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/ 

38: The Giver and Taker of Life

CHAPTER 8, TEXT 27: Although the devotees know these two paths, O Arjuna, they are never bewildered. Therefore be always fixed in devotion.

Context: Krishna is explaining to Arjuna the very specific times when one dies - that timing will determine if one leaves this material world or must again be reborn. These are the "two paths" discussed in this verse. 

Conclusion: Choosing when to die is near impossible. 

Not impossible, but near impossible. 

Yogis in bygone ages could control this process. Prabhupad writes in the purport to 8.23: "If the yogī is perfect he can select the time and situation for leaving this material world. But if he is not so expert his success depends on his accidentally passing away at a certain suitable time". Note the use of the phrase, "But if he is not so expert..." I would venture to say that  99.99% of the world is "not so expert" on yogic principles and how and when to choose to die. In fact, for a yogi to be expert, it still means that s/he must cooperate and petition with the presiding deities of time, such as fire, light, day and the fortnight of the moon (8.25, purport) and these deities are the ones "who make arrangements for the passage of the soul." So even in an ideal situation where a yogi is perfect, s/he is ultimately still not the one to make his/her final arrangements to leave this world. 

In Islam, God possesses two names that have been giving me solace regarding the giving of life and the taking of life: 

Al-Mu'min - The Giver of Life and 

Al Mumit - The Taker of Life. 

Even when there are "presiding deities" over the various elements of time, God is ultimately in control of all (maha-purusha). He is the one who gives life, and he also takes life. Often the giving of life is seen as good and the taking of life as bad. But when we see that God is the creator of all good (An-Nafi) then we can understand that whether one is given life or taken from life, all is as it should be. There is divine purpose behind everything. 

After all, one could die in a car accident on the way home from school. 

One could contract cancer in his/her 30s and die within six months. 

One could live until 91 with a sharp mind and sound health and feel melancholy, wondering when life will just be over. 

I know personal examples of each and every one of these scenarios - the first is my aunt, the second a dear friend, the third the grandmother of my husband. I am sure we could all consider the lives and deaths of people in our own lives - people who died too soon, people whose life seemed to be prolonged beyond comprehension. 

We just

don't

know. 

Wondering when our own death will come can be very frightening. And to truly realize that we have practically zero control over when that will happen is very, very frightening. Prabhupad writes in the purport to this verse that "[The devotee] should know that concern over either of these two paths is troublesome." Basically, concern over whether one's path is to leave this material world or one's path is to stay here is a recipe for useless distress. We have so little control over our fate if we're going to play the game of petitioning the deities of time and following the rules and regulations to become a "perfect" yogi. 

In this regard, Prabhupad states that, "A devotee of the Supreme Lord should not worry whether he will depart by arrangement or by accident." This means that there is nothing to fear. We do not need to manipulate material energy and perform austerities to ensure our soul's fate. 

If God is the Giver of Life and the Taker of Life, then doesn't it make sense to go to Him, directly? Not to prolong or shorten this material life, but to find purpose and love within the life we live in this very moment. Prabhupad writes, "The best way to be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to be always dovetailed in His service, and this will make one’s path to the spiritual kingdom safe, certain and direct." The word "safe" is very significant here. The goal of becoming a "perfect yogi" and trying to control the departure of leaving one's body is in fact to be safe - safe from the misery and pain of this material world. But true safety is taking shelter in the source of all safety - Lord Krishna. By practically engaging in His service with our hearts and bodies, one actually becomes the "perfect yogi." The perfect yogi is actually the devotee, and "the devotee is not disturbed by these descriptions [of the destination of the soul after death], because he knows that his passage to the supreme abode is guaranteed by devotional service." There is nothing to fear. 

When I approach Krishna in a mood of loving service and surrender, I can trust that whenever God prolongs my life or whenever God takes my life, all is good and I am safe within His arms.  

Full purport by Bhaktivedanta Swami here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/8/27/

37: Conceiving the Inconceivable

CHAPTER 8, TEXT 9: One should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is always a person. He is luminous like the sun, and He is transcendental, beyond this material nature.

The name for God in Islam is "Allah," which means "The Great One." In Islam, God is never depicted with a form or in any way that could be construed as a material interpretation, for God is beyond our material conception.  

