Pt. Gyandeo Persad, Spiritual Leader, Sukh Shanti Bhakti Mandali
We seek the blessings and mercy of Shree Krishna. In the Bhagavad Gita, (Chapter 10, verse 12) in his invocation to Shree Krishna, Arjuna says, “Oh Lord, you are the Supreme Divinity, the Supreme Divine Personality, Supreme Purifier, the Eternal God, the Primal Being, the Unborn; the greatest sages like Narad, Asit, Devala and Vyaasa proclaim this. O Lord, we pray to you.”
In the Bhagavad Gita, Shree Krishna revealed many pearls of wisdom. Let us consider some that we should practise. In Chapter 9, verse 14, he states, “Constantly chanting My names and glories and striving for My realisation, and bowing again and again to Me, those devotees of firm resolve, ever united with Me through meditation, worship Me with single-minded devotion.” We should at all times sing His glories and praises and remember Him.
During this period of COVID-19, millions of Hindus and people of other faiths are all praying to God. Each devotee is praying for relief. What does Shree Krishna say about other religions and worship? In Chapter 9, verse 23-25, he says, “Those devotees who, endowed with faith, worship other gods (with some interested motive), worship Me alone, though, with a mistaken approach. For I am the enjoyer and also the Lord of all sacrifices, but they do not know Me in reality as the Supreme Deity. They fall again to earth and live again and again. Those who worship the gods, will go to the gods; those who are votaries of the mane, reach the mane; those who adore spirits, reach the spirits and those who worship Me, come to Me alone. This is why my devotees are no longer subject to birth and death.”
We are all worshipping God in our own way, whatever our religion may be. Shree Krishna is saying, when we get the right knowledge and understanding, we will understand that Shree Krishna is the Supreme Purusha, the Supreme Divinity, then, there will be no return to earth. By worshipping other deities, devotees’ desires are fulfilled and they are reborn according to their karmas. For those who worship Shree Krishna and also consider Him as their Supreme Deity, there is no rebirth for such a devotee. As a child, Krishna urged His devotees to worship Divinity and when they worshipped Goverdhan, He appeared and accepted their offerings. In this cycle of samsaara (worldly existence), we are reborn to reap the fruit of our past karmas. If we wish to be liberated from this cycle of birth and death, then we must worship, Bhagavan Shree Krishna.
How do we worship Him? He says that there are many ways of worshipping Him, including those who worship only through kirtan and bhajan (devotional singing). It is the simplest path in the quest for God, the path of bhakti (devotion). The mere fact that we are in the human form means that we will make mistakes; we are imperfect. This is why in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna prays to Shree Krishna, seeking forgiveness for all transgressions (Ch. 11, v. 41 and 42): “Oh Lord, I often consider You as a friend. I have considered you a simple human being so many times. Even as we eat or play, I have disregarded you as Divinity. Oh Lord, forgive Me. I have slighted you many times, in the presence of others also, Oh Lord, for all that, I crave your forgiveness.”
“There is none other than You, the Supreme Lord of the universe,” Arjuna says to Shree Krishna. We know that there is nothing else but Him so we must sing kirtan and listen to the glories of Shree Krishna. We must dedicate our lives to Him, accept Him and practise worshipping Him. It does not matter which religion people follow, we must not criticise and condemn their ways. Each of us is praying to God. When there are difficulties in life, we will turn to the Supreme Lord. When we reach the path to liberation, we will gain Supreme Divinity. When will that Lord come to us? When will we meet Him? While there is life and breath, we must pray to that Supreme Lord.
From a satsang broadcast online.
