100: Dedication

Today is the last day of 2020, my final deadline to complete this project. 

And here we are, at post 100. 

I'm a little in a daze. 

Most of all, I am flooded with a quiet shock of gratitude. When I began this project, I had no idea if I would be allowed to complete it. After all, the Bhagavad-gita is not an ordinary book. 

This book cannot be read or understood by the insincere. I was scared that I was on of those "insincere"s. I was nervous that my conviction and purpose would dry up and sizzle away in the heat of doubt or disinterest or boredom or confusion. 

Somehow, though, here we are. 

I thought I would conclude this project by starting at the beginning - Prabhupad's beginning. I wanted to return to the very first words he writes for his Bhagavad-gita translation and commentary, which are his dedication. He writes:

To

SRILA BALADEVA VIDYABHUSANA

who presented so nicely

the Govinda-bhasya commentary

on

Vedanta philosophy

Okay, wait a second here. Who is Baladeva Vidyabhusana? What is the Govinda-bhasya commentary?? What is Vedanta philosophy????? 

Hello, Google, my old friend. Let's see. 

I just looked up Baladeva Vidyabhusana and my heart is deeply moved. I knew very little of who this person was, and now my heart is opening with deep wonder. (To read more: https://gaudiyahistory.iskcondesiretree.com/srila-baladeva-vidyabhushana-2/)

According to Gaudiya History on Iskcon Desire Tree, Baladeva Vidyabhusana was originally born to a family of farmers, but he quickly ascended to become a prominent scholar. His powerful mood of scholarship, humility, and devotion is a wondrous story indeed. 

What's amazing is that Srila Prabhupad dedicates his commentary on the Bhagavad-gita with a deep bow of deference to another Vaishnava scholar. Prabhupad's Gita has been translated into over 75 languages worldwide, has sold millions of copies, and has transformed hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lives. In the dedication, though, Prabhupad is simply folding his hands to another Vaishnava who has inspired him and guided him in his service. 

In this mood, I would like to dedicate this project to my husband, Ghanashyam das. He is a Vaishnava scholar in the truest sense - humble, knowledgeable, and he imbibes a mood of such love and devotion. Whenever I have had a question, no matter how obscure, my husband would have a response. He has read pretty much every post I have published on this blog, which is saying something, because very few have even read much from this project! Not only has he read these posts, he discusses them with me, and expresses deep appreciation for my writings and creative expressions. 

His encouragement to continue, and to finish when I had said I would finish (today!), has kept me going even when I felt I could not finish.

I am blessed to be married to such a beautiful example of a Vaishnava scholar, a kind and humble gentleman who is loyal to the teachings of Srila Prabhupad and respectful of all spiritual traditions, and a devotee who lives the teachings of the Gita in the truest sense.   

94: The Yoga Ladder

 CHAPTER 12, TEXTS 8-12

TEXT 8:

 

Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.

TEXT 9:

 

My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me.

TEXT 10:

 

If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage.

TEXT 11:

 

If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.

TEXT 12:

 

If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.

93: Happiness - Poison -> Nectar

  

CHAPTER 18, TEXT 37: That which in the beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness.

Full purport here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/37/

84: True Worship

CHAPTER 18, TEXT 70: And I declare that he who studies this sacred conversation of ours worships Me by his intelligence.

I just Googled "worship" and here's an image that pops up:

I've been to a few Christian services, rock concert style, and sung at the top of my lungs. I've also attended Buddhist prayers, Catholic mass, Vaishnava congregational singing (kirtan), and bowing in the Islamic call to prayer (azaan). Each ritual and service has touched my soul in a special way. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the verb worship means to "show reverence and adoration for (a deity); honor with religious rites." 

But in this verse of the Gita, Krishna is declaring to Arjuna that by studying this sacred conversation, one "worships" Him with one's intelligence. There is no requirement here for a religious rite.  

So then what IS worship? 

The word "worship" is derived from the Old English weorthscipe, which means "worthiness, acknowledgment of worth" (see worth, -ship)" (Oxford Dictionary). Fascinating, no? The core of worship is to acknowledge worth. 

As in, I value spirit, I value God as more valuable than any diamond of this world and so I'll acknowledge His worth in any way I know how: bells and incense and rock concerts. 

The essence of all of these expressions, though, is to acknowledge God's / the Divine's worth. In this verse, Krishna is saying that if we engage our intelligence in understanding with our hearts this conversation, we are acknowledging His worth. 

That is worship. 

It's so easy to reject scripture as arcane, irrelevant, and a source of dogma and strife within this world. These conclusions usually come, though, from either ignoring, misconstruing, or blindly following the teachings of scripture. 

But if one would just apply one's divine power of discernment to any scripture of the world, we would experience the priceless worth that these scriptures provide to elevate the soul to become pure and learn how to love. 

At the core, worship is not a ritual or a religious rite. Worship is to acknowledge the greatest worth of God, the priceless diamond we are all searching for in our heart of hearts. 

