Saturday, February 17, 2018

Are We Really Responsible For Our Actions

[Krishna's lotus feet]“When you see that there is nothing beyond these modes of nature in all activities and that the Supreme Lord is transcendental to all these modes, then you can know My spiritual nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.19)

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Friend1: I know that we are not the doer.

Friend2: In what?

Friend1: Activities. Actions. Work.

Friend2: Then what is karma? Are you saying it doesn’t exist?

Friend1: I’m getting to that. I think that I am the sole person responsible for what I do, but nature must cooperate. Prakriti must give the sanction for any desire of purusha to manifest.

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.27)

Friend2: Okay. Makes sense to me.

Friend1: It’s an eye-opening truth.

Friend2: For sure. Makes you think twice before starting a big project.

Friend1: A person shouldn’t over-endeavor. There is no guarantee that the work will be successful.

Friend2: Precisely. Success is saphala, or receiving the desired fruit. Not only are we not the doer, but we shouldn’t be attached to the fruits of our work.

“You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.47)

Friend1: There is another verse related to this discussion. A person who sees that only the modes of nature are responsible in activities and that Shri Krishna is transcendental to these modes can properly understand the Supreme Lord.

Friend2: That’s true. Those are two very important things to know.

Friend1: The Sanskrit word is kartaram, which is translated as “the performer.” The modes of nature, gunas, are the real performer, not the individual.

Friend2: What is done, yes. Without those modes of nature, nothing could be done.

Friend1: Okay, but then couldn’t somebody use that as an excuse for bad behavior? If they are standing trial for breaking the law, can’t they blame the modes of nature? They could say that this is the proper understanding; everyone else is in illusion.

[courtroom]Friend2: It doesn’t work that way. No one will accept that excuse.

Friend1: Whether people accept or not is irrelevant. What is the truth of the matter?

Friend2: Alright, though appearing contradictory, the statements taken together are not difficult to understand.

Friend1: Please explain.

Friend2: Without these modes of nature, no result would manifest. I give the example of getting out of bed in the morning. For the majority of people, this is no issue. The process starts with the decision. “I want to get up.”

Friend1: Some people don’t want to, especially if it is cold outside or a long day of work is ahead of them. But I know what you mean.

Friend2: After the decision, there is the action. The performer, kartara, starts the process. At this point there is no guarantee of a successful result. Some people simply can’t get up. There is a disability, injury, or what have you. Others are able to succeed. In every case the modes of nature are the factor. They either cooperate or they don’t.

Friend1: Okay, but who is responsible?

Friend2: Responsibility is at the individual level. That’s where karma, or fruitive activity, comes into play. With karma you get activity that falls either into dharma or adharma, punya or papa, piety or sin.

Friend1: That makes sense, but if someone does something sinful, can’t they say that the gunas were responsible?

Friend2: The gunas facilitated the desire, the same way they might for someone who is on the righteous path. Without these gunas, no result would ever manifest. The word “bound” is used because a person is forced to act in so many situations. The most obvious examples are eating and sleeping. Even the lightest sleeper in the world has to take rest at some point every day. This is forced upon them. A person can’t survive without eating. These are examples of being bound to the modes of nature.

Friend1: Okay, but what is the benefit of understanding Krishna and how He is transcendental to the modes? Does such a person no longer have to eat and sleep?

[Krishna's lotus feet]Friend2: Nature still exerts its influence, but the result is different. Shri Krishna directly takes over management of the results. I know this seems too good in theory, but it is true. He ensures that the devotion of the devotee remains intact, from life to life. Lacking the pertinent knowledge, a person will continue to think they can effect change entirely on their own, and from this desire they are kept in the material world, where illusion pervades the entire space.

In Closing:

Clearing up, for understanding exact,

Like known that modes of nature to act.


For any desire to fulfill,

Higher authorities responsible still.


Decision at personal level making,

But result not solely from impetus taking.


Know gunas and Shri Krishna too,

Saving from harm that understanding true.

Friday, February 16, 2018

The Three Stages Of Krishna’s Pastimes In Vrindavana

[Krishna and Yashoda]“As far as Krishna's transcendental pastimes are concerned, they are mostly executed during the kaumara, pauganda and kaishora periods. His affectionate pastimes with His parents are executed during His kaumara age. His friendship with the cowherd boys is exhibited during the pauganda period. And His friendship with the gopis is exhibited during the age of kaishora.” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 26)

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The Sanskrit words are yada yada hi. In this particular context the meaning is “whenever and wherever.” The timing is necessary for explanation since man is otherwise perplexed as to the presence of the Divine. Where is He? Does He exist? Why isn’t He here right now? Does He listen to our prayers?

