TWO: ENERGIES, CHOICES

Which way does one go in moments of despair?

by Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami

LORD KṚṢṆA HAS TWO ENERGIES, material and spiritual, but they can be used interchangeably if one knows how. Just as the same electricity can be used to heat or cool a building, so Kṛṣṇa’s energies can be used for different purposes according to the living entity’s desire.

That doesn’t mean that the living entity can control Kṛṣṇa’s energies, only that he can use them. When a conditioned soul wishes to exploit material nature, he contacts the material energy. When he no longer wishes to dominate or enjoy the material energy and instead uses it in Kṛṣṇa’s service, he contacts the spiritual energy. The living entity is called the “marginal potency” of God—he can go either way. The Bhagavad-gītā (9.13) states: “Being marginal potency, as soon as the living entity is freed from the control of material nature, he is put under the guidance of the spiritual nature.” There are only two choices.

In the Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks of penance and repentance as our means to begin the switch from material to spiritual. If we regret our association with the material energy, we will no longer feel dependent upon its dualities, and we will turn to Kṛṣṇa. Repentance burns away our sins and pushes us toward surrender.

Lord Kṛṣṇa states, “The material energy is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Bg. 7.14) Śrīla Prabhupāda adds, “Kṛṣṇa, being the Lord of the illusory energy, can order His insurmountable energy to release the conditioned soul.”

Repentance is followed by penance, or austerity. We begin our austerity by trying to stop exploiting material resources as if we own them. That means we have to learn tolerance because the material energy rarely acts for our comfort. Numberless little things in life irritate us. The more attached we are to physical ease, the more troublesome these things become. Therefore, we have to tolerate.

Those who tolerate are neither culprits who cause pain to other living entities to ensure their own comfort, nor helpless victims living only for relief, nor fools trying to enjoy. Our senses become subdued and our hearts purified.

Repentance and penance are nothing more than attitude. An episode in the Bhāgavatam shows how our attitude determines whether we live in the spiritual or the material energy. When Vidura tried to convince Dhṛtarāṣṭra to return the throne to the Pāṇḍavas, its rightful heirs, Dhṛtarāṣṭra threw Vidura out of the palace, which had been his home. So Vidura decided to go on pilgrimage. Because of his love for Kṛṣṇa, he accepted his new situation as the Lord’s will. Śrīla Prabhupāda states that in this instance the Lord’s material energy acted as the internal, spiritual energy. Although Vidura could see that he had been mistreated, he also saw Kṛṣṇa’s blessing. Suddenly he was free of political entanglement and could seek out pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness in a life of renunciation and devotion.

When we stop blaming others for the pain they seem to cause us, and understand our role in causing our own karma, and when we see our powerlessness against the material energy, we will become more dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Then the material energy will become spiritual in our hands. Instead of dragging us further into material life, our happiness and distress will elevate us in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Rather than causing us pain, our predicaments and perplexities will provide us another chance to meditate on Kṛṣṇa. And that will make us happy.

Of course, atheists consider this mad and irresponsible. “You should not tolerate your suffering but strive to overcome it.” But is it possible? No matter how hard we work to get ahead in life, we never seem to become happy. That’s because everything we do must be done at the expense of others, who are seeking gratification at our expense. If we manage to climb to the top of the pile, then Providence slaps us—a family member dies, the fortune dwindles, the spouse is unfaithful, we contract a debilitating disease, and in the end we die. To pursue such a blind path is the ultimate irresponsibility.

The Bhāgavatam (1.3.34) states: “If the illusory energy subsides and the living entity becomes fully enriched with knowledge by the grace of the Lord, then he becomes at once enlightened with self-realization and thus becomes situated in his own glory.”

We are the marginal potency of God. We can go either way. We can respond to whatever life deals us by glorifying God, or we can make that other choice.

Appointment with the Infinite

In the Cold War era, one American schoolgirl was very much worried about the escalating arms race.

She wrote to the then Soviet leader about her worries and requested him not to be the first one to start a new world war. Of course, very few people thought any positive result could come from this effort. But surprisingly, the Soviet leader responded and even invited that girl to visit his country. To cite a later example, one novice reporter requested the world’s richest man for an interview, and surprisingly she was granted one. When asked as to why she was granted this special gift, the man replied, “Well, she asked for it, didn’t she?”

Thus it may actually happen that someone who has almost no chance of meeting a very powerful personality can actually succeed just by trying.

How does this apply when one desires to meet God?

The Vedas assert that one can neither see, hear, understand, nor perceive the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Then how can one even make a beginning?

The answer—Transcendental Devotional Service.

Although it sounds very technical, transcendental devotional service is simple to understand. We have to begin this service with the tongue. We either taste things or vibrate some sound with our tongue. If we discipline ourselves to taste only foodstuffs that have been offered lovingly for the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and then chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra—

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

—then we have actually begun the process of devotional service.

We also face a typical problem when approaching God. He is great while we are small. He is infinite while we are infinitesimal. In fact, this problem has plagued people to such an extent that in despair many so-called philosophers claim that if at all the infinitesimal succeeds in understanding the infinite, then the infinite ceases to be infinite.

In other words, God stops being God once you know who He is.

In the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna represents a devotee who desires to understand God’s position. But he does not depend on his speculative strength; rather, he admits his limitations as a living entity and acknowledges Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s inestimable position. Arjuna could understand that for a living entity it is not possible to understand the unlimited infinite.

So if someone says that “When the infinite reveals itself, it ceases to be infinite,” he is incorrect.

Rather, it is accurate to state that “If the infinite does not possess the power to reveal itself to the infinitesimal, then it ceases to be infinite.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is also known as “Yogeśvara,” or one who has inconceivable power. If He likes, He can reveal Himself by His grace, although He is unlimited. Therefore, Arjuna pleads for the inconceivable grace of Kṛṣṇa. He does not give Kṛṣṇa orders. Kṛṣṇa is not obliged to reveal Himself unless one surrenders fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages in devotional service. Therefore, it is not possible for persons who depend simply on the strength of their mental speculations to see Kṛṣṇa.

— Śyāmānanda Dāsa