Full text here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/70/

78: Distinguishing Reality From Illusion

CHAPTER 18, TEXT 32: That understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and strives always in the wrong direction, O Pārtha, is in the mode of ignorance.

Based on this verse of the Gita, Prabhupad offers three ways that intelligence works in the opposite way that it should:

1) "It accepts religions which are not actually religions and rejects actual religion." 

The word "religion" in 2020 has taken on such heavy baggage, with connotations of "patriarchy," "oppression," "judgement," and being "fake," and "outdated." Thus religion is rejected on a wholesale level. 

But religion is simply a practical path for the soul to engage with spirit.

If one does not follow an established religion of the world, the soul still craves a practical way to evolve and connect to the divine. So then what do human beings do who crave to connect with God but are not engaged in a legitimate religion? 

They invent their own. 

Jeff Brown, a popular "grounded spiritualist," has written a "Humanifesto" to state his beliefs, what he strives to do for humanity, and the labels of the people who follow his particular brand of spirituality ("enrealment activists" or "Souldiers") and the things that they do. This "Humanifesto" is replete with invented words such as "gender-ation," "enrealment," and "womanifestation." In this way he is inventing a system of spirituality, and he is at the helm. 

Brown does not cite a single authority or a single source of inspiration for his own journey. In fact, he rejects them all. He writes, "[I endeavor to] liberate the species from the idea that those who came before have all the answers we seek. They don’t. We are a species in-process, endlessly evolving" (https://jeffbrown.co/humanifesto/) Note that he writes that "he" endeavors to liberate the species - he does. As in, he believes that by his own endeavors he can actually liberate human beings from the concept that those who came before us (any authorities, sages, saints, or self-realized beings) have  answers or truth that the soul is searching for. This directly counters the teachings of the Gita that if one wants to learn the truth, one must approach a spiritual master, render service, and inquire submissively (4.34). Basically, Jeff Brown and those who follow Jeff Brown reject the paths of genuine religions and invent their own religions and ideas based on subjective, personal experiences. This is considering "religion to be irreligion and irreligion to be religion." 

As a note, there is a grain of truth to Brown's statement that human beings are endlessly evolving, and that the soul is full of knowledge by nature. In fact, great souls emphasize that the soul is eternally full of knowledge (chit). So Brown is speaking of some truth, but it's a half-truth - it's not complete. In the purport to the Sri Isopanishad, Mantra 12, Prabhupad condemns spiritual leaders who present half-truths to the population. He writes, "If such foolish men have any knowledge at all, it is more dangerous in their hands than ignorance itself." This means that the general populace resonates with the grain of truth presented, but because it is couched within ignorance, ultimately even intelligent, thoughtful people can be lead astray. 

This approach leads to Prabhupad's second point of intelligence in the mode of ignorance: 

2) "Men in ignorance understand a great soul to be a common man and accept a common man as a great soul." 

Jeff Brown, although putting forth himself as a man who endeavors to "liberate," "awaken," and "remind humanity," he is simply an ordinary man. He may have some interesting ideas, but ultimately his ideas have little substance because they are not based upon the foundation of tried and tested knowledge, truth, and realization of great souls or the scripture. In fact, he rejects all of these things, calling the great souls common men or women. He does not accept or acknowledge that there are great souls or scripture who have more knowledge, understanding, or realization than him. He puts forth himself - in so many words - as a great soul (his website states that he has been featured on CBS, NPR, and Good Morning America), and he has a following who believe him to be a great soul. 

But in fact, Brown is a common man. 

Thus, he considers great souls to be common men, and he is a common man who is considered to be a great soul (or considers himself to be a great soul), which is intelligence in the mode of ignorance. 

And the final point that Prabhupad makes in this purport is that:

3) "They think truth to be untruth and accept untruth as truth." 

Brown states in his "Humanifesto" - essentially, his own created scripture: "Simply put, an absolute state of enlightenment does not exist—enrealment does. And it’s a relative process, changing form as we change form. We are form, and we are here to in-form our humanness." Brown is declaring that absolute enlightenment does not exist. This goes directly against the truth as stated in the major scriptures of the world and the teachings of the great souls that liberation from this material world is possible and real. For example, Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita that "After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection" (8.15). Krishna says that these yogis in devotion "never" return to this temporary world - thus absolute enlightenment exists. So Brown is stating truth to be untruth.

Brown posits that enlightenment is a "relative process, changing form as we change form." But enlightenment, according to the Gita,  is a specific state of the soul in connection with God and all other souls - this is not relative. The soul - the unchanging, eternal soul - does not change form.  

Brown then invents his own word, enrealment, to describe a kind of relative process of how we are the form of our bodies and we "in-form" our humanness.

???

Honestly, I'm bewildered by Brown's philosophy. 

I have no intention of figuring it out, either. I see that he's posing an untruth as truth, which is intelligence in the mode of ignorance, where "intelligence is working the opposite way that it should."  

