What would He say?

If God could speak...

If God could speak, what would He say? Would He say He is dissatisfied with us, but there’s still hope? Would He say that we are destroying the earth, but there’s still time? Many people believe in God, but what images do we have? A force? A light? A universal void? How does God describe Himself?

We have heard of images of God, a burning bush, a light, a dove descending from the sky, Jesus as he ascended to heaven on the 7th day, the Father. The Great Michelangelo, painting in the renaissance gives us the image of an old man, as does the English surrealist poet William Blake who calls him NoboDaddy. Is God a NoboDaddy in the sky, an old man who keeps track of our sins so he can send us to hell and punish us on judgment day? 

How does God describe Himself?

In the 9th Chapter, Kṛṣṇa says, “but it is I who am the ritual, the sacrifice, the offering to the ancestors, the healing herb, the transcendental mantra. I am the butter and the fire and the offering. I am the father of this universe, the mother the support, the grandfather. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable om. I am also the Ṛg, the Sāma, and the Yajur Vedas. I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the above, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, resting place and the eternal seed. Oh Arjuna, I control heat, the rain and the drought. I am immortality, and I also death personified. Both Being and Nonbeing are within me. Those who study the Vedas drink the Soma juice, seeking a heavenly planets, worship me in directly. They take birth on the planet of Indra, where they  enjoy godly delights. When they have thus enjoyed heavenly sense pleasure, the return to this mortal planet again. And so through the Vedic principles, they achieve only flickering happiness."

If by sacrifice, one may achieve a better situation in one's next life, even acquiring the heavenly planets, what may a devotee of God expect? What becomes of those who dedicate themselves to Kṛṣṇa in this life and practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Here, the true heart of the Bhagavad-Gītā is laid bare. Kṛṣṇa says, "but those who worship me with devotion, meditating on my transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack can preserve what they have." BG 9.22

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janaḥ paryupāsate

 teṣaṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham 

अनन्याश् चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनः पर्युपासते 

तेषं नित्याभियुक्तानां योग-क्षेमं वहाम्य् अहम्

 "whatever a man may sacrifice to other gods, O son of Kuntī, is really meant for me alone, but it is offered without true understanding." 
Now this may seem incredibly self-serving, especially if it were spoken by anyone else. But suspend your judgment for a moment. If Jehovah spoke to us wouldn't we listen? Now Jehovah is a very selfish God. One of his commandments reads, "thou shalt not have any other gods before me." But does Krishna promise hellfire and brimstone for those who worship other gods?
After proclaiming his supremacy, does Kṛṣṇa vow to crush the opposition? Does he condemn to everlasting flame those who would take up other forms of worship? He continues the ninth chapter as follows, "those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among century; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors and those who worship me will live with me." Krishna is not a God of Judeo-Christian revenge. He is not a jealous God. He simply states here that different forms of worship will result in different consequences. Those who worship the the gods of rain and fire or the sungod will achieve their respective destinations in their next life. Those who worship there family ancestors may be reunited with their loved ones in their next life. But those who wish to attain the supreme destination may worship Kṛṣṇa and leave the world of birth and death behind.
What kind of worship does Krishna demand? Are we to worship him with gold and silver? Are we to construct giant marble temples in his memory? Must we throw virgins into the sacrificial flames of a volcano? Do we need to join a cult, shave our heads, and dance around a bush? Kṛṣṇa doesn't ask for any of this. In fact, the worship of Kṛṣṇa is very easy. 

He very gently says, "If one offers Me with love and devotion (bhakti) a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it." 
B.G.  9.26

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ 

yo me bhaktyā prayacchati 

tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam 

aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ  

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं 

यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति 

तद् अहं भक्त्य्-उपहृतम् 

अश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः 

As far as sacrifice, Kṛṣṇa explains how sacrifice should be performed. "O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering to Me. In this way, you will be freed from all reactions to good and evil deeds, and by this form of sannyāsa be liberated. I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service to Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also his friend."

And what becomes of a person who begins on the path of devotion and stumbles. What if one falls?



 Krishna is always prepared to lift him up again and embrace him as a lost servant. He says even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because his properly situated. He quickly becomes rices and attains lasting peace. Oh son of Kuntī, declare boldly that my devotee never perishes. Whoever takes shelter in me, whether low born or otherwise: outcasts, women, workers or merchants, can approach the supreme destination."



Krishna concludes the 9th Chapter with a call for devotion and dedication:
"Engage your mind always in thinking of me, offer reverence and worship Me with divine love, (bhakti), Completely absorbing your soul in me, surely you will come to Me." (BG 9.34)

 man-manā bhava mad-bhakto 

mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru 

mām evaiṣyasi yuktaivam 

ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ 

मन्-मना भव मद्-भक्तो 

मद्-याजी मां नमस्कुरु 

माम् एवैष्यसि युक्तैवम् 

आत्मानं मत्-परायणः