In this verse of the Gita, this understanding is confirmed - God is beyond material conception. At the same time, God is also stated as a person who has a form (rupam). The fact that God is beyond material conception while also having a form is inconceivable - acintya. After all, isn't the fact that one has a form MAKE one conceivable?? Prabhupad writes, "The word acintya (“inconceivable”) is very significant in this connection. God’s energy is beyond our conception, beyond our thinking jurisdiction, and is therefore called inconceivable (acintya)." I appreciate Prabhupad's phrase here, our "thinking jurisdiction," because we all have a kind of arena from which we can think and conceive. After all, human beings have been inquiring about and questioning God since the beginning of our existence. Healthy exploration, questioning, and even doubt is all a sign of intelligence on the spiritual path. At the same time, it is also a sign of intelligence to realize that there are some things that are beyond our understanding, beyond our "thinking jurisdiction." 

Indeed, Prabhupad continues to say that "We cannot comprehend even this material world, which is insignificant compared to the spiritual world – so how can we comprehend what is beyond? Acintya means that which is beyond this material world, that which our argument, logic and philosophical speculation cannot touch, that which is inconceivable." Even this material world is such a mystery. Although much can be puzzled out, and the sciences are dedicated to understanding how this material world functions, still, we may understand how a thing functions but not why. 

For example, we now understand how a rainbow is created, with the reflection of light upon suspended water droplets in the air. But we do not know why rainbows are created. What is the purpose of a rainbow?

That is something that logic and philosophical speculation cannot touch.  

My sense is that scientists can conclude that there is no God because they see that there is no mystery to the mathematical laws that govern the universe; they can conceive of and wrap their minds around things that previously seemed so mysterious, like a rainbow, or lightning, or the human heart. Thus there is no "mysterious God" controlling all.  

Or, scientists can conclude that there must be a God because the laws and calculations that govern the universe are so wondrous, so inconceivable that there must be a higher intelligence at work. They reason that all the laws are actually in service of a higher and more mysterious purpose and person. Aristotle once wrote that "Mathematics is the alphabet in which God has written the universe," which means that behind all miracles is an architect who plays by the mathematical rules he has created.

What's more, there is a purpose - a why - behind every aspect of creation.   

Possessing a higher intelligence means accepting that there is a higher intelligence at work. 

This is not blind following, but an understanding that there are some things that are simply beyond my conception. After all, God is the Great One, He cannot be conceived of with an ordinary mind and an ordinary intelligence. 

If He was, then how Great would He be? 

And yet, if we are to actually love God in a practical way, then He must have a form. Prabhupad writes, "One cannot meditate on something impersonal or void. That is very difficult. The process of thinking of Kṛṣṇa, however, is very easy and is factually stated herein. First of all, the Lord is puruṣa, a person – we think of the person Rāma and the person Kṛṣṇa." Just like we meditate on the people we love, this is the same for God. Although it's an aspect of God, meditating on an inconceivable void can be very difficult in terms of cultivating love. Meditating on the face of the Lord actually awakens love in the heart. And it's so easy, as Prabhupad states.  

Yes, God is The Great One - Allah - who I imagine to be this brilliant and wondrous God who is luminous like the sun (aditya-varnam) as described in this verse. 

God is not limited, though, to only being inconceivable. 

If God is unlimited, then he can also be perceived, even with our limited eyes and senses. So yes, He is The Great One, and He is also the Beautiful One with Skin as Dark as a Raincloud - Shyamasundar. 

Personally, I visit Krishna temples and love to absorb myself in the beauty of Krishna's form in His sacred deity. His form touches my heart and soul, giving rise to a kind of unique and beautiful affection, adoration, and a desire to serve.

In this way, God becomes real and luminous like the sun within my own heart. 

Full purport by Bhaktivedanta Swami here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/8/9

36: From Subtle to Gross

CHAPTER 8, TEXT 3: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called adhyātma, the self. Action pertaining to the development of the material bodies of the living entities is called karma, or fruitive activities.

(note: I use the pronoun "he" for simplicity's sake in this post)

Although there are over 340 recognized breeds of dog (livescience.com) there is factually only one species: canis familiaris (scientificamerican). 