While certainly Brown's endeavors to uplift himself and humanity contain sparks of sincerity and striving for truth, his striving is upside down and flipped around. He insists that 2 + 2 = 5. He insists on creating his own path. But Prabhupad writes that "In all activities they simply take the wrong path; therefore their intelligence is in the mode of ignorance." Brown is taking the wrong path. If he was even to read this post, he would probably reject what I've written and declare that his path is the right path, everything is relative after all. 

I've done my best to base my analysis on the ancient words of the Bhagavad-gita and the words of Bhaktivedanta Swami, a man who is within an unbroken lineage of great souls who are handing down spiritual knowledge and realization. While I may be a fool, clouded by my own pride at times in my writing and thoughts, I trust at least that the great souls can help me distinguish reality from illusion, to help strengthen my intelligence to be in the mode of goodness. 

While I can see some small kernels of truth here and there in Brown's "Humanifesto" (which, again, can be more dangerous than pure ignorance) I can say with confidence that his approach to wisdom and transformation is intelligence in the mode of  ignorance. Jeff Brown is not a "grounded spiritualist" in any way. After all, what and who is he grounded in? 

Full purport here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/32/

72: Spiritual Athlete

CHAPTER 17, TEXT 10: Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness.

Okay, hold up. 

Waaaaait a second. 

So here we have a 5,000 year old scripture, an epic conversation between God and His warrior friend Arjuna and they're standing between armies of oceanic proportions. Krishna has described the nature of the soul, death, and has even revealed his terrifying universal form of creation and all-devouring time. Yes, yes, this all seems fitting to be featured in an ancient religious scripture. 

And now Krishna is talking about... old food? 

Yes. 

"Food that is prepared more than three hours before being eaten" is in the mode of darkness and should not be eaten - this information is so crucial that Krishna is sharing this knowledge with Arjuna on that battlefield, the poised armies facing each other like scorpions, the fate of the world at stake. 

The Bhagavad-Gita translates as "The Song of God" - this means that the verses that describe Krishna's universal form and verses that talk about old food are just as crucial for God realization as any other verse in this epic. So what is going on here? 

The Gita is a manual for living a fulfilled, purposeful life of fearlessness, joy, and love. Krishna is not  suggesting that Arjuna just be a nice, pious person who goes to church on Sunday, or to ruminate about lofty theological ideas in university classrooms. Krishna declares to his friend that he should, "in all circumstances, be a yogī" (6.46). Being a yogi is about living and breathing self-realization. 

A yogi is a spiritual athlete.

Professional athletes have a coach, a diet, a regimen, a lifestyle, a way of thinking about goals. Tom Brady, a professional football player widely considered to be the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT), trains hard and is careful about what he eats even when it's not football season. And even though he's the GOAT, he still has a coach, he still takes directions, he still practices and practices. 

This is the Gita - an invigorating training regimen to bring us in alignment with our soul and love of God. 

Who's our coach? Krishna - God Himself. And when God says, hey, old food is in the mode of darkness and should not be eaten, well, maybe we should listen. And follow. 

But here's the deal - this advice is tough. After all, what about frozen food and frozen meals? Or leftovers from Thanksgiving? Or just leftovers from lunch? What about all those dishes they have at restaurants and fast food chains that have obviously been prepared days, maybe even weeks beforehand? 

This is where the Gita shows up in our lives, where we make a choice. Do we take the advice of the coach? Do we follow, and do we trust the process? 

This particular verse, Text 10, is surrounded by other verses that talk about lifestyle choices in the various modes of material nature. So Krishna does describe food that one should eat, food in the mode of goodness that elevates our consciousness. Prabhupad elaborates, "The purpose of food is to increase the duration of life, purify the mind and aid bodily strength. This is its only purpose." These words seem very much to come from a coach who is identifying the benefits of a particular training regimen - longer life, purified mind, bodily strength. Those goals are there to assist in self-realization. And to achieve those goals, one must eat food in the mode of goodness, not mode of darkness (ignorance). 

Prabhupad emphasizes here "This is [food's] only purpose" which I find a bit hard to swallow, pardon the pun. After all, food can be delicious! Sometimes I feel the only purpose of food to taste and experience textures, flavors, and temperatures in my mouth. I'm certainly not thinking about a longer life or purified mind. Food's purpose in those moments seem to be about enjoying. 

There is a crucial distinction here, though. Enjoying food is not the purpose of food - it's a side effect. One can enjoy food no matter what mode of nature - in fact, Krishna even says  in this verse that old, putrid, and untouchable food (or meat) is "dear" to those in the mode of darkness. Just because it's dear to them does not make it right or recommended. 

So Krishna - our coach - gives us the information and lets us choose. 

These simple - but hard - choices determines the course of our entire spiritual life. 

That's why Krishna is talking about old food on the midst of a battlefield, poised between armies. Becoming the GOAT is about the big things - understanding the soul and death and time - and it's also about little things - so you gonna eat Thanksgiving leftovers or what? 

