Gita for Children

[Guest guest]

1. Arjuna says, Krishna, I want to ask You a question about the

modalities of worship. I have seen two kinds of people, who seem to

worship You in two entirely different ways. One group employs

elaborate rituals and its members assert that unless these

procedures are rigorously followed, God would be displeased with the

worship. The other group does not seem to bother at all about

procedures. Its members behave in strange ways; they talk to You,

sing to You and dance for You. In many ways they appear crazy and

abnormal. Yet some people say that that is the way to worship You. I

am totally confused. Please can You explain how exactly are You to

be worshipped?'

 

2. Krishna smiles and replies, `Arjuna, based on all the things I

have told you thus far, you ought to be able to figure out the

answer yourself! Yet, since you have asked Me, I shall give the

answer.'

 

3. `There are basically two approaches to worship, the external

approach and the internal approach. The external approach relies

heavily on procedures while the internal approach does not bother

about procedures. Both approaches are acceptable, provided Love is

the basis.'

 

4. Arjuna says, `Krishna, this I am unable to understand. The two

approaches appear to be totally contradictory; and yet You say both

are acceptable to You! How can that be? "

 

5. Krishna replies, `Oh no, the two approaches are not

contradictory. Let me explain with some detailed examples. Let us

take one form of ritual. In this, the devotee has an idol, and

offers worship to it by chanting various Mantras. Instead of

mechanically uttering the Mantras without understanding the meaning,

try to understand what is being said and done.'

 

6. `First you welcome God to your house. You wash His feet at the

entrance and respectfully conduct Him inside. After this you offer

Him a seat. Next you make preparations so that He can have a bath.

After the bath is over, you offer Him new clothes. Then flowers,

incense etc. After this the lunch and so on. All this is done via

suitable Mantras.'

 

7. `A person who goes through this routine mechanically before the

idol would not realise that He is actually having the Lord as his

guest. But one who is filled with that feeling does not think he is

uttering routine chants. Instead, he is swept by the feeling that he

is actually playing host to the Lord. No, it is not make believe as

an atheist would imagine. Since I am the Indweller, I know exactly

what the devotee feels. If the devotee is merely acting as a

chanting machine, then the worship remains external. But if the

chants are uttered with feeling, then the very same ritual becomes

internal! See?!'

 

8. `Another example. You know Vedic priests perform complicated

rituals called Yajna. These Yajnas are full of grand chants that

proclaim the Glory of God. If the Vedic Mantras are uttered with

feeling, if the one who chants experiences the Glory of God while

chanting, then the Yajna is not a mere Vedic drill but a profound

experience; otherwise it is a ritual that sceptics would dismiss as

extremely wasteful. But if the Mantras are uttered with deep

feeling, then even the atheist would be irresistibly moved by the

majesty of the sound and the power of the words.'

 

9. `In short, if Love is made the basis, then it really does not

matter whether the procedure adopted is formal or informal. Have I

not told you earlier that as far as I am personally concerned, I am

delighted if you worship Me with just a flower, a fruit, a leaf or

even just a bit of water.'

 

10. `I shall go one step further. You don't have to offer Me a

flower. To get that flower you have to go to a shop or a garden.

Save yourself all that trouble. Just say, " God, I offer You one bad

habit of mine! " God would be quite happy with that!'

 

11. Arjuna replies, `Krishna, I know you mentioned this before but I

still think you can't be serious.'

 

12. With a big laugh Krishna replies, `No, that is not true, and as

a matter of fact I am quite serious. You see Arjuna, when you offer

Me a bad habit, you become purer to that extent and come a bit

closer to Me. Is it any wonder that I am pleased?'

 

13. `Arjuna, for Me the priority is faith plus Love. A child is not

able to speak properly; it is just able to mutter a few words

incoherently. Yet the mother feels deliriously happy. Why? Because

the mother sees Love in the child's words, that is why. She is not

bothered about grammar but Love! Got it?'

 

14. `It is the same with Me, naturally! For Me, Pure Love is

primary. If unadorned Love is all that you can offer, no problem! I

am not bothered about the frills.'

 

15. `Let us go back to the mother and child example. Let us say the

child has composed a small poem expressing her love to her mother.

The mother is very happy, as happy as she was when her daughter was

a mere baby and was able to only prattle. What the poem and the

prattle have in common is love, and that is what really matters.'

 

16. `Having said that, I must clarify that I am not anti-procedure.

Just that if procedure is what you want to follow, then do so with

the proper feeling. It is not correct to worship the idol thinking

all the time about other matters. In this case, there is a lack of

harmony between thought and action. As you know I am a great

stickler for harmony of feeling, thought, word and deed. That ought

not to be compromised, ever!'

 

17. Arjuna says, `Krishna, if ritualistic procedures can make a

person slip, how come they came into existence in the first place?

What role do they have to play, if at all, in the development of

devotion?'

 

18. Krishna replies, `Now that is an interesting question, and let

Me reply to it in some detail. Thousands of years ago, the world was

very different. There were many sages and Rishis then, and they all

adored Me so much that that they spent all their time thinking of Me

and doing My work in many ways.'

 

19. `For example, the Rishis would meditate intensely for long

stretches of time, and it was then that I would reveal great

Spiritual Truths to them. Later, these Truths got compiled into what

are called the Vedas.'

 

20. `The Rishis performed a useful service to Society. They ran

little schools called Gurukulas, where disciples absorbed Spiritual

Truths. This is how the Vedas have been preserved through time, by

being passed on from generation to generation. By the way, do you

know that I Myself attended a Gurukula?!'

 

21. `Besides preserving Spiritual Knowledge, the Rishis also started

the custom of performing Yajnas. As they chanted the Mantras, there

was a tremendous outpouring of Love for God, and so compelling was

the grandeur of the chant that they drew even ordinary folk to the

function. Their very presence did a lot of good to these people,

even though they did not understand one single word of the Mantras

chanted. So powerful were the vibrations of the Vedic sound that it

produced beneficial effects unknown to them.'

 

22. `In later years, many ordinary people took to rituals, often

without understanding their full significance. However, this in

itself is not bad. These people performed rituals with full faith –

that is the important point. In due course, they began to understand

the inner meaning, whereupon the ritual acquired new significance

for them.'

 

23. `You see Arjuna, children are taught multiplication tables. At

that age, they do not quite know the significance of the tables.

They just get it by heart, because that is what they are supposed to

do. Years later, when they understand better the principle

underlying arithmetic, these tables become more meaningful.'

 

24. `In short, rituals are a stepping stone. They are like the

floatation aids used by those learning to swim. Once they know how

to swim, the floatation aids are thrown away. In the same manner,

rituals are supposed to get people started on the path of worship;

later, when love for God develops in full measure, rituals could be

given up.'

 

25. `The bottom line is faith and Love. If these are present, then

any procedure or ritual, formal or otherwise, is acceptable. That is

the point really. Got it?'

 

(To be continued...

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan

rgcjp