But according to Vedic understanding, these "breeds" of dogs are actually different species. Material science defines a species as a group of organisms that can biologically reproduce with one another (nature.com), but Vedic understanding declares that a species is defined by the composition of its consciousness according to the three modes of material nature, satva (goodness), rajas (passion), and tamas (ignorance). The aphorism "from subtle to gross" is pertinent in this regard, for consciousness shapes physical reality. 

It is well known that certain breeds of dogs have particular personalities. For example, "Boxers are upbeat and playful... They take the jobs of watchdog and family guardian seriously and will meet threats fearlessly" (akc.org). In the picture below, note the sharp ears perked up, almost reflecting this watchful nature (total speculation on my part!). 

Contrast this with the nature of a golden retriever, which is "even-tempered, intelligent and affectionate. Golden retrievers are playful, yet gentle with children, and they tend to get along well with other pets and strangers" (hillspet.com). Note that the golden retriever's ears are soft and floppy and actually cannot perk up, which seem to reflect a kind of softness and gentility (again, total speculation). 

Do individual boxers and golden retrievers deviate from this commonly experienced norm of personality? Absolutely. At the same time, we can generalize that these particular breeds of dogs produce a particular personality, or consciousness. 

Within both the boxer and the golden retriever is a pure, imperishable soul, called the adhyatma, as mentioned in this verse of the Gita. This pure soul is definitely not a dog according to his eternal nature. But that soul has identified with material nature, and then according to the laws of nature, he is given a body to reflect that consciousness - in this case, a particular kind of dog. Prabhupad writes, "When the living entity is in material consciousness, he has to take on various bodies in the material world. That is called karma, or varied creation by the force of material consciousness." I find the phrase "varied creation by force of material consciousness" intriguing in this regard, because it means that all the varied material creation springs from consciousness, and this is "by force." The aphorism "from subtle to gross" offers a clear understanding that whatever one thinks or desires becomes manifest by force. 

Modern science has officially described 1.6 million species of life (biodiversidad.gob.mx) although there are estimates up to 8.7 million (livescience.com); ancient Vedic understanding states that there are 8.4 million species of life. The relatively close correlation between modern estimations and ancient statements is fascinating. But while modern science simply offers material calculations, Srila Prabhupad offers the reason for all of these millions of species of life: "According to his [the soul's] identification with material or spiritual nature, he receives a material or spiritual body. In material nature he may take a body from any of the 8,400,000 species of life, but in spiritual nature he has only one body." The three modes of material nature, goodness (satva), passion (rajas), and ignorance (tamas), combine in 8,400,000 ways in order to manifest the various material bodies that we see (Padma Purana). 

This principle applies to all species of life, and Prabhupad writes that "In material nature he [the soul] is manifested sometimes as a man, demigod, animal, beast, bird, etc., according to his karma." Karma in this context means one's "work" or "actions" so according to what one has willed into reality by force of material consciousness, one is given a body that corresponds.  

For example, for one to be born in the body of a dog, the overall ratio of satva, rajas, and tamas is balanced for this species of life, let's assume for demonstration's sake 40% satva, 40% rajas, and 20% tamas.   

Proportionately the boxer may have a smidgen more rajas because its nature is to be upbeat and protective, while the golden retriever may have a smidgen more satva because its nature is to be affectionate and gentle.

What is most important to understand is not that we aim to take on the body that has the highest ratio of satva. We are not meant to have even the tiniest tinge of ANY of the modes of nature in our true self. Living in the body of a boxer or a golden retriever is temporary and is not an eternal existence or identity. Prabhupad states clearly that we either identify with a material nature - and thus spring forth 8,400,000 species of life in conjunction with the modes of nature - or we identify with our spiritual nature.

In our original spiritual nature, we have only one body. This means that our pure, imperishable, joyful soul - the adhyatma - is shining forth and manifests in a tangible body, free of any tinges of the modes of nature. 

Ultimately, we choose: material identity or spiritual identity. 

