. At the same time, the licensing system is the quickest way to propagate widespread corruption. It is also the easiest way to eliminate dissent. The people complaining will lack a license, you see. Why, then, should they be taken seriously?

Fortunately, saintly people of the Vedic tradition take into consideration harmful changes that may be introduced at a later time. Today, the culture of affinity to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is prominent, while tomorrow it might be suppressed. Today, there is an esteemed spiritual leader who intentionally distributes their message as far as possible, in order to save people across all different categories. Tomorrow, there is nary an individual qualified to accurately comment on sacred texts like Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam.

We can lament our situation. We can be sad over the power held by the corrupt. We also have another choice. We can acknowledge that those who sincerely follow devotional service will eventually receive assistance. Either from the outside, from someone who can provide shelter, or from within. The Supreme Lord is the chaitya-guru, after all. He is always with us, inside of the heart. He is our greatest well-wishing friend. We have forgotten Him for too long, and so now is the time to remember.

“The supreme spiritual master is Krishna, who is therefore known as chaitya-guru. This refers to the Supersoul, who is sitting in everyone’s heart. He helps from within as stated in Bhagavad-gita, and He sends the spiritual master, who helps from without. The spiritual master is the external manifestation of the chaitya-guru, or the spiritual master sitting in everyone’s heart.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.8.44 Purport)

In Closing:

Guess I’m differently wired,
Of fraud sick and tired.

Despite how persistent to be,
Never the same way to see.

That guru from license promoted,
Where from crimes later demoted.

Like rental car at counter to take,
For genuine never to mistake.

Categories: the five

Tags: corruption, dailyprompt, guru, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, prabhupada