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All We Need Is Love

 

By Jayadev das

 

Millions of love hungry music fans the world over sat glued to their TV sets

as the supreme idols of the 60's, the Beatles, sang the poignant anthem,

"All you need is Love". It was one rare moment in pop's chequered history

where the fickle hearts of music lovers from all nations and all ages joined

together in adulation and exhultation. Hippies, straights, mods, rockers,

mums, dads, grandparents, grandchildren just adored them.

 

Never before and never since has everyone so consummately adored one artist.

Elvis was massive, had millions of fans but they were in for the most part

drawn from the younger generation, many of the older folk saw him as a

greasy-haired hip swivelling upstart. But the Beatles - all the Beatles -

belonged to everyone. They seemed to actually speak to us with a voice that

came from the hearts of everyone. It seemed to somehow represent the crying

of the soul in darkness and the joy of the liberated soul in flight to

eternal happiness, or looking back, that seems to be how it felt for me.

Bearded and beaded kaftan sporting Beatles calling out across the universe

"All you need is Love." And in that one small and sacred moment, it appeared

that all questions were answered. That is all except one. How? How to love

and be loved.

 

A spiritual revolution was being spawned concurrently by Srila Prabhupada

which was to supply the missing How - and how!

 

Although not as well known as the Mop Tops, his Vedic classics as we know

have sold more copies than the Beatles and Elvis put together. We also know

that George came forward to offer his invaluable service to Srila

Prabhupada.

 

Even so, we may ask, why is Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON not loved as widely

as the Beatles for we have established communities and centers and

distributed books in the hundreds of millions in almost every one of the

worlds major cities.

 

There are many answers to this question but the one that springs most

prominently to mind is that people know that all we need is love but they

haven't got the "How" bit right yet.

 

And of those who came to know How, many more eventually left than stayed. So

How was that?

 

Of course Sri Krishna Himself has said that even though there may be many

thousands of applicants for love, one who gets it (Him) is extremely rare.

Fortunately for us, Srila Prabhupada's mood was much more hopeful and

encouraging than Sri Krishna's and he bravely gave us the principles and

processes to achieve Bhakti. Still, how is it that so few seemingly remain

to work together for Srila Prabhupada's mission when so many have been

exposed to it?

 

The answer may be that the How factor has lost it's "H" for "Hari" rendering

it into "ow" (pronounced "oowww"). The "H" for "Hare is now transformed to

"H" for "Hurt" and when one gets hurt, "oowww" is manifest.

 

Some react by saying, "Well it's just their karma, mate!"

 

I didn't react like that when I had my tough time - but is it the best - or

only way - of dealing with hardships that is coming at us from all angles at

any given or ungiven time.

Reducing it all down to the lowest karmic denominator is not really good

arithmetic. The numbers may add up but Love still stays at an astromonical

distance and if you agree that it's "all we need" then it may be time for us

all to get our ready reckoners out again. How we treat each other is

probably the single most important factor that will attract or repulse men

and women from Srila Prabhupada's beloved ISKCON.

 

Prabhupada said first become conscious, then Krishna conscious. If we insist

on keeping our prejudices firmly intact throughout our ISKCON careers, we

may expect a rough ride to nowhere. Of course, dropping our prejudices does

not guarantee an easy ride either, but that ride is the glorious path to

Somewhere.

 

"Just imagine the following scenario. My Temple Commander was unjust and

cruel. That's why I gave up Krishna Consciousness and went back to my old

ways. Stopped chanting, even had the odd cigarette now and then." Well, if

we don't change our attitude, we may well have to tell the same things to

Yamaraja. He knows our story anyway cos he got it from our old Temple

Commander two weeks prior to our arrival.

The TC, who due to his injustice and cruelty was about to be dispatched way

down past the good old Bhumandala, was fortunately met by the effulgent

Srila Prabhupada, eyes moist with compassion and mercy, who appeared like a

veritable Narada and interceded upon the TC's behalf. A deal was struck with

Yamaraj for him to be born in ISKCON in suitable circumstances so he could

tolerate the injustice and cruelty that were due him from his previous

life's behaviour. The TC, visibly relieved of his karmically deserved fate,

offered heartfelt obeisances and blissfully chanting the Lord's names

prepared himself for one final birth in ISKCON, bearing any and all

attendent hardships. Saved again by Srila Prabhupada!

 

"Your love for me will be shown by how much you co-operate"

Co-operate - what does it mean? Well, to some it means "Don't give up on

love." Oh my, and haven't we had many excuses and opportunities to do just

that.

 

The Good News is that some have weathered the thick and thin of it all, have

"survived" some of the roughest rides available to man on the planet. Their

answers to how to deal with the horrendous things that happened to them and

their families might go something like this:

How we treat each other is probably the single most important factor that

will attract people to ISKCON.

"If we insist on keeping our prejudices firmly intact throughout our ISKCON

careers, we may expect a rough ride to nowhere."

 

1 Keep courage and faith throughout the following numbers

2 I developed the ability to say sorry and make amends

3 I found out that if I could change, so could they

4 I found out that if they could change, so could I

5 Strong faith that what Srila Prabhupada has given us is the real deal

6 Increased desire to follow Krishna consciousness

7 Sincere desire not to cause others to fall down by harsh or inappropriate

behaviour

8 Understanding that anything I take for granted will not be granted to me

9 Realising that the Lord gives Himself to me when I accept that everything

I have or am is stolen or at best borrowed from Him

10 Prabhupada's mission must come before my own selfishness whether I

understand it or not

11 Others are at least as important as me

12 Don't judge anyone

 

We may unfortunately fall foul of situations or personalities to which we

respond by becoming resentful or bitter towards devotional service -

especially the holy name. If so, we should beg Srila Prabhupada to intercede

on our behalf to enable us to rekindle our bhakti-lata-bija and develop some

real taste for chanting again.

 

Apart from the glorious maha mantra, here are several additional mantras you

may want to chant from time to time:

1 I love you

2 I love me too

3 I shall serve you

4 I shall greatly honour our souls

5 When I honour you without expectation, Krishna honours me

6 Krishna is not mad at me. He is mad about me.

7 I shall sooner rather than later reciprocate in some small way

8 Take a deep breath and keep courage and faith - then read number 9:

9 No I shan't - I shall try and give everything now!

10 To "friends and enemies" - thank you for whatever you did against me or

for me. I am understanding it all as a great mercy and part of the great

conspiracy of love and nothing else.

11 Thank you to my Guru Maharaj, to Srila Prabhupada, to the disciplic

succession, to the Pancha Tattva, for giving yourselves so completely to us.