TEXT 7: Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.
The bushfires in Australia have blazed for months and months, burning over 17 million acres of land (cnn.com). Half a billion animals have been killed in the wildfires in Australia - it is estimated that 30% of the koala population has been wiped out (newsweek.com) and some scientists estimate that many species have been pushed to extinction (theguardian.com). Even with all of the firefighters deployed and all of the methods created by man to stop fires, the fires are unstoppable.
These kinds of fires are unprecedented in the history of the world, and seem to only hint at the kinds of calamities to come.
In this verse, Arjuna is admitting his confusion and loss of composure, overwhelmed by suffering and the anticipation of calamities to come. Prabhupad writes, "By nature's own way the complete system of material activities is a source of perplexity for everyone... They are like a forest fire that somehow blazes without being set by anyone. No one wants fire, and yet it takes place, and we become perplexed" (67). The phrase "complete system" is significant, because there is a network of material activities that are way beyond our control but affect us in painful and shocking ways. The bushfires in Australia are a result of a system of issues that are off-balance, such as unusual drought, unusually high temperatures, and high winds. In this way, "no one wants fire, and yet it takes place" - the fires have completely perplexed man.
The perplexities of this material world are never-ending. If not forest fires, a monster hurricane that destroys the coastal city of New Orleans. If not a hurricane, an earthquake that tears up the mountains of Nepal and kills thousands. If not an earthquake, a tsunami that crushes over 200,000 people in Indonesia. This network of natural disasters has always gone on and will never end in the future. That is the complete system of material activities.
What use is there pursuing wealth and health in such a dangerous place as this material world? Prabhupad writes in his purport to Verse 8 that "Economic development or supremacy over the world can be finished at any moment by the cataclysms of material nature" (70). In this way, one's home, family, and even country can be wiped out in an instant.
Recognizing this material world for what it is sets the stage for Arjuna to surrender: "Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me." This surrender to a spiritual master is described by the saint Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur as a cooling rain on the blazing fire of material existence. Indeed, these fires in Australia can only be truly stopped by rain. The spiritual master is like that - the cooling rain of his mercy and instructions are the only way to stop the fire.
Personally, I am often overwhelmed by news of natural disasters, the extent of the clear-cutting of rainforests, the massive piles of trash bags that line the streets of New York every week (where does it all GO??), short glimpses into the slaughter of billions of animals every day, the growing island of trash in the Pacific Ocean, global warming, rising sea levels, and on and on. Sometimes I lie awake at night, anxiety descending over my heart at the state of the world.
I feel so powerless.
When I turn to the Gita and read how Arjuna surrenders to Krishna in his distress, I feel a sense of cooling relief in my heart. Arjuna "sought refuge in Krsna consciousness, and that is the right path for peace and harmony" (70). This is a world where peace and harmony is designed to be impossible. Yet in our soul of souls, we all deeply yearn for that peace and harmony. To truly take responsibility for this desire, though, means to take refuge in something that transcends this material world: Krishna consciousness. And the way to experience Krishna consciousness is through the guidance of a spiritual master.
Surrendering to a spiritual master is not meant to be painful or unnatural. Surrender is meant to come from a deep and natural place in the soul, a sense of humility that descends over the heart that - hey, I need help. I am at wit's end.
Please shower your rain of mercy upon me.
Uplift me and protect me.
My dear, dear teacher, please guide me.
I need you.
As of January 25th, 2020, rain is beginning to fall in Australia.
**
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/04/ecologists-warn-silent-death-australia-bushfires-endangered-species-extinction
https://www.newsweek.com/11-facts-about-devastating-wildfires-australia-1481495
The bushfires in Australia have blazed for months and months, burning over 17 million acres of land (cnn.com). Half a billion animals have been killed in the wildfires in Australia - it is estimated that 30% of the koala population has been wiped out (newsweek.com) and some scientists estimate that many species have been pushed to extinction (theguardian.com). Even with all of the firefighters deployed and all of the methods created by man to stop fires, the fires are unstoppable.
These kinds of fires are unprecedented in the history of the world, and seem to only hint at the kinds of calamities to come.
In this verse, Arjuna is admitting his confusion and loss of composure, overwhelmed by suffering and the anticipation of calamities to come. Prabhupad writes, "By nature's own way the complete system of material activities is a source of perplexity for everyone... They are like a forest fire that somehow blazes without being set by anyone. No one wants fire, and yet it takes place, and we become perplexed" (67). The phrase "complete system" is significant, because there is a network of material activities that are way beyond our control but affect us in painful and shocking ways. The bushfires in Australia are a result of a system of issues that are off-balance, such as unusual drought, unusually high temperatures, and high winds. In this way, "no one wants fire, and yet it takes place" - the fires have completely perplexed man.
The perplexities of this material world are never-ending. If not forest fires, a monster hurricane that destroys the coastal city of New Orleans. If not a hurricane, an earthquake that tears up the mountains of Nepal and kills thousands. If not an earthquake, a tsunami that crushes over 200,000 people in Indonesia. This network of natural disasters has always gone on and will never end in the future. That is the complete system of material activities.
What use is there pursuing wealth and health in such a dangerous place as this material world? Prabhupad writes in his purport to Verse 8 that "Economic development or supremacy over the world can be finished at any moment by the cataclysms of material nature" (70). In this way, one's home, family, and even country can be wiped out in an instant.
Recognizing this material world for what it is sets the stage for Arjuna to surrender: "Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me." This surrender to a spiritual master is described by the saint Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur as a cooling rain on the blazing fire of material existence. Indeed, these fires in Australia can only be truly stopped by rain. The spiritual master is like that - the cooling rain of his mercy and instructions are the only way to stop the fire.
Personally, I am often overwhelmed by news of natural disasters, the extent of the clear-cutting of rainforests, the massive piles of trash bags that line the streets of New York every week (where does it all GO??), short glimpses into the slaughter of billions of animals every day, the growing island of trash in the Pacific Ocean, global warming, rising sea levels, and on and on. Sometimes I lie awake at night, anxiety descending over my heart at the state of the world.
I feel so powerless.
When I turn to the Gita and read how Arjuna surrenders to Krishna in his distress, I feel a sense of cooling relief in my heart. Arjuna "sought refuge in Krsna consciousness, and that is the right path for peace and harmony" (70). This is a world where peace and harmony is designed to be impossible. Yet in our soul of souls, we all deeply yearn for that peace and harmony. To truly take responsibility for this desire, though, means to take refuge in something that transcends this material world: Krishna consciousness. And the way to experience Krishna consciousness is through the guidance of a spiritual master.
Surrendering to a spiritual master is not meant to be painful or unnatural. Surrender is meant to come from a deep and natural place in the soul, a sense of humility that descends over the heart that - hey, I need help. I am at wit's end.
Please shower your rain of mercy upon me.
Uplift me and protect me.
My dear, dear teacher, please guide me.
I need you.
As of January 25th, 2020, rain is beginning to fall in Australia.
**
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/04/ecologists-warn-silent-death-australia-bushfires-endangered-species-extinction
https://www.newsweek.com/11-facts-about-devastating-wildfires-australia-1481495
I feel this! And I especially love the "surrender in miserly weakness" verse.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a poem on the same subject; I'll find it and send it to you.
Thank you Allegra!! (Just seeing this now :) Would love to read your poem!!
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