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend Myself.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.7)

He descends to this world as Himself whenever and wherever. The conditions are a decline in religious practice [dharma] and a sharp increase in irreligion [adharma]. The purpose of such descents is to punish the miscreants and protect the saintly people.

[hourglass of time]The timing is for our understanding, but for the Supreme Lord time has no influence. It is like a dead hourglass. It is stopped; no sand is falling. When considering time that is in motion, there is still no birth, death, old age or disease. No change to the transcendental body of the Supreme Lord.

He is described as nava-yauvanam, which means “always youthful.” Like someone who has just entered the teenage years, Shri Krishna always remains this way. Still, in some pictures He is depicted as an infant, a child, or an adolescent. These are different periods of development during Krishna’s time on earth in His original self, with corresponding pastimes for each stage.

1. Kaumara

From the time of birth to the sixth year is kaumara. For Krishna there is no birth, so the janma actually refers to an appearance. He is always around regardless, but we lack the proper eyes to notice His presence. The visible, manifest form with the two hands appearing before the eyes of the inhabitants of the earthly realm, with accompanying paraphernalia, is the birth. One who knows the transcendental nature of Krishna’s birth escapes the cycle of birth and death for themselves.

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

The kaumara period sees the interaction with the parents. The birth parents are Vasudeva and Devaki, but they miss out almost entirely. Vasudeva transfers the newborn Krishna to the neighboring town of Gokula to keep Him safe. There the foster-parents, Nanda and Yashoda, enjoy taking care of God as a child.

[Krishna and Yashoda]They think that He will not survive without their love and affection. This creates an urgency for service, which is most appreciated by the Supreme Lord. They witness His learning to crawl, walk and talk. They hear about His stealing butter from the neighbors. They even get frightened from time to time when Krishna is apparently in danger from powerful bad characters coming to kill Him. Of course even in the kaumara form Shri Krishna retains full potency; no one is able to defeat Him.

2. Pauganda

Between the ages of six and ten is known as pauganda. This time period is especially suited for friendship with the cowherd boys, referred to as sakhas or gopas in Sanskrit. Nanda is the leader of the farm community that is based on cow protection. Though very young, Krishna is given responsibility over the many calves. He and His friends go out to the fields every day, and there is so much enjoyment. Krishna sometimes wrestles with His friends. They eat lunch together. They make jokes. When the calves scatter about, Krishna climbs to the top of Govardhana Hill and plays His flute. This amazing sound captures everyone’s attention.

3. Kaishora

This is the period from ten to sixteen. Krishna enjoys with the cowherd women, the gopis. They are the topmost devotees, as they even abandon regard for religious principles in their interactions with God. They are more afraid of not seeing Krishna than they are of possibly going to hell. Their devotion is the most appreciated, and so Krishna is not a miser when it comes to associating with them. The interactions are most famously depicted in the rasa-dance scene, where God expands Himself into identical forms so that each gopi feels like they are dancing with Krishna alone, under the brightest moon of the year, Sharada Purnima.

Once the yauvana stage arrives, Krishna leaves Vrindavana for Mathura and then Dvaraka. There are more pastimes, of course, but for devotees nothing compares to the time spent in Vrindavana. It is said that Krishna never leaves Vrindavana. Even to this day He is there, present in the love of the residents, who constantly chant His holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Though unchanged phases to see,

Krishna’s lila in Vrindavana three.


At first beautiful son to the mother,

Stealing butter one home to another.


Then with cowherd boys playing,

Later dance with gopis displaying.


Actually always in that place to stay,

Through bhakti seen even to this day.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

How Does A Nitya-Baddha Get Transformed

[Krishna lila]“Anyone who becomes exhilarated by hearing of the pastimes of Lord Krishna when He was present on this earth with His associates is to be understood as nitya-siddha, eternally perfect.” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 25)

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Friend1: Alright, I think I have one of those chicken or the egg type questions again.

Friend2: Nice. Those are always fun.

Friend1: It’s related to the time factor. Yes, I know it runs infinitely in both directions.

Friend2: The past and the future. Go back to the beginning. Trace out the root. Then know that something existed before. Otherwise, time would lack meaning. You would break the definition of time.

Friend1: Same applies to moving forward. Reach an endpoint in the distant future and know that something exists after that.

Friend2: Which certainly makes the words “never” and “beginning” difficult to understand.

Friend1: Those words are found in the Bhagavad-gita, too, spoken by the Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna.

Friend2: Right. Such as:

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.12)

Friend1: And this:

“The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikshvaku.” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.1)

Friend2: Don’t forget this important one. It’s about never coming back to the realm of birth and death:

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.16)

Friend1: We can cover those verses another time. The topic for today is the distinction between nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha.

Friend2: Ah, yes. Those are difficult concepts to understand if you delve too deep.

Friend1: What does that mean? We should have only a surface understanding?

Friend2: Well, there is a simple explanation for the two terms. I don’t want to reveal until you tell me what is confusing you.

Friend1: I get it that nitya-baddha means “always bound.” Such persons are always forgetful of God. It’s not difficult to find. Just think of an individual soul transmigrating, from body to body, in life after life. They are not perfectly Krishna conscious, and so they continue to spin on the wheel of reincarnation.

Friend2: Yes. And nitya-siddha is always liberated.

Friend1: Someone like Arjuna.

Friend2: The explanation is that Krishna is not alone. His associates are always with Him. As Krishna is eternal, so are the people that stay with Him. When Krishna descends as Himself or an avatara, these associates come with Him.

Friend1: Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrughna.

Friend2: Well, those are actually expansions of Vishnu, but more or less you are right. The goddess of fortune, Lakshmi Devi, accompanies Krishna. Different residents of the spiritual world. That is why it is said that no one falls from Vaikuntha, the realm above the material universe.

[Krishna lila]Friend1: Oh boy, yeah that’s another difficult topic to understand. Instead of diverging, here is the original question. I found a statement that says a person who feels tremendous positive emotions when hearing about Krishna’s pastimes is an eternally liberated soul.

Friend2: They belong to the nitya-siddha category.

Friend1: Yes.

Friend2: Is that difficult to understand?

Friend1: Well, isn’t that the position every person is striving to reach?

Friend2: Even the materialists.

Friend1: I’m talking specifically within the realm of people practicing bhakti. You have a nitya-baddha, someone who is conditioned, and they are trying to change the situation. They want to become liberated. In fact, you can only become liberated if previously you weren’t. You get what I am saying? If I was a man yesterday, I can’t become a man today. I already was one.

Friend2: Yes.

Friend1: If a person trying to become liberated takes great pleasure at hearing about the merciful nature of the Supreme Lord and how Krishna is always trying to please the devotees, then apparently they are not only liberated, but always so. They are a nitya-siddha. I don’t get it.

Friend2: It’s a mystery for sure. The issue is similar to the “never falling from Vaikuntha.” We don’t know someone’s history. We don’t know where they were originally. Just by a person’s behavior today we can’t tell whether they are a nitya-siddha or a nitya-baddha. You get what I am saying?

Friend1: I do not.

Friend2: Take the example of Krishna’s associates in Dvaraka. Not all of them behaved properly all the time. It seemed like they were forgetting Him, even while living in the same city. That forgetfulness, which is an external indication of being bound to the material world, did not invalidate their status as nitya-siddha. They would eventually correct themselves, for even through momentary lapses they were still devotees.

Friend1: So if I take great pleasure at hearing about Krishna, it might mean that I am a nitya-siddha who just doesn’t know it?

[chanting the holy names]Friend2: Of course. We don’t know for sure. We only know that through being Krishna conscious we will find happiness right now, in the future, and especially after death. Goswami Tulsidas says that chanting the holy name is beneficial from beginning to end:

“Chanting Shri Rama’s holy name with love, faith and according to regulative principles will be beneficial for you from beginning to end, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 23)

Let the baddha-siddha stuff sort itself out. What you and I were in the past doesn’t really matter. Look to the future.

In Closing:

No need for higher state ascending,

Liberated souls with Krishna descending.


As nitya-siddhas devotees great,

Always in liberated state.


But what about those striving right now,

Taking pleasure in hearing categorized how?


True mystery no one ever to know,

More important how forward to go.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

The Three Components To Safely Crossing The Ocean Of Birth And Death

[Prabhupada boat]“The human body is the boat, the instructions of Lord Krishna are the favorable winds, and the spiritual master is the navigator. The spiritual master knows well how to adjust the sails to catch the winds favorably and steer the boat to its destination.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.23.28 Purport)

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Attachment, desire, longing, work, success, and then back to the same position. This is the typical cycle of life in the mode of passion. You think that something is worth pursuing, but afterwards the same desire remains. It might even be stronger, something similar to when the appetite increases from eating something rather than decreasing.

The cycle can go on, starting from the time of birth up until the time of death. Vedic teachings reveal that the restart button then gets pressed. The spirit soul lives on, while it discards one body in favor of another one.

“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.8)

While knowledge of the cycle is eye-opening, and perhaps comforting due to the revelation that death is not the end, the fact that everything continues to repeat, with seemingly no end in sight, is not welcome. For this reason the Vedas compare a material existence to being stuck in a vast ocean. It is one of suffering, wherein the individual swimming continues to spin as if on a wheel; hence the term samsara-chakra.

Fortunately, there is a way out. Three components are necessary. Each is tremendously auspicious, and combined together what was seemingly impossible before, not completed for many lifetimes even, becomes much easier.

1. The human body

This is compared to a boat. If you’re stranded on a deserted island, the only way to rescue is through outside transportation. Barring air travel, the sole way to move on the water is through a boat, whether large or small. Without the boat, you are just stuck.

It is not a given that this boat will be there. The spirit soul is so small that it can’t be seen by instruments. The size is compared to cutting the tip of a piece of hair into ten thousand parts. One of those parts is representative of the physical size of the soul, and yet that same soul can power both the large elephant and the tiny ant.

The boat arrives with the human birth. This is really what separates man from other species, both moving and nonmoving. To enjoy the senses is possible in the animal body. In the tree body the living being can stand in one place for thousands of years; achieving longevity that science and medicine only promise in the distant future for the human being.

There is the Sanskrit aphorism, athato brahma-jijnasa. “Now is the time for inquiring about Brahman, the spiritual nature.” This applies to the human being, the only species that can make the inquiry. It is through these questions that the boat begins to move.

2. The instructions of Lord Krishna

The truths about Brahman, maya, the material nature, karma, the living entities and so forth come from the Supreme Lord. The boat starts to move through His mercy, which comes in the form of instructions. They are recorded secondhand from close associates. Others learned from Him and later wrote down what they heard.

[Bhagavad-gita As It Is]Then there are direct instructions found in works like the Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam. These are the favorable winds that help to get the boat moving. Otherwise, life in the mode of passion is like staying in the same place. There is the illusion of progress, but actually nothing changes.

“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.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.18)

While the mode of goodness leads to elevation to the heavenly realm, in that place the boat is lost. The body of a deva [demigod] is not considered most favorable for crossing over the ocean of birth and death. When the time commensurate with pious credits runs out, there is the chance of falling back to earth. Those regressing through life in the mode of ignorance only get further away from even receiving the boat. They have to spend many years in suffering before the opportunity comes again.

3. The spiritual master

He is the expert navigator. You have the boat. You have the favorable winds. But how to catch that force? In which direction to go? How to adjust based on the changing winds? How to keep focus and attention on the proper destination? How to know when to take a rest, when to start up again, when to stay patient and when to act with urgency?

The spiritual master is required for these things. He is the same Supreme Lord, but in the representative form. He follows the same instructions passed on in the Bhagavad-gita, but he makes the necessary adjustments for time and circumstance. Not everyone is familiar with Vedic culture or the Sanskrit language. Not everyone has been following the standard stages of purification since the time of birth.

The combination of the three is so strong that at any time there is the possibility to cross over the ocean. The sinner Ajamila was rescued right at the time of death. He was favored through the sound of the holy name Narayana, which represents God. He had good counsel earlier in life, and in that human body he was able to attain liberation.

[Prabhupada boat]The spiritual master says that the best way to catch the winds in this inauspicious time period known as Kali is to always chant the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Always stay conscious of Bhagavan. Help yourself by avoiding meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex. With so much in your favor, the vast ocean turns into the size of a puddle left by the hoofprint of a calf. This is through the favor of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, who desires every struggling living entity to make the safe journey across.

In Closing:

On that vast ocean to float,

Through human body like boat.


Gita’s words to Arjuna showing,

Like most favorable winds blowing.


Guru for navigating safely across,

Steady on aim, not gain or loss.


Components requiring three,

Then surely liberation to see.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Three People Krishna Is Dependent Upon

[Krishna name giving ceremony]“Although Krishna is independent of everyone, out of His causeless mercy He is dependent upon Garga Rishi for religious instruction; for learning the military art He is dependent upon Satyaki; and for good counsel He is dependent upon His friend, Uddhava.” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 24)

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Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. At least that is the claim of the acharyas, the teachers who lead by example. They don’t come upon the knowledge through some magical, mystical experience. There is connection with a chain of instructors. That succession is known as parampara, and it is only bona fide when the first person, the origination point, is the Supreme Lord Himself.

One component of being the Almighty is having complete independence. Not relying on anyone. Not having to bend to anyone’s will. No forced submission. Everyone else has some sort of dependence. We need the sun to survive. We need food and water. Without these things even the most independent person would be stopped in their tracks.

Yet Krishna is so kind that through His mercy He becomes dependent upon others. That is to say it looks like He requires the assistance of certain people. This is to both increase their stature and show the world the power of Divine love.

1. Garga Rishi

He is the family priest, the kula-guru. He plays an important role in Krishna-lila, particularly when the Supreme Lord has just arrived in Gokula, being transferred from the neighboring town of Mathura. In Vedic culture a priest is called to the home shortly after the birth of a new child. Studying the astrological signs pertaining to the birth, the priest determines a name.

[Krishna name giving ceremony]Garga Rishi was amazed at Krishna’s characteristics. He gave different names to the boy, all referencing the Divine nature. Garga was relied upon for religious instruction by the entire family, and he even has his own recorded recollections of the time Krishna spent on this earth some five thousand years ago. The related work is known as the Garga-samhita.

2. Satyaki

He is a great warrior in the Vrishni group, to which Krishna also belongs. Though the Supreme Lord spent His childhood in the farm community of Vrindavana, from the birth parents He was related to the warrior race. In adulthood He became the king of the underwater city of gates known as Dvaraka.

Since Satyaki was such a great supporter of Krishna, the Supreme Lord obliged that service by becoming reliant on Satyaki for learning the military arts. The Vedas are compared to a blossoming tree that has many branches. Those branches represent different departments of knowledge. All aspects of living, both material and spiritual, are covered by Vedic teachings. Even in that ancient time period there were people expert in the military arts, in knowing how to arrange phalanxes and deciding when and where to attack.

3. Uddhava

He is Krishna’s cousin, having almost an identical outward appearance. Uddhava is Krishna’s good friend, as well. As was the case with the previous Divine incarnation of Shri Ramachandra, Krishna set the proper example by taking counsel before making any important decision. It is good to hear different points of view, the many opinions of those who are expert in the particular subject matter, before proceeding in a difficult task. Uddhava was someone Krishna relied upon, and this cousin too received tremendous wisdom in the form of a conversation. With the cousin Arjuna the conversation was known as the Bhagavad-gita and with Uddhava the Uddhava-gita.

[Krishna and Uddhava]When we speak of God, His close associates are included. As the devotees are always thinking of Krishna, He is always thinking of them. There is never any real separation. Every individual, from the highest to the lowest, has God inside of them through the expansion known as Paramatma. The difference between the suras and the asuras, the dividing line between good and evil, is the remembrance of this feature.

I can be living next to someone for twenty years and never speak to them. We are close in terms of physical proximity, but there is no relationship. At the same time I could speak to another person halfway across the globe every day for twenty years. It is like I am always with them.

The Supreme Lord is already within us, but the advantage is wasted when we forget Him. In continued remembrance Krishna is so kind in showering His mercy that He may make Himself appear to be dependent on us, that He requires the daily offerings of food in the mode of goodness, the sound of the arati bell, and the warm, inviting lamp waved in his honor. Such kindness only gives further impetus to regularly chant His holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Despite everything already knowing,

Satyaki to Him military arts showing.


Names too many to count,

But family priest effort to mount.


Who recollections providing his own,

Sacred work as Garga-samhita is known.


Shri Krishna of boundless mercy is He,

The wellbeing of devotees to see.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Four Reasons Why Present Civilization Is Not Very Congenial To Living Entities

[Krishna's lotus feet]“Since the present civilization is not very congenial to the living entities, Krishna consciousness is recommended. Through Krishna consciousness, society will develop the mode of goodness. When the mode of goodness is developed, people will see things as they are. In the mode of ignorance, people are just like animals and cannot see things clearly. In the mode of ignorance, for example, they do not see that by killing one animal they are taking a chance of being killed by the same animal in the next life.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 14.17 Purport)

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In one of the more famous lines from a Presidential debate, a candidate asked the people watching at home if they were better off today than they were four years ago. This was an obvious question to ask from a challenger attempting to shed light on the poor record of the incumbent. Subsequent campaigns would ask similar questions, as the answer was considered a good way to predict the result come election day.

If the same question is asked of society in general, taking the conditions at present, comparing to ages past, the Vedas give a very simple and clear answer. No, we are not better off today than we were in the previous ages. This decline was predicted beforehand, and is guaranteed to occur when a key component within the people is lacking.

The present age is known as Kali, and it is the last of four when the cycle of population and destruction is divided for analytical purposes. The beginning is the golden age and the decline begins from there. Indeed, there are many obvious signs of why the present civilization is not very congenial to the living entities.

1. Rampant animal killing

Today there is tremendous advancement in science and technology. The truth cannot be denied. One nation now produces enough food to feed the entire world, if the need should arrive. There is something called an industrialized nation, and in those places one of the biggest problems for the poor and children is obesity. There is too much food to eat.

It should logically follow that animal killing would be on the decline. After all, it is not like everyone is living in the wild and relying on an animal to come around in order to eat. Unfortunately, it looks like just the opposite is occurring. Technology and industrialization are being used to round up even more animals, the most innocent of them, too, like the cow, and slaughter them by the millions.

This is congenial for neither the animal being killed nor the person doing the killing. As His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada notes, when the mode of ignorance takes over a person does not see things as they are. They kill an innocent animal for food, not understanding the risk. The same spirit soul might come back in the future and turn the tables; the killed becomes the killer. This is the most basic law of fairness, understood in common conversation as karma.

2. Quarrels over nothing

The football game just ended. Let’s watch the postgame show. There are five analysts at the table. Since they each have a job to do, it is most likely that the same opinions won’t be shared. In Vedic culture it is said that a muni, or wise thinker, is not legitimate unless and until they disagree with another muni.

[arguing]The result is quarrel and argument over the most trivial issues. Sports, politics, celebrities, entertaining, the conclusion to a scripted program - everything is up for discussion. The most visible sign of Kali’s arrival is the increase in quarrel and hypocrisy. Rather than live peacefully, everyone stays upset, even when the side they favor succeeds. They want to get revenge on the person who argued with them; they have to get the last word in.

3. Widespread intoxication

As referenced previously, the mode of ignorance is not helpful. It is the way of the animal community. They only know basic instincts. They cannot learn to read the paper, contemplate the future, or understand birth and death.

The human being has the chance to rise to the mode of goodness, but the elevation is made more difficult than it needs to be through activities in the mode of ignorance, like intoxication. Widespread intoxication is a sign of defeat, that material nature has gained a dominating influence. As Shri Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, the spirit souls in the material world are actually a superior energy; they are above matter.

“Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.5)

There are legalized forms of intoxication, which are widely taken advantage of, but that is not enough. Kama is very strong. The sense desires are like a fire not easily extinguished. Thus there is the push to legalize more forms of intoxication. There is danger even in going to the doctor, as the medicine they prescribe can lead to strong addiction.

4. Forgetfulness of God

It is in this area that the human birth takes on its real value. It is said that the devas, the demigods residing in the heavenly realm, have great appreciation for the human birth. They already live in high material comfort. They have plenty of intoxication available through drinking Soma-rasa. They can get whatever they want at a moment’s notice through approaching a surataru, or desire tree. They live much longer than the inhabitants of earth do.

The human birth is enviable since there is the chance to remember God. That is the result of reaching the mode of goodness and going beyond. Yet in present civilization God is all but forgotten. Religion is considered an ancient relic, something primitive people followed since they didn’t know any better. Science and technology are the way for the civilized; machines are the new god.

Shrila Prabhupada and the like-minded acharyas of the Vedic tradition agree that the only solution is Krishna consciousness. Not sectarian religion, not insistence on allegiance to a specific institution - have real consciousness of the Almighty. Since He is a person and all-attractive in every one of His transcendental features, one way to address Him is Krishna.

