12: Victim vs. Creator

CHAPTER 2, TEXT 62-63: While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises. From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.

In these two verses, Krishna offers a roadmap to how one becomes a victim of this material world:

contemplating objects of the senses >>

attachment >>

lust >>

anger >>

delusion >>

bewilderment of memory >>

intelligence is lost >>

falls down into material pool

As an exercise, take a sense object that you're contemplating in your life right now and insert this object into this path of "falling down" and see what the consequences are. (I just did the exercise contemplating cheesecake, uh oh.) Or maybe take a sense object that has lead to a lot of pain in your life and trace it back all the way to when you started contemplating it (I did the exercise again with an old, painful relationship).

Seriously, give it a whirl.

Did you feel like at any point you were out of control? You were a victim of pain and suffering and your own desires?

In his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupad uses the phrase "victims of material consciousness" (124) for those who have fallen into  the "material pool."

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a victim is: "one that is acted on and usually adversely affected by a force or agent." In this definition, "one that is acted on" is the key phrase, for it implies that the person in question has no choice.

Now, the reality of this world is that the material world is acting upon us and our loved ones at all times with misery after misery, and we have no choice, such as being cheated out of money or love, physically hurt, emotionally damaged, or even killed.

On a personal level, though, the word victim, implies lack of personal power. Language reflects consciousness, so if I'm using the word victim, this implies that I believe that I lack the power to choose what I truly want. Things happen to me.

Here is a chart of the mention of the word victim over the past 200 years (Merriam-Webster, accessed through Google):

If language reflects consciousness and the word victim indicates an increased belief that bad things are happening to me, one could gather that in society there is an increase in the persistent belief that "I have no power."

Each one of these descriptions in verses 62-63 seem like something out of our power. Bewilderment of memory? Delusion? Anger?

These all seem like lost causes. Why is Krishna even giving us this sequence if there's no hope?

The verses, though, start with dhyayato visayan, or contemplating the objects of the senses. This is where choice comes in. I can choose what I want to contemplate. What's interesting here is that Krishna describes that the act of contemplating the sense objects is what leads to a downfall, not even so much that one actually enjoys the object. Contemplation is far more powerful.

In this sense, what we contemplate are the seeds which we plant that ultimately determine what we create in our lives. The opposite of a victim mindset is a creator mindset, which according to "The Mindsets of Victims and Creators Essay" by Bartleby Research, "A Creator is someone who consistently makes choices that result in the outcome that they want" (bartleby.com).

The word "creator" indicates someone with purpose and choice and power, either someone that we know or someone Divine.

Below we can see the usage of the word creator over the past 200 years (Merriam-Webster, accessed through Google).

Here again is the image for the usage of the word victim:

I am not a social scientist. I do know, though, that on some level, language reflects consciousness. And if I am looking at these two graphs through the lens of these verses from the Gita, I would conclude that in society we can see the trend of an increase of the "victim" mindset and a decrease in the "creator" mindset.

We're falling into the "material pool" at higher and higher rates.

But wait! There is a solution. Prabhupad emphasizes that a person in Krishna consciousness does not become a victim of material consciousness. Prabhupad does not condemn material enjoyment or objects. In fact, he states that "everything has its use in the service of the Lord" (123), even sense enjoyment. He writes that we can never escape this material context by artificially abstaining from pleasure. It is impossible. The soul is hardwired to "enjoy life" (124).

The solution is to use our personal power to offer suitable items to Krishna, and then enjoy. The conclusion is that "Thus everything becomes spiritualized, and there is no danger of downfall" (124). Krishna's touch transforms something mundane - such as enjoying cheesecake! - into something spiritual that liberates the heart and mind.

Thus I can use my tendency to enjoy in the service of God. I'm not squelching or negating my desire to enjoy, only sublimating it for Krishna. Instead of losing my intelligence to the "material pool" I can use my intelligence to make choices that lead me to love and freedom.

Source:
https://www.bartleby.com/essay/The-Mindsets-of-Victims-and-Creators-FKJ75MRSTC

11: Language Reflects Consciousness

CHAPTER 2, TEXT 54: Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, what are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged in transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?

This is Arjuna's first question in the Bhagavad-gita. Up to this point, Krishna has been explaining deep philosophical concepts, such as the nature of the soul and being detached from one's work in this world. And just like any time we hear a good amount of philosophy, we want to know how that philosophy is applied into everyday life, into one's everyday behavior. We don't want to be "armchair philosophers", speculating about life from our green squishy armchair in a stuffy drawing room. We want to be practical.

Arjuna is a warrior, and Arjuna is practical. He speaks for all of us. So he asks: what are the symptoms of a person in transcendence? Give me the basics: how does he speak, sit, and walk?

But we all speak, sit, and walk every day, all day. How would a person in transcendence be any different?

