Jeremy and I share a common problem
Hare Krsna,
I saw them approaching from the corner of my eye and I immediately knew this was going to be different. He had the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is open in his hand and converged upon me with the intent of a hunter eager to corner his prey.
"I have a real problem with a verse in this book," he challenged.
"Really?" I feigned surprise. "Which one?"
He turned the book around and stood right next to me. "This one," he emphatically pointed out to me.
"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me."
"Now that you mention it," I replied, "I have a real problem with that one too."
I had met Jeremy and his girlfriend, both from Vancouver, Canada, just a few minutes ago. Both graduates of the humanities, well-aware of the impending calamities awaiting the human race, they had just revealed their willingness to seriously consider the possibility that the solution to the myriad crises besieging the world might just be a spiritual one. Seeing luminaries such as Thoreau and Emerson glorifying the Bhagavad-Gita on the back cover, they eagerly parted with a green note.
I wished every exchange took as little effort on my part as this one. All well and good. Not quite.
"I am sure that this book is full of beautiful spiritual ideas," Jeremy continued, "but the whole thing has been spoiled by this one verse. If this is the conclusion of this book, then sorry, I don't want it."
"Moreover," his girlfriend chimed in,"what is with this 'His Divine Grace.'"
"In fact," Jeremy surged on,"we just finished a vipassana retreat. It was absolutely wonderful. Are you suggesting that the conclusion of spirituality is to surrender to some sort of divine being? How archaic?"
Saying a quiet prayer to the Lord, I coaxed Jeremy to reveal what was archaic or illogical about a supreme divine being. Not having any answers forthcoming, I suggested, "Have you considered that your knee-jerk reaction might entirely be a symptom of an intellectual culture where the mere mention of the word "God" is enough to send able-bodied men and women into inexplicable stroke-inducing spasms."
To my surprise, they both agreed. "A divine being is not only uncool," Jeremy agreed,"but He has been long ago banished to intellectual "Siberia." You really have some convincing to do if you are going to persuade me that some supreme being is a viable proposition for university-educated thinkers. As far as I am concerned, God is a totally irrelevant concept."
It is at this point that I usually point people towards Searching For Vedic India, a book written by my spiritual master, H.H. Devamrita Swami, particularly for persons such as Jeremy. Unfortunately, we had run out of copies at the Bhakti Lounge, the Wellington Krishna outreach centre, and I didn't have a copy with me.
So I took out a Science of Self-Realisation and a Your Ever Well-Wisher. Handing them both to Jeremy, I said, "Please take these. These books give an introduction to that verse in the Bhagavad-Gita and if you read them you will see why a supreme divine being is not as illogical or archaic as you think it is."
After a hour-long conversation spanning consciousness, UFOs, Darwin, saints and reincarnation, Jeremy exchanged his Bhagavad-Gita As It Is for the two above-mentioned books.
They were certainly sincere seekers and I request the devotees to pray for them so that Lord Krishna may be pleased to guide them to the lotus feet of His dearmost servant Srila Prabhupada. Surely they will then appreciate the nectarean import of "His Divine Grace."
Your aspiring servant,
Sachi Dulal das, New Zealand