[Krishna's lotus feet]Krishna consciousness is within every person already. It is the constitutional position, and with the human birth comes the chance to reawaken from the slumber of ignorance and find again the soothing, blissful life of transcendence. When that consciousness returns, even the mode of goodness is surpassed and any situation and place, even in the present civilization, becomes congenial. This is because at any moment the merciful Supreme Lord can be remembered through chanting His holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Despite from violence blood spilling,

Sin not seen of animal killing.


Arguments from what on television to see,

Back and forth, never resolved to be.


Not known that future again birth to take,

So instead life of sense gratification to make.


Civilization of congeniality bereft,

Krishna consciousness only option left.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Four People Positively Influenced By Rama’s Lotus Feet

[Bharata worshiping Rama's sandals]“The pure devotees are always hankering after the lotus feet of the Lord. The lotus has a kind of honey which is transcendentally relished by the devotees. They are like the bees who are always after the honey.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.11.26 Purport)

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You don’t have to see the whole thing. The entire image, from top to bottom, is not required for meditation to be done properly. Dhyana is important, even outside of the realm of yoga. If you’re writing a book, will you be able to get it done if people keep interrupting you? If you’re driving on the road, is it a good idea to keep looking down at your smartphone?

Proper dhyana should be on something tangible; then it qualifies as yoga. Meditating on a tree may help to keep clear of certain bad behaviors, but in the long run the interest will wane. There is no taste. Dhyana with respect to yoga should be focused on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is more than an attribute-less light. He is more than a concept. He is not simply a figment of the imagination.

God has a form, and belonging to that form are feet, which are compared to lotus flowers. Simply serving these feet - honoring them, remembering them, thinking about them - is enough to bring liberation, the total end from the cycle of birth and death. There are rewards beyond, and so many people have been influenced positively due to association with those feet.

1. Mahadeva

The great-god is in charge of the material mode of ignorance, which equates to destruction. When the time is right, Lord Shiva gets to work on annihilating everything that was previously created by the god Brahma and maintained by Vishnu.

Vishnu is non-different from the Supreme Lord. He is the mode of goodness and above. The sacred river Ganga, who is a goddess, emanates from Vishnu’s lotus feet. When she descends to this world, Mahadeva carries her on his head. He is like a conduit for that holy river, which washes away sins.

2. Bharata

Vishnu’s incarnation of Rama is specifically worshiped by saints like Goswami Tulsidas. In his amazing poetry he often reminds himself to stay devoted to those feet. He enumerates the different instances where the feet alone provided salvation, comfort, protection, and supreme bliss.

[Bharata worshiping Rama's sandals]Rama was in the princely order, and one time He had to leave the kingdom for fourteen years. The younger brother Bharata had a difficult time with this decision. He didn’t want to live without Rama. A compromise was reached. Bharata would return to Ayodhya, rule in Rama’s absence, but keep Rama’s sandals on the throne. A symbol of Rama’s presence, Bharata managed the long separation through worshiping those sandals, which had so wonderfully served the lotus feet of his beloved elder brother.

3. Ahalya

When Rama was a youth He was one time roaming the forest with His younger brother Lakshmana. They were essentially bodyguards to the sages residing in the tapo-vanas, the forests conducive to austerity and sacrifice. Though just youths, since they were Divine the brothers could provide perfect protection using their bows and arrows, as they were trained in the military arts, as well.

Their guru during that time was Vishvamitra, who led them to the ashrama of sage Gautama. There Rama placed His lotus feet on a stone, and magically a woman named Ahalya appeared. Gautama’s wife, she had been previously cursed due to an offense, and she was staying in that stone form, awaiting liberation from Rama Himself, which she subsequently received.

4. Kevata

During the fourteen year stay in the forest, Rama was accompanied by His wife Sita. Lakshmana was there, too. One time the trio needed to cross the river, going from one side to the other. There was a boatman ready to take them, happily so. He had just one condition. He wanted to wash Rama’s lotus feet, first.

[Rama with Kevat]The pretense was to save the boat itself, which was Kevata’s livelihood. Kevata mentioned how previously Rama’s feet had turned stone into a woman. If the same were to happen to his boat, how would he survive? This amusing exchange was simply to win the honor of washing Rama’s feet, which Kevata continued to serve afterwards.

In Closing:

“Boat for livelihood my own,

Known capable turning from stone.


Your lotus feet upon which to grace,

Curse of Gautama’s wife to erase.


So first those feet to wash letting,

Then to other side of river getting.”


Shri Rama happily obliging request,

Service allowed through Kevata’s behest.