Do I Have To Spell It Out For You

“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.6)

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स वै पुंसां परो धर्मो
यतो भक्तिर् अधोक्षजे
अहैतुक्य् अप्रतिहता
ययात्मा सुप्रसीदति

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati

Why are there so many religions? Why can’t people agree upon a single set of values, a single book of reference, and a single object of worship? Why not convene a conference consisting of the leaders of each group, to meet and settle on a compromise? Why keep people divided? Why is there variety in the first place? Should not the concept of God apply to every single person?

To assist in our understanding, we consider the following hypothetical situation. We have a family man who is desperate to bring some order to the household. The children have been out of control lately. He emphatically suggested to them a few weeks back that the television gets turned off at a certain hour of the day. There will be no gadgets used during the nighttime, especially when trying to fall asleep. The dishwasher needs to be emptied. The dishes in the sink need to be placed in the empty dishwasher on a timely basis. No one should be wearing shoes within the house. Foul language is strictly prohibited.

After weeks and weeks of repeated admonishment with no change in behavior, the man decides to make a list. He will write down every rule that was previously shared verbally. He will compile a full and complete list, to serve as the rules of the house. If anyone should object to being punished in the future, they can reference the list. They can understand why they are charged as an offender. This way, there will be no ambiguity on the matter. With everything spelled out, in detail, there is little room to negotiate clemency, after the fact. Everyone knows the rules. If they are in compliance, there are no issues. If they are in violation, they know the consequences.

Meanwhile, there is a neighboring household. Similar in appearance on the outside, on the inside there is no such list. At the same time, everything runs in an orderly manner. There are no muddy tracks on the kitchen floor. Dishes are not piling up in the sink. The children are well-behaved. They sleep on time. They wake up on time. They do not overeat. They speak politely. Everyone seems to already know the rules. They would be surprised to learn that other households require a list, laminated and affixed to the refrigerator with a magnet. Rather, these people have more important things to think about. They do not live in perpetual fear of punishment.

If we think of religion, as it is commonly used in conversation, as a set of rules, then the variety makes sense. The world has been around for a while. Time does not stop. Time continues, on and on. The Vedas actually teach about time, in understanding the different units. Goswami Tulsidas compares those different units to arrows released from the bow of the greatest person, who is Shri Rama.

लव निमेष परमानु जुग बरस कलप सर चंड
भजसि न मम तेहि राम कहँ कालु जासु कोदंड

lava nimeṣa paramānu juga barasa kalapa sara caṃḍa
bhajasi na mama tehi rāma kaha~ kālu jāsu kodaṃḍa

“Mind, why are you not worshiping Shri Rama, whose bow is like time, with weapons of arrows representing the different units of time, such as paramanu, lava, nimesha, barasa, yuga, and kalpa?” (Dohavali, 130)

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, referencing the Vedic text known as Shrimad Bhagavatam, says that the highest religion is to develop love for God. The means are not exclusive to a specific group. The path forward is not only for people of a certain race or those who speak a specific language. The path is also not limited to time or the appearance of a specific savior. The path was there millions of years ago. The path will be there millions of years into the future.

Empowered beings, great teachers, and influential personalities appear every now and then, to revive the divine way of living. They may choose to focus on the issues at hand, specific to that time. For instance, perhaps the people of an area have grown too fond of killing animals for food. They are interested only in satisfying taste. Therefore, the teacher might stress the importance of nonviolence, in avoiding consumption of flesh. In another place, the people might be accustomed to killing and to harming their neighbor. The leader of the area writes down important rules prohibiting violence, chiseled in stone, such that everyone will remember.

It is similar to how when we visit a public place, there might be many posted signs pointing to the lack of liability for stolen property. If something goes missing from your possession, if someone breaks into your vehicle, then the owners of the establishment will not help. They are giving you this warning so that you will sufficiently prepare. Meanwhile, when you visit another establishment in the same day, there are no such signs. There is always the same potential for vandalism, but it appears that the people around this other establishment are at a higher standard of behavior.

The Vaishnava presentation provides access to the words directly spoken by the object of worship. Bhagavad-gita is Shri Krishna speaking to Arjuna. Shrimad Bhagavatam also contains the words of Krishna and some of His direct expansions, who are known as avataras. The message is more or less the same: love God. Think of Him, always. If He is never lost to you, then you are never lost to Him. You can implement this change today, to start thinking and remembering. To assist in the endeavor, there are the endless descriptions of God’s qualities. Those qualities are gunas, and they are transcendental for Him.

यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र
सर्वं च मयि पश्यति
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि
स च मे न प्रणश्यति

yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra
sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi
sa ca me na praṇaśyati

“For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.30)

In Closing:

Potential vandalism to face,
Considered a dangerous place.

But not in similar area found,
Just in the neighboring town.

In this way religions to understand,
How different books to command.

With this rule and that,
Meant all love to extract.