Full purport here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/17/10/

65: Transcendental Bystander

 Arjuna asks three questions to Krishna (Chapter 14, Verse 21) and Krishna responds with the below verses (22-25), which are traditionally grouped together. I will be focusing on the words and phrases that I bold and underline.  

CHAPTER 14, TEXTS 22-25: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O son of Pāṇḍu, he who does not hate illumination, attachment and delusion when they are present or long for them when they disappear; who is unwavering and undisturbed through all these reactions of the material qualities, remaining neutral and transcendental, knowing that the modes alone are active; who is situated in the self and regards alike happiness and distress; who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; who is equal toward the desirable and the undesirable; who is steady, situated equally well in praise and blame, honor and dishonor; who treats alike both friend and enemy; and who has renounced all material activities – such a person is said to have transcended the modes of nature.

Talking about religion and saying the word "God" is now taboo. But the soul craves some kind of way to seek righteousness through reform and behavior. As a result, social and political issues and involvement seem to be the new religion. 

On the social level, there's the Me Too movement, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ equality and pride, affirmative action, school shootings, abortion, and many more.

On the political level, there's the matter of Donald Trump being president, America's handling of its borders with Mexico, illegal immigrants, North Korea, involvement in the Paris Climate Agreement, voting, and many more.   

Of course, social and political issues overlap - Black Lives Matter is sometimes considered a political issue, the handling of illegal immigrants sometimes considered a social issue. In either case, in the past few years there seem to be marches and protests and riots on a regular basis; the people who participate are fighting for their voices and opinion to be heard, for a change to be made.

From what I have observed on social media and in person, the engagement with these issues escalates to an almost religious fervor. If one chooses to not engage with any or all of these issues, one runs the risk of being a "bystander" - one who just lets things happen without taking a stand for what is right. 

Krishna has a different perspective, though. 

In the previous verse, Arjuna has asked Krishna: What is the behavior of a person who has transcended the modes of nature?  

This fourteenth chapter has explored the modes of nature, specifically goodness, passion, and ignorance, and how they permeate this world and our existence. These modes are binding, even goodness. And so Arjuna is asking how to move beyond them. 

Yes, even goodness. 

Krishna replies that the symptom of one who has transcended these modes has "renounced all material activities." This could mean many things and this response could, quite frankly, be bewildering. But Prabhupad elaborates on this particular phrase in two sentences. 

In the first sentence, he says, "[The transcendentalist] is equally disposed and sees everything on an equal level because he knows perfectly well that he has nothing to do with material existence." This seeing everything on an "equal level" is key here, but what is important is to be able to see reality and then be on an equal level. If I deeply identify with being a woman, there is no way I can be equally disposed towards all. This goes for any material identity (such as race, age, sexual orientation, religious orientation, etc.). True equality and neutrality must come from a spiritually informed perspective that we are a spirit soul, that we have "nothing to do with material existence." That is spiritual reality and the foundation for an equal disposition. 

Prabhupad then specifically writes that a person who has renounced all material activities renounces connections to these ever-changing social and political issues. In the second sentence he writes, "Social and political issues do not affect him, because he knows the situation of temporary upheavals and disturbances." The material world is in constant flux, the modes of material nature in perpetual competition for supremacy (14.10). But our true, divine nature is not in flux - the soul and the Supersoul is steady, eternal, at peace. Getting deeply absorbed in the comings and goings of material problems is a never-ending, turbulent storm.  

For example, Donald Trump has been president for four years. The maximum term he could have held was eight years. People opposed him and supported him with feverish, religious fervor, but at the end of the day, his "reign" was four years, and if he had been voted into office for a second term, a maximum of eight years.  

Then the next upheaval would've come. 

Many of the issues listed earlier in this post have been under scrutiny for decades, but the past few years we've seen an explosion of talking about and shedding light on them. 

But they will come and they will go. This is not a pessimistic opinion dismissing important issues of the world. The statement that these issues will come and go is based on reality - social and political issues are temporary because they are born of the material world and the modes of nature. Material issues deal with the body, country borders, and the environment; for each of these issues there is a perpetual merry-go-round of goodness, passion, and ignorance fighting for supremacy. 

These are not issues of the soul. 

An important distinction to make here is that Krishna and Prabhupad are not recommending anyone to renounce material activities. Krishna and Prabhupad are describing the symptoms of a person who has transcended the modes of nature. 

So in this way, Arjuna could've asked the question flipped around: What is the behavior of a person who has not transcended the modes of nature?

And Krishna would've responded, logically, "He is deeply absorbed in material activities" and Prabhupad would've elaborated, "He is affected by social and political issues, thinking the problem to be permanent and that he must be the one to solve the problem." 

As a reader, we are now faced with a choice: which person do I want to be? 

Full purport here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/14/22-25/

39: The Joy of Devotion

CHAPTER 9, TEXT 2: This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

When I was thirteen years old, I read this verse in the book Illuminations from the Bhagavad-Gita by Kim and Chris Murray.