If the aphorism "from subtle to gross" holds true, how do I purify my subtle consciousness to truly achieve purity of mind and ultimately body? Prabhupad writes, "The Supreme Lord is the purest of the pure. Therefore anyone who is constantly Kṛṣṇa conscious is also the purest of the pure" (8.5). Krishna consciousness means remembering (smaranam) Krishna, especially by chanting the holy name. Chanting of the holy name is emphasized by Srila Prabhupad repeatedly as a way to connect with our original, joyful, pure nature by connecting to the source of all purity and love:

Hare Krishna

Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna

Hare Hare

Hare Rama

Hare Rama

Rama Rama

Hare Hare 

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/8/3/

Sources: 

https://www.livescience.com/8420-incredible-explosion-dog-breeds.html#:~:text=Now%2C%20there%20are%20about%20340,currently%20recognizes%20only%20167%20breeds.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/different-dog-breeds-same-species/#:~:text=But%20among%20dogs%2C%20which%20are,a%20single%20species%2C%20Canis%20familiaris.

https://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/v_ingles/species/howmany_species.html

https://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/species-312/#:~:text=species,nature%20and%20produce%20fertile%20offspring.

35: As Is The Individual, So Is The Universe

CHAPTER 7, TEXT 27: O scion of Bharata, O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate.

This means that the idea that God looks like this

is a matter of human interpretation. Anthropomorphism states that we are superimposing human qualities upon something (and someone) that could not possibly possess those qualities. How can an all-powerful Creator have hands and facial hair? The Cambridge dictionary defines anthropomorphism more broadly as "the showing or treating of animals, gods, and objects as if they are human in appearance, character, or behavior" (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/anthropomorphism). So not only is the supposed creator of the universe an old man with a long white beard, so are weather phenomena such as lighting

and even the modern the portrayal of animals in animated films

to how dogs are treated like humans

Ultimately, the idea of anthropomorphism asserts that humans are not the center of the universe, but we superimpose our own idea of humanity on everyone and everything around us. We MAKE ourselves the center of the universe. There is a subtle negative connotation here, that to view the world colored by human characteristics is delusional and even damaging.

But anthropomorphism, in its simple way, is actually touching upon a deep eternal truth. The Yajur Veda states yatha pinde tatha brahmande, yatha brahmande tatha pinde, which translates, "As is the individual, so is the universe; as is the universe, so is the individual." This means eternal patterns of life and the universe are repeated from the macro scale to the micro scale.

For example:

Brain cells are tiny, invisible to the naked eye, and the universe is so large that we cannot grasp its enormity with the naked eye. But from the gargantuan to the minuscule, patterns are repeated.

Below is a figure of all the major river basins of the United States. Rivers are considered the "veins" of the land.

This is a diagram of the circulatory system of the human body, the veins and the arteries. 

and the veins of a leaf

This is only one way that patterns are repeated, from the macro to the micro. 

As is the individual, so is the universe; as is the universe, so is the individual. 

Ultimately, the Vedic scriptures would concur with the Christian conception that "God created man in his own image" (1:27, KJV) and not the other way around where humans create God in THEIR image, as in anthropomorphism. Prabhupad asserts that "those who are deluded by duality and nescience think that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is created by material energies." In fact, God is the source of material energies. He is not created or formed by material minds. Thus anthropomorphism is a mere shadow of a divine truth that indeed God is a person.

The problem with God being a person who created the universe is that He must be the most powerful, most beautiful, most intelligent, and basically, the most everything. When anyone is the most of anything, envy is bound to happen.

Aristotle defines envy as pain at the sight of another’s good fortune, stirred by “those who have what we ought to have.”

And that's our problem. Prabhupad writes that an ignorant person wants the peace and bliss of merging into the light of the Supreme Lord but is envious of Krishna's position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead (vedabase.com). We actually feel pain to accept the glory of God, and deep down we feel, "I ought to have that." Prabhupad writes, "The illusory energy is manifested in the duality of desire and hate." The perpetual cycle of desiring independent happiness and hating God is what keeps us bound by illusion in this world.

For people trapped in this cycle, "This is their misfortune. Such deluded persons, symptomatically, dwell in dualities of dishonor and honor, misery and happiness, woman and man, good and bad, pleasure and pain, etc." When humans turn away from absolute truth, then they plunge into the miseries of these dualities.

