Don't See God, But Experience Him
(A Lesson In "Kamandalu Therapy")

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CAST: Narrator, Sannyasi, Young Man, Other Man, Judge.

SCENE ONE

Sannyasi: In these texts of the Vedas — it is so nicely explained how the Supreme Lord exists as the creator, sustainer and destroyer of this universe! Ignorance is so prominent in this age — people cannot understand God. Everywhere, the cry is "There is no God," "God is Dead," or even "We are all God." They do not know that they must have spiritual eyes to see God. Oh, they do not know that they must have eyes which are bathed with the ointment of unalloyed love of God in order to see Him! My Lord, please break the unbreakable hearts of the demons! (looking upward in the sky — raising his two arms and again touching his two arms to his chest. Suddenly, a young man gets up from the middle of the audience shouting at the Sannyasi)

Young Man: Show me God! Show me God! You must show me God. I want to see God. Where is God? I am sick and tired of hearing God this, God that! This world is obsessed with Gurus, Gods and Goddesses!

Sannyasi: (the Sannyasi speaks very calmly and slowly to pacify the young man) Young man, please come to your senses — let us speak calmly. It is a slow and gradual process. Calm down, calm down. Just sit here — let us talk.

Young Man: No! I cannot wait — you are just going to cheat me! When we speak about an apple, we know it is there. I get satisfied when I eat it because it exists. We speak about sunlight, friendship, the earth, and pollution — all because they exist. We can see them right in front of our eyes. But where is God? (in a passionate way, shaking both his hands) Thousands of years have passed, gurus, yogis and devotees speak, "God! God!" They failed to show God to people. No! I cannot accept all that you say. You just show me God!

Sannyasi: (still cool and patient, he raises his palm to console him) Look! My dear young man, before you know what is meant by seeing God, you must understand that we cannot see God by our gross eyes — because they are material, limited and imperfect while God is spiritual, unlimited and supremely perfect. So how can we imperfect, limited and finite beings see God? (suddenly the young man angrily interrupts with a loud voice)

Young Man: Then tell me why you are speaking about God, who is even beyond your sense perception. No! You so-called gurus and sannyasis are just cheaters — you are fools in paradise — simply wasting the precious time of others and yourself. You are dreaming. You are a parasite to society because you are lazy. You must show me God — unless and until God is shown right in front of my eyes, your explanations are just the outpourings of the tongue, which has no bones!

Sannyasi: (becoming angry, he picks up his kamandalu, waterpot, from his side and hits the young man on the head with it as the sound of karatals, mridanga, etc., simultaneously occur. He shouts) Now you have seen God! For a faithless person like you, this is the real God! SEE GOD, SEE GOD, YOU OFFENDER TO THE DEVOTEES AND THE SUPREME LORD!

Young Man: (indicating pain and groaning, breathing heavily) No! Surely, this is not God, this is your kamandalu on my head! Instead of showing me God and giving me nectar, you are giving me your kamandalu. HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME! I AM BEING ATTACKED HERE!

Other Man: (comes in and leads young man away) Police, police, somebody is in a pool of blood! He must be taken to the hospital!

Narrator: Now we have seen how the young man got the "kamandalu therapy" from the Sannyasi. The Sannyasi's act may look like a violent one, contradictory to the usual peaceful conduct of a spiritual person, but he has chosen that process to demonstrate practically how God cannot be seen through the gross eyes. Unfortunately, the young man happened to become the victim of the demonstration due to his ignorance. It is not that the Sannyasi is incapable of transmitting his own spiritual realizations just by touching the body of the young man, but he is not interested in showing his mystic power — he wants to make the young man convinced by the scientific way of God realization. This process is only a therapy to treat the sickness of God-lessness in the young man. Now, let us witness the results of the Sannyasi's action. Let us now turn our attention to the explanation of the Sannyasi, which will drive out the stubborn demand of contemporary people that God must be shown to them.

SCENE TWO

In the Courtroom

Judge: Okay, young man, tell me — what's the problem?

Young Man: Your Honor, this Sannyasi has broken my head with his kamandalu. This was an attempt to eliminate my life. Your honor, please render proper justice against this heinous act.

Judge: (looking towards the Sannyasi) Maharaja, is it true that you have broken the young man's head? Why did you do that? You must tell me the reason; otherwise you will be punished. There is no partiality in the eyes of justice — whether one is a Sannyasi, a layman or a king, everybody has an equal right to obtain justice.

Sannyasi: Your Honor, this young man came and asked me to show God to him, so I was trying to make him understand whether he should see God or experience Him; but he was so impatient and restless that he could not wait for a moment. He insulted me, along with all past and present gurus. He even came to the extent of defying the Supreme Lord. He gave me so much disturbance and interference in my spiritual practice that, to make him understand, I have given him the "kamandalu therapy" on his head.

Judge: (in surprise, his eyes opening widely) What do you mean by this "kamandalu therapy?" (the Sannyasi shows him the kamandalu by lifting it up. Judge nods his head in acknowledgement) Yes, yes — proceed.

Sannyasi: Your Honor will give me the opportunity to question this young man? (he turns abruptly towards the young man, raises his water pot and speaks) Young man!

Young Man: No! No more kamandalu, that is very painful! Please do not repeat it again!

Sannyasi: Calm down, calm down. Do not be panicked. I am not a brute, as you think. I just wanted to be reasonable with you. Let me ask you some questions. (remains silent for a moment, in deep thought) Yes, young man, when the kamandalu reached your head and knocked you down, how did you feel? You just tell me the truth. What actually did you experience! Young man... what?

Young Man: (he looks around in wonder) Sadhu Baba, do you need to have your head examined? How are you asking such a stupid question? Don't you know that I feel pain when a kamandalu hits my head — even a child knows this, right? Please, make sure you are not going out of your mind.

Sannyasi: (speaks in a very serious mood) Then if you admit that you felt pain in your head when hit with the kamandalu, then please show me the pain — just show me the pain, I want to see it.

Young Man: Oho, Sadhu Baba, now I have realized why people call you Swamis mad people! How can I show to you the pain which is felt in my head? It is only a feeling, or experience, which is subjective. It is not the object of visual perception — you are again and again proving yourself to be a fool! Please do not waste your time in this useless talk.

Sannyasi: Yes! That is the point I wanted to make by using the "kamandalu therapy." Just as you cannot show the pain to me, I also cannot show God to you. This is felt inward in my heart as an experience of my love and devotion for my dear Lord. It is an experience of Him, the Supreme Worshipable Person; it is a subjective experience. Therefore, I cannot show it to you. First of all, we do not have spiritual eyes to see the Supreme Lord, who has no dead matter in Him. By the limited, the unlimited cannot be perceived. But, it does not mean that God cannot be seen, in an absolute sense. There is a prescribed way of seeing Him, given in the scriptures, such as the Bhagavad-Gita. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, speaks: "I am the smell in a flower, I am the taste of water, I am the strength of the strong man, etc." These words of the Supreme Lord show that He is the essence of everything. Therefore, Lord Krishna is also the pain in your body. In this manner, God reveals Himself to you — in the form of pain. (Young Man opens his eyes in the mood of sudden awakening from ignorance and stupidity. With tears of joy, he falls down at the feet of the Sannyasi, saying the following words:)

Young Man: Swamiji, kindly forgive me for the offence I have committed unto You. You have awakening me by removing the thick dirt of ignorance from my mind through your powerful "kamandalu therapy." Please forgive me for my offence to the Supreme Lord and to you. (he turns to the judge and says) Your Honor, please excuse me for this nuisance I have caused this great Holy Man; please relieve him from all liable punishment, and punish me instead.

Judge: According to your request, all the charges against the Sannyasi are withdrawn.

SCENE THREE

Outside near the Forest

Young Man: (walks around, up and down on the stage, reflecting very seriously, holding his head) I am very happy! I am very happy! What he said must be true! We are limited and our five senses are imperfect. I cannot even see a small germ, so how can I see God, who is Supreme, Absolute and Infinite? But, he said we can experience Him! Oh, it must be a very nice experience! (very quickly) I have to find out that Sannyasi. Oh, where can I find him now? I must find him before it is too late! (he walks around turning his head about, looking for the Sannyasi and calls out) O Sadhu Baba, where are you? I am very eager to see you! (suddenly he catches sight of the Sannyasi) Oh! There he is, there he is! (he runs toward the Sannyasi, who is to the other side of the stage, and falls at his feet) O Swamiji, please save me from this ocean of birth and death, please open my eyes! Please impart to me the process by which I may experience God!

Sannyasi: Alright, sir, we will study under this tree. (Sannyasi gives a short lecture here. The Sannyasi explains the process of sadhana as per our usual preaching, emphasizing japa and sankirtan as the process given in revealed scriptures for the present age)

Young Man: (he chants and reflects to himself, then turns towards the audience and makes then chant, saying) Let us experience God through His name — chant the maha-mantra. Repeat these names after me, please: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. (the audience follows his chanting. All the characters in the drama appear on the stage and hold kirtan for a few minutes)

Narrator: (concluding speech pertaining to how Krishna can be experienced and seen through His creation and in the heart of one advanced in loving devotional service)

The End