Chapter 04, Text 09 - Chaitanya Charan Das, Bhagavad Gita ISKCON: Recent Episodes
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How Krishna catches our attention: While watching an action movie, our attention is often caught by the hero’s spectacular action sequences. When Krishna descends to the world, he performs astonishing pastimes that include fights, flights and feats. In his many fights, he often fearlessly faces fearsome demons far bigger than him in size and nonchalantly [...]
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna mentions that he descends for two purposes (04.07-08 & 04.09-10). To better understand these purposes, let’s consider two classificatory frameworks: external-internal and contextual-perennial. The external-internal framework: Krishna’s external purpose for descending centers on bringing about a change in the outer world: he restores social order (dharma) by empowering the virtuous and [...]
Bg 4.9 janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna Word for word: janma — birth; karma — work; ca — also; me — of Mine; divyam — transcendental; evam — like this; yaḥ — anyone who; vetti — knows; tattvataḥ — in reality; tyaktvā [...]
Superman was among the first in the galaxy of super-heroes that populates the DC universe. The history of Superman’s evolution points to an important truth about divinity as manifested in the bhakti tradition. Since the 1940’s, as Superman caught the public imagination, his creators started making him more and more powerful till he could blow [...]
One of the greatest civilizing forces in human history has been the belief in a God who keeps track of our actions and who thereby keeps us on track. The more we become aware of God’s greatness — his omniscience and his omnipotence, for example — the more we restrain our urges to act [...]
Most people nowadays are functionally nontheistic; they may not be explicitly atheistic, but they live as if God doesn’t matter. We start bringing God into our life when we seek something that we can’t get on our own. Based on whatever little understanding of God we have, we think that maybe he can provide us [...]
Those who see Krishna’s pastimes as a child sometimes wonder: “How can such a child be God?” To unravel this mystery, let’s first look at how Krishna as a child is far more than a child. Srimad-Bhagavatam describes how he performed extraordinary pastimes even while he was just a baby. When the witch Putana came [...]
Many people are introduced to Krishna through his stories narrated by their grandparents or depicted in comics or movies. Such depictions often leave people with the impression that Krishna is an entertaining hero, like other historical or fictional characters whose antics and stunts entertain them. Connecting with Krishna in any way is beneficial. But the [...]
We are naturally attracted to theatrical things – to things that are intriguing, entertaining, astonishing. Channeling our attraction to the theatrical, Krishna performs dramatic pastimes when he descends to the material world. While still a baby, he outwits a witch and a wizard. As a preteen, he lifts up a huge hill, subdues a scary [...]
Many people like to hear Krishna’s pastimes as a pious form of entertainment. Even if they know vaguely that he is God, their interest in him is as a source of entertainment. Significantly, the Bhagavad-gita states that hearing about Krishna can do much more than entertain – it can elevate and liberate. Those who understand [...]
On seeing God depicted in temples, we may get the question, “Who created God?”
This question arises from a fundamental misunderstanding about God’s nature. To avoid such misunderstandings, we need to begin with his definition, not his depiction. God is defined as the cause of all causes; he is the being who is the basis of all being, the foundational existence that makes all existence possible. If we understand this definition of God, we recognize that the question “Who created God?” is incoherent – it’s like the question, “Why is a circle circular?” Circularity is, by definition, intrinsic to a circle. Similarly, God’s very definition implies that he can’t have any cause – he is the causeless cause of all causes.
We may question, “But God is not depicted that way in temples – he is depicted as a finite form.”
Yes, that’s because in his infinity, God is beyond depiction. But he also manifests a finite-seeming form for reciprocating love with his intimate devotees in the highest spiritual stratum of reality, his personal abode. And whenever he descends in this material world, he manifests that form and reveals vignettes of those eternal pastimes. Based on such revelation, he is depicted in temples.
However, the same revelation also gives us the philosophical definition of God. If we neglect that definition and equate him with the depiction alone, we blunder. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (04.09) states that we can attain Krishna when we understand him in truth. That is, we need to begin with definition before progressing to depiction. Then we appreciate Krishna’s infinite loving nature is manifested in his sublime reciprocations of love with his devotees and recognize that entering into those loving exchanges will supremely fulfill our longing for love. Thus becoming attracted to him, we devote ourselves to him and ultimately attain him.
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http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/Gita%20daily/2016%20Gita%20daily/11-16%20Gita%20daily/To%20understand%20God%2c%20begin%20with%20definition%2c%20not%20depiction%20Gita%2004.09.mp3
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