Dishonor and honor become relative and thus cheapened.

Misery becomes a necessary contrast to experience any kind of happiness.

Woman and man become adversaries, fighting for dominance and control and recognition.

Good and bad become the flavor from which life is lived, the only reference point my own perspective.

Pleasure and pain become the spice of life, the avoiding of pain just as poignant as the incessant striving for pleasure - both flicker in and flicker out.

In the midst of all of these dualities, the world revolves around human beings. Humans become the center of the universe. Humans create a God in our image, and we superimpose human qualities on all we see and experience. There is no understanding that there could be absolute honor, absolute happiness, an absolute identity, and an Absolute Truth.

To any logical person, anthropomorphism seems childish and deluded, because it implies that humans are the center. But if we could stretch our minds to consider that maybe on a divine level, God created man in HIS image, and this divine pattern is echoed everywhere, then we can understand that there is no one to be envious of. We see personality infusing every living being because God Himself has a personality.

If God is everywhere and in everyone's heart and in everything, then there is no duality, no battle for dominance and control and pleasure. When Krishna states that "all living entities are born into delusion" this is what He means - we all are attracted to attain happiness and repulsed by the idea of an authentic personal God whom to surrender to.


Full purport by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/27/

34: Make A Choice: IGNORE-ance or KNOW-ledge

CHAPTER 7, TEXT 15: Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me.

CHAPTER 7, TEXT 16: O best among the Bhāratas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me – the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.

One evening when I was thirteen years old in Hawaii, I smoked marijuana with a few of my friends at an abandoned hotel. We then went to the beach and laughed and played in the shimmering blue water in the setting sun.

The night set in fast. My friends went home and somehow I ended up at the beach alone. This was an age before cell phones, so I couldn't call my parents. I had no money for a payphone. Besides, I thought nervously, I didn't want my parents to catch whiff of anything I had been doing.

So... I walked home.

In the dark, along roads where headlights blinded me and whizzed by, through quiet streets up the mountain towards my house, I walked. I was coming off the high from the marijuana, and one side effect is to become paranoid. So walking in the dark my mind conjured monsters, ax-murderers, and ferocious beasts. You're just coming down from your high, Bhakti, get a grip, I told myself. But fear flooded my veins.

By the time I got home, the high (and the fear) had worn off. I walked through my front door exhausted to the core of my being - not only by the fear, but by my attempt to have fun. What a shallow, unreliable, and futile method to experience happiness. I had simply become miserable.

That night, I vowed to never smoke marijuana again, or take any other mind-altering substance.

The next morning, I opened up an old songbook, filled with prayers by the saints in the Vaishnava tradition. I wanted to know - what is real happiness? Surely these people had it figured out, and maybe their songs would show me the way.

That fateful evening when I was thirteen was so miserable for me that I decided to turn to God. I could  have just as easily shrugged off the miserable experience as a one-off event and kept on smoking marijuana and stumbling in the metaphorical dark. But somehow, I made a choice.

There must be more to life than this. 

Show me. 

Please. 

That choice set me on a lifelong path for the pursuit of truth and love.

These two verses from the Bhagavad-gita, verses 15 and 16 of Chapter 7, highlight in such piercingly clear ways the types of people who refuse to turn to Krishna and those who do turn to Krishna.

Below I arrayed my analysis of these two verses and the analogous types of people, which is based on the commentary by Baladev Vidyabhusan; I wove in Prabhupad's translation and commentary as well.

Ultimately, the greatest distinction between these types of people is those people who choose to ignore Krishna (and cultivate ignorance) and those who choose to know God (and cultivate true knowledge). I did  not only make the choice to know God when I was thirteen - my relationship with God and the way I turn to Him continues to evolve over time. I am called to choose on a regular basis: turn towards or turn away?

These verses are not meant to condemn, but are meant to give us the clarity to understand our own relationship with God and to ask the question: Which one of these am I?

And then - make a choice.

Full Purports by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad here for Verse 15: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/15/
and here for Verse 16: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/16/

33: Cultivating the Connection

CHAPTER 7, TEXT 8: O son of Kuntī, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable oṁ in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.

From personal experience, a broken heart from betrayed love is probably the most excruciating pain I've ever endured.

