47: Gold Medal of Morality

CHAPTER 10, TEXT 38: Among all means of suppressing lawlessness I am punishment, and of those who seek victory I am morality. Of secret things I am silence, and of the wise I am the wisdom. 

When an elite athlete competes in the Olympics, a gold medal is burning within his or her heart. The athlete desires to vault that podium and be decorated by the presiding judge. This is the ultimate sign of victory for the whole world to see and remember forever in history. 

I mean, besides a war general, this is what I envision to be the pinnacle of someone seeking victory. 

In these verses in Chapter 10, Krishna is describing ways that He can be recognized in this material world. In this verse 38, I am intrigued by this declaration: "Of those who seek victory I am morality." 

Morality? 

What does morality have to do with a gold medal? The war that is won? The trophy? The Award - Oscar, Pulitzer, Emmy, Newbery, etc. etc.? 

What does morality have to do with victory? 

Srila Prabhupad writes, "Among those who are trying to be victorious in some field of activity, the most victorious element is morality." So whether someone is trying to be victorious in swimming (Michael Phelps), battles (Napoleon), or the Oscars (Katharine Hepburn), Prabhupad is emphasizing that morality is the most important element to all of these victories.

I'm still somewhat confounded here. 

When all else fails, look up the definition. 

So the definition of morality is, according to Cambridge Dictionary, "a set of personal or social standards for good or bad behavior and character."

I must say, this definition does not resonate for me. In fact, I challenge this definition as being superficial. Cambridge is saying that standards for morality are derived only from personal standards or social standards. Inherent rightness or goodness is not a factor, which means that morality is relative. 

When all else fails, look up another definition. 

According to the Oxford Dictionary, morality is "principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior." This definition resonates much more deeply, because morality is now a matter of principle that helps us to distinguish between different kinds of behavior. Making these distinctions and choosing the right and the good decision is at the heart of moral behavior. 

Making the right and the good decision is hard. Living a virtuous, moral life is really, really hard. 

I have not been victorious at much in my life - I'm certainly no Napoleon or Oscar winner. But I do know what it feels like to make a right and good moral decision after a long battle of discernment. Sure, no one even really knows that I came out victorious, but for me? Making the right decision is worth ten gold medals.

That victory is Krishna Himself. 

Full purport here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/10/38/

46: Thanks For Asking, Arjuna

CHAPTER 10, TEXT 17: O Kṛṣṇa, O supreme mystic, how shall I constantly think of You, and how shall I know You? In what various forms are You to be remembered, O Supreme Personality of Godhead?

I don't know about you, but for me, sometimes God seems very, very

very

far away. 

Like, beyond my comprehension, beyond my capacity of belief, beyond everything. 

In fact, Krishna even mentions in the ninth chapter of the Gita that, yes, he IS covered by His yogamaya potency, so thus only surrendered souls can see Him. He IS beyond our comprehension and belief and everything!

I don't know about you, but for me, I'm not a surrendered soul, and I'm not going to be a surrendered soul any time soon (let's be real). So I guess I can kiss goodbye any hope of seeing God...?

Not so fast.

This verse where Arjuna is addressing Krishna is so beautiful because he asks, "How shall I know You?" Although in truth HE is a surrendered soul and HE can experience God, Arjuna is speaking out on behalf of all of us (aka: the non-surrendered souls). Prabhupad writes, "The superior devotee is concerned not only for his own understanding but for the understanding of all mankind." Arjuna knows that the whole world, all of mankind, is listening to this deep and intimate conversation between him and Krishna. And by asking this question he is asking on behalf of all of us who are burning to know: "How shall I know You?"

How shall we know God, the one who is considered Achintya (inconceivable)? This seems impossible. 

Arjuna also knows, though, that "The common man who has no love for Kṛṣṇa cannot always think of Kṛṣṇa; therefore he has to think materially." True, love is transcendent and can cross barriers of time and space and open the heart and soul. But the fact is that most of us do not love God and we're not always thinking of Him in order to open our hearts and souls. Arjuna knows this. He  knows that  the common man is just  not in that space of pure love and devotion. 

We need to think materially. 

Let me see it to believe it. 

In this regard, Prabhupad emphasizes that Arjuna understands the materialist. He writes, "Because materialists cannot understand Kṛṣṇa spiritually, they are advised to concentrate the mind on physical things and try to see how Kṛṣṇa is manifested by physical representations." When I read this, first of all I felt a jolt of recognition - yes, I am that materialist! I cannot understand Krishna spiritually, as I am certainly not always thinking of  Him. Second of all, I felt a jolt of appreciation - thank you for giving me a way to see Krishna! I need to be able to experience Krishna with my eyes and hands and ears. I need to be able to marvel, to gasp, to absorb God through the senses of my body. 

I'm not a surrendered soul, but I hope that by appreciating God through His material splendor, I can become surrendered. 

Thank you, Arjuna, for speaking up for me and everyone else on this planet. Thank you for asking a question to your beloved Lord that will allow me to know Him. 

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

45: The Darkness of IGNORE-ance, The Light of Service

CHAPTER 10, TEXT 11: To show [the devotees] special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.

People on the path of bhakti yoga focus on cultivating love and devotion, but this focus on love can sometimes be seen as a weakness. 

What about logic? 

What about philosophy? 

What about truth in all of its clear and grounded glory? 

Huh?

Prabhupad writes that sometimes "philosophers criticize the devotees because they think that most of the devotees are in the darkness of ignorance and are philosophically naive sentimentalists." I can almost hear the philosophers scoff at bhakti yogis: Your focus on "love" makes you naive and weak with sentimentality, you fools!  

Prabhupad refutes this idea by mentioning that there are many Vaishnava scholars of bhakti who illuminate the scripture with deep clarity and logic as well as devotion. 

That said, still, devotion is not a matter of philosophy or logic. Love knows no bounds. The source of all knowledge is God, and ultimately, God is dwelling in our hearts. So Prabhupad writes, "[E]ven if a devotee does not take advantage of [Vaishnava scholar] literatures or of his spiritual master, if he is sincere in his devotional service he is helped by Kṛṣṇa Himself within his heart." God is the source of all knowledge, all philosophy, all logic, all truth, and lucky us - he dwells right within our own hearts as Paramatma. If the Lord so desires, he can turn on the lamp of truth and illuminate our hearts, which are so shrouded with ignorance. 

But what does it take for Paramatma to turn on that lamp? 

Prabhupad writes that "The only qualification is that one carry out devotional service in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Loving service to Krishna is what illuminates the heart. No amount of studying can flood our hearts with the light of understanding, only loving service. In fact, "it is not possible to understand Him or to achieve Him simply by making a mental effort. Man can go on speculating for several millions of years, and if he is not devoted, if he is not a lover of the Supreme Truth, he will never understand Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Truth." I love how Prabhupad emphasizes that man could speculate for millions of years and never know God. After all, the lamp of knowledge destroys ignorance, and what is ignorance? 

I once heard ignorance defined as IGNORE-ance. To what degree am I ignoring the truth, ignoring God? The truth and God is right there. Nevertheless, for so many reasons I ignore Him, and this creates so much darkness in my own heart and in the world. The philosopher who is speculating about God for millennia could actually be coldly ignoring God. 

If I would just stop ignoring God and turn to Him within my own heart and offer my love and attention, then the light of truth and knowledge can come flooding back. No speculation for millions of years required. 

"The pure devotee always has Kṛṣṇa within his heart; and with the presence of Kṛṣṇa, who is just like the sun, the darkness of ignorance is at once dissipated."

Full purport here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/10/11/

44: All Souls Are Created Equal

CHAPTER 9, TEXT 32: O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers] – can attain the supreme destination.

Let's be honest. If the CEO of any company made this statement today (substituting out "Me" for God, of course), he or she would probably be fired and his or her career and standing in society would come crashing down in smoldering ruins. 

Why? 

Krishna states here that women, merchants, and workers are of lower birth. 

This implies that men and, let's say, world leaders, are of a higher birth. 

Note the term "birth", which implies that if someone is born a certain way, there is nothing that can be done about it - no amount of surgeries or education degrees or work experience can change the manner in which one is born. A woman is a woman. A worker is a worker. One could argue that this kind of reasoning breeds discrimination and permits persecution and abuse in the name of religion. 

This verse (and others) are often cited as quite controversial, verses and commentaries that sometimes break people's faith in the Bhagavad-gita, the path of bhakti, and maybe even spiritual life. 

Americans hold equality of all to be a very sacred principle, and this Gita verse seems to violate that principle. Within a founding document of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson penned these famous words in the Declaration of Independence, "All men are created equal." I am certainly a benefactor of America's pursuit of equality - as a woman living in 2020, I could literally do anything and everything I truly wanted to do, including go to college, buy land, or even become the President. What's more, America has inspired many other countries of the world to pursue equality for all. 

Of course, Jefferson is now criticized as a white man of privilege who had slaves and excluded women from this famous statement. On a material level, Jefferson (and most of the other founding fathers) was a hypocrite. 

So now we still have a problem - even people who espouse liberty, equality, and justice for all don't actually live those principles. 

Let's return to the drawing board then, and see where we have gone amiss in our interpretation of this Gita verse. Here is the problem: the phrase "lower birth" is all that is focused on. The truth is that this verse is stating something closer to what Jefferson himself meant in the deepest way: we are all truly created equal. 

No material designation, whether that is a body or an occupation, can keep us from our divine nature and our divine purpose in this world. Prabhupad writes, "It is clearly declared here by the Supreme Lord that in devotional service there is no distinction between the lower and higher classes of people." All that would be focused on if the CEO made this statement would be that he had classified women and workers as a lower birth, but not the essence of the verse, which is that anyone can participate in spiritual life, regardless of birth and class. 

The bigger thing to accept, then, is that there *are* classes of men and women in this world. This is the reality. There have always been classes in society, there always will be classes in society. This is just the nature of the material world. Prabhupad continues, "In the material conception of life there are such divisions, but for a person engaged in transcendental devotional service to the Lord there are not." This distinction is crucial. If we are engaged in transcendental service, these divisions become irrelevant. But if one switches into a material conception of life, then yes, suddenly these distinctions and classes of birth become important, almost overpowering. 

For example, men and women have separate competitions in the Olympics. This is understandable, considering the obvious physiological differences between a man's body and a woman's body.

But - men and women also have separate competitions for chess. 

Chess? 

How can this be? 

Being good at chess is a strong indicator of a high IQ (thechessworld.com), so if there is a separate championship for women, this means that on average, even the intellects of men outperform the intellects of women. This is simply the reality. Being stronger and also more intelligent is a sign of a "higher birth." 

But Krishna is saying here that none of those considerations of lower and higher birth matter when it comes to love and devotion.  

Prabhupad emphasizes, "[D]evotional service and the guidance of a pure devotee are so strong that there is no discrimination between the lower and higher classes of men; anyone can take to it." This is true equality. We all hunger to be treated as equals in life and in love. This is why the founding fathers laid down equality as a principle for the United States to be built upon - our soul hungers to be recognized for who we are, not just for some material condition. But the Declaration of Independence is a material document. 

The Gita is spiritual document. Contrary to how this verse is misinterpreted, the Gita is meant to lift us out of these cages of designations that trap us into discrimination, hatred, and persecution. Krishna is saying here that actually, none of these designations matter when there is love and devotion to God.  

More important than the reality that there are higher and lower births in this world is the reality that we are all spirit souls and all spirit souls are equal. When I operate from that level, I see the truth that I am just as eligible as any man, as any world leader, as anyone more beautiful or more intelligent or wealthier than me. I am a spirit soul, capable of offering my love and my heart to God with purity and devotion. That is within my power, that is within the power of every human being on this planet, that is an inalienable right within each and every one of us. No one can take away the right to love. I believe that this divine truth is what the founding fathers of America were aiming for when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. This is the truth that God himself is emphasizing in the Gita. 

So I'll just accept right now that as a woman, according to the Gita, I've been born into a "lower birth." 

Yep. Last I checked, I still love myself. I'm just accepting the reality of my birth. 

Being born a woman does not stop me from learning to love. I am a spirit soul, capable of opening my heart to God and attaining the "highest perfection of life." 

I trust that that is the message of the Gita, that is the message of Srila Prabhupad, that is the message of any genuine spiritual path. 

Full purport here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/9/32/

43: The Devotee of His Devotee

CHAPTER 9, TEXT 29: I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.

A few years ago, I decided to take on an unpaid internship at a school in New York City because I simply wanted to be there. Eventually, I built such a warm and supportive relationship with the teachers that I was asked to step in for a long-term substitute position, and eventually as a full-time teacher. 

For both positions, I was still required to go through the full interview process. Other applicants were interviewed, so we were all given a fair chance at the position.

In fact, other applicants were sometimes even more qualified than me - they had more training, more experience, etc. I remember sitting in my chair outside of the principal's office and seeing these interviewees come in and thinking to myself, "This is nuts. I'm a total newb at teaching, these people look so qualified."

But I was given the job. 

Both times, there was never a question in the principal's mind that she wanted to give the job to me. 

Why? 

There's only one reason. 

We had a relationship. Not only the principal and me, but I also had relationship with almost every teacher at the school, along many of the students. Those relationships took precedence over everything else, from degrees to years of experience. 

This verse of the Gita, 9.29, addresses this seeming contradiction in spiritual life between God's fairness and His special treatment. Srila Prabhupad addresses this contradiction within the very first sentence of his purport: "One may question here that if Kṛṣṇa is equal to everyone and no one is His special friend, then why does He take a special interest in the devotees who are always engaged in His transcendental service?" Indeed, one could argue that true impartiality means that even if there is any kind of a relationship, decisions will be made only upon the laws and objective qualifications. We take great pains in this world to make sure judges and jurors are neutral, and that they are not swayed by personal relationships. 

That is also an aspect of God, which he addresses in this verse: I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. God IS the neutral judge, meting out punishment and reward through the machinations of material nature. 

But that judge in the courtroom - she or he also goes home, right? That judge may have a family. A husband or a wife. A child. Friends. That judge is not only a judge - that judge is a person. At home, that judge is partial to his wife and his child and his friends. He exchanges love with each person in a unique, special way. 

Similarly, God is a person. He is not only the supreme judge and maintainer of  the universe. Krishna is a person whose heart opens to the person whose heart opens to Him. As Srila Prabhbupad says, "[T]his is not discrimination; it is natural." Indeed, for a judge to be partial to his wife or child is not discrimination - it is  natural! Similarly, God is a person who is partial to those He has a loving relationship with. 

Of course, the presupposition here is that God is a person. Prabhupad writes, "If a reciprocal relationship is not present between the devotee and the Lord, then there is no personalist philosophy. In the impersonal philosophy there is no reciprocation between the Supreme and the living entity, but in the personalist philosophy there is." 

The impersonalist philosophy would say that God is an all-powerful force of light that maintains the universe, brilliant like the sun. There's no reciprocation with the sun. The sun simply exists and shines upon all in utter impartiality. 

The personalist philosophy would say that God is a conscious person who has feelings and a heart. This person is inclined to give attention and affection to those who give attention and affection to Him, as any person is.  

The wondrous thing about this verse is that Krishna validates both the impersonalist and personalist approach! He is the impartial sun AND the partial person. He is equal to all AND a friend. Both are needed, both are aspects of God. 

Ultimately, though, a loving relationship is emphasized. And how beautiful that God is partial to His devotees - in this way he so tenderly cares for those who express some faith and love in Him, and try to serve Him in any small way. In fact, God reciprocates so beautifully to the point of serving his devotees. Prabhupad writes, "The Supreme Lord becomes the devotee of His devotees." Note the phrasing of this sentence, and that Prabhupad uses the title of "The Supreme Lord" to emphasize that wonder of God Himself becoming a devotee of His devotee. In this way, God is not just partial to His devotee because He likes being served and likes all the attention for Himself. No. Krishna - The Supreme Lord - reciprocates and takes great joy in serving and loving His devotees with all of His heart. 

Full purport: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/9/29/

42: Looking for Love

CHAPTER 9, VERSE 18: I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed.

In the holy land of Vrindavan, India, this is written on a wall: 

Every living being is looking for Krishna's love. 

Below those words, more words have been wiped away by time, but I can just make out

But they  ......................  it.

Hm. 

Although there is no scriptural reference for this phrase on the wall, this verse from the Gita (9.18) and Prabhupad's expansion on the verse seems to align with the original artist's intent. Prabhupad writes, "Gati means the destination where we want to go. But the ultimate goal is Kṛṣṇa, although people do not know it." Indeed, the goal of what we are are looking for is Krishna and Krishna's love. And although we cannot read so clearly the words beneath, we can fill in those words from Prabhupad's purport:

Every living being is looking for Krishna's love. 

But they do not know it.  

Indeed, we look everywhere for love. Not just any love, true love. We want beauty and connection and trust and honesty. We want love to be pure and filled with joy. Most of all, we want love to last forever. 

That love cannot be found anywhere in this world. As mentioned in this verse, Krishna is nidhanam, the supreme resting place. We can only rest our hearts and our souls within Krishna's love. 

But we do not know it. 

We search everywhere. We try so many relationships, from pet dogs and cats to friends to parents to lovers and children and more. And even the most beautiful, most wonderful, seemingly pure love we encounter in this world, we all know that one day it will end with death. 

That love is not eternal. 

In fact, the more healthy and beautiful the love in this world, the more we will experience our hearts get ripped out of our chests in separation when death does inevitably come. 

You see, I love my husband very much. Sometimes tears come to my eyes when I realize that our love and our relationship will end one day. That day may be tomorrow because of some grisly accident, or that day may be decades from now when we are withered and gray. One of us will die first - it's inevitable. And then we will both die. Where will our love be then? 

I don't know. 

All I know is that I don't want our love to end. 

So even in this connection, I am looking for Krishna's love. I am looking for a love without end. A love where I can rest my heart. Forever.  

Full purport: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/9/18/

40: gigantic, miniscule, and... medium-sized?

CHAPTER 9, TEXT 11: Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.

In a few days, the results will come in for who is voted in to office as the next President of the United States. The President will have control over so many aspects of the United States, which is widely considered as one of the most powerful countries in the world. 

And if the United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world, then the  President is one of the most powerful men on earth. 

Still, the President is controlled by others - the people in the Senate, Congress, and other checks and balances in the United States government; it is not set up to be a dictatorship or a monarchy.

So the most powerful man on earth is still controlled by others. 

Think about it - our sphere of influence is so very, very small. Sometimes we climb the  "corporate" ladder to gain power and influence, or we claw our way to fame to be more widely known, or we pursue some other outlandish goal so that we may expand that tiny sphere of influence. We want to affect other people.  

Prabhupad writes in the purport to this verse that, "Each of [us] is a controller, but one is controlled by another." There is no escaping that the President is not only controlled by the Senate and Congress, but he's also controlled by his own bodily urges - to eat, to sleep, to evacuate, and more. The President is controlled by the movements of the sun - the span of a day - and  he is controlled by the weather - if it's raining, he must wear a raincoat. The president cannot control natural disasters like raging wildfires or cataclysmic floods. 

Prabhupad continues to write in this verse: "In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller." This means that Krishna controls all the machinations of this world and all of the universes in creation. 

For someone like me, who has so little control over when even I need to use the bathroom, the concept of one person controlling the universe is, frankly, preposterous. 

Still, let us return to the role of the President of the United States. He's considered one of the most powerful men on earth for a reason. He can suggest new laws, grant pardons, recognize foreign countries, act as a Commander-in-Chief during a war, and more (truman.gov). These are all capacities to affect the world on a much bigger scale than I ever have and ever will. 

And still, the president is one man. A person. 

In this verse, Krishna - who is a man - tells his friend Arjuna that "fools deride me when I descend in human form." In the impersonalist philosophical school, this conversation between Krishna and Arjuna is allegorical, and the battle of Kurukshetra never actually took place. It's all simply an analogy to represent the battle of consciousness. 

This particular verse, though, often confounds impersonalist philosophers. 

Krishna is emphasizing that yes, He is in a human form, and yes, fools deride Him in that form, that it's not possible for him to be the transcendental controller of all the universes if he's human. Prabhupad writes, "The biggest and the minutest are beyond [the impersonalists'] conception, so they cannot imagine that a form like that of a human being can simultaneously control the infinite and the minute." Although we have telescopes and microscopes to catch glimpses of the biggest and minutest, our capacity is so very limited. We cannot even conceive that one person could possibly control such a magnitude. 

In connection to this, another analogy comes to mind. 

The airport. 

Waiting for my plane at the airport. 

How many times have I gazed out of airport lobby windows to marvel at the gigantic planes wheeling in and out of the sky? Yet within that gigantic machine is one tiny man - the pilot - who controls the entire massive piece of metal and technology. What's more, he holds the lives of hundreds of people within his hands. 

One man. 

It doesn't matter how big that man is. He doesn't need to be as big as the plane, or even especially tall or impressive. That man controls the airplane. We understand that it's the intelligence of the human in the pilot's seat who is flying that airplane.

Similarly, God comes in human form. He's bigger than the biggest and smaller than the smallest, but he's also medium-sized. Why not? If He's God, why CAN'T he come in any size He wants, including human sized? That human form can simultaneously control all the machinations of the universes, just like a pilot controlling a gigantic plane. 

With this analogy, we can understand that God doesn't need to be as big as the universe or small as the atoms to control either one. He doesn't need to be invisible or in some alien form. 

He's simply God - the pilot - and He's in control. 

Most important of all, if God can come in medium size, in human form, then we can actually worship Him and love Him. It's hard to repose our love in a blazing universe or in a miniscule atom or an invisible force. But if God can come in the form of a beautiful, charming youth who plays the flute, someone I can look in the eyes, then this is where I may rest the love of my heart and soul. Krishna has such a loving friendship with Arjuna precisely because He has come in a human form. 

Ultimately, this human form of Krishna is what is worshiped in the temple as a sacred statue, or a murti. In this murti, we may worship God to our heart's content, in a form and size that we can actually connect to. Prabhupad writes, "There are also many impersonalists who deride temple worship. They say that since God is everywhere, why should one restrict himself to temple worship? But if God is everywhere, is He not in the temple or in the Deity?" Maybe God chooses to "restrict" himself by manifesting himself in the temple; he does so in order to exchange love with his devotees. 

In conclusion, the matter of who is in control is hotly debated. If we look at even the most  powerful man on earth, we can see that his scope of control is actually very limited. There is always someone controlling another in this world, including the President of the United States. 

But there is someone who controls everything and everyone, and that someone does not need to be a giant or microscopic amoeba. The Supreme Controller can manifest in a medium-sized form -  human - in order to exchange love with His devotees.   

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/9/11/