Spiritual Nobility: Bhagavad Gita and Devotion to the One Soul

By Gita Saraydarian

I was watching a DVD lecture on the Bhagavad Gita given by Torkom Saraydarian about devotion to the One Soul. This lecture reminded me about spiritual nobility at its finest. Imagine that this Teaching was written around 200 BC and is still relevant today to millions of people. We can certainly learn a lot from it and its universal themes.

Click on the link below for a an inspiring excerpt on YouTube. Or, click here to link directly to the YouTube video.



The lecture reminded me of the need to develop spiritual nobility and not succumb to spiritual arrogance. Arrogance sneaks in slowly and makes us think we are always right and it is the other person who is wrong. No matter how lofty we think our beliefs and opinions are, if we push them onto others, and we think we are the only way to “heaven” then we run the risk of being totally marginalized and irrelevant in today's times. Worse yet, people will be completely turned off from us even if we do have something wonderful to say. Life is organically moving to inclusiveness, synthesis, unity, tolerance, and understanding. When we represent ourselves as exclusive, special, or the only way, we turn people off rather than have them listen to us. Learning to be spiritually noble is not so easy but very much needed.

Two ladies came to our office door today and immediately began to tell us that we needed to convert to their brand of religion. They never asked us about who we were and what we believed in. They assumed we absolutely needed to be converted. One lady started reading from the Bible (I do have great respect for the Teachings of the Bible) breathlessly as the other lady watched her with a blank look on her face. We stood at the door, unable to utter a word. After reading a lengthy passage, they told us this was the only way to save the world. They were nice ladies, but they looked so tired and full of pathos. We listened politely and then said thank you and closed the door. I thought to myself, “how arrogant”! I did get tempted to want to say or do a few other things, but prudence prevented me from doing anything that would also engage my spiritual arrogance! I thought that after all, it does take some courage and stamina to go door to door in the desert and I needed to consider a few other things before sitting in judgment.

Thinking about the two ladies I wondered, how does someone who knows nothing about you know exactly what you need in your life? Are we imposing our own thoughts and beliefs on others all the time without knowing? Are we assuming we know the exact “medicine” or advice each person needs? Do we “share” our faith and our wisdom very much like over-zealous missionaries without any consideration to what people may want or need?

All of us are capable of spiritual arrogance. Someone writes to me with a simple statement about their life and I immediately “prescribe” a spiritual solution to the problem! Was I being helpful or was I being arrogant? What if the person simply wanted to say something and not necessarily asking for a complicated solution? What if all they needed was to express and be heard? What if they just needed a friend to talk to? All I needed to do was listen and try to understand what is really being said behind what was being said; not always the same thing. There are many ways of being supportive. Simplistic spiritual prescriptions are often not the answer nor are hell and damnation sermons! Everyone needs loving human interaction and communication. People are looking for sane and useful spiritual tools to better their lives. There is a way to help people without being arrogant.

Life is demanding that we change. Parochial thinking is no longer relevant, regardless of the bloggospheres and rampant opinions and “my way is better than your way” approach in every facet of life. Is there a different approach? I found what I was looking for in a lecture on the Bhagavad Gita titled “Devotion to the One Soul”. Thousands of years ago, the Great Sages of India wrote about the method to appreciate and love diversity. If we can all devote ourselves to the One Soul who is in everyone and in everything, then we will see no separation in essence. Sometimes though we take even these universal Teachings and turn them into sectarianism. We turn universal themes into separative and hateful methods to demean others. Christ said to love one another, and I don't think we have been practicing that in the last 2000 or so years!

Of course, I offer this with all humility and not at all as the only way to fly....A Great Sage said to try to walk with someone else's God for a while. What a nice thought that I need to accept your way of worshiping God and to walk with your God for a while so that I can understand you. I guess that would be the same as walking in someone else's shoes for a while too. Then we are less apt to judge and prescribe for others; we can accept and love more and let people be themselves. It is far easier and better to love a person like they are and to accept them; a lot less friction and emotional energy spent on changing everyone to our own image. Besides, if we have the real recipe for salvation, then our very life should be example enough to convince others.

Enjoy the day!

Gita
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Link here to complete References and Resources on the Bhagavad Gita at TSG Foundation.

Bhagavad Gita means the song of God, or the song of the beloved. It is said to be written around 200 BC and contains the traditional Hindu Teachings.

Torkom Saraydarian translated the Bhagavad Gita early in his ministry and lectured extensively on these Teachings. Available are his lectures on DVD, CD, and Downloadable; translation of the book The Bhagavad Gita by Torkom; and a complete meditation course on the Gita.

-Gita Saraydarian is the Founder and President of TSG Foundation, an organization dedicated to the Ageless Wisdom Teachings. Link here for the complete list of Gita's blogs and writings.

-Copyright Notice: Gita’s Blog articles are copyrighted by The Creative Trust, 2009.