Also from personal experience, a whole heart to give and receive love with another human being is probably the most joy I've ever known.

Love is pain.

Love is joy.

See the problem here??

We all want love, but love could be our downfall OR our salvation. So what is love?

Love, at its core, is an exchange between two people. Brene Brown, a Ph.D. researcher on shame and connection, writes, "Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people..."  (https://brenebrown.com/definitions/). This means that love is not an object to be given or an object to give away. And if love cannot be given or taken away, then that must mean that love eternally resides within the heart of each and every one of us. Essentially, love is a connection that is either cultivated or neglected.

Bhakti is the love that exists between God (Bhagavan) and the spirit soul (bhakta) - that love is not given to us, nor can it be given away. The propensity to love and serve God is intrinsic to our very nature. Bhakti is either dormant (and neglected) or active. What's more, "We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be seen and known" (Brene Brown, https://brenebrown.com/definitions/). Bhagavan in His most sweet and vulnerable form is when he goes by the personal name of Krishna. (An equivalent would be like calling President Obama by his first name, Barack.)

Calling God by His "first name" - Krishna - is very intimate. By saying the name Krishna, we are invoking God's most vulnerable and powerful self, and Krishna is allowing Himself to be seen and known.

So what does this all have to do with this Chapter 7, Verse 8 of the Bhagavad-gita?? What does being hardwired to love, being scared to love, and using God's personal name have to do with Krishna sharing that He is, say, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras?

Prabhupad writes, "Because the impersonalists are very much afraid of addressing the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa by His innumerable names, they prefer to vibrate the transcendental sound oṁ-kāra." The key word in this sentence is "afraid." The very reason why people become impersonalists and refute the existence of a personal God who has a form and a name is because they're afraid... of love.

We all know how painful love can be, and so impersonalists have simply chosen to not cultivate that connection of love with God the person. After all, a broken heart on the scale of loving God could be cataclysmic!

Still, there's a secret: "But [the impersonalists] do not realize that oṁ-kāra is the sound representation of Kṛṣṇa."

There's no escape ;)

Krishna says in this verse that He is the om-kara, so for those who are afraid to connect to God in a loving relationship, He still makes Himself accessible through an impersonal sound. Prabhupad writes, "The Supreme Lord can be preliminarily perceived by His different energies, and in this way He is realized impersonally." When loving God seems too far away, too scary, too impossible, then we can start here, in this preliminary way: experiencing His energies. They're all representations of Krishna Himself that we can experience right now, in this moment.

A glass of New York City tap water (which is famous for being drawn from natural springs) sits on my desk; I just took a sip. That clean taste is Krishna.

The morning sunlight shines with brilliance upon light brown bricks of the apartment building outside my window. That light is Krishna.

Sitting here at my desk, I just vibrated the syllable om. That syllable is Krishna.

Right now I can hear the clock tick. That sound vibrating through ether is Krishna.

I move my fingers across this keyboard and look upon this screen. The ability to do so is Krishna.

Right here, right now, I can experience God, if only I have the vision. No need to fear any kind of personal relationship or connection that could end in a broken heart, because maybe - if I'm honest - I'm scared and a little intimidated to really love God. So Krishna says here: Just experience the original and purest lights, sounds, smells, tastes, and movements of this world and You will know me.  

In this way, Krishna is allowing His most powerful self to be known through these energies. Maybe He's not so vulnerable - like using his personal name of Krishna - but that's okay. In this way, Krishna is emphasizing that all pathways to experiencing, knowing, and loving God are valid. Prabhupad points out, "Practically speaking, there is no conflict between personalism and impersonalism. One who knows God knows that the impersonal conception and personal conception are simultaneously present in everything and that there is no contradiction." In this way, the spiritual journey is meant to be understandable and accessible to all.

Right now.

Right here.

Bhakti is meant to be cultivated through the simple medium of appreciation. Just appreciating the glass of water, the sunlight, and sound, our heart grows and softens. We begin to understand that God is not vaulted off in some inaccessible cloud in the sky looking down on us. He is infused within every moment and every movement of our lives, if we only have the vision to see.

"When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in."
Kristin Armstrong

Full purport by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/8/