Diwali 2019

“O Sita, see the golden lord of mountains [Mainaka], which is golden-peaked and which rose up, piercing the ocean, to provide rest to Hanuman.” (Lord Rama speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kand, 123.18)

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हिरण्यनाभन् शैलेन्द्रन् काञ्चनं पश्य मैथिलि ||
विश्रमार्थन् हनुमतो भित्त्वा सागरमुत्थितम् |

hiraṇyanābhan śailendran kāñcanaṃ paśya maithili ||
viśramārthan hanumato bhittvā sāgaramutthitam |

Diwali is commonly known today as the festival of lights, associated primarily with the Hindu faith. At its foundation, the annual tradition follows in the footsteps of residents of a specific city many thousands of years ago.

If there is any faith involved, it was in the eager anticipation of the return of the prince of Ayodhya. He is the Supreme Lord Himself, but to the common people He was the beloved son of King Dasharatha, their leader for so many years.

The lights were aligned as a great welcome, a homecoming of the triumphant son, who defeated the forces of evil concentrated in Lanka at the time. Since Lanka was far away, an island, Rama and company used a special aerial car to return.

Known as the Pushpaka, its path crossed over many places relevant to Rama’s journey to victory. His wife Sita was separated from Him during most of that time, so Rama took the opportunity of the plane ride to point out various places of significance.

1. Mount Mainaka

It almost seems strange that Dasharatha’s eldest son would mention this. The incident was brief, but to the participants the interaction meant everything. The mountain called Mainaka, which has a beautiful golden color, rose through the ocean to offer assistance to Shri Hanuman.

This was worth mentioning to Sita because it shows that Hanuman had well-wishers. The brave Vanara warrior was the one who first searched for Sita in Lanka, while Rama and company were back on the other side of the ocean. Hanuman’s journey was a difficult one, but Mainaka was kind enough to offer a resting place, though Hanuman did not require it.

2. People killed by Hanuman

From reading the sacred Ramayana poem of Maharishi Valmiki, we quickly realize that Hanuman holds a special place in the estimation of the Supreme Lord. Rama made sure to point out other areas of significance related to Hanuman.

He showed Sita where various enemies were killed by that brave Vanara warrior. It was a massive fight to defeat Ravana and his Rakshasa forces. These evildoers were not ready to give up the daughter of King Janaka without a fight.

Rama is God, so He does not require assistance in accomplishing tasks. Yet He understands the service mentality ingrained in the spirit soul. When the fortunate ones are in His company, Rama provides ample opportunity for service to take place, in a mood suited to the individual’s qualities.

Hanuman’s qualities are so deep and far-reaching that he exercises service in a variety of ways. He can use his brain to cleverly maneuver difficult circumstances. He can expand his stature and leap a great distance. He can also heroically fight against combatants holding the most powerful weapons and using black magic to assist in their illusion.

3. Building the bridge

Hanuman crossed the ocean by leaping over it, but this could not be done by everyone else. Rama was with His younger brother Lakshmana, and the two intentionally moved by foot to stay true to a vow of ascetic life.

Rama could not return home to use His royal army, either. But since Bhagavan is automatically related to everyone, He was able to find capable warriors in the forest of Kishkindha. The Vanara-king Sugriva joined the cause, bringing his many enthusiastic warriors with him.

Those servants built a bridge out of floating rocks. This allowed for Rama and everyone else to cross to reach Lanka, where Ravana had hidden Sita. Rama showed this bridge to Sita and explained how everything was done for her.

4. Receiving Mahadeva’s prasada

A popular painting depicts Rama worshiping a deity of Mahadeva, Lord Shiva. This is done prior to the final battle against the Rakshasas of Lanka. Though God does not require help in gaining victory, He holds tremendous affection for those aligned with Him. Rama sets the proper example in the respect that should be extended to Lord Shiva. On the aerial car, Rama showed the specific area where the worship took place, where Mahadeva gave his prasada, or mercy.

