Shri Krishna has a complexion like the dark blue raincloud just waiting to shower the parched fields that only get to feast on their beloved rainwater but once a year. The water falling from the sky during the two months of the rainy season in India is thus relished by the crops more than any other type of food is enjoyed by any other entity. The comparison to the raincloud is a great way to describe the benevolence offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is always smiling, holding a flute in His hands, adorned with a peacock feather in His hair and the Kaustubha gem on His chest, and wearing a lovely flower garland around His neck. Accompanying this divine vision, which is a sight for sore eyes, is a tendency for sportive exploits, activities which enthrall the onlookers. Shri Krishna’s pastimes are so enjoyable that simply hearing about them will give the sober mind the same pleasure as what would be received from being in the Lord’s direct company.
What does this mean exactly? Think of sitting down at night to watch your favorite television program. You took care of your work for the day, so now you just want to relax. Your show is highly anticipated, as it is a program that you like the most. But as soon as the program starts, the phone starts to ring. Simultaneously the doorbell also sounds. Now you have someone on the phone and a house full of unexpected guests. Pretty soon you have a loud clamoring of crosstalk coupled with the responsibility of tending to your guests. The person on the phone also needs attention, but as soon as you hang up with them, the phone rings again.
With all of this commotion, is there any chance of enjoying the program airing on television? If you can’t hear what’s going on, if you’re constantly distracted, how will you focus your mind on the drama that is unfolding with your show? Obviously, to truly enjoy what you are doing, you need distractions eliminated. As more and more external impediments are removed, the primary engagement can be further relished. There are mental demons as well, worries and fears over the future and lamentations over events gone wrong in the recent past. These subtle forces weigh heavily on the mind. Because of the influence of the mind, It is actually possible to read a book, watch a movie, or have a conversation with someone and not have any idea what is going on. The mind can travel faster than the speed of light; so it can take the contemplative individual anywhere they want to go, at any time.
This seems most unfair. If we’re getting smarter, shouldn’t we get to keep the same high energy levels so that we can utilize our time wisely? Nevertheless, the spirit soul is there, and its potential for action is unchanged. By following a regulative path authorized by bona fide teachers, the exuberance found during youth can be reawakened and channeled towards the proper destination. The soul is inherently tied to the Supersoul, which is an expansion of God that resides within every single person. God is already localized; He has a presence within every living being. His presence is there for a reason; He is not there to simply go along for the ride and suffer or enjoy the efforts of the individual soul ignorant of His presence. The Supersoul is meant to be reached. Our duty is to find Him and form a steady connection with Him that provides both sublime wisdom and satisfaction.
“The yogi who knows that I and the Supersoul within all creatures are one worships Me and remains always in Me in all circumstances.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.31)
For finding the Supersoul, the first step entails knowing who we are. The gross materialists, the foolish atheists, and those just not interested in spiritual life don’t even understand who they are. They associate with a temporary body destined for destruction. From the lack of intelligence, there is a tendency to hoard possessions and label everything as “Mine”. On the flip side, there are those who want to see God right away, preferably in His universal form, which is known as the virata-rupa, for that is the only concept they have of God. Thinking that God cannot be seen any other way, they determine that everything in the world is false and that the only way to see the Lord is through finding His invisible form, His unmanifested feature which thus encompasses all things matter and spirit.
In the Vedas God is described as being both nirguna and saguna, or without qualities and with qualities. Nirguna equates to the unmanifested feature, while saguna refers to His qualified forms that can be seen with the eyes. In either case, the Lord is free of gunas, or material qualities. The distinctions are made from the perspective of the observer not fully cognizant of God and His transcendental attributes. Unmanifested doesn’t actually mean invisible; rather, it just says that this feature of the Lord, the all-encompassing universal form, is practically impossible to understand for one who is embodied, a fact confirmed by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita.
“For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 12.5)
Just being told that we are spirit soul is rare enough, but actually taking the steps to practically realize the fact is even more difficult. If after suffering tremendous heartbreak someone tells us not to worry, that we’ll get over the pain eventually, their words of comfort are hard to take seriously. “I don’t want to feel better in the future. I want the pain to go away now!” Eventually it turns out that they are correct, that we can get through the tough times. Similarly, someone may tell us that we are Brahman, or pure spirit, and that we shouldn’t be attached to anything relating to the body, but if our activities aren’t tailored to meet that understanding, the words of wisdom will just go in one ear and out the other.