 

This illustration was the first verse and opened up the entire book. I remember very clearly reading this verse over and over, absorbing myself in the intricate artistic frame, and gazing upon the illustration of Prabhupad singing on his harmonium, his eyes closed, so obviously... joyful. 

I wanted that. 

I still do. 

When I read this verse this morning, chills raced down my arms, for this verse was one of my original sparks of inspiration to truly pursue a spiritual path. 

Now, twenty years later, I was finally reading with a studious heart Srila Prabhupad's in-depth purport, his systematic and revolutionary explication upon this famous verse. 

As a grown woman (and an English teacher!), I admired his thorough and scholarly approach to breaking down every single word and phrase. Lights flashed on in my mind again and again with each point that he made - I felt as though I was rediscovering this verse and my heart has been moved all over again. (The full purport is a great read! Link at the end of this post). 

Once again, that phrase and Prabhupad's expansion on that phrase has captured me once more: joyfully performed. 

Devotional service is joyfully performed. 

What's the point of any and all religion anyway? To be happy. Truly, deeply, eternally happy. 

Happiness is the goal, but what's wonderful is that Prabhupad emphasizes that even the process itself is a happy one (su-sukham). "Why [is it a happy process]? Devotional service consists of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ..." Devotional service is broken down into nine processes, and here Prabhupad is saying that each and every process is joyful, specifically hearing about the Lord and singing His names. As other parts of the Gita verse mention, the process can be directly experienced, so by hearing about God and singing God's name, joy can be experienced in this very moment. 

Just try it, Prabhupad seems to say. 

There are no limitations. He writes, "In every state devotional service is joyful. One can execute devotional service even in the most poverty-stricken condition. The Lord says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam: He is ready to accept from the devotee any kind of offering, never mind what. Even a leaf, a flower, a bit of fruit, or a little water, which are all available in every part of the world, can be offered by any person, regardless of social position, and will be accepted if offered with love." I love how Prabhupad emphasizes "any" person can engage in this process by putting the word in italics. He is saying that no matter the circumstances of wealth or social class or location or timing, anyone can experience the joy of loving God. Right now.   

Anyone. 

After all, love is not restricted by social class or location or timing. Love transcends time and place and circumstances because the very nature of the soul is to love God (nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema 'sādhya' kabhu naya). That love is joyful. 

The thing is, God owns everything. Does he really need a leaf? A drop of water? A flower? 

Uh, no. 

What God wants and what God needs is our love. Prabhupad writes, "God accepts only the love with which things are offered to Him." This means that the love of the offering is what God sees and what God accepts. 

What is so revolutionary about this purport is that Prabhupad is not only giving speculative knowledge, the musings of an elderly scholar at his dusty desk. He is saying that this is a very personal and very practical process and logically, one should follow it. He writes, "[Devotional service] is the purest form of religion, and it can be executed joyfully without difficulty. Therefore one should adopt it." In its purest form, religion is the material process by which we can connect with our spiritual nature. There are many religions in the world but only one spiritual truth. What Prabhhupad is emphasizing  here is that the essence of all religion is to serve and love God with all of our hearts, and by doing so natural joy awakens within the heart. This joy is natural and the process is not difficult or restrictive. 

So...

What are you waiting for? 

"Therefore one should adopt it." 

Prabhupad's logic is so clean and clear. He is not reasoning from a place of fanaticism or smooth talking convincing or even passionate evangelism. He simply offers the deepest conclusion from expanding upon the divine words of Sri Krishna.  

Prabhupad seems to say: Adopt this verse because you will be joyful if you do. A joy that will never end, a joy that will enliven you and give purpose and meaning to all of your days and beyond.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/9/2/ 

29: The Fire

CHAPTER 6, TEXT 24: One should engage oneself in the practice of yoga with determination and faith and not be deviated from the path. One should abandon, without exception, all material desires born of mental speculation and thus control all the senses on all sides by the mind.

I have a (totally unscientific) theory that when anyone wakes up to spirituality, s/he goes through a "fanatic" stage. No matter what tradition one belongs to, there seems to be an obsession with rules ("NO onions/garlic/vinegar/mushrooms/chocolate"), and the "right" thing  to do seems so obvious ("just do what the scripture says!").

This Fanatic stage is usually accompanied by extreme enthusiasm to participate in all gatherings (Kirtan Melas! Church on Sunday!), rituals (Holy Communion, sing a prayer before eating), and cultural connections (wear a sari/anarkali/gopi skirt, wear yogi pants). Holy days/seasons are observed with fastidious attention to detail and any requisite fasting is done with a kind of fiery passion.

I went through my own reawakening Fanatic stage when I was about 13 years old. I had a mysterious illness that could have been death knocking on my door, so I seized upon spirituality with a fervor to make sense of my short life before my time was up.

With an unrelenting passion for truth, I became obsessed with rules, doing the right thing, attending as many gatherings as humanly possible, following rituals, and observing holy days with zeal.

This went on for a couple years.

One can imagine that my family members tolerated me with remarkable self-control. But one day, my father said to me gently and firmly, "You want to be a devotee [of God] for your whole life."

His words sobered me. Quieted me.

The fire of enthusiasm must be tempered.

I may sound tongue-in-cheek, and that I seem to be smirking at The Fanatic (and myself) for being immature and silly.

On the contrary, I believe (unscientifically) that being a "fanatic" is a necessary stage of spiritual growth. Being "fanatic" is a kind of extreme enthusiasm, like a fire that burns brightly in the night, and that is beautiful - albeit dangerous.

Fire needs fuel to keep burning, and this fuel is Determination. Determination keeps the fire burning. Even then, fire will burn up the fuel of determination. So we need to keep adding logs of fuel, day after day, year after year. Adding the fuel unswervingly is Perseverance.

Prabhupad quotes Upadeśāmṛta, Verse 3 in the purport to this verse in the Gita: "One can execute the process of bhakti-yoga successfully with full-hearted enthusiasm, perseverance and determination." Thus all three elements are needed for success on the spiritual path. 

The fire, fuel to the fire, and the dedication to keep adding fuel are all elements of spiritual life, to keep the fire of love and devotion burning in our hearts. 

20: The Disease and The Cure

CHAPTER 4, TEXT 10: Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me – and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.

Attachment, fear, and anger - these are all experiences that keep us from truly loving another person.

We can all admit that human beings are very attached to the body, and having physical health and beauty is a baseline for enjoying anything. Think about it - can we truly enjoy a day at the beach if we're covered in itchy, weepy sores? We need physical health to enjoy. Or can we feel fully confident in ourselves on our wedding day if our face is covered in red, pus-filled acne? We need physical beauty to enjoy.

As human beings, we're very attached to enjoying through the body and maintaining the body, but paradoxically we also understand that it's "perishable, full of ignorance, and completely miserable" - we've all had the equivalent experience of weepy sores and angry acne. So while we're attached to the body, we're also repulsed by it. If this is what it means to be a person - to be embodied and miserable - then there is no way that God is a person with an actual body. In fact, we "cannot even imagine that there is a transcendental body which is imperishable, full of knowledge, and eternally blissful." It's simply beyond our imagination! Thus, the attachment to the body and the conception that God cannot be a person (with a body) prevents us from truly loving God. After all, love must be exchanged between persons.

Therein lies our problem: love must be exchanged between persons. Prabhupad writes that "the conception of retaining the personality after liberation from matter frightens [materialistic people]". When I read this, naturally I considered myself a materialistic person and I wondered, Why? Why would retaining my personality after death / in heaven / in liberation frighten me so deeply?

And I reflected - I'm afraid to love.

Love is frightening.

When love is exchanged with another person, there is every possibility that I will be torn up and destroyed. Either the other person is indifferent to me (agonizing), betrays me (heart-shattering), or simply dies (total desolation). From the perspective of fear, love looks like a lose-lose situation that only ends with pain. Thus fear keeps us from pursuing or exchanging love with each other and especially with the Lord.

As for anger keeping us from loving God, sometimes all of this consideration about attachment and fear and personhood and liberation is just too much. There are so many religions and sects and doctrines and scriptures that some people just throw their hands in the air and scream from lack of understanding and frustration. Thus, "Being embarrassed by so many theories and by contradictions of various types of philosophical speculation, [people] become disgusted or angry and foolishly conclude that there is no supreme cause and that everything is ultimately void." This seems to be the only conclusion that such frustrated people can reach - throw it all out. Throw out all of the religions and doctrines and scriptures. I'm sure we can all relate with the experience of wanting to reach a very lofty goal, but the path to get there is sometimes so difficult, or so complex, or so painful, that in disgust we blame the lofty goal and discount it as not being worth it anyway. Similarly, the most worthy, loftiest goal - to give and receive pure love - is a path fraught with so many difficulties, complexities, and pain, that sometimes it's just too much. Throw in the towel.

But all of these people, those that are mired in attachment, fear, and anger, "are in a diseased condition of life." These people are not "out there." These people are right here, these people are US. WE are diseased. Surely we can identify with experiencing attachment, fear, and anger on the spiritual path to attain the highest destiny of our soul, to love and be loved. But that goal is so lofty, so high, that often we stumble and fall into a diseased condition.

But Krishna says that when we are freed of attachment, fear, and anger, we can attain love of God. In fact, He gives us hope by saying that "many, many persons in the past" engaged in the process of purifying their hearts to exchange love with Him. There is hope!

How do we get free of these stages of material consciousness? Srila Prabhupad writes, "One has to take complete shelter of the Lord, guided by the bona fide spiritual master, and follow the disciplines and regulative principles of devotional life." This is the path: take shelter of God and a teacher, and follow regulative principles. If we do so with sincerity, we can be safeguarded against the disease of attachment, fear, and anger and open our hearts to our highest destiny.

Full purport by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/4/10/

19: Many Paths, One Goal

CHAPTER 4, TEXT 7: Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself.

Bethlehem - Jesus Christ.

Mecca, Saudia Arabia - Prophet Muhammad.

