“Don’t feel yourself to be alone because Krishna is always with you. Krishna is always with every living entity as supersoul, and to His devotees especially He talks and gives instructions how to attain the perfectional stage of meeting Him. So don’t feel alone. Always chant whenever possible, read our books, and there will be no great difficulty.” – Srila Prabhupada (letter, April 3, 1969)
Do I fundamentally trust God?
From belief to Trust
When you jump out of a plane, your parachute should open. But what if it fails?
Is it possible to feel safe as you take a leap into the unknown? As a believer in God and one who finds the verses of the Bhagavad Gita sacred, trusting in God and these texts requires action. This involves taking steps, such as performing more acts of service or spending time chanting His Holy Names, which demonstrate an implicit faith that God cares for us – that’s ‘jumping with the parachute’. Taking these steps can bring about a spiritual experience that is more than just an intellectual conviction.
Trust is a personalized belief that is displayed through the actions we take to serve God and humanity. With a quiet, inner assurance that God will safeguard us, we can jump into the unknown and feel secure. God is our ever well-wisher.
Just as in a romantic relationship, feeling loved and safe requires trust. If our partner knows our likes and interests and believes in our abilities, we feel confident. But when our partner trusts our intentions and love, we feel loved and secure. Similarly, we may believe in God’s ability to protect and care for His devotees, but do we trust Him to protect and care for us personally? Can we honestly say, “God loves me”? If the answer is yes, God is convinced that we love Him, and that is significant. However, if the answer is no, we must take steps to place more trust in Him.
I noticed a big, heavy-set man – the owner – standing behind the cash counter of a plastic chair shop while I chatted with the young customer care attendant. As the conversation progressed, I realized that the young man was quite knowledgeable about the chairs, so I asked him if he truly believed the chairs were strong enough and would last for many years. After he assured me, I asked him, “But do you trust them?” He looked at me curiously, and I lightened the conversation with a tongue-in-cheek comment, “If your proprietor stood and jumped up and down on this chair, I’d know for sure that he trusts this chair.”
If you want to trust God, you need to take baby steps to make tangible deposits in your relationship with Him. This is beyond just an abstract sense of love.
To attract Krishna’s love, you need actionable steps, and that’s when scriptures come in handy.
Step 2- SCRIPTURES – an intelligence beyond our ‘mind-ego’ nexus
Studying wisdom books from various traditions can be compared to analysing military textbooks.
A friend of mine who graduated from the Indian Military Academy studied various subjects, including Science and warfare, military history, and tactics and techniques of war. I was fascinated by his wealth of knowledge on famous and lesser-known battles in human history, so I asked him how his studies would help him during a real-time war. He explained that the books he read provided valuable insights into the strategies, tactics, and decision-making processes of past military leaders. The course was designed to produce well-rounded officers who could understand and address the complex challenges of modern warfare, and during a particular war, his instincts would be sharp enough to make the right decisions.
I likened his experience to that of a spiritual warrior who studies scriptures. Wisdom books from various traditions provide valuable insights into the experiences of saints and struggling aspirants. As we sincerely read them, we learn to navigate life’s challenges with greater understanding and purpose.
To be continued…
