“Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.41)

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व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिर्
एकेह कुरु-नन्दन
बहु-शाखा ह्य् अनन्ताश् च
बुद्धयो ऽव्यवसायिनाम्

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
buddhayo ‘vyavasāyinām

1. The type of clothing to wear

“If looking at pictures, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada appears a certain way. There is rarely a deviation from the standard. He was a sannyasi, after all. Formally, it was the parivrajaka stage. This is where you can move around. You go from place to place, essentially begging for your needs. Others take care of your physical needs, while you nourish their souls with ancient wisdom, which happens to have eternal relevance.

“The disciples used to look a certain way. Sure, the appearance is at odds with modern society. There are no fashion considerations. There is no fashion of which to speak. Well, perhaps the women can get creative, as they are known to do anyway. But that is the dress people wore and there were no issues. At least back then, the followers obliged.

“Today, it is a different story. Some people want to change. They want devotees to fit in with society. A regular shirt and pant, for the men. Perhaps even shorts, polo shirts, and khakis. Which one is better? Traditional attire or modern? Let us discuss this issue, at length, until we reach a resolution.”

2. The type of bhakti to learn

“Vaidhi-bhakti is ideal for beginners. For those who have no familiarity with the culture of sanatana-dharma. For those who have a mistaken idea of Hinduism, who think only of the imagery, with the many gods worshiped in the thousands of temples. This kind of bhakti is according to regulative principles. There is a clear dividing line, showing who is in and who is out. You associate with the right people and steer clear of the bad crowd.

“Others say that you cannot settle for vaidhi-bhakti, though. You have to eventually graduate to something higher. You need to find someone who teaches raganuga-bhakti. Only then will you follow devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead spontaneously. The arguments continue, so let us discuss the matter until we reach a resolution.”

3. The origin of the jiva

“The magazine is called ‘Back to Godhead’ for a reason. The explanation is that the jiva soul, who is currently conditioned, was once in the spiritual world. They wanted to enjoy without God, so they were provided a temporary place. They can stay in that place of birth and death for as long as they want. The Supreme Lord will accommodate by wiping the slate clean at appropriate intervals.

भूत-ग्रामः स एवायं
भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते
रात्र्य्-आगमे ऽवशः पार्थ
प्रभवत्य् अहर्-आगमे

bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ
bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
rātry-āgame ‘vaśaḥ pārtha
prabhavaty ahar-āgame

“Again and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and again the night falls, O Partha, and they are helplessly dissolved.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.19)

“Those who think of Bhagavan at the time of death never have to return to the temporary world. Even if they were previously described as nitya-baddha, or eternally bound, they can finally turn the situation around.

“The countering viewpoint says that no one can ever fall from Vaikuntha, which is the spiritual world. The jivas must have been bound since eternity. They were never previously in the association of God the person. Their origin is the Brahman energy. Let us argue the issue until we reach a proper resolution.”

4. The demographics of the people attending the programs

“It used to be all people from the local area. By people, we mean natives, as in the majority demographic. That is how the temples started. It was kind of nice, since it showed that Krishna consciousness was for everyone. You did not have to be born into the culture.

“Today, things are quite different. You walk into one of the temples and you feel transported to a foreign country. Sure, it is still the locals, but most of them are recent immigrants to the country. That previous demographic hardly attends anymore. It must be due to something the leaders of the institution are doing. There must be a way to change the situation on the ground. Let us discuss the particulars until we reach a proper resolution.”

5. Finding the proper guru

“We are reading the books that they authored. We are following in the modern tradition that they made popular. We are trying to live by the principles that they implemented. We have a link to their disciples, who were initiated either directly or through a tape recorder playing mantras in the ear. No one disputes the standing of the guru, in being a legitimate acharya.

“The controversy is in how to continue, after the fact. One group says that you have to follow the rules of the institution. Those rules keep changing. For a while, you had to accept the guru assigned to your geographic zone. If your guru messed up, you had to quickly find another one. You could have up to three and four gurus in a single lifetime. Whatever the case, you have to access a leader who is preapproved, who appears on the list provided by the institution. Otherwise, your behavior will be considered rogue, and you are liable to be banned from the same institution.

“Another side says that the parampara, the disciplic succession, ended with the founder-acharya. There are to be no more gurus. Even if you really like someone, if you want to inquire from them submissively and render service, in the way directly recommended in Bhagavad-gita, you are out of luck. The proponents of this viewpoint will emphatically state that they are not your guru. You need to take shelter of the person who is no longer in this world. Let us discuss the matter until we reach a proper resolution.”

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन
परिप्रश्नेन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं
ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्व-दर्शिनः

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

…

Whether bound for many lifetimes or here on a brief mission to rescue others, the issue always comes down to remembrance. You can call it forgetfulness, as well, based on your angle of vision. Do we remember the all-attractive one? Are we rising to transcendence? Are we seeing to the needs of the soul or focused only on the body?

सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो
मत्तः स्मृतिर् ज्ञानम् अपोहनं च
वेदैश् च सर्वैर् अहम् एव वेद्यो
वेदान्त-कृद् वेद-विद् एव चाहम्

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.15)

Shri Krishna describes the kind of resolve people in yoga tend to have. The buddhi, or intelligence, is focused. It is set in one place. The person who is outside of this yoga, who is in karma, tends to have the opposite kind of resolve. As in, their mind is all over the place. The ideal example in this regard is Arjuna, who happens to be the person receiving these sacred words from Krishna.

Arjuna was on the battlefield. He was ready to go. He was set to lead his party to victory. He had the chance. He had the ability. He had the tools. The one thing he lacked was resolve. Suddenly, his mind went in every which direction. He started thinking about the welfare of affected parties. He started to dread the prospect of victory. He was afraid over this thing and that.

Fortunately, Arjuna approached Krishna. The Supreme Personality of Godhead kindly assumed the role of guru, fit for that situation. Krishna returned Arjuna to the platform of yoga. The buddhi went back to the proper state. Arjuna proceeded with confidence, with assertiveness, but also with detachment over the outcome. He was working for Krishna. The previous questions remained, but they would be resolved in due course of time. Arjuna was resolute in his purpose, and so he remained connected to Krishna, which is the ultimate goal of spiritual life, after all.

In Closing:

Rather than continuing to advance,
To endlessly argue taking the chance.

Over the jiva whether to fall,
And which leader as guru to call.

What kind of outfits to wear,
And demographic trends aware.

Better when focus on single place,
Like Arjuna with doubts to erase.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhakti, dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, yoga