5. Mount Rishyamukha

Around this area is where the aerial car made a brief landing. Listening attentively to her husband, Sita could not help but think of the wives of the Vanaras. They were separated from their husbands, just as she was. Sita wanted them to board the plane and return home for the triumphant celebration. Like her husband, the goddess of fortune is not a miser when it comes to accepting honor and glory.

Understanding the amazing characteristics of that Divine couple, it is not a surprise that Ayodhya celebrated the way they did. It is also not surprising that the tradition carries on to the modern day, where Sita and Rama continue to extend their mercy to the devotees.

In Closing:

Mercy continuing to extend,

From original tradition to descend.

Where Ayodhya’s people to earn,

That long awaited return.

While on aerial car seated,

Events shown like Rakshasas defeated.

And Hanuman leaping over ocean where,

The Divine couple of sacrifices aware.

Two Ways To Leave This World

“When the Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, left this earthly planet in His selfsame form, from that very day Kali, who had already partially appeared, became fully manifest to create inauspicious conditions for those who are endowed with a poor fund of knowledge.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.15.36)

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यदा मुकुन्दो भगवान् इमां महीं
जहौ स्व-तन्वा श्रवणीय-सत्-कथः
तदाहर् एवाप्रति-बुद्ध-चेतसाम्
अभद्र-हेतुः कलिर् अन्ववर्तत

yadā mukundo bhagavān imāṁ mahīṁ
jahau sva-tanvā śravaṇīya-sat-kathaḥ
tadāhar evāprati-buddha-cetasām
abhadra-hetuḥ kalir anvavartata

Shri Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gita that if a person only understands one thing, they will never have to suffer birth and death again. This single instruction explains the eternal nature of the soul and the variety in terms of its travel.

The living being will continue in its existence. It will always live. The natural follow-up question is, “What is death?” As it is a kind of departure from this world, there are two ways that it can occur.

1. Separation of body and spirit

To understand death, we can take a look at birth. This mysterious process takes place through the combination of two entities. One is the living force, chetana. The other is the material nature, prakriti. The union of man and woman perfectly symbolizes the process. The enjoyer represents the spark of life, and the enjoyed provides ground on which the expansion of the enjoyed can develop.

That development relates to the body. The explanation is that there are eight different elements, combined together to form a sort of covering. The combinations and proportions can vary, which is what leads to the variety in appearance known as species.

भूमिर् आपो ऽनलो वायुः
खं मनो बुद्धिर् एव च
अहङ्कार इतीयं मे
भिन्ना प्रकृतिर् अष्टधा

bhūmir āpo ‘nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego-altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies.” (Bhagavad-gita, 7.4)

There are five gross elements and three subtle. Gross means that we can more or less see them. They are perceptible. The subtle ones are not. We have to take it on faith that there is a mind inside of a living being. The intelligence may be fully developed or totally covered, but it is always there. We know intelligence exists based on the natural tendencies immediately following birth, such as the horse galloping away and the infant sucking on the breast of the mother.

सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो
मत्तः स्मृतिर् ज्ञानम् अपोहनं च
वेदैश् च सर्वैर् अहम् एव वेद्यो
वेदान्त-कृद् वेद-विद् एव चाहम्

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

“I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.15)

Whereas at the time of birth the elements get accepted, death is the opposite. Relinquishing that which was held onto for a certain duration. The time may be one hundred years or merely a few hours. There is no guarantee, either way, except for the inevitable end.

Spirit continues to live on, and what we refer to as reincarnation is the travel of the same identity into different body types. Each instance is called a lifetime or life, but this is an arbitrary demarcation of time. The soul is infinite in its existence. Sanatana; it has no beginning and no end.

2. Departing in the self-same body

This kind of departure is known as divyam, or Divine. Krishna describes His own janma to be in this category. So is His karma, which ordinarily gets understood as “fruitive activity.” Behavior which has consequences relating to the gross and subtle elements covering the individual soul – that is karma.

For the Supreme Lord the actions are divyam because there is never such a thing as a distinction between body and spirit. He arrives in His self-same form and departs in the same way. He does not succumb to death, and neither does He become entangled in the birth process.

Knowing His Divine nature is sufficient for stopping reincarnation. The reason is that true knowledge in this area has a commensurate shift in consciousness. That change in mentality equates to seeing the spiritual component to everything. It is understanding that even the material energy emanates from the Supreme Lord.

I may be forced to live in a temporary body today, but reincarnation is not a process to which I am hopelessly tied. The entire mechanism exists because someone created it. That person is above the system; hence the divyam description. Through understanding Him, the individual can return to their original position of divyam and thus never be forced to associate with temporary matter again.

In Closing:

After this body to receive,
Separated when to leave.

Since different identity for me,
Difficult from eyes only to see.

For Krishna another way,
So janma Divine to say.

Same to karma work extending,
This knowledge to liberation sending.

Is Everyone Born A Sinner

“O scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of desire and hate.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.27)

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इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन द्वन्द्वमोहेन भारत।
सर्वभूतानि संमोहं सर्गे यान्ति परन्तप।।

icchādveṣasamutthena dvandvamohena bhārata।
sarvabhūtāni saṃmohaṃ sarge yānti parantapa।।

Friend1: You knew this day was coming. I finally have to ask.

Friend2: I can’t even begin to guess.

Friend1: This is a carryover from other faiths.

Friend2: What is being compared? Other than what? You think Krishna consciousness is a faith?

Friend1: You know what I mean. When discussing competing philosophies, religions, what have you – they are known in common conversation as faiths. I understand that sanatana-dharma is the eternal way of living. It is different from ordinary religion.

Friend2: Because it is not something you accept or reject. You neither inherit it from your parents nor pass it on to someone else. You don’t believe in it, either. Sanatana-dharma is simply the way things are. We don’t say that we believe in the law of gravity or in the effect of sunshine on the plants.

Friend1: Those are scientific principles.

Friend2: And so sanatana-dharma is the science of an existence. Anyway, what about these other faiths?

Friend1: There is this concept of being a sinner. You have to repent. That is the only way to salvation. Every person must make this acknowledgment.

Friend2: What if you are unable to make the distinction?

Friend1: What do you mean?

Friend2: If the mental capacity is lacking to understand piety, sin, birth, death, and the like, what is the outlook? Is such a person doomed? A child has no chance at salvation? The living being who doesn’t make it out of the womb is forever shut off from eternal life?

Friend1: Listen, those are good questions. I don’t have answers for you, since these faiths only mention eternal life with respect to heaven and hell. They don’t deal with the past or the artificial drawing of timelines, such as between birth and death.

Friend2: Alright, so what are you bothering me about, then?

Friend1: This concept of everyone being a sinner. Is it true? Does sanatana-dharma have something similar?

Friend2: In the science of self-realization you get the genuine idea of piety and sin. Piety, punya, is moving closer towards the original, constitutional position. Sin, papa, is the opposite. It’s like the hot and cold game.

Friend1: Therefore, sin is not in my best interest. I would be better off moving closer towards liberation. What about at the time of birth, though? What is the situation? Where is the individual in terms of the scale of progress?

Friend2: Shri Krishna provides some clarity in the Bhagavad-gita. He says that every person is born into delusion. They are overcome by the dualities of attachment and aversion. This is the primary effect of a sinful condition. In other words, I forget about God. The fact that I am in a condition where body and spirit are different means that there is a hint of sin. Liberation is removing the duality.

Friend1: I see. Does everyone need to repent?

Friend2: Escape the illusion. Out of the darkness and into the light. Nothing to repent, since we’ve committed too many mistakes to count. Goswami Tulsidas says that the cumulative effect of the many past lives can be erased in an instant. Today, right now. No need to wait until tomorrow or the afterlife, even.

बिगरी जनम अनेक की सुधरै अबहीं आजु |
होहि राम को नाम जपु तुलसी तजि कुसमाजु ||

bigarī janama aneka kī sudharai abahīṃ āju |
hohi rāma ko nāma japu tulasī taji kusamāju ||

“The many past births you spoiled can be rectified right now, today, if you start chanting Shri Rama’s holy name and renounce bad association, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 22)

Friend1: Would an outsider consider that sectarian?

Friend2: Who cares what they think? Rama is the holy name. It is one way to address the Almighty. That sound is transcendental. It is not part of the illusion, though it may be heard when in the conditioned state. The more a person hears such a name, the more purified they become. The darkness dissipates more quickly when there is good association, sat-sanga. More than just repenting, understand that there is a higher way of living. Liberation is not the end; it is the very essence of eternal life. It is full of joy and bliss; it is not miserable or full of suffering. Get a taste through the wisdom offered by the acharya, who recommends staying with the holy names through the power of mantra meditation: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

With maha-mantra stay,
For good association’s way.

Whether as sinner or not,
Birth in this body got.

Now with illusion to fight,
Victory through guru’s might.

Who to Shri Krishna connected,
On that side by Him protected.

Yesterday Seems As Though It Never Existed

“The Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.5)

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श्री-भगवान् उवाच
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि
जन्मानि तव चार्जुन
तान्य् अहं वेद सर्वाणि
न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
bahūni me vyatītāni
janmāni tava cārjuna
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi
na tvaṁ vettha parantapa

Friend1: I think people will have a hard time believing that they lived before.

Friend2: What do you mean by “before”? I lived yesterday. So did you. What is hard to believe about that?

Friend1: A past life.

Friend2: Oh. As in reincarnation?

Friend1: Yes. Well, it depends on where the discussion is taking place, in which part of the world

Friend2: I was just going to say that. In terms of numbers, there are millions of people who firmly believe in it. They take it as the reason for the present circumstances. In other words, placement into a particular womb is not random.

Friend1: Such as a person born with a silver spoon in their mouth, as they say. Another one born into poverty.

Friend2: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada likes to use the example of war. Today I am fighting for one side. I am a patriot in the sense that I support the country in which I took birth.

Friend1: That determines your nationality. It may have associated physical features, such as eye, hair and skin colors.

Friend2: If I perish in combat, there is the possibility that I take birth in the land that I was fighting against.

Friend1: And now you are a patriot for the other side.

Friend2: In essence, what is the point? This entire world is God’s creation, after all. Better to try to live in peace. War is inevitable sometimes, but at least try to see the spiritual equality.

Friend1: In parts of the world where they won’t be receptive to the idea of a continuous cycle of birth and death, one reason for the skepticism is memory.

Friend2: What do you mean?

Friend1: I can’t remember those previous lives. Nothing about them comes to mind. Maybe there are hints given in dreams.

Friend2: Like when I am flying through the air. It feels like I am actually doing it. This means that I have some past experience.

Friend1: From birth in the form of a bird. Again, there is no direct confirmation. If I can’t recall, then how can I be sure?

Friend2: Well, there is already so much that we can’t remember from this lifetime. No one has direct confirmation of the birth process.

Friend1: But we see others taking birth. We understand that is how the new life enters this world.

Friend2: You never saw your own, though. Perhaps you were the exception to the rule.

Friend1: Yet the rule you are forwarding is that everyone took birth before.

Friend2: Again, memory is not important. We take the principle from authority. Shri Krishna says so in the Bhagavad-gita. He reminds Arjuna, the disciple, that only Bhagavan can remember those previous lifetimes.

Friend1: Okay, but wasn’t that a special case? Krishna revealed that both He and Arjuna had appeared in this world many times before. Krishna could remember but Arjuna could not.

Friend2: Yes, and so the same applies to us. We may not be constant companions to the level of Arjuna, but we take many births, as well. There are several references to the fact, such as when discussing how long it takes for a person to finally understand the Almighty.

The Sanskrit word is bahunam. This means “many.” In other words, more than one. This present existence is not everything. Memory is not a determining factor on existence. Accept this highest philosophical information on faith in the beginning and then through steady practice in yoga slowly begin to get confirmation.

Friend1: What do I gain from such information?

Friend2: That you and I are eternal. That there is something beyond the present existence. The soul cannot be extinguished. I can shape the outcome of the existence. I have some say in where I will end up next. The same may not have been true before.

Friend1: Why not?

Friend2: Because there is no karma for non-human species. They cannot make rational decisions relating to piety and sin, right and wrong. There are no duties prescribed for them. These concepts are exclusive to the human species precisely because the enhanced level of intelligence gives an opportunity for escaping the cycle.

Friend1: You mean no more birth and death?

Friend2: Turn the bahunam into anta. The end. No more. Think of Arjuna’s guru at the time of death. He is actually the adi-guru, or the original teacher. He can reveal much more than past lives to me. He can open a world of endless opportunity for bliss, which is possible even prior to exiting the present body.

In Closing:

The many into end turning,
When knowledge of soul earning.

Maybe not remembering now,
But proof from this birth how.

That of past initially trust,
And soul into future thrust.

With lifetime starting again,
Better for higher goal then.

Five Things Krishna Does Not Have To Do

“O son of Pritha, there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three planetary systems. Nor am I in want of anything, nor have I need to obtain anything—and yet I am engaged in work.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.22)

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न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं
त्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन
नानवाप्तम् अवाप्तव्यं
वर्त एव च कर्मणि

na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ
triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana
nānavāptam avāptavyaṁ
varta eva ca karmaṇi

Due to their innocence, children may ask questions of the elders that others may not be so willing to. The adults may not have thought of the idea or perhaps there is worry over revealing ignorance in certain areas where they are expected to know better.

One question a child may pose to a religious leader relates to the activities of the Almighty. They understand that He exists, but they would like to know what He does on a regular basis. Fortunately, Vedic texts such as Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam fill in some gaps.

In one case we hear from God Himself that He has nothing to do. Through negation we can prove a higher concept.

1. Go to the office

“This weekend was great. Finally got to relax. Enjoyed some recreational outdoor sports. The weather was perfect. Bright sunshine, a decent temperature, and practically no humidity. I wish every day could be like this.

“The biggest advantage was no pressure to wake up at a certain time. That makes it a lot easier to fall asleep at night. Alas, the time is finished. Back to the grind starting tomorrow. I don’t know how I survive each week. I wish I could go on permanent vacation.”

2. Cook dinner

“It’s not like I mind going into the kitchen, but after taking care of other responsibilities, the last thing I want to do is cook. In fact, I have created a new principle. There is often talk about the advancement of civilization. Progress. Supposedly, we live in the best time in human history.

“I beg to differ. To me, real progress involves three things. Not having to carry anything. Not driving, and never having to enter the kitchen. If food just showed up before me on a plate at the appropriate times throughout the day, I would be so much happier.”

3. Do the laundry

“Unless you have sufficient means to hire others to take care of this weekly chore, there is no avoiding the dreaded collection piling up in the room. The clothes need to be washed. There has to be some effort involved.

“Even with the advent of machines which supposedly make the process easier, this is something I would rather not do. It especially becomes annoying when you don’t have a lot of clothes to begin with. I like to keep the closet well-organized and not filled to the brim. This means that the clothes I do have need to be cleaned more often, which involves work.”

4. File taxes

“Can’t the government figure out everything for me? Why do I have to go through the process myself? Maintain meticulous records. Receipts for everything. Accounts opened at the proper time. Different strategies depending on life events. Try to take every legal deduction possible. It’s a headache every year that I would rather avoid.”

5. Guide Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra

Shri Krishna does not have to handle any of the aforementioned responsibilities. Even that work for which He is well-known is not a requirement. Namely, He didn’t have to act as the spiritual guide to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. He could have remained in the spiritual world, in Vaikuntha with His eternal associates.

Despite having nothing to do, the Supreme Lord descends to this region from time to time, in His self-same form. He appears and exits in the same way. If someone knows only this aspect about Him, how His arrival and departure are both Divine in nature, they no longer have to endure reincarnation.

