CHAPTER 18, TEXT 76: O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.
When I was in second grade (7 years old) I read my first novel cover-to-cover in one day. The novel was a part of the larger Goosebumps series, a kind of junior horror series.
To this day, I'll devour thick bricks of books in a day. Many a time I have stayed up until two in the morning, sometimes even until the sun rises, finishing a novel.
The thing is, I usually finish a book with a heavy sigh. I didn't like the main character's choices. I didn't like the romance. I didn't like the ending. Of maybe a book was just mediocre. A nice escape for awhile, but... nothing special.
Every so often I'll read a book that's actually worth a reread. Out of the literally hundreds and hundreds of books I've read in my lifetime, I could probably count out the books I've reread.
And the second time around is always a little so-so. The third time around is even more so-so-so.
But the Gita?
I just finished reading the entire Gita (took me a year ;) and I just want to read it again.
I want to memorize verses. I want to talk about it with friends. Sometimes I'll talk about one verse for hours with my husband or a friend. I'll meditate on the meaning while I'm out in town, or taking a walk, or journaling. Prabhupad writes, "The understanding of Bhagavad-gītā is so transcendental that anyone who becomes conversant with the topics of Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa becomes righteous and he cannot forget such talks." A beautiful, significant phrase that Prabhupad uses here is "becomes righteous." I have found that the more I think on and remember the Gita, I find my actions becoming aligned with righteousness. For example, I am more conscious to offer my food (3.13) before I eat it. This one little thing is transforming my relationship with food - be a little more detached, Bhakti. Let God enjoy first.
I can't forget "such talks." In this way, the words of the Gita come alive for me more and more. Unlike novels, these words never age, never get old, never get stale. These words become more and more brilliant.
Today my husband and attended Christmas mass at our local Catholic church. The priest mentioned, in his brief homily, how in the beginning there was the word, and the word became flesh (John 1.14). The word is flesh - the word is alive. The word is substantial, something we can touch and feel and experience in our lives. We have a relationship with the word.
By taking this word into our hearts, our lives catch fire with meaning and purpose and joy and love. Prabhupad writes, "The result of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is that one becomes increasingly enlightened, and he enjoys life with a thrill, not only for some time, but at every moment." What an amazing prospect. In this world, our thrills are cheap.
Novels last a day.
Movies last a couple hours.
Food lasts a few minutes.
Fireworks last a couple seconds.
The thrills of the Bhagavad-gita work in the reverse. Prabhupad says that one "enjoys life with a thrill, not only for some time, but at every moment". The prospect of a thrill that increases in time blows my mind. I have so little frame of reference in this material world - all my little joys and thrills have always, always faded.
Yes, I must confess, even my spiritual thrills.
The difference, though, is that when I experience a spiritual thrill, even when it fades it leaves an impression on my heart - I want to experience that again.
I want to "reread" that. Again and again and again - every time I "reread" a spiritual experience, I experience more joy than before. Whether that's singing, or dancing, or reading the Gita, or conversing with friends about the Gita, or countless other activities, I just want to stay in them forever.
Full purport here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/76/
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