Therefore, central to any real yoga discipline are knowledge and austerity. Regularly study from the Vedic scriptures to learn about the science of self-realization - how the soul transmigrates from body to body based on desires, how karma works, why the material existence comes into being, and what is needed to gain moksha, or release. At the same time, practice austerity. Limit your interaction with the senses, for they are like twisted vines that grow, hiding the true nature of the living entity and swallowing up their bliss and knowledge with each entry into pursuits to find material satisfaction.
“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 18.54)
What is the point to reaching this state? In addition to seeing that God’s presence is everywhere, the true fruit of the existence is tasted. The sweetness of the lila of the Supreme Person is relished fully by the liberated souls, who know that life is not about amassing wealth, finding false happiness in intoxication, or enjoying unrestricted sex life. These activities have a beginning and an end, so they are guaranteed to lead to unhappiness. As soon as there is separation, there is an unpleasant situation. Yet as soon as something is accepted, it must be rejected at some point in the future.
This holds true with everything except the relationship to Krishna, or God. The liberated soul transcends the influence of the senses and thus does not have to worry about reincarnation or finding unhappiness in the future. At the same time, the active propensity in the soul is there. If anything, this potential for the outpouring of service, which is the soul’s dharma, is more fully stocked when one is liberated. Without the inhibiting influence of material nature, the consciousness is ready to fully enjoy the proper set of activities. If the material world is maya, or false, however, what could the liberated soul possibly do? Shouldn’t they just sit in quiet meditation and await the time of merging into Brahman?
A person would have to be liberated to repeat this sacred formula day after day, with increased attention given with each successive utterance. No other set of words could be repeated regularly and still provide happiness to the chanter. This shows that Krishna and His names are non-different. The holy name is as good as Krishna Himself, as it carries with it Krishna’s forms, pastimes and qualities. In the conditioned state, the mantra can also be chanted, but it won’t be relished as much. Moreover, the equality between Krishna and His names won’t be realized.
The Vedic seers compiled the wonderful texts like the Ramayana and Shrimad Bhagavatam for the pleasure of the liberated souls, to give something to focus their minds on. Transcendental mellows, or rasas, can only be tasted with the personal feature of the Lord. This doesn’t invalidate the purpose of the impersonal manifestation, as it serves as a wonderful target for those unable to appreciate the form belonging to Krishna or His direct incarnations. Nevertheless, the highest transcendental taste will be found when the consciousness becomes immersed in bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, whose most potent practice is hearing.
As chanting creates a nearby, audible version of Krishna, hearing is taken care of at the same time. Thus the same person that was previously distracted by material affairs and didn’t appreciate hearing about Krishna will soon not be able to go a single day without transporting the mind to Goloka Vrindavana, where Krishna at this very minute is playing His flute and enchanting the hearts of His friends, and even the cows. That sound can’t be received by one who is embodied or one who is tainted by desires rooted in attachment to a temporary form. Only the liberated souls know how to hear and process the sound waves coming from Krishna and delight in them.
From Krishna’s flute comes the sound,
That fills soul with pleasure nowhere else found.
To relish this taste, remove every distraction,
So that to Krishna you can give full attention.
Try to watch television program with others around,
Preoccupied mind can’t hear show even with loudest sound.
Follow sacrifice, penance and austerity,
To remove maya’s influence and give mind clarity.
Position as spirit soul does one need to know,
From realization knowledge and renunciation do grow.
Thus when distractions are finally removed,
To mind sweetness of Krishna’s lila is proved.
Liberated souls try to remember Krishna every day,
Chant His names so that in their minds He will always stay.
“Sita is not capable of associating with any other man, even if he were the lord of the demigods; for there is no one equal to Rama, not even among the demigods.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 11.3)
Why did Hanuman need his spirits uplifted? What was he doing in Lanka looking for Sita anyway? Shouldn’t Shri Rama have gone there? If the Lord is the most powerful person in the world, stronger than any figure residing in even the heavenly realm, why was He not in Lanka taking on Ravana in battle and rescuing His wife? The lila, or transcendental pastimes, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are very difficult to understand from only a quick glance. Just as Hanuman for a split second thought that Mandodari, Ravana’s chief queen, was Sita, those who only briefly review the accounts of historical events found in sacred texts like the Ramayana may overlook the positive role that transcendental pastimes play in the shaping of the lives of millions of pure souls just looking to exercise their inkling for divine service. Found deep within the soul, the identifiable aspect of every form of life, is a desire to love, and not of the variety that can be checked, scorned or squashed. Rather, this type of love, known as prema or bhakti, operates best when the actor follows their tasks without motivation and without interruption.
Shri Rama’s appearance on earth as the eldest son of the King of Ayodhya, Maharaja Dasharatha, can be likened to this scenario, and the emotions felt by the residents of the town can be likened to those felt by the visitors seeing the enchanting figure purported to be God. The difference with Rama, though, was that He never claimed to be of the divine nature. What need is there for such a proclamation? A person would much rather make friends and well-wishers through their own qualities than through fear or flashing a badge indicating importance.
Rama instead enlisted the help of Vanaras residing in the forest of Kishkindha. Vanaras are a sort of elevated race of monkeys, a mix between humans and apes. They were around in the Treta Yuga in abundance in the forests. The monkeys of today are their descendants but due to the influence of the dark age of Kali, their existence isn’t nearly as advanced. Hanuman was the most capable of the Vanara warriors, and he was also the most devoted to Rama. When it comes to serving the interests of the Supreme Person, everyone is equally suited for the job, but not everyone can exhibit their natural love fully. The soul in the conditioned state can be likened to a seed, and the advanced devotees are the seeds which have matured and grown into full blown trees of devotion.
Since Hanuman had never met Sita, he’d have to go by what he had heard of her and who her husband was. Knowing Rama to be fully endowed with every divine quality, Hanuman made the correct assumption that Sita was no ordinary woman either. Having such a wonderful man for a husband, surely Sita would not be in a cheerful mood in Lanka. She would be torn by the pain of separation and fearing her future. Therefore when Hanuman saw beautiful women enjoying themselves, he could understand that they weren’t Sita.
To be with the leader of the celestials is a big deal. Basically, for a woman such a man would be considered the greatest catch. But Sita was so devoted to Rama that she would never even look at such a man. Indeed, the wonderful princess definitively declared her noninterest in the heavenly realm when she pleaded with her husband to accompany Him to the forest. Rama and Sita were only in the forest of Dandaka because of an exile order handed down by King Dasharatha. Sita was advised to stay home by Rama, but she refused to listen to Him. In the Vedic system the wife’s dharma is to worship her husband and abide by his every command, but divine love is never checked by rules and regulations. Sita is so exalted that Rama cannot even control her love for Him in the least. She loves Rama with her life and soul, and there is nothing the Lord can do about it.
In Closing:
“It is to be understood that among all the cows of Nanda Maharaja, several of mother Yashoda's cows ate only grasses so flavorful that the grasses would automatically flavor the milk. Mother Yashoda wanted to collect the milk from these cows, make it into yogurt and churn it into butter personally, since she thought that this child Krishna was going to the houses of neighborhood gopas and gopis to steal butter because He did not like the milk and yogurt ordinarily prepared.” (Shrila 
What is at the heart of yoga? The consciousness, which consists of thoughts and desires formulated over many experiences, is the key ingredient in finding pain or pleasure. We can be sitting in an empty room without any outside influence to affect us and still somehow find an unpleasant condition. How is this possible? The mind, of course. If the mind is worried about the future, constantly looking at the clock to see when the boring situation will come to an end, how can there be anything but misery while locked within the confines of a solitary room?
With yoga, the mind is transported to the divine realm, which is similar to the present land except that the nature of the manifestation is different. Since the qualities of the energy are of a different type, the spiritual land is sometimes described as unmanifested, while the realm we currently occupy is described as manifested. This doesn’t mean that the higher land can’t be seen; for otherwise what would be the purpose in giving it the qualification of spiritual? Something can only have qualities if those features can be identified. If an object lacks features, it ceases being an object.
So, how do we practice yoga? One way is to limit the influence of the external objects around us. If you want to get the stalled car working again, you won’t put things in the gas tank that don’t belong there. In a similar manner, the living beings are spirit at their core, so matter has nothing to do with their identity. This means that any outside influence that only operates on matter becomes inhibiting. One way to practice yoga is to curb the influence of outside forces. A quick way to do this is to renounce the fast paced life of the cities and suburbs and take shelter in the wilderness or on a high mountain.
The best yoga of course is bhakti, or devotion. Bhakti is all-inclusive. It can involve any type of activity, including meditation and study. The best way to learn about bhakti is to study the examples of those who practice it perfectly. Mother Yashoda is one such example, as she is so immersed in bhakti that she doesn’t even consider herself a transcendentalist. Rather, her only engagement is to remain connected with God. With this focus, how can she even consider any other type of activity? In bhakti, the material elements don’t exist. Rather, every type of manifested object gets spiritualized by its being used for the Lord’s pleasure.
In Closing:
“With my hands folded, bowing my head I pray to them as I sing about the marriage of Sita and Rama as I understand it.” (Janaki Mangala, Mangalacharana, 2)
It should be noted that the story of the marriage of the beloved couple had already been told, several times in fact. First, there was the initial incident itself, which took place in the kingdom of Janakpur many thousands of years ago. We refer to this incident as being in the past, for that is how it is positioned with respect to the timeline of our current birth and the creation of the earth. However, just as the cycle of birth and death continues for the spirit soul, who travels from one body type to another, the creation itself goes through cycles of manifestation and annihilation. Not only this creation, but countless other universes follow the same pattern, which is instigated by the exhaling and inhaling of Maha-Vishnu, the Supreme Lord managing the creation. That same Vishnu ensures that the marriage of Sita and Rama takes place many times in many different creations. The marriage can be referred to as a future event as well, and also one which follows slightly different scripts. Moreover, sometimes the onlookers have their own incidents they remember, certain features they see and choose to focus on.
The spiritual masters of the Vedic tradition describe the same events and the qualities of the participants in their own way, though they initially received the knowledgebase through a chain of disciplic succession. It is not that the genuine keepers of the faith make up any details or put things into their stories that aren’t true. Rather, they highlight what is important to them, incorporating different aspects of their own experiences to properly describe the glory and beauty of the Supreme Lord and His lila.
The saints never forget, for they are eternally indebted to their spiritual master and the devotees who helped them along the way. Since there were so many reference tools available to him, Tulsidas could have easily just done a “copy and paste” from several different scriptures and converted the words into the colloquial language he used for his songs. Following this tact would not have been harmful at all, for if the source information is perfect, then in whatever medium it is passed on through, the value of the original information will remain intact.
By singing about the glories of Sita and Rama, Tulsidas showed that his mind was immersed in bhakti, that he was looking for more ways to glorify the person he learned about from his guru. Information of the divine passed on to the sincere student is meant to affect behavior. If the guru passed on knowledge that was only absorbed and then not acted upon, what would their efforts really do for anyone? I could just sit and listen to any subject matter then and not gain any benefit. I could even sit there and not pay attention at all, and the effect would be the same. The guru is supremely pleased by seeing that the information he has taught has really sunk in to his students, that they have found happiness through directing their behavior towards the divine path instead of the repetitive and miserable material path. If the student wasn’t looking for a change in behavior, he never would have given aural reception to the guru’s teachings. Therefore the change in behavior is almost compulsory, as it indicates that the bhakti spirit has taken over a person residing in a realm where the materialistic spirit is predominant. The guru proves to be an ocean of mercy that constantly replenishes the soul thirsty for the transcendental nectar that is God’s association.
By writing about the subject matter as they have understood it, the bhaktas reveal the dynamic nature of real religion, which is known as sanatana-dharma in the Vedic tradition. These two terms are not sectarian, as they can be scientifically explained. Something based on science is much easier to accept than matters of faith. Sanatana means that which has no beginning and no end. Dharma means an essential characteristic, which can then be awakened and maintained through a specific set of actions. The real meaning of religion is to maintain the soul’s essential characteristic of being a lover of God. Since this feature is awakened and maintained through specific activities, dharma becomes the set of guiding principles aimed at keeping one connected with God; hence the correlation between dharma and religion. As both the soul and its primary characteristic, or dharma, are eternal, real religion continues forever [sanatana].
“Say Krishna, think of Krishna, and chant Krishna-nama. Krishna is your father, mother, life and all. Krishna has come for your sake to deliver you all. Surrender to Him, do not anything that is wrong.” (Chant of Haridasa Thakura and Nityananda Prabhu, Chaitanya Bhagavata, Madhya, 3.83-84)
The variety in residences for the spirit soul is due to karma, or fruitive work. Since work and its pile of reactions are rooted in desire, we can say that every living entity essentially gets what they want. The soul wanting limitless sex life, which requires minimal effort to secure, would have a difficult time in the human body. The opposite sex is not wooed so easily, and if it is, the enjoyment isn’t as great. “The chase is better than the catch”, as they say, which means that part of the thrill of conjugal relations in the human species is getting the corresponding party to let down their guard and take an interest in you romantically.
The spirit soul, when denying or ignoring the presence of God, doesn’t necessarily run dry in its potential for service. Rather, that same penchant brings the individual into other engagements, which are not properly suited for accepting the love meant for God. Drug addiction, overeating, indulgence in 
Around five hundred years ago in India, a special person took birth, someone who would deliver the fallen souls of the time. Different from the previous incarnations of God, who slayed miscreants by using arrows and gave pleasure to the devotees with their fighting abilities, this manifestation of the Supreme Lord would take the guise of a humble preacher, one who seemingly had no fighting prowess. His mission would be the same, though He would go about it in a different way. Instead of killing the enemies, He would destroy their sinful desires causing their fall from grace. His mercy would extend to those eagerly looking for transcendental happiness, those not born into good circumstances, and also those who were considered the vilest creatures.
Of the names for God found in the Vedas, Krishna is considered the topmost, as it best describes the Lord’s position. He is all-attractive, which means that every single person is naturally drawn to Him. The atheists are enamored by Krishna’s separated energy expansion of material nature, while the devotees are attracted to His original form holding a flute in the hands and wearing a peacock feather in the hair. Krishna’s smile is so beautiful that the sober person who looks at it will instantly lose their pride accumulated over many lifetimes. Just one pure recitation of Krishna’s name catches Hari’s attention. He will then make sure that such a person eventually becomes God conscious and gains release from a temporary realm full of miseries.
If even the worst men can be delivered by the power of the holy name transmitted through an empowered human being, just imagine how many other people can. Lest we think we don’t need to be delivered, for as long as there is aversion to divine love, there is every chance of rebirth. Would you want to take birth and have to go to school again? Would you want another life of constant repetition, where nothing brings permanent happiness? Maybe some would, but the sober individual recognizes the pattern of material life and looks for a way out.
“Separated from Rama, that noble lady is not able to sleep, eat, drink, or even decorate herself.” (Hanuman thinking about Sita, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 11.2)
The princess Sita had been taken from the side of her husband while she was living in the forest of Dandaka. Ravana was famous throughout the world at the time for his tremendous fighting prowess, with the opulence of his kingdom giving the appearance of a heaven on earth. He really had no need for another wife, a fact confirmed by Hanuman’s observations in the city of Lanka. Learning that Sita was missing, Shri Rama, as the most merciful of all beings, gave the opportunity for service to the monkeys residing in Kishkindha. Hanuman was their most capable warrior, and through a series of events he would end up in Lanka alone. The mission’s success rested in his hands, and he was up for the challenge. When the pressure really gets applied in a big game or when there is a deadline at work, you want your best people on the job, those who cast aside the pressure of the moment and keep the end-goal in mind. Otherwise the fear of failure would creep in and hinder the exhibition of the qualities in the individual that made them eligible for the task in the first place.
Though most of these princesses were won by Ravana after defeating other kings in battle, Hanuman concluded from his observations that none of them were forced to enjoy with the demon. Rather, they were all won over by the king’s qualities and thoroughly enjoying his company. After Hanuman saw beautiful woman after beautiful woman enjoying in different ways, he finally came upon Mandodari, Ravana’s chief queen. She was the most beautiful of the women thus far, so Hanuman thought that she might be Sita. Hanuman had never met Rama’s wife, but he had heard of her divine qualities. He knew that she would stand out in Lanka, that she wouldn’t look like any of the other women.
Sita’s devotion to Rama was certainly in line with dharma, or religiosity, but it was actually caused by her deep love and affection for her husband, who had won her over with His divine qualities. Sita’s behavior reveals the hidden secret that God doesn’t need to be surrendered to out of fear, obligation, or the recommendation of others. Surely preachers can come up to us and advise us to give up sinful behaviors like meat eating, 
Hanuman knew that Sita wouldn’t be able to eat either. Though eating is required for the maintenance of the body, a devoted person like Sita would always first offer anything she ate to Rama and Lakshmana. The remnants of the food then become 
In Closing: