As I write this, it is St. Patrick’s day. St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland. While Christianity is a wide range of beliefs, and some Christians are more austere than others, it is amazing to note how many people use St. Patrick’s day to eat like hogs and transform their consciousness to a lowly animal-like state, all in the name of St. Patrick.
Legend has it that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, though some say there were no snakes there to begin with. Some others say that this is a reference to how, by the introduction of Christianity, St. Patrick drove out paganism, represented by snakes.
And how did it start that the poor old St. Patrick got saddled with excessive indulgence to mark his day, the day of his disappearance? Note I say disappearance, not death, because great saints never die, they simply disappear from our vision, even an ordinary soul does not really die, simply changes bodies.
many Christians fast for Lent, the period of time before Easter. The regulations are strict, some live only by bread and water for 40 days before Easter. Someone made a foolish decision to let the Christians put their restrictions aside and indulge in eating, drinking, and all sorts of merry-making on this day. And, this easing was interpreted in this sort of pathetic, drunken, animalistic behaviour as we see on St. Patrick’s day especially much of the western world.
विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः ।
रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते ॥ ५९ ॥viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartateThough the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/2/59/
It is clearly stated that in order to let go of a lower taste, one must develop a higher taste, and without this, after the end of denial comes overindulgence – because the underlying taste remains!
It also shows the calibre of the leadership and populace who cannot change the consciousness from a lower taste to a higher taste…
श्वविड्वराहोष्ट्रखरै: संस्तुत: पुरुष: पशु: ।
न यत्कर्णपथोपेतो जातु नाम गदाग्रज: ॥ १९ ॥śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ
saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ
na yat-karṇa-pathopeto
jātu nāma gadāgrajaḥMen who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the deliverer from evils.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/2/3/19/
Since St. Patrick is associated with driving away the snakes of ignorance, please see here what the Bhagavatam says…
बिले बतोरुक्रमविक्रमान् ये
न शृण्वत: कर्णपुटे नरस्य ।
जिह्वासती दार्दुरिकेव सूत
न चोपगायत्युरुगायगाथा: ॥ २० ॥bile batorukrama-vikramān ye
na śṛṇvataḥ karṇa-puṭe narasya
jihvāsatī dārdurikeva sūta
na copagāyaty urugāya-gāthāḥOne who has not listened to the messages about the prowess and marvelous acts of the Personality of Godhead and has not sung or chanted loudly the worthy songs about the Lord is to be considered to possess earholes like the holes of snakes and a tongue like the tongue of a frog.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/2/3/20/
Poor St. Patrick! May he be at peace even after knowing that most of those he tried to save have completely strayed from his instructions to them and are making a mockery of his memory.
As for Ireland, and everyone who wishes to be saved from sliding down, following in the footsteps of St. Patrick, this is the fastest method for a consciousness upgrade. Just chant…
St. Patrick may not have known this Maha mantra himself as Europe was in the dark ages an not yet ready for this sublime mantra back then. But when St. Patrick hears this mantra, he will surely join us. Now we are in the Golden Age. This would be the real St. Patrick’s day if you could chant this mantra even once! Try it!
Das on the Street 