One of Prabhupada's great works is entitled, "Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead". It's, like, a classic must-read for anyone interested in metaphysics. Anyway, I, myself, am always thinking about Krsna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and I often see or hear profound examples of what this might mean in contemporary music and music videos within our Western culture. I can't help but wonder what these musicians are tapped into and if they consciously realize that what they're drawing upon is Krishna Consciousness.
Now, I'm a brand-spanking-new blogger and I don't consider myself a metaphysician. I do, however, consider myself a devotee of Srila Prabhupada -- although, I've read some of his stuff, I have hardly touched upon all of his written works. I mean, there is just so much out there, and I haven't put much thought into this post. In fact, I just started writing this on a whim -- I just felt inspired to write the things my mind keeps churning out, and I'm sorry that I haven't referenced anything. I'm just pulling it out of my head as I go along, so correct me if I'm wrong as I'd like this blog to be an open discussion about Krishna Consciousness and how it is seemingly portrayed in our popular culture. And furthermore, I'm wondering how the popular culture interprets this kind of video art or these types of lyrics. Do the masses of people absorbing culture understand what these lyrics are about and how they are tied to consciousness?
And please!!! Do make contributions as I'm looking for more material that exemplifies Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in our mainstream culture.
The first song that comes to mind is "Helplessly Hoping" by Crosby Stills and Nash, and strangely, I feel that it relates well with the Gorillaz video, "Dare". Even tho, these songs and videos are from completely different generations and of completely different genres of music, I find that they offer a fair representation of Krishna Consciousness. Now is this intentional with these artists? I have no idea.
Tell me what you think -- I'm hoping that there is someone out there who can help me expand my own understanding of Krishna Consciousness.
"Helplessly Hoping" Lyrics by Crosby Stills and Nash
Helplessly hoping
Her harlequin hovers nearby
Awaiting a word
Gasping at glimpses
Of gentle true spirit
He runs, wishing he could fly
Only to trip at the sound of good-bye
Wordlessly watching
He waits by the window
And wonders
At the empty place inside
Heartlessly helping himself to her bad dreams
He worries
Did he hear a good-bye? Or even hello?
They are one person
They are two alone
They are three together
They are four for each other
Stand by the stairway
You'll see something
Certain to tell you confusion has its cost
Love isn't lying
It's loose in a lady who lingers
Saying she is lost
And choking on hello
They are one person
They are two alone
They are three together
They are four for each other
Now, I'm going to give my own analysis about these song lyrics how I see it relating to Krishna Consciousness, and please let me know if you follow what I'm saying. This song refers to a female and a male. "Her" as the song puts it, is the "dreamer" or in other words, she is the "Godhead". Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead or perhaps as CSN describes Him as a harlequin: "He" must then be the "harlequin" hovering nearby "heartlessly helping himself to her bad dreams" as the song puts it.
Not understanding Krishna Consciousness, "confusion does have its cost". Now, thinking about this song, please read the Gorillaz lyrics at the end of this post for their song, "Dare", and also it's important to watch the video because the video really depicts Krishna Consciousness, I think, like nothing I've ever seen before.
In an attempt to make a connection between the song lyrics and the video: First watch the video and read the lyrics and you'll see that there's this big dreaming Godhead, and he's locked down in a room and hooked up to machines or computers or something. In his dream state, he must be feeling a lot like the lyrics, "you were there yourself"-- although he wasn't there. In fact he couldn't have been there because he's been locked up in this room hooked up to machines. It was the mental image of his bad dreams that was projected into the world, just as a movie is projected on to a screen, and he saw it just like he was there himself.
Then there's the little figure beside him, who is seemingly completely free and playing out his dream as in "jump with them all and movie it". This little character, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead seems just like the 'harlequin hovering nearby" as CSN puts it in "Helplessly Hoping" The Godhead dreams or as this little character defines the role of the Godhead in this song, "Dare" -- "you just think it, that's what you do, baby". It's as if this little character, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is just like an actor and is acting out the thoughts of the dreaming Godhead before his eyes. Does anyone see where I'm going with this? It makes me think of yet another song! A song by Alice Cooper could perhaps describe the sentiment of the locked up Godhead -- "Welcome to my Nightmare"!
Anyway, back to "Dare", the Godhead declares, "never did no harm", "never did no harm". It's as if he has no control over his thoughts as he is hooked up to machines that are possibly putting him involuntarily in a dream state or are these machines "heartlessly helping themselves to his bad dreams"? Is the movie real? Is it illusion? Is it God's love as in some kind of a Divine Performance? Is it some sort of psychological therapy to wake up the dreaming Godhead? The little character says, "work it out" -- I can't help but think about what this might suggest in terms of schizophrenia or autism for example. There are some people with autism who also suffer from hallucinations.
I could go on and on about this.
Let me know what you think, if you follow what I'm saying, and how it might relate to the whole of humanity -- as not all human beings, even within the same culture, share the same state of consciousness. People come from different dream worlds or so it seems as we row, row, row our boats gently down the stream. Life is but a dream.
http://youtu.be/uAOR6ib95kQ
In an attempt to make a connection between the song lyrics and the video: First watch the video and read the lyrics and you'll see that there's this big dreaming Godhead, and he's locked down in a room and hooked up to machines or computers or something. In his dream state, he must be feeling a lot like the lyrics, "you were there yourself"-- although he wasn't there. In fact he couldn't have been there because he's been locked up in this room hooked up to machines. It was the mental image of his bad dreams that was projected into the world, just as a movie is projected on to a screen, and he saw it just like he was there himself.
Then there's the little figure beside him, who is seemingly completely free and playing out his dream as in "jump with them all and movie it". This little character, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead seems just like the 'harlequin hovering nearby" as CSN puts it in "Helplessly Hoping" The Godhead dreams or as this little character defines the role of the Godhead in this song, "Dare" -- "you just think it, that's what you do, baby". It's as if this little character, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is just like an actor and is acting out the thoughts of the dreaming Godhead before his eyes. Does anyone see where I'm going with this? It makes me think of yet another song! A song by Alice Cooper could perhaps describe the sentiment of the locked up Godhead -- "Welcome to my Nightmare"!
Anyway, back to "Dare", the Godhead declares, "never did no harm", "never did no harm". It's as if he has no control over his thoughts as he is hooked up to machines that are possibly putting him involuntarily in a dream state or are these machines "heartlessly helping themselves to his bad dreams"? Is the movie real? Is it illusion? Is it God's love as in some kind of a Divine Performance? Is it some sort of psychological therapy to wake up the dreaming Godhead? The little character says, "work it out" -- I can't help but think about what this might suggest in terms of schizophrenia or autism for example. There are some people with autism who also suffer from hallucinations.
I could go on and on about this.
Let me know what you think, if you follow what I'm saying, and how it might relate to the whole of humanity -- as not all human beings, even within the same culture, share the same state of consciousness. People come from different dream worlds or so it seems as we row, row, row our boats gently down the stream. Life is but a dream.
http://youtu.be/uAOR6ib95kQ
Okay, moving on to "Dare" Lyrics by Gorillaz and these lyrics repeat a few times.
It's coming up (x7)It's DAREIt's DARE
You've got to press it on you-You just think itThat's what you do, baby
Hold it down, DAREJump with them all and movie itJump back and forth itAnd feel like you were there yourselfWork it out
Never did no harm,Never did no harm It's DARE
It's coming up (x7)It's DARE
You've got to press it on you-You just think itThat's what you do, baby
Hold it down, DAREJump with them all and movie itJump back and forth itAnd feel like you were there yourselfWork it out
Never did no harm,Never did no harm It's DARE
It's coming up (x7)It's DARE