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

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)

Because He chose to work and guide the bewildered disciple prior to the great Bharata war, the entire world has benefitted. New generations continue to receive guidance from that famous conversation known as the Bhagavad-gita.

As Krishna has nothing to do, so through liberation every soul has the same potential. They have the opportunity to be without responsibilities, to live carefree, to always be happy. Glimpses are available in this lifetime through the bhakti process, and the same continues into the afterlife, provided the consciousness is pure at the time of death.

In Closing:

Of easy life assured,
After troubles endured.

Since Krishna with nothing to do,
Of office drive and cooking too.

Or taxes at proper time filing,
That laundry in hamper piling.

The same rewarding for me,
When clear in bhakti to see.

Three Fears Of Living On Addressed By The Vedas

“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)

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शरीरं यद् अवाप्नोति
यच् चाप्य् उत्क्रामतीश्वरः
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति
वायुर् गन्धान् इवाशयात्

śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti
yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ
gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti
vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt

1. Where will I go?

This has to be the biggest fear, as it is the area of greatest importance relating to uncertainty. This fear arises already through so many issues in life:

“What will occur after graduation? Will I be able to find employment? That massive student loan debt has to be paid off eventually. I’ve heard that it takes decades to come out from under it. Will I be able to survive that long in an office environment?”

“What will happen if I lose my job? Will I be able to support my family? I don’t want to have to move to a new place just so I can earn enough to put food on the table.”

Known as jara in Sanskrit, old age is one of the guaranteed miseries of life. Once that hits, it is only natural to contemplate the future. I have seen people before me pass on. To where they have gone I am unsure. The same level of uncertainty applies to me, as well.

From Bhagavad-gita we learn that the living entity carries their conception of life moving forward. The physical transfer relates to subtle elements. Namely, the mind, intelligence and ego, which form the subtle body, break apart from the gross body, which consists of earth, water, fire, air and ether.

Though no one has definitive proof of the future, the present provides some indication. I have a conception of life at the moment. The nature started from birth, where parents notice different patterns and behaviors in their children. That is not a random occurrence. From a past life the tendencies carry over due to the factor of consciousness.

The potential destinations are many. A pious person ascends to the heavenly region. The sinner suffers in hell. The person in the middle remains in the earthly region. Everything is commensurate with deeds. Action and reaction.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं
स्वभावो ऽध्यात्मम् उच्यते
भूत-भावोद्भव-करो
विसर्गः कर्म-संज्ञितः

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
akṣaraṁ brahma paramaṁ
svabhāvo ‘dhyātmam ucyate
bhūta-bhāvodbhava-karo
visargaḥ karma-saṁjñitaḥ

“The Supreme Lord said, The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called the self. Action pertaining to the development of these material bodies is called karma, or fruitive activities.” (Bhagavad-gita, 8.3)

2. What will happen to me?

This fear relates to existence itself. I am afraid to live on because I am not exactly sure when my suffering will end. Will I continue to worry? Maybe it is better to end everything right now, where I have some control over the outcome.

The Bhagavad-gita says that the individual can never be killed. This is the meaning to sanatana. Without beginning and without end. I have no real date of birth because spirit is infinite in its existence. The soul can never be killed.

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्
नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतो ऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ‘yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.20)

The concern is unfounded, when there is knowledge of the reality. Arjuna had a similar worry on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, but with a focus on the other combatants. What would happen to them if he showed his amazing prowess in battle and defeated them? Would not everything finish? This is the premise for the Bhagavad-gita conversation, which is led by Shri Krishna.

3. Will I remember the past?

This is often an ancillary concern, especially for someone who knows that they will continue to exist. Will they have the same relationships? Will everything around them be the same?

One easy way to get resolution is to look to the present life. Are experiences from past lives remembered? Do we recall everything that occurred during the first two years of life? Actually, I have a difficult time remembering what I did a week ago.

From Vedic literature we see that in special circumstances sometimes people do remember, such as with Bