Five People Who Benefitted From Parikshit’s Decision

“Maharaja Parikshit, just after receiving the news of his death within seven days, at once retired from family life and shifted himself to the sacred bank of the Yamuna River.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.19.6 Purport)

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It looked like a selfish move, concerning only the self-interest, svartha, but just see the many people benefitted. Both svartha and paramartha are accounted for by following in the footsteps of that celebrated king of the world, Maharaja Parikshit.

1. The king

The decision of which we speak came at the tail-end of life. The king had made a terrible mistake. What he thought was a harmless joke turned into the greatest insult to a child, seeing his father humiliated by wearing a dead snake around the neck, placed there by Parikshit. The result was a curse on the king. The word of the brahmana carried weight, and so if a snake bite to end life foretold the future, it would likely occur.

Parikshit then made an interesting decision. Many options were available to him. Some people do receive the fortune of knowing precisely when they will die. Maybe not the exact moment, but a ballpark figure. A certain number of months or weeks. The king had seven days.

He chose to sit on the banks of the Yamuna river and hear Hari-katha. He would spend his final days completely conscious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna. Shravana would have been sufficient; hearing and not necessarily interrupting. But the king was actively engaged. He asked questions, listened to the answers, and then reached his own conclusions. He came to agreement with shastra both from faith and the application of intelligence.

The obvious benefit was to the listener. They were guaranteed of the best consciousness at the time of death. Whatever state of being a person leaves this world with, that state they attain in the next existence without fail.

यं यं वापि स्मरन् भावं
त्यजत्य् अन्ते कलेवरम्
तं तम् एवैति कौन्तेय
सदा तद्-भाव-भावितः

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.6)

Having consciousness of God the person is the best state of being because it is tantamount deathlessness. It is full of bliss, without interruption. It carries sufficient knowledge to avoid the dangers borne of ignorance. No more spinning on the wheel of suffering. The merging together of the individual with a spiritual body, their svarupa.

2. The teacher

Parikshit heard from the most exalted teacher, Shukadeva Gosvami. Though he required no further spiritual merits, being a liberated soul, the son of Vyasa still benefitted from the king’s decision. A pure devotee is always eager to spread the glories of the Supreme Lord. They look forward to the opportunity to speak about His lila, the transcendental pastimes taking place in this world and others.

Shukadeva spoke the sacred Bhagavata Purana, also known as the Shrimad Bhagavatam. This narrative that also includes the highest philosophical instruction is considered the ripened fruit from the tree of Vedic literature. It is a spotless Purana, as there is no coverage of material advancement. The entire focus is on knowing God and serving Him.

Speaking on such a topic is actually the entire purpose of having a tongue and mouth. Goswami Tulsidas says that a person who does not use these gifts of nature in the right way has something like a snake-hole; they don’t take proper advantage.

रसना सँआपिनि बदन बिल जे न जपहिं हरिनाम |
तुलसी प्रेम न राम स्ॐ ताहि बिधाता बाम ||

rasanā sam̐āpini badana bila je na japahiṃ harināma |
tulasī prema na rāma soṃ tāhi bidhātā bāma ||

“The tongue is like a snake and the mouth like a snake hole for the person who does not chant the holy names of the Lord. Those who have no love for Shri Rama are understood to be bereft of the creator’s favor, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 40)

3. Any others assembled

If something so amazing is being discussed, naturally other like-minded people will gather. They are not active participants in that they are not directly questioning the teacher. The decision was the king’s and so the interaction didn’t really involve anyone else. Still, others are allowed to attend. The transcendental sound benefits anyone who can hear.

4. Yamuna Devi

The river is actually a goddess, who is closely associated with Shri Krishna, which is another name for Hari, the Supreme Lord. She is already so dear to Bhagavan, but Parikshit’s decision further glorifies her. She benefits by being associated with such an important event. Yamuna Devi is considered a tirtha, or place of pilgrimage. The primary benefit of taking trips to visit these places is having the association of saintly people. They tend to congregate towards important areas because of the conduciveness to spiritual practice.

5. Future generations of man

This was a precise moment in time. What are seven days in the course of the vast timeline of the world? The people of the time certainly benefitted, but what does Parikshit’s decision do for me today?

In fact, he taught the most important lesson. As every living thing is destined for death, the natural question is what should be accomplished by the time it arrives? How should a person look back on their life?

Maharaja Parikshit teaches how to die. In that precept through example he also reveals the way to live. Immersion in Hari-katha is the best way to spend the time that we have while in any type of body. Vitality is meant for serving the Supreme Lord. This is the dharma of the soul, a principle made clear by the celebrated descendant of the Pandu dynasty.

In Closing:

At death’s time transcendent,

That celebrated descendent.

At Yamuna’s banks seat taking,

Focus on Hari-katha unshaking.

Benefitting himself but others too,

Like anyone seated there who.

The river glorifying and also the speaker,

Path to transcendence for future seeker.

How To Properly Understand The Problems With Maintaining A Slaughterhouse

“When animals are killed in a slaughterhouse, six people connected with the killing are responsible for the murder. The person who gives permission for the killing, the person who kills, the person who helps, the person who purchases the meat, the person who cooks the flesh and the person who eats it, all become entangled in the killing. Narada Muni wanted to draw the King's attention to this fact. Thus animal-killing is not encouraged even in a sacrifice.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.25.8 Purport)

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Friend1: I hope this bothers me as much as it does you.

Friend2: What is that?

Friend1: When you are presenting Krishna consciousness philosophy to a person, who is hearing it for the first time, and the initial response you get is a series of questions relating to what you cannot do.

Friend2: You mean along the lines of, “Does your religion allow that; does your religion allow this?”

Friend1: Exactly. It bothers me because there is so much more to the presentation. I wouldn’t even consider sanatana-dharma to be a religion.

Friend2: It is the eternal way of living, matching the living force, chetana, who has specific characteristics, dharma, that defines its existence, jivana.

Friend1: The one that gets me most upset is about meat-eating.

Friend2: Where they ask why you can’t eat meat?

Friend1: Or, “Why are you guys vegetarian?” Let me tell you something. I never once think about my diet during the day. Like I don’t think to myself, “I am a vegetarian. I am special. I don’t eat meat.”

Friend2: Right, because it’s simply a way of life. You would think others are the oddballs, the weird ones, since they sanction the killing of innocent animals.

Friend1: And they have every excuse in the book. They say that vegetables are life, too. Killing them is the same as killing animals.

Friend2: Or that animals in the jungle kill other animals. A fish eats other fish. What is wrong if the human being does the same? Benjamin Franklin poked fun at himself for using this justification when abandoning a vegetarian diet at a young age.

Friend1: I know that the proper explanation is the verse from the Bhagavad-gita, where Shri Krishna explains what kind of food He accepts.

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं
यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति
तद् अहं भक्त्य्-उपहृतम्
अश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.26)

Friend2: Yes, but others may take that as dogmatic insistence. Their objection means nothing to us, but you could still convince them on other grounds.

Friend1: Through what, though? Karma? If they kill, then they will have to suffer the same fate going forward?

Friend2: For sure. That is only fair. Vegetables, grains, water, milk and the like are fit for human consumption. There is rational thought for a reason. We can question every aspect of living, from what kinds of food we eat to the number of hours we sleep. The sober person understands that there is something not right about killing something that eats, sleeps, mates and defends in similar ways to the human beings. Children understand this without instruction; it is not until after years of habit that they abandon the concern.

Friend1: Is there more to the karma angle? How do we prove that the rebound effect occurs?

Friend2: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, relying on shastra, mentions six categories of people implicated when an animal gets killed unnecessarily; like with what goes on in a slaughterhouse.

Friend1: Oh, interesting. Obviously, the person doing the killing would be at the front of the line.

Friend2: Well, first there could be the person who gives permission. This is like the sanctioning body; the government.

Friend1: Most people would overlook that, I think.

Friend2: The second is the person killing, as you said. The third is the person who helps.

Friend1: Like holding down the animal and such?

Friend2: Rounding them up. Keeping them in a cage.

Friend1: What is the fourth? The person who eats the flesh?

Friend2: You are missing the person who buys the meat and then the person who cooks it.

Friend1: Really? Even if I am a vegetarian, by cooking the meat for someone else I get implicated?

Friend2: Apparently.

Friend1: Wow. I did not see that one coming.

Friend2: I mean the same network of action-reaction, of connected individuals, is there with any type of activity in karma.

Friend1: I guess so. That’s why a lot of these boycotts seem silly to me. If I refuse to purchase items from a particular business that I have a problem with, there are still many other ways that I support them. Indirectly, if I hire a company that does business with them, I am still giving them money in a way.

Friend2: For sure. Karma is difficult to decipher in that way. Know that if you take up bhakti-yoga, you can use the intersectional nature for your advantage.

Friend1: How so?

Friend2: Because everyone who had a hand in your successful engagement in glorifying the Supreme Lord gets some credit. The parents, the spiritual guide, the sadhus, the people who put shastra into written form.

Friend1: Interesting.

Friend2: We can take the lesson from the gopis. When they would hear the amazing sound from Krishna’s flute, they would immediately recognize the associated parts and glorify them. They would praise the flute itself, the wood used in its construction, the tree from which the wood came, the surrounding flowers and grass, the nearby body of water, and so forth. This is one byproduct of the spiritual vision. You see things properly, how everything in nature is connected. From this vision it is easier to follow the righteous path, without others necessarily highlighting it for you.

In Closing:

With karmic implications filled,

When innocent animals killed.

Like person the sanction giving,

And change agent from dead to living.

Then one cooking the meat,

At end the person to eat.

Safer with bhakti-yoga so,

Intricacies easily to know.

The Two Paths For Human Activity

“According to Vedic instructions, there are two paths for human activities. One is called pravritti-marga, and the other is called nivritti-marga. The basic principle for either of these paths is religious life. In animal life there is only pravritti-marga. Pravritti-marga means sense enjoyment, and nivritti-marga means spiritual advancement. In the life of animals and demons, there is no conception of nivritti-marga, nor is there any actual conception of pravritti-marga. Pravritti-marga maintains that even though one has the propensity for sense gratification, he can gratify his senses according to the directions of the Vedic injunctions.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.25.39 Purport)

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1. Pravritti-marga

This is the way for the animals, as they don’t know any better. Neither do they have the potential to think rationally, to question why they behave the way they do. For instance, the lion cannot make the following inquiry:

“Why must I search out other living beings and kill them? I do so in a sneaky way, without announcing my presence. The entire objective is to surprise. If my prey knew I was coming, if they were alerted as to my imminent arrival, it would make life more difficult for me.

“The obvious question relates to survival. If I don’t hunt then I won’t eat. Without eating I won’t live very long. At the same time, I see other animals are satisfied taking a little grass. They don’t actively seek out other moving living beings. Why can’t I follow the same?”

In fact, even if an animal were to be kind towards other innocent life, they stay on the pravritti path, which is enjoying the senses. They may live in what appears to be austere conditions, like the monkey in the jungle, but the spirit of enjoyment is there all the same.

The human being follows this path in one of two ways. The first is based on instinct, chosen by default, lacking outside intervention. Like the child who simply plays the entire day. At a young age they put everything into the mouth, not knowing what is proper for consumption and what is not. Later on they choose to watch television, play games, or run around outside. It is not until someone compels them to learn that they sit down and do the difficult work necessary for increasing knowledge.

The other way of pravritti-marga is for religious life. Dovetailing the enjoying tendency for advancing towards a better destination, both in this life and the next. Engage in sex life in a regulated manner, for begetting children. Eat food that is first offered in sacrifice, yajna.

यज्ञ-शिष्टाशिनः सन्तो
मुच्यन्ते सर्व-किल्बिषैः
भुञ्जते ते त्व् अघं पापा
ये पचन्त्य् आत्म-कारणात्

yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo
mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ
bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā
ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt

“The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.13)

2. Nivritti-marga

This is renunciation. Putting a halt to urges. The human being follows hints of this path when undergoing austerities for completing a higher objective. Consider eating restrictions for weight loss, excessive exercise for physical training, and long hours in the library for passing an important examination.

Nivritti-marga is meant for spiritual life, restricting sense enjoyment for the purpose of purifying the consciousness. Limited-to-almost-no interaction for the goal of a clear consciousness. The purest consciousness is the one connected to the Divine. This is known as yoga, for which every living being has the potential, but for which the human is best equipped.

In the course of a lifetime there will be a little of each path, but the proper knowledge descends from authority. The acharyas pass down wisdom for discerning what should be accepted and what should be rejected. The person attached to Shri Krishna, the Supreme Lord, in consciousness automatically receives help. The ocean of suffering is difficult to overcome, but those devoted to Bhagavan can easily cross it.

दैवी ह्य् एषा गुण-मयी
मम माया दुरत्यया
माम् एव ये प्रपद्यन्ते
मायाम् एतां तरन्ति ते

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.14)

And so even the confusion as to what should be enjoyed and what should be renounced gets resolved without much effort.  The mercy of the Divine is limitless, and fortunate are those who take advantage of the distribution.

In Closing:

In the animals but humans too,

Life boiling down to choices two.

To enjoy the senses whether,

Or in spirit breaking the tether.

At birth pravritti natural way,

Restriction only when others to say.

Shelter of acharya wisdom the best,

Discerning Divine mercy from the rest.

Five People Associated With Rama Who Find Trouble

“All of these subjects in the Ramayana seem very pitiable, and they may appear to be very distressing to the reciter, but actually this is not so. Otherwise, why would Hanuman, the great devotee of Lord Ramachandra, read daily about the activities of Lord Ramachandra, as described in the Ramayana itself?” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 34)

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“I thought devotional service is known as hari-sharanam? This means receiving the shelter of the Supreme Lord, whose many names include Hari, the one who takes away distresses. In studying the life of Shri Rama, as described in the Ramayana, we see that the closer people are to Him, the more distress they suffer. I thought it should be the other way around. I can give you examples.”

1. Dasharatha

He is the birth-father. The janma of the Supreme Lord is a little different. It is Divine in nature, divyam. In fact, one who knows this key truth, which extends to the work [karma], is assured liberation.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ’र्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

“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)

Dasharatha is a pious king, head of the Ikshvaku dynasty for a period of time. The sole blemish relates to family life. He has no heir to the throne, and thus no one to keep the tradition of dharma going. At the recommendation of a priest he conducts a sacrifice. The remnants, the prasadam, get divided amongst the queens, who then become pregnant.

Thus the avatara of the Supreme Lord who is the embodiment of dharma gives the external cause of a yajna to bring about His appearance. Rama is the eldest son, and a complete incarnation of the Supreme Lord. The three younger brothers, born to the other queens, are partial incarnations of Bhagavan.

Dasharatha is obviously full of joy, but later on because of the very same Rama there is tremendous distress. The pain is too much to bear. Dasharatha eventually quits his body because he can’t tolerate being separated from his beloved son for the potential of fourteen years.

2. Bharata

He is the next in line, the younger brother born to Queen Kaikeyi. Rama is agraja, or the eldest; the one whom others follow. The brothers are anuja; they follow the lead of the eldest. Since the relation is to Rama, the three other brothers can go by the name Ramanuja.

Bharata loves Rama so much and he takes great joy in being so close in association. But he gets the worst news of his life when he learns that Dasharatha has passed on. Making matters worse, the cause is his own mother. Kaikeyi asked that Rama be banished from the kingdom and that Bharata be made the next king.

The son of Kaikeyi suffers so much because of feeling that he is the reason for Rama leaving the kingdom and the father passing away. He tries his best to reverse the situation, to take the punishment himself, but nothing works. In the end he decides to rule in renunciation; to live in a hut conducting austerities until Rama’s return. With His sandals on the throne, Rama still governs, but in absentia.

3. Sita Devi

With so much going on in the kingdom, at least Rama’s wife is level-headed. She is the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. From birth she learned so much of dharma and its principles from the many saintly people visiting her father’s kingdom. After marriage she went to live in a place with three mothers-in-law.

There was no suffering, however, until Rama ran into trouble with the Kaikeyi ordeal. He chose to honor the order of the father and leave the kingdom. Sita then insisted on accompanying. She considered her husband’s punishment to be her own. If Rama had to live in hell, she would dutifully follow.

Abiding by dharma earned her no special favors. Years later she would be taken away from Rama by force by the evil Ravana, the king of Lanka. She then lived in Lanka without any friends, solace, or food. Her only hope was thinking of her husband constantly, staying with Him in separation.

4. Jatayu

Ravana executed a cowardly scheme to take Sita away. Yet he met some resistance just upon leaving. The vulture named Jatayu tried to halt the aerial path. He was a good friend to King Dasharatha, and so he could not tolerate an injustice against Sita. Though he fought valiantly, he eventually succumbed to the injuries inflicted by Ravana.

5. Lakshmana

The younger brother born of Queen Sumitra insisted on accompanying Rama, also. Though he gave up sleeping in order to protect Sita and Rama in the forest, there wasn’t any suffering until a fierce battle later on. This was for reclaiming Sita and ending Ravana’s reign of terror. Lakshmana felt the force of a powerful arrow released by Ravana. What saved him was the heroic efforts of Rama’s most trusted servant, Shri Hanuman.

…

Despite so much suffering to such wonderful people, Shri Hanuman to this day takes great pleasure in reliving the events, as told in the Ramayana. This means that if the events were truly tragic, if there was only the side of sadness to consider, then the effort would not be worthwhile.

Rather, the end result was auspicious for everyone, as is always the case with direct association with the Divine in a mood of love. Dasharatha and Jatayu thought of Rama while leaving this world. The brothers and Sita never stop thinking of Him, and Hanuman is so devoted that he chooses to remain in this world for as long as Rama’s glories continue to be told.

In Closing:

So blessed by that choice made,

That in this world he stayed.

For glories of Rama to hear,

Through sound staying near.

Hanuman to saintly hearts dear,

Mountain in hand aerial path to clear.

Memories of Ramayana daily to relive,

Best example to others to give.

Wasn’t It Wrong For Hanuman To Enter Lanka By Force

“Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone follows his nature. What can repression accomplish?” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.33)

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सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः
प्रकृतेर् ज्ञानवान् अपि
प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि
निग्रहः किं करिष्यति

sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ
prakṛter jñānavān api
prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni
nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati

Friend1: Likely the most well known depiction of Shri Hanuman’s lila is the carrying of the mountain.

Friend2: Flying through the air, with an enlarged form, making the typically superior in size object appear small.

Friend1: Like he’s holding a basketball or something. Effortlessly gliding through the air, not breaking a sweat.

Friend2: For the purpose of rescuing Lakshmana, Shri Rama’s younger brother. The task was to find a specific herb, which was located on that mountain. Time was of the essence, and rather than risk a misidentification, Hanuman picked up the entire area and brought it back with him.

Friend1: Proving once again his dedication. He perhaps didn’t follow the instructions to the letter, but the spirit of devotion was there.

Friend2: Which is what really counts.

Friend1: A maybe lesser-known depiction, but just as interesting, is of Hanuman striking a female.

Friend2: The city of Lanka personified. The lady guarding the city during the reign of Ravana, the ten-headed one.

Friend1: Hanuman was again on a mission. He was searching for Rama’s missing wife, Sita Devi.

Friend2: Doesn’t it seem that everyone associated with Rama is always in trouble? The father Dasharatha dies from separation pains. Bharata is mortified to learn that his mother, Kaikeyi, is responsible for the great calamity in the family. Sita is held against her will in Lanka. Lakshmana gets hurt on the battlefield.

Friend1: And still Hanuman fondly recalls that time period enshrined in the Sanskrit work known as the Ramayana.

Friend2: What is your explanation? Rama is supposed to be God. Shouldn’t His associates be protected? Isn’t the shelter of the Divine a thing?

Friend1: A discussion for another time. Focus on the Hanuman entering Lanka thing.

Friend2: Okay.

Friend1: He struck a female. I know that is typically not sanctioned. Rama had something similar occur when fighting the female demon named Tataka.

Friend2: Vishvamitra, the spiritual guide, insisted that Rama kill her. Hanuman never wants to violate etiquette, but if someone is getting in the way of bringing life-saving news to Sita, there has to be action taken.

Friend1: I’m not even focusing on the striking part. I want to know why it isn’t considered sinful to enter a foreign territory unannounced and uninvited. The law marks the offense as “breaking and entering” for a reason.

Friend2: There was a guard, too.

Friend1: Should not a devotee be exemplary in behavior? His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada says that a devotee of Krishna could be known by their qualities, that they are a perfect gentleman.

Friend2: Yes, for sure. You don’t need to strive separately to acquire honesty, compassion, intelligence, cleanliness and the like. Just from connecting to God the person in what is known as yoga every auspicious characteristic arrives.

Friend1: Okay, but we can’t say that forcing your way into another person’s land is gentlemanly behavior. What is your explanation?

Friend2: Look at the nature.

Friend1: What does that mean?

Friend2: Shri Rama did not force His way there, though He had every justification to. Ravana had intruded on Rama’s temporary home in the Dandaka forest, so there was sufficient justification to attack unannounced in response.

Friend1: But Rama didn’t do that.

Friend2: Realize that Hanuman is in the monkey-type body. He is more than what we associate with bodily features, but the form is still not an accident. Monkeys are known to enter areas unannounced. In Vrindavana they steal people’s groceries and eyeglasses. They then run away, holding the goods as ransom.

Friend1: Alright, but Hanuman has more intelligence than that.

Friend2: As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, every person acts according to their nature. Rama’s most trusted servant takes advantage of his form. He uses whatever is granted to him for furthering the interests of the Supreme Lord. Know that if you are devoted enough to Rama in the same way, Hanuman might intrude into your home. One day he will make an unexpected visit, through a window perhaps, and take for himself everything you just offered to Rama with love and devotion. He will run away with the goods, and the experience will be the greatest blessing in your life.

In Closing:

Though others not allowed,

Of your visit proud.

That sneakily everything to take,

And then a quick escape to make.

Since Shri Hanuman of nature so,

Sanctioned in such way to go.

To Sita and Rama most dear,

My life’s greatest blessing clear.

Why Would A Devotee’s Ancestors Get Liberated Too

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlada, O most pure, O great saintly person, your father has been purified, along with twenty-one forefathers in your family. Because you were born in this family, the entire dynasty has been purified.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.10.18)

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श्री-भगवान् उवाच
त्रिः-सप्तभिः पिता पूतः
पितृभिः सह ते ’नघ
यत् साधो ’स्य कुले जातो
भवान् वै कुल-पावनः

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
triḥ-saptabhiḥ pitā pūtaḥ
pitṛbhiḥ saha te ’nagha
yat sādho ’sya kule jāto
bhavān vai kula-pāvanaḥ

Friend1: One of the key teachings of the Bhagavad-gita is that a person gets the kind of existence in the next birth based on their consciousness while quitting the body.

Friend2: Yes, the yam yam vapi smaran shloka:

यं यं वापि स्मरन् भावं
त्यजत्य् अन्ते कलेवरम्
तं तम् एवैति कौन्तेय
सदा तद्-भाव-भावितः

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.6)

Friend1: You also get the guarantee from Shri Krishna that the person who thinks of Him while quitting the body does not take birth again.

Friend2: The two principles are related. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, God in the complete realization, beyond the abstract. Clearing up the foggy picture painted through sole reliance on speculation. If you are conscious of Him then the nature of the next life is similar to His.

Friend1: And He lives in the imperishable realm. The definition of liberation is living with Him.

Friend2: Side by side, in the svarupa, or actual form of the self.

Friend1: Let me reference history for a second here, to juxtapose the Gita’s teachings with a benediction received from pious behavior.

Friend2: Okay.

Friend1: There is the story of Prahlada Maharaja, told in detail in the Shrimad Bhagavatam.

Friend2: The son of Hiranyakashipu, the impious king who was feared throughout the world.

Friend1: When he was little, five years old, Prahlada was harassed by the father in so many ways.

Friend2: Lethal attacks, intended to stop devotion to Vishnu in the kingdom. Vishnu is another personal form of the Almighty.

Friend1: Yes, the same Krishna but with four hands, living in Vaikuntha, and opulently adorned.

Friend2: Worshiped in awe and reverence, generally.

Friend1: We know that Hiranyakashipu’s torture was so severe that eventually Krishna arrived on the scene in the amazing form of a half-man/half-lion.

Friend2: One of the famous avataras. A spiritual form tailored to the situation, to maintain the boons first granted by Lord Brahma but also proving that one percent mortality is enough to do the job.

Friend1: In the aftermath Prahlada continued to show his saintly character. He asked for pardon for the father. He was one of the few people on the scene not afraid of Narasimhadeva, who was quite angry.

Friend2: Bhagavan replied that not only would the father be liberated, but so would many previous generations. I forgot the exact number.

Friend1: That is what I want to talk about. I get that Prahlada was a special case. The boy had pure devotion; not mixed with any personal desire. Therefore, Krishna would surely grant whatever was asked. At the same time, the father was the worst kind of person.

Friend2: You should remember that Hiranyakashipu received liberation automatically from dying directly at Vishnu’s hands. He was conscious of God while quitting the body.

Friend1: Okay, but why the previous generations? What did the ancestors do? We don’t know for sure if they had the proper consciousness while quitting the body. We can’t attest to their character, whether it was good or bad.

Friend2: Prahlada appeared in a Daitya family, which is a race of demon-like people.

Friend1: Exactly, so we could say that many of the ancestors probably weren’t worthy of such a benediction. How were they able to receive it?

Friend2: I think you know how. When Narasimhadeva declares something, it must come to be.

Friend1: I get that, but what is the reasoning? Why should ancestors get any of the benefits?

Friend2: Because people don’t take birth in a vacuum.

Friend1: What do you mean?

Friend2: The circumstances are not isolated to personal achievement. I had no idea where I was going to take birth, in which country, in which family.

Friend1: Yes, but there is karma for that.

Friend2: Still, the ancestors paved the way. They helped to create the circumstances in which a person was able to succeed in the devotional path, of purifying the consciousness. Why shouldn’t they be rewarded?

Friend1: It makes sense if the ancestors set up a tradition of worship, such as with ensuring that Shri Hanuman gets respected and honored every Tuesday. If they established the practice of eating only food offered to the Supreme Lord, prasadam, then it makes sense for them to get liberation through a future member of the family. But like you said, Prahlada took birth in a family of Daityas.

Friend2: That should underscore just how important and rare it is to find a pure devotee of the Lord. Honor ascends; it doesn’t descend or divide. Even in mundane affairs, if someone does something praiseworthy, the honor goes up the chain of family members, friends and well-wishers. Why shouldn’t it be even more important in devotional life? The ancestors can also say that they were related to Prahlada. That is enough to win the benediction. Similarly, we can say that we are related to him by following the example of worship of Krishna.

Friend1: And then we receive the same benediction. Does he get further honor?

Friend2: Of course. So does the spiritual master. That’s why the best way to please the guru is to practice devotion under their guidance. Then the rewards from liberation get shared with the parampara, as well.

Friend1: The disciplic succession.

Friend2: Yes. In every way yoga is a winning situation. It creates the most auspicious environment for every person involved.

In Closing:

Though hesitant a benediction to state,

Prahlada with concern over father’s fate.

Since of Vishnu so much hate,

Approaching now not hell’s gate?

Response that flowing up the chain,

Ancestors in family rewards to gain.

Since Prahlada in their line to appear,

Past sins through devotion disappear.

The Dream Is My Reality

“The material body has no factual existence in relation to the eternal soul. It is something like a dream. In a dream we may think of flying in the sky, or sitting on a chariot as a king, but when we wake up we can see that we are neither in the sky nor seated on the chariot. The Vedic wisdom encourages self-realization on the basis of the nonexistence of the material body. Therefore, in either case, whether one believes in the existence of the soul, or one does not believe in the existence of the soul, there is no cause for lamentation for loss of the body.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 2.28 Purport)

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“Boy what a terrible night. Difficulty sleeping, to say the least. Eating too much. Stress during the day from work. Thinking that getting rest at the end would be easy and without issue was flawed. Not only did I toss and turn, but I had the worst nightmares.

“Unthinkable violence. Tremendous anger. Rage. This involved family members. I don’t engage in violence; I can’t remember ever being in a real fight. Yet in this dream I was pummeling away at someone in the family because of something they did. The intensity was off the charts; more than I’ve ever experienced while being awake.

”Needless to say, I am glad to be awake now. Let not that dream repeat ever again. Maybe I need to lower my blood pressure. Reduce my salt intake. Remove stress. Something needs to be done.”

Nightmares are not out of the ordinary. Though nothing from it is real, the experience is. The emotional effect is lasting. The ups and downs, the thoughts, the fears, the hopes – those cannot be said to be fake or without impact.

It is something like watching a film or television show. There is acknowledgment at the outset that this is a scripted performance. Going in I understand that there is a difference between live camera footage of real life and an edited and recorded presentation involving paid actors.

Yet it is seen that viewers get upset over the outcome. They like certain characters and despise others. Some may shed intense tears after the conclusion. The depiction hits home in some way, and the people watching intentionally forget the fictional nature of the content.

The Vedas compare the entire experience of birth and death spanning many lifetimes to such a drama. The experience is real, but the objects within it aren’t really. The reason is that nothing lasts forever. I am safely inside of my apartment at the moment, taking for granted that the heat and hot water work, that there is protection from the elements.

Everything now is steady, including the job, but there is always change. There is no guarantee that I will get to stay in this situation forever. One day the children will grow up and move out. My spouse and I will age and likely require more assistance in managing the household. Perhaps major surgery is on the horizon to prolong the use of the body.

The future of destruction is guaranteed, however. When it occurs, the past seems like a dream. There are no remnants to prove that the experience happened, but the memory is there. The living being goes through the same cycle, in many species, perhaps, spanning thousands of years.

The lone reality is the spirit soul, the living spark, and the accompanying source of the spiritual energy. These two eternals are always in existence; never to be killed or given birth to.

The superior eternal, known as Paramatma, uses one of His energies to create this dreamlike existence. The subordinate eternals then descend from a higher realm to take part in the drama. Liberation is merely remembering the original nature, of awaking from the dream, while conditioned life is continuing to stay asleep.

The chief eternal sends His representatives to the temporary and miserable world to change the state, from dreaming to alert consciousness. Realize the dreamlike nature of everything experienced and know that there is a reality. After all, though the events of a dream aren’t real, there is a reflection based on reality. In other words, I can only dream of driving a car if the experience of driving actually exists in real life.

In the same way, the dream of life in reincarnation is a reflection of something that exists in another realm. Known as the spiritual world, living there can actually be permanent. The representative thus not only wakes a person up, they show them the way back to the imperishable realm.

माम् उपेत्य पुनर् जन्म
दुःखालयम् अशाश्वतम्
नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः
संसिद्धिं परमां गताः

mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.15)

Upon reaching that destination a person never has to return.

In Closing:

Last night worst dream I had,

At family fumed and raging mad.

That awake now glad,

But truth of situation sad.

That entire existence so,

But of reality can know.

When guru for rescue purpose arriving,

Emphasis on identity dynamic driving.