Among the lives on this planet earth, the human life seems to be the most difficult, most complex. No creature other than human creature needs support of a motivation speaker and a life coach, like Gaur Gopal Das, to make human life less difficult and free of all complexities!
Of course, the name and fame of Gaur Gopal Das had reached Mysuru much before his physical arrival here yesterday to give a ‘Talk Show’ on the theme ‘Live Right, Feel Great’. Thanks to advertisements in the local newspapers and the social media, the 2,000 capacity air-conditioned KSOU Convocation Hall on Hunsur Road was filled to the last seat.
City’s Rupeetrees Foundation seems to have realised that in the midst of this summer heat and also the election fever, Mysureans need guidance to manage life and ventured to get this talkative ‘Namdhari’ Guru of ISKCON. Since I was feeling miserable with the Saturday evening election fever caused by the TV and the summer heat, I decided to escape from both the TV and the heat to the air-conditioned comfort of the KSOU Hall and listen to Gaur Gopal Das. Thanks to the soul that left a VIP pass on my desk not a day late.
After all, as Cicero says, men differ in their views of life. As in the great Olympic games, the throng are attracted, some by desire of gain, some by the crown of wild olive, some merely by the spectacle. So, in the race of life, we are all slaves to some ruling idea — it may be glory or money, or wisdom. In my case, it was primarily wisdom. Honestly, neither the TV menace nor the summer heat, as I had earlier mentioned. Let it be.
I have seen many pop-singers, stand-up comedians and management Gurus setting the stage on fire by their measured physical movement from one end of the stage to the other like the pendulum of a clock, holding an ignited microphone, voice modulation and of course, the most visible body language. However, in the case of Gaur Gopal Das, I found him less on the stage and more among the audience of that massive hall. Since the sound-system was flawless, he could be heard loud and clear. Some times he even roared, screamed, giggled and made faces to emphasise a point. To me he seemed like a Swamiji, in his saffron attire, on the run… Hello! Where are you? I cannot turn or crane my old neck anymore.
It is said that smile is a woman’s best attire and I may add here, after seeing this ISKCON Monk, that smile was also his best attire! And what a winning smile! You will love him, you will adore him for his smile, infectious indeed [see pic. above]. It was like having a two-hour massage, not of the body but of the mind!
At the end of the talk, as is the practice these days with such programmes, questions were invited — restricted to two or three due to paucity of time though Swamiji seemed willing to take on any number.
Remembering Jesus Christ who had said in an episode mentioned in the Bible, “Let him, he who is without sin amongst you, throw the first stone,” I decided to become the sinner by asking this first question:
“Revered Swamiji, you said no human being is perfect. Not even Saints, Savants and you yourself a Sanyasi. You said it is ONLY God who is Perfect. My question is: If God is perfect, why this perfect God created this imperfect world?”
It apparently sounded like the primordial question agitating the mind of man. There was instant audience attention — Hmmm… Swamiji produced a broad smile exposing his gleaming teeth from molar to molar. There was an instant hush. Then Swamiji began narrating a similar interaction between a Professor and his student who asked the question “Have you seen the God?” etc., etc. He then came near me and asked: “Are you satisfied?” I said, NO. “We will discuss this another day,” he said and moved on to take another question.
As I was leaving, a young girl waylaid me and asked, “Are you an atheist?” I said, “No, I believe in God” and left the place. At the exit point in the outer lobby a middle-aged woman fell in step with me and said that she would answer my question. Well, here is a lady more learned than Gaur Gopal Das. Let me hear her. “God created this world imperfectly so that you will always remember him…” She seemed ready to engage me in a dialectics on the question but I was not ready.
As I got into my car, I remembered what Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, another Avatar of Hindu Godmen, said at Davos, Switzerland, to a Japanese man who prefaced his question saying “I apologise, if my question is wrong…’ Sadhguru instantly interjected saying, ‘No Sir, do not worry. No question can ever be wrong. Only answers can be wrong.” Did you get me Steve?
Tailpiece: Question: Do you believe in God?
Answer: Look on the sun and the stars, look on the alternation of the seasons, and the changes of day and night. Look on all these things, and doubt not that there is some being, though you see him not, who has created and presides over the world.
What else can be this power which enables us to recollect the past, to understand the present and foresee the future?
e-mail: kbg@starofmysore.com
This post was published on March 24, 2019 6:04 pm