Lumbini, Nepal - Lord Buddha.

Mathura, India - Lord Krishna.

These are all holy birth places of the leaders of major religions of the world. There are more, of course. To discount any one of these leaders is to discount the existence of a spiritual path that has been followed by millions upon millions of people throughout history.

Sure, the Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krishna to Arjuna 5,000 years ago in India. But Srila Prabhupad writes that "It is not a fact that the Lord appears only on Indian soil. He can manifest Himself anywhere and everywhere, and whenever He desires to appear." This means that there are genuine spiritual paths that originate in all parts of the world and if one follows the path of that religion with sincerity and devotion, then the soul will become elevated in truth.

What's more, the Prophet Muhammad never, ever claimed to be God; he was a teacher. Jesus is considered the son of God but also God. Lord Buddha and Lord Krishna are considered to be God manifest. Which one of these is legitimate?

They're all legitimate. Prabhupad writes, "Sometimes He descends personally, and sometimes He sends His bona fide representative in the form of His son, or servant, or Himself in some disguised form." Ultimately, the form that God or His representative takes is secondary to the purpose and goal of descending to the earth: "to lead people to God consciousness and obedience to the principles of religion."

This verse and purport speaks to me on a very personal level, because I derive inspiration from several religions, and I am delighted to share a few of these snapshots with you.

Both sides of my family, my mother's side and father's side, have been devoted Catholics for generations. Indeed, when my husband and I attend mass on Christmas and Easter, I feel as though the rituals and songs and prayers resonate in my bones and speak to me in an ancient way. When I taught Religion for grades 6-8 at a private Catholic school for two years, I delved into the understanding and experience of this religion in a very deep way. The songs, saints, prayers, and practices continue to inspire and nourish me.



I have been listening to modern Christian music for fifteen years now, and the intimacy and depth and honesty of the lyrics always bring me to a greater level of sincerity to connect to God. Certain songs bring me to tears. I often listen to songs on repeat for sometimes hours at a time in meditation.



Over the years, I have turned to the names of Allah whenever I feel lost and uncertain. I am moved by the mood that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, and all-compassionate. He knows everything. And if such a loving God is so in control, there is nothing to fear.



The other day, I randomly picked up a Bible, opened up to a random page, and began to read a book of the Bible that I had heard of before but had never really read or studied - Ecclesiastes, which belongs to the Old Testament, The Torah. I read the entire book in one sitting (the first time in my life), entranced, utterly shaken and moved by the power of the wisdom of the book.



And of course, this recording of Srila Prabhupad singing the Hare Krishna mantra has been the soundtrack of my heart and life. I would consider that if I left this world while this track was playing, I would be utterly at peace.


These are just a few snapshots of how I have received spiritual nourishment from various religious traditions over the years. If one has even a drop of sincerity in one's heart, one can see that the mood and devotion of these traditions is real and true. God is so merciful. He comes in whatever way He can be understood by the people in that time and place. He does not demand that we all follow Him in only one way. We follow the Lord how our heart calls us.

The essence of each bona fide religion is the same, though: reawaken the love in your heart by abiding by the principles of truth.

Krishna reassures us here that He descends whenever and wherever there is a need to bring us back to the righteous path, the path of truth and love. Thank you, my Lord. Thank you.


A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's purport to verse 7 of Chapter 4: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/4/7/

14: Beautiful Balance

CHAPTER THREE, TEXT 3: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O sinless Arjuna, I have already explained that there are two classes of men who try to realize the self. Some are inclined to understand it by empirical, philosophical speculation, and others by devotional service.

Religion gets a pretty bad rap.

In our modern society, the phrase "organized religion" is almost synonymous with "organized crime."

In fact, the words and phrases that come to my mind with the word religion are: strict, shallow, fanatics, meaningless rituals, sanctified violence, suppression of women, power-tripping men at the top, and ego battles. Just a few. I'm sure you could provide a few more colorful phrases to add to that list.

With so many negative connotations to the word religion that are, frankly, kind of warranted, no wonder the phrase of choice today is: "I'm spiritual but not religious."

In this verse, though, Krishna describes that on the spiritual path there are two classes of people - one class wants to understand the spirit through philosophical speculation (sankhya-yoga) and the other class by devotional service (karma-yoga / buddhi-yoga). Prabhupad translates these two principles as philosophy (or "spirituality") and religion, and both are valid approaches.

Yes, religion.

Huh?

I thought religion was strict, shallow, and fanatical?

Definitions are a great place to start. Often, we get carried away with the connotations of a word without truly examining what the word means. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, religion is: "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods." Okay. No mention of strict, shallow fanatics. But I think what gets warped in our modern context is the word "worship" - worship then translates as practical action, which can translate as rituals that are acted upon in very shallow, fanatical ways. Unfortunately, this is common in religious circles.

Conversely, the definition of spirituality is: "the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things." So far so good. Being concerned with the spirit over material things sounds like a pretty great aspiration. That said, the "quality of being concerned" is rather vague. How does one put being "concerned" into action? I could be "concerned" all day and all night about the soul until I die, but if I never act upon or show that concern, then really my spirituality has little to no substance. It's simply that - a concern. Airy philosophy.

The key is that religion and philosophy are interdependent (133) and must be combined. Srila Prabhupad offers a famous statement: "Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation" (ibid).

This means that when religion does not have a deeper concern for the human spirit or higher understanding, it is just a shallow display of sentimental rituals and worship. An excessive attachment to those rituals and regulations shows up as fanaticism. Go figure.

The other side of the coin, though, is that when philosophy is not combined with practical action, one just speculates about truth in circles forever and never acts on those beliefs. Then there's no deep substance to those beliefs. The dreaded "armchair philosopher."

Unfortunately, it is so easy to swing to one side or the other, and the hardest practice is to balance the two. If fact, we could all introspect about our own approach and consider: Which side do I fall harder on - the religious or spiritual side? Which side do I sense I need to develop more?

That said, while both philosophy and religion are interdependent and crucial for balanced spiritual growth, Prabhupad emphasizes that practical action is easier for human beings. We sometimes have a hard time with philosophy. We need practical experience, we need activities that awaken our hearts to love and to the human spirit. I have often experienced that when I'm not "feeling it" and have no concern whatsoever into the "human spirit" and philosophy, if I can just DO some worship - offer some flower, sing some song, fold my palms, anything - my heart awakens to love and to spirituality. I have experienced this awakening during Catholic mass when I kneel as well as opening my palms during prayers in a mosque as well as singing the holy name in communal kirtan in a temple. Devotional service is not restricted to any particular religious path.

In this way, Prabhupad emphasizes that "devotional service is simultaneously easy and sublime" (133). This phrase is so perfect, devotional service, for it implies the perfect balance of spiritual and divine concern (devotional) and the practical and accessible action (service).

Religion is underrated.

Spirituality is overrated.

The balance of the two is more challenging to strike, and yet when we find that beautiful balance, when we offer devotional service, the process is truly easy and sublime. 

Introduction to the Bhagavad-gita

Why read the Bhagavad-gita?

There is a trendy phrase circulating among leaders and forward-thinkers: find your why. The reasoning is that if you find your why, your whole life - and all the activities in your life - will have purpose.

In his Introduction to the Bhagavad-gita, Bhaktivedanta Swami (Prabhupad) provides the purpose of studying this scripture: "The whole purpose of the Bhagavad-gita is to revive our sanatana occupation, or sanatana-dharma, which is the eternal occupation of the living entity" (16). Interestingly, the purpose of studying this scripture is not to ruminate or continue to think and appreciate wisdom, to be an "armchair philosopher" (as the saying goes). Prabhupad emphasizes that the living entity has an "occupation" and inherent within an occupation is activity. Thus the whole purpose of the Gita is to actually become active.

One could say that to translate spiritual philosophy to be engaged in action is religion. The word "religion" often has very negative connotations attached to it - to be "spiritual but not religious" is the approved catchphrase, but to be "religious but not spiritual" is downright horrifying. Prabhupad emphasizes, though, that "Sanatana-dharma does not refer to any sectarian process of religion" (17). Indeed, if sanatana-dharma is eternal and inherent within all souls, then it exists outside of any religious idea of a ritual or belief. Prabhupad continues, "The English word religion is a little different from sanatana-dharma. Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and  he may change this faith and adopt another, but sanatana-dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed" (17). Within this definition of sanatana-dharma lies the essence of what it means to seek truth, the absolute truth. Truth is not relative. Truth just is. 2 + 2 = 4. Truth is not dependent on my willingness to believe or have faith (numbers don't care if I believe in them, they just exist), and it cannot be changed (2 + 2 will always, always equal 4). Truth is independent of my own brain and mind and heart.

Truth is truth.

Religion can fluctuate, but the nature of the soul just is. Prabhupad goes on to give the example how heat is integral to fire (17) - take away heat and there is no fire.

So naturally I wonder: what IS the eternal occupation of the soul? If the soul is "fire," what is the equivalent of "heat", the quality that defines the soul and cannot be taken away?

Prabhupad provides the answer: rendering service (18). Prabhupad reasons that service cannot be avoided, it is as integral to the soul as heat is to fire. We are all serving someone, right now, whether we do so out of fear (my boss) or duty (my students) or love (my husband). The fact that we serve others at all times is not up for debate or confined to this or that religion or if you or I believe in this or not. To serve is the eternal occupation of the soul.

The whole purpose of the Gita is to revive our truest expression of service, to serve God with love (27). This is not a matter of sectarian religion, this is a matter of truth and being aligned with that truth, because this is how the soul will ultimately, truly be happy. To stop chasing happiness and simply live it: to love and be loved.

If I was to find my why, that is my why. To love and be loved is the nature of my soul. This is not religion. Show me how to serve God. If this is a science, show me. I'm all ears.

I'm ready to hear.

sincerely,

Bhakti