Srila Prabhupad emphasizes that of the three activities mentioned, one activity is the most important, which is "how the man in Krsna consciousness speaks; for speech is the most important quality of any man" (116). From this perspective, then, to speak is no longer ordinary.

Speech is power.

So often we just go through life speaking about anything and everything off the top of our minds. Complaining, chatting, cursing, explaining, and more.

We reveal our character, though, at every moment through what we choose to say or not say. Prabhupad writes that "It is said that a fool is undiscovered as long as he does not speak, and certainly a well-dressed fool cannot be identified unless he speaks, but as soon as he speaks, he reveals himself at once" (116). Walking through the streets and subways of New York City, I see many well-dressed people. If I was going off of appearances, I could consider all of these people supremely intelligent and wise. After all, there's no real way to identify a fool if he or she is dressed in a magnificent suit or a tailored dress.

In connection to Arjuna's question, though, language reflects consciousness. Peering into the minds of people to assess their consciousness is a job best left up to the psychics or psychiatrists (take your pick), and probably just a little unreliable. But if we were to listen in or engage in a conversation with any of these people on the street, we may observe their use of language to discern their level of consciousness. Most importantly, I may analyze my own use of language to discern my level of consciousness.

If language truly reflects consciousness, then it's what we say and not so much how we say it. The speech of an ideal person does not necessarily require eloquence, such as accent, pitch, and sophisticated vocabulary. The content of one's speech is far more important.

Naturally, then one may ask that if the content of our speech is the most important, what does a person in transcendence speak about?

Prabhupad writes, "The immediate symptom of a Krsna conscious man is that he speaks only of Krsna and of matters relating to Him" (116). So a well-dressed politician on the streets of New York could be speaking about very nuanced aspects of foreign policy in refined language, but he is not necessarily a person in transcendence. Using the power of speech to discuss spiritual matters and Krishna is a true symptom of someone who is rising above this world.

I have found that when I am searching for people to connect to who are on the spiritual path, I must look past the dress and the face. I need to look for a person who loves to speak from the heart about God and Krishna. In this way they may inspire within me my own desire to speak about God and search Him out with all of my heart.   

10: One Percent Effort

CHAPTER 2, TEXT 40: In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.

Pop Quiz: Who was Thomas E. Dewey?

I'll bet you have absolutely no idea.

Here's another Pop Quiz: Who was Harry S. Truman?

I'll bet you'd say that he was the President of the United States in the 40s (or something like that).

In 1948, Democratic candidate Harry S. Truman won the presidential election against Thomas E. Dewey, who was the Republican candidate. Truman had about 24 million popular votes and Dewey had about 22 million popular votes.

This means that at one point in history, Dewey was known and supported by almost 22 million people in the United States.

Today? Because he did not win the presidency, he is virtually unknown.

In this purport to Verse 40 of Chapter 2, Prabhupad writes that "Any work begun on the material plane has to be completed, otherwise the whole attempt becomes a failure" (103). Dewey did not complete his journey to the White House, so he failed. You know how hard it is to run for president, to garner the momentum and support of 22 million American people? You have to spend millions of dollars and pour your life's blood into the journey. But because Dewey did not achieve the right amount and kinds of votes (including the electoral college), he simply failed.

He's not even known for being defeated by Truman. He's just not known.

We could give so many examples from history of people who were the runners-up - the presidential candidates, the nominees for awards, the Olympic athletes who almost won a medal, the finalists for the Superbowl or World Series or National Spelling Bee or any other championship. If you don't win - even if it was because of bad luck or you made a tiny mistake - then in this material world you're basically a failure.

It's all or nothing.

But in this verse, Krishna is saying that in this endeavor for spiritual enlightenment, "there is no loss or diminution."

Prabhupad emphasizes that any work done in Krishna consciousness is permanent, even if it's not complete. He illustrates this principle beautifully in the purport: "One percent done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness bears permanent results, so that the next beginning is from the point of two percent, whereas in material activity without a hundred percent success there is no profit" (103). Prabhupad is offering such an accessible possibility - one percent effort (it was "done"). Not even one percent success, one percent effort. And whenever I choose to give my next percent - whether it's tomorrow or fifty years from now - then I will pick up right where I left off.

In this regard, the other day my sister brought me a bouquet of flowers, so I put one flower in a little vase and placed it in front of a picture of Krishna. I took a few quiet moments to stand back and admire the flower and the picture with a smile on my face. I felt a glimmer of affection. Then I moved on with my day.

I didn't buy the flowers or even offer the flowers with deep love. I gave one percent effort. Certainly for a material endeavor to give one percent is pitiful, even disgraceful. But for a spiritual endeavor, one percent is glorious. Why?

The effort and results are eternal. So even when I and all beings on this planet have died, when human civilization is wiped out, when the sun extinguishes, when stars die and galaxies dissolve - that one percent, that one flower offered to God remains imprinted upon my soul.

There is no loss or diminution. I do not need to garner the support of millions of people, win medals or championships or awards. I most likely will never be remembered for much, just like the trillions of other forgotten people who have lived and died on this earth. But God will remember that I offered Him one flower with a smile on my face and a glimmer of affection.

9: Nothing Is Destroyed

CHAPTER TWO, TEXT 28: All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?

If I strike a match, I might consider it a miracle that fire would suddenly blossom at the tip of the sliver of wood. I might believe that energy is created by striking the match.

But energy is not created. Energy to create fire always existed within the match, it just changed forms. Scientists even have a name for this: The First Law of Thermodynamics. This law states that energy is neither created or destroyed, energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another. In the case of the match, it may look like energy is created, but really there are only a series of energetic transformations.

Look, I'm not an engineer. The point of this example is to show that even if you are an atheist and do not believe in the eternal soul, even on a material level we understand that energy may exist in many different forms but it is never created or destroyed.

This principle is the same for the soul. It may look like the flame of our existence has been created with birth and extinguished with death, but the soul has only gone through a series of transformations - unmanifest to manifest back to unmanifest.

Prabhupad even mentions the First Law of Thermodynamics, also called the law of conservation of energy, in his purport when he gives the example of a skyscraper being built up from the materials from the earth (unmanifest), remaining for some time to dominate the skyline (manifest), and then being dismantled back to atoms (unmanifest). He writes that "The law of conservation of energy remains, but in course of time things are manifested and unmanifested - that is the difference [between the eternal law and the temporary manifestations]" (92). True knowledge means to place one's trust in eternal principles, not flickering comings and goings.

For one who believes in the eternal soul, the understanding is that material bodies are perishable and the soul is eternal, so the soul taking on a new body is compared to changing one's dress. Prabhupad writes, "Why lament the changing of dress?" (92). After all, changing one's dress is so ordinary, it's done every day, sometimes several times a day. Even in this lifetime our bodies are changing to be almost unrecognizable, just like a changing of dress.

The Gita emphasizes, "As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change" (2.13).

Below are photos of my father as he changes from a boy, to a teenager, to a man.

My father is still the same soul, even though his "dress" has changed countless times. This is the same for all of us! Our "dress" is changing throughout this life, it is only natural that at death our dress changes again. There is only a transformation of energy; we - the spirit soul - are never destroyed. 

Thus, whether one believes in only the material energy (which means that energy can never be destroyed) or one believes in the eternal soul (which means the soul can never be destroyed), Prabhupad writes that "there is no cause for lamentation in either case" (92).

Why DO we lament with death? The point of lamentation is that something has been destroyed. It is gone forever. But just like the flame has gone out for the match or the dress that has been changed, nothing has been destroyed.

On a purely logical level, there is no need to lament.

Makes sense, right?

Of course, there are many other factors to consider regarding the pain of death, but we need to start somewhere. Prabhupad writes,"The Vedic wisdom encourages self-realization on the basis of the nonexistence of the material body" (92). This understanding that our bodies are temporary but the soul is eternal is the basis, the foundation to spiritual growth and understanding. As we continue to build our spiritual understanding, having a strong foundation allows us to build a skyscraper of spiritual truth and love that will forever remain manifest. 

8: Taking Solace in the Truth of the Soul

CHAPTER 2, TEXT 19: Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain.

Warrior cultures have existed throughout all of human history to protect the weak and take a stand for honor and justice. By definition, warriors kill. One cannot be a warrior without being willing to kill another human being.

The conclusion must be drawn that "violence also has its utility" (2.21, Purport): violence is useful, violence is even necessary. In fact, "violence and war are inevitable factors in human society for keeping law and order" (2.27, Purport). Chris Hedges of The New York Times writes in the article "What Every Person Should Know About War" that "Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them, or just 8 percent of recorded history" (2003). Although world peace is a laudable goal, the facts show that we are more often at war than at peace, and violence is inevitable.

For Arjuna, who is a warrior, his role in this war is to kill others in his duty to keep law and order. Nevertheless, because of his soft heart, he is now conflicted, and even though he's given authority by the law to kill, he sees no utility or justice in doing so.

Krishna thus gives Arjuna knowledge that on a spiritual level, there IS no violence: the soul is not slain - what is killed is the body only (82). Following verses describe the nature of the soul, how it cannot be cut to pieces by any weapon, burned by fire, moistened by water, withered by the wind (2.23). Arjuna can take solace in the fact that the soul is never killed or injured in any way. The soul exists eternally and is untouched by the violence of this world. Krishna emphasizes that on a spiritual level, no one is slain. No one slays.

Prabhupad emphasizes, though that "This, however, does not encourage killing of the body. The Vedic injunction is ma himsyat sarva bhutani: never commit violence to anyone" (82). Indeed, if killing of the body were encouraged - hey, the soul is eternal I can kill whatever body I want! - then law and order would certainly be disrupted. Ahimsa - nonviolence - is a principle that honors the sacred soul within every being. 

Thus Prabhupad is emphasizing that violence is not done whimsically or for one's own personal interests. He writes that "Killing the body of anyone without authority is abominable and is punishable by the law of the state as well as by the law of the Lord (82). We must take into consideration that Arjuna is a warrior - he is given authority to kill. We cannot take Krishna's instructions literally into our own lives - fight! kill! - because we are not warriors. We have no authority to kill.

Of course, if you actually are a warrior, do your thing.

But most of us are not literally warriors. Our duty is to follow the sacred principle of ahimsa and never commit violence to anyone. We need to understand the essence of Krishna's instructions, which is although we may encounter so much violence and death and suffering in this world, the soul is eternal. The soul is not slain. The soul does not experience violence, such as being cut to pieces.

The essence of Krishna's instructions is that the next time we encounter death in this world, we can remember that the soul does not die. Our soul does not die. The essence is that we can experience great solace and freedom from the fear of death. The truth sets us free.

7: The Capacity to Love

CHAPTER 2, TEXT 12: Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.

When I was thirteen years old, I experienced a kind of spiritual awakening. I read this particular verse of the Gita and was so moved that I typed it out on my computer, printed it out, and taped it to the fridge.

You know, a reminder that I will never die when I reach for a glass of milk.

Over the years I've faced the reality of my own death in many ways, from a mysterious chronic illness to a near-fatal accident. This meditation on death, while rather grave (no pun intended!), is actually practiced in every major world religion as a way to enlighten the self to one's true nature as an eternal spiritual being.

But recently I've been haunted by the reality that one day my husband and I will be separated by death. I am no longer embracing the fact of my own death, but the death of my husband. One of us will leave this world first. The other will be left behind to deal with the grief of loss.

The loss is what haunts me. What if I'm the one left behind? I'll be the one who can never speak to or see my husband again, we can never hold hands or laugh. The grief of loss seems worse than death itself.

In fact, I know that this separation will happen to my parents soon. They have been married for almost fifty years; their souls seem intertwined at this point. But soon, one will die and leave the other behind. Then both will die and leave me behind.

I say this as if it's shocking. But this has happened millions upon billions of times in the world over - the separation of loved ones by death.

Similarly, Arjuna is so fearful of not only killing his relatives but of being left behind to mourn their loss. Ruling a kingdom without his family seems empty and meaningless without loved ones to share it with. His additional burden will be to accept the fact that he killed his family.

In the verses I read today of the Gita, Krishna is instructing Arjuna on the nature of the spirit soul, especially that it is eternal and seated within the heart of every living entity. These instructions are meant to wake Arjuna up to the nature of his true self and the nature of others' true selves, such as when Prabhupad elaborates on this particular verse that "All the kings assembled [on the battlefield] are individual eternal persons" (73). A key distinction here is that they are eternal individuals.

Prabhupad emphasizes that lamentation over the loss of another means that one is lamenting the loss of a person. He writes, "[The kings'] individuality existed in the past, and their individuality will continue in the future without interruption. Therefore, there is no cause for lamentation for anyone" (73). Interestingly, Prabhupad equates the cause for lamentation to be the belief that his or her loved ones have lost their individuality. The loss of a loved one's individuality is what causes our hearts to grieve, even more than the loss of their physical body.

Fear of death is connected to loss of our physical body, but an even greater underlying fear is the death of self. That with death, one's very being is annihilated.

One perspective for the annihilation of one's being is a commonly accepted notion that at death one merges with God. This conception is called the Mayavada conception: We are all one, we are all energy, and upon death we will shed our material coverings and return to an existence of light and peace as one with each other and God. We lose our individuality.

Prabhupad writes that "The Mayavadi theory... is not supported herein by Lord Krsna, the supreme authority" (73).

Thank God (pun intended - couldn't resist).

Because what I am truly lamenting in my death or the death of my loved ones is the loss of our relationship - a relationship that is exchanged between individuals. And if we are no longer individuals, then there is no possibility to love. Love, by definition, means an exchange between individuals.

Without individuality, there is no love.

The loss of love is the true cause for lamentation. But Krishna is emphasizing that Arjuna is eternally an individual, and so are all these kings, and so they will always be capable of giving and receiving love.

So whether I ever get to interact with my husband again in the future after we shed these material bodies, that is a mystery. I am just grateful and soothed to know that we will continue to exist as individuals forever, capable of giving and receiving love.

Although I do hope we may reunite even beyond this world, hopefully in the service of the Lord.

Our wedding day, when we made a vow - 'Til death do we part

6: Blazing Fire, Cooling Rain

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