“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)

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Shri Krishna makes the promise at the conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita, the famous talk with Arjuna, the bow-warrior. Surrender unto Him and be delivered from all sinful reaction. Basically, whatever you are afraid of doing wrong, where you skip this type of religion or that, know that being fully conscious of Krishna, who is Bhagavan, will give the greatest protection.

There are many dharmas, and connected are corresponding reactions to not following. The neglect is what defines sin, and the objective is what defines the specific dharma. Even a thief can have right and wrong. For them, respecting the property of others is sinful. The reaction for such behavior is a missed opportunity to take what…

“Shrila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura gives the following example: If one has strong digestive power, after eating he automatically lights a fire within his stomach to digest everything and does not need to take medicine to aid his digestion. Similarly, the fire of devotional service is so strong that a devotee does not need to act separately to attain perfect knowledge or detachment from material attractions.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.23.11)

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The pure spirit soul being covered up by gunas, which are material qualities, is a kind of diseased condition. It is not the normal, healthy situation. There are various symptoms, with repeated birth and death being the most obvious. Like getting tossed into a vast ocean, without any rescue in sight, again and again such births take place, even after the entire cosmic manifestation has been dissolved.

“Again and again the day…

“O son of Kuru, when there is an increase in the mode of ignorance madness, illusion, inertia and darkness are manifested.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.13)

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Friend1: You notice that so many of these famous people struggle with life?

Friend2: Before or after success?

Friend1: Mostly during and after. I’m specifically referring to drug addiction. There were two notable baseball players from the 1980s. They were so good it was ridiculous. One was a pitcher, the other a hitter.

Friend2: They played for the Mets, right?

Friend1: Yup. Today everyone looks back and wonders what happened. They were on track to becoming the greatest ever.

Friend2: Drugs and alcohol; will take any person down.

Friend1: There was still some good to come from it. I notice that those who survive such amazing falls try to help others avoid the same mistakes. They speak…

“The mighty Rama, who possessed extraordinary strength, consecrating in accordance with the mantras prescribed in the Vedas, taking that great arrow – which was capable of removing the fears of the entire world and the Ikshvaku dynasty, capable of taking away the glory of His enemies, and conducive to His own happiness – fixed it on His bow.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kand, 108.13-14)

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Friend1: You ever see these reinterpretations of past events?

Friend2: Umm, what? What is there to interpret about an event? Yesterday it was sunny and 65 degrees. You want me to change that to cloudy and 50 degrees? Not possible.

Friend1: Interesting response. Makes you think. Anyway, this stuff definitely happens. Like someone will speculate what the country would be like today if the South had won the Civil War. Or what if England didn’t lose control of the colonies…

“All of them – as they surrender unto Me – I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.11)

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You do everything right. In this regard the definition is based on “by the book.” What others have told you, you’ve done. You didn’t question. You weren’t difficult, though you certainly had doubts. Just keep it simple, you told yourself. Follow this routine. Observe this ritual. Pray at this certain time.

Now someone informs you that entry into the kingdom of God is not guaranteed. The explanation is something like the Hall of Fame eligibility. Players from a certain sport may make a ballot on a particular year, but it is up to others to decide on the final outcome. It doesn’t matter how good they were; entry is not guaranteed.

Coming from the kingdom…

“Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 16.19)

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It’s a way to distinguish from the sinners, the carefree who don’t worry about right and wrong, future consequences, or tradition. It’s a way to show respect, to give honor to someone who holds ultimate power. That person can make or break an existence, one to last forever.

A “God-fearing” person is just that, afraid of God. Acknowledgment is implied. Belief in a higher power is there. Those who don’t fear God will have to face stiff punishment later on. That is the hope anyway. Who wants to go through life knowing that criminals will skate forever? What sense do laws and rules make if the people that don’t follow them…

“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.28)

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Friend1: I think we’ve had a similar discussion before.

Friend2: About what?

Friend1: The kinds of people that get drawn to bhakti-yoga, spiritual life beyond sentimentalism, what have you.

Friend2: Where you criticized them as being lowlifes and degenerates?

Friend1: Ha, I don’t think I was that harsh. But yeah, something like that.

Friend2: And you want to talk about that some more?

Friend1: A little different angle this time. Just something I noticed with former athletes, greats of the game, whose lives went south due to drugs and alcohol.

Friend2: You could use that to segue into a discussion about the mode of passion…