A Cultural Approach of John Lennon's Imagine

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cursed to live in this miserable world forever without ever see a light of peace. But actually according to the Vedic literatures which are the background principles of the song, it is clearly stated that there is universe which is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss which some laymen with poor fund of knowledge deny its very existence and all that is such transcendental universe which is beyond our mundane conception can be attained only by reestablishing our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord Krishna and because where ever there is pure love and devotion toward the Supreme and His unalloyed pure devotees even if it is done in this material world still it can make all living entities without consideration of external bodily identification live peacefully without any hindrances.

In an article entitled “Imagine by John Lennon – An Analysis of the Song,” (2013), by Dave McClure again the author has substantially explained the song with a majestic musical understanding by showing the reader how clever Lennon was while composing the song with the accordance of simple tunes combined with understandable lyrics. But however, the author seems did not focused more on the meaning of the song’s lyrics. But our humble work can provide the readers about John Lennon’s intended meaning in every stanza of the song through a cultural approach of Vedic literatures.

METHOD

The method that is used in this work is cultural approach. Cultural approach in this sense is a method where the author relates the cultural background of the song to the meaning of the song’s lyric. The most prominent cultural background of “Imagine” is Vedic culture because prior in composing the song, Lennon got so much influenced of Vedic culture from the teachings of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his close friend who was at the same time disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and an ex-member of the Beatles George Harrison. This is also the reason why the author gives references from the quotations of Vedic literatures from His Divine Grace’s books because the books are full of wisdoms and instructions to re-spiritualize the human society and it also supports Lennon’s intention to bring peace to the world.

DATA PRESENTATION

IMAGINE

By

John Lennon

“Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us is only sky

Imagine all the people living for today…”

~ First stanza ~

Discussion: When Playboy magazine interviewed Lennon in 1980 about his intended meaning of the song he said, “But the whole religion business suffers from the ’Onward, Christian Soldiers’ bit. There’s too much talk about soldiers and marching and converting. I’m not pushing Buddhism, because I’m no more a Buddhist than I am a Christian, but there’s one thing I admire about the religion: There’s no proselytizing.” From this statement we can certainly understand that Lennon was not so much in favor with the Christian preachers who boasted about the so-called philosophy of Christianity that says the Christian religion is the only path to heaven and if we do not accept the principles of Christianity we are doomed to be punished in hell. This type of religious propaganda to spread Christian wisdoms by ‘force’ had led the mass of people and particularly Lennon to speak out their conception about unity in diversity to counteract it. Lennon tried to present himself as a person who was not belonged to any sectarian religious movement by singing, “Imagine there’s no heaven/It’s easy if you try/No hell below us/Above us is only sky.” He wanted to let people to choose what they really want even if there were many people who would reject the tenets about Christianity that says much about heaven or hell.

Many people are interested to be elevated to the higher planetary systems by being engaged in various activities because they realize that the standard of living namely: eating, sleeping, mating and defending in heavenly planets are higher than in the earth. Some of them are engaged in philanthropic activities like opening schools and hospitals, some of them are engaged in ritualistic ceremonies like performing a fire sacrifice and so on which are enunciated in the revealed scriptures but still there is a section of people who are atheistic and indulge in sinful activities and for them the hell is waiting. This is explained in the following verse: “Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.” (Bhaktivedanta, 1972:Bg.14.18.Pg.682).

After all one who is enjoying or suffering in the heavenly or hellish planets has to return to this earthly planet, so Lennon felt that it is wasting our time and energy, best is forget that plans for uplifting or degrading ourselves to the heaven or hell. This, he expressed by saying “Above us is only sky.” But only forgetting our plans for the elevation to heavenly planets doesn’t make us happy right? Yes. But there is a world which is eternal and full of bliss and one who attains that world has not to return to this material world which is temporary and full of miseries. That place is called the kingdom of God or Vaikunthaloka.

“Imagine all the people living for today…” This line indicates that there is another life after death. Many people call it reincarnation or transmigration of the soul. Reincarnation means the spirit soul accepts different type of material body according to their actions and consciousness in the end of its life and this is explained in the following verse: “As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Bhaktivedanta, 1972:Bg.2.13.Pg.89). But the question is why should Lennon indirectly saying that he did not want to accept another body by imagining people living for today? What is the wrong in accepting another material body after death?

Actually, the answer is very simple. Every one of us realizes practically that soon we will die. But actually no one of us wants to die. Even though we are the richest, the most powerful person in this planet still we are subjected to the repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. So Vedic literatures