Identity Crisis
BY: RAY LANTHIER
Jul 01, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (SUN) — Guru, Sastra and Sadhu state that one does not perform devotional service until one is brahma bhuta, freed from the bodily designation.
"After attainment of the brahma bhuta stage of freedom from material conceptions, devotional service begins by one's hearing about the Lord.”
(Bhagavad Gita As It Is 19.55 Purport by HDG Srila Prabhupada)
It would seem reasonable that if one finds devotees in certain capacities of leadership sharing the same bodily designation, say a Jewish background, that such a fact exceeds the probability due to chance, or if you philosophically discard chance, the free play of the material gunas. If the exalted hierarchy is indeed completely transcendent, then one should expect a truly random mix of bodily types, n’est-ce pas? There are, apart from the pure devotee, ninety-one varieties of devotees depending on the combination of gunas that influence them. So it is not surprising that devotees with similar consciousness would congregate in the same activities and roles, regardless of whether they be Jewish, or Muslim etc.
It is strikingly obvious when observing the cliques of association at New Dwaraka. Young with young, old with old, Latino with Latino, Caucasian with Caucasian, etc. I commented one time to a ‘brahmanical’ initiated disciple about how the brahmacaris rarely mix with guests, unless they have the same demographic as themselves.
This especially true of the Indian disciple.
His response was, “It’s natural”.
Exactly.
Srila Prabhupada made no such material distinctions in giving his association.
When we observe that activities are taking place that are not explainable by material similarities of bodily type, it is a logical inference that something transcending the material is motivating those activities.
So it is not the observer’s bodily consciousness that is evident when he perceives these demographic patterns regularly showing up, but the atmas that occupy such bodies.
That is science, not Vaisnava apharada.
