Undoubtedly understanding God is the goal of life. All good qualities, ethics, morality, rules and laws come from God consciousness. But who is God? Someone who tells us to kill the infidels and entices us to enjoy virgins in heaven? Or one who send the sinners to hell eternally? Or one who is the most beautiful and charming and whose love overflows to the extent of being subservient to the love of his followers? I’d choose number three please. And which one offers the most comprehensive, detailed, scientific description of who God is and how his energies work? You can compare the different teachings and judge for yourself. So let us say that Krishna is the most precise and detailed understanding of God. If that is so, then how do we apply the principles of the bhakti scriptures and advance on the path? Well, by chanting the holy names of Krishna. Hare Krishna hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. It is said that just by chanting these names one can realise God.
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
‘In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.’
So simple. Three names. You do not need to be a scholar. But you do need to be a saint. But that will come in time as one’s heart becomes purified by chanting the holy name.
This world is such an illusion. Nothing is what it seems. We see bodies but actually the soul is the prominent force, which we cannot see. Everything is made of various elements to which it eventually returns - cars. houses and everything else do not stay that for long. So they will be earth, metal and other core elements again. So we need to untangle the illusory knots of this world. We need to perceive the truth. Our illusion is dispelled when we no longer want to be illusioned, but that goes hand in hand with realising God. He is the light and our illusion is the darkness.
kṛṣṇa — sūrya-sama; māyā haya andhakāra
yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa, tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra
“Kṛṣṇa is compared to sunshine, and māyā is compared to darkness. Wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be darkness. As soon as one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the darkness of illusion (the influence of the external energy) will immediately vanish.
Everything is designed in this world to bring us deeper into illusion, but we must resist that downward slide. But other than calling out to Krishna there is no hope.
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi
mayi sannyasya mat-parāḥ
ananyenaiva yogena
māṁ dhyāyanta upāsate
teṣām ahaṁ samuddhartā
mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt
bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha
mayy āveśita-cetasām
But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pṛthā – for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.
As Krishna is the air, the light, our breath, our emotions, our thoughts, electricity, everything, we are wholly dependent upon him. Of course we have our free will, but the appropriate use of it it to engage ourselves in Krishna’s service.
ṛte ’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta
na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ
O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.
The dividing line between reality and illusion is our remembering Krishna. It’s that simple. But of course there are depths to our Krishna consciousness. There is a huge difference between the krishna consciousness of a new bhakta and Srimati Radharani.
