By Brajanath Dasa
Assumptions are normal. They happen as part of the rhythms of our daily lives and play a fundamental role in our planning and arrangements. We trust the micro-assumptions we make as they guide us throughout our days: the traffic won’t be as bad if I leave early for work or join the weekend Harinama will be ecstatic. But on a larger scale, the broader assumptions we make about long-term decisions and our attempts at leading spiritually fulfilling lives must be scrutinized and verified in some way, shape, or form. So, how can we, as practitioners of Krsna Consciousness, better examine our assumptions to better hash out the ones to keep and which to be wary of? As soon as we have understood what we have assumed in spiritual life, we must verify it by consulting a qualified authority, which in most cases are our siksa and diksa gurus. However, our inquiry must be submissive — for if there is no surrender in our inquiry, our spiritual master’s instructions will not awaken the sleeping soul.
The Bhagavad-gita is full of examples of these different approaches to making assumptions: The assumptions of Dhrtarastra, Duryodhana, and Arjuna. And through an examination of their disparate assumptions, we can see how we can personally deal with our own assumptions in our own Krsna Consciousness.
Dhrtarastra:
We can begin by looking at Dhrtarastra. Dhrtarastra was skeptical about his sons’ eventual success in the battle of Kuruksetra (Bhagavad-gita:1.1 Purport), but he went nevertheless, assuming that the warriors on his side, Bhisma and Drona cannot be conquered, even by Arjuna, therefore, his sons’ victory is certain.
Overcome by his affection for his son Duryodhana, Dhrtarastra was unable to accept Vidura’s advice to return the legitimate share to Yudhisthira (Srimad Bhagavatam:3.1.11) and get rid of the “Offense personified” Duryodhana, who was the root cause of conflict/imminent war (Srimad Bhagavatam: 3.1.13). In the commentary to Bhagavad-gita:1.2, Prabhupada mentions that Dhrtarastra was not only materially blind, but he was also spiritually blind — devoid of spiritual vision. Therefore, he could not see right from wrong, what should be done, and what should not be done, ultimately leading to him losing everything.
Further on Dhrtarastra was pleased to hear from Sanjaya that Arjuna had cast aside his bow and arrows (Bhagavad-gita:1.46) even before the battle began.
But Sanjaya, understanding Dhrstarastra’s inner motives:
It would be fortuitous if this battle did not take place due to the Dharma Pravatti (religious feeling) that had awakened in Arjuna’s heart, which was leading Arjuna to quit the battlefield.
The Pandavas were righteous and strictly followed dharma and Kurukshetra is the place where dharma is nourished. Under the influence of Kurukshetra, the righteous Pandavas may have developed an aversion to facing the battle by adhering to the principle of nonviolence.
explained that the Lord had not neglected Arjuna, but was preparing Arjuna for the battle that would crush the blind king’s hope that Arjuna would flee due to compassion for his family and teachers.
Duryodhana:
Then there were the assumptions made by Duryodhana, as he famously said, “Our strength is immeasurable” – aparyaptam tad asmakam (Bhagavad-gita: 1.10). Because of the fighting strength of Bhisma and Drona, Duryodhana assumed that the Kurus would win the battle. Everyone understood neither could be killed unless they personally desired to be killed. Both supported his heinous action, by remaining silent when Draupadi was being disrobed.
Nevertheless, after hearing Bhagavad-gita:
Dhrtarastra still neglected to reconsider his assumptions after Sanjaya warned him “Wherever there is Krsna, Arjuna, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality.” (Bhagavad-gita:18.78).
There is evidence that Duryodhana suspected his army would be annihilated, stating in Bhagavad-gita: 1.9 “tyakta-jīvitāḥ …There are many more heroes who are willing to lay down their lives for my cause,” yet he did not revisit his assumption. He was unable to do so due to his animosity toward the Pandavas and ignominy of Krsna. All his other problems stemmed from that one flaw. He saw all the warriors on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, but he didn’t acknowledge Krsna, who was the primary cause of his demise!
Arjuna:
Arjuna made the assumption he would have to endure the sinful reactions of not only killing his family and superiors but also destroying family traditions as well (Bhagavad-gita: 1.36-43). But after hearing from Krsna with an open heart and open mind, he simply surrendered to Krsna’s instructions to win the war – karisye vacanam tava – I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions (Bhagavad-gita: 18.73). But then after hearing Krsna’s instructions he confirmed that he was “now firm and free from doubt” and prepared to act according to Krsna’s instructions. After carefully listening and listening to Krsna’s instructions, Arjuna’s assumptions were transformed into clarity and resolve.
Assumptions Our Character:
When analyzing Dhrtarastra’s, Duryodhana’s, and Arjuna’s assumptions, it becomes obvious whether they are materially driven or spiritually purified. Dhrtarastra and Duryodhana were envious of Pandavas because they are being glorified. Both wanted to retain Pandavas’s kingdom. But Dhrtarastra wanted it without any effort. This is the nature of a person in the mode of ignorance, someone riffing with material assumptions. Duryodhana wanted it at any cost and tried to win the war — and thus his assumptions lead to his ultimate destruction. This is the nature of a person in the mode of passion. Whereas Arjuna was very much concerned about the consequences of war and decided to quit the battlefield for the welfare of the people. It reflects his compassion for everyone, a glorious character of a devotee. Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.10.9 says “If one is unhappy to see the distress of other living beings and happy to see their happiness, his religious principles are appreciated as imperishable by exalted persons who are considered pious and benevolent.” Someone who acts in the mode of goodness is more likely to make decisions that are spiritually inspired. However, if they reach out to the bonafide authorities, their assumptions become spiritually refined, allowing them to engage in genuine spiritual activities free from the constraints of karma and samsara.
Application:
Assumptions are speculative activities. They are choices made without accurate proof. However, for practical purposes on a day-to-day basis, it is necessary to make assumptions for planning purposes. The issue is not so much with the notion of making assumptions as it is with the assumption itself. The decisive factor is what you assume and how you come to your conclusions.
When trying to be as liberal as possible in our assumptions about people or things it is necessary to try to apply the laws of nature that Krsna proposes in the Bhagavad-gita. For example, Krsna talks about the three modes of nature, divine, and demoniac tendencies, we also read about Kali yuga hypocrisy/quarrel, the transient nature of this material world, the miseries of this world, etc. So, when making assumptions about mundane things, one should have a good understanding of how the universe works and, as a result, one’s expectations from these assumptions, and eventually, the action itself will be based on the laws that Lord Krsna enunciates in the Bhagavad-gita.
If a person is always basing things simply upon his assumptions, sometimes his assumptions may be wrong, and he may land into problems. Isn’t it better to seek out proof for important matters? Srila Prabhupada said devotees should not speculate; Every human being has four major defects namely, we make mistakes! we are imperfect! we are in illusion! And we have cheating propensities. Therefore, under the guidance of a bonafide guru, in the line of Parampara, disciplic succession, let us accept some important matters that Krsna expounds upon and the Mahajanas prove.
Setbacks and shortcomings are inevitable in life. We must realize that these are fruits of our own karma. In fact, if we continue acting in material consciousness, we will only fall deeper into the abyss of repeated birth and death. If, however, assume that by acting under the guidance of Guru, Sadhu, and Sastra, we gradually become situated in pure spiritual consciousness, we shall bring our hard struggle for material existence to an end. This is exactly how Arjuna acted: material assumptions were leading him astray from his real Dharma, but then was brought back onto the path after consulting with Lord Krisna. Acting in this way, our assumptions become refined spiritual actions, perfecting our lives, and returning back home, back to our original abode, period!
Therefore, difficulties provide us with the opportunity to see how serious we are to enter genuine spiritual life. If we find that we are not yet very serious, we can try harder and seek out those who are fixed up in devotional service. Every problem that we encounter in our material life has (n+1) solutions, where “n” is the number of material solutions that we have tried or could try and “1” is that spiritual solution we have not yet tried. That is life. For us, this “1” is found in Bhagavad-gita. One of the basic differences between Krsna and us is Krsna’s generosity. Krsna gives, gives, gives, and forgives us, while we take, take, take, and forget Krisna. Let us be thankful to Krsna!
To summarize, we make assumptions based on the best of our knowledge, but they must be with the proper understanding of the larger picture presented by Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita. It is preferable to rely on Guru-Sastra-Sadhu rather than making assumptions. If we take shelter of Krisna, we can let go of all our assumptions like Arjuna who outsourced all his assumptions to Krsna. By practicing Krsna Consciousness, one gets aligned with Krsna.
The firmer the faith we have in trusting Krsna to be our best well-wisher, the sharper will be our realization that everything that is happening in our life is designed for our spiritual progress. So, if one makes an honest effort to engage in Krsna Consciousness, Krsna and His devotees will surely navigate like a compass in the turbulence of assumptions and give intelligence (Bhagavad-gita:10.10) to make good decisions to enrich one’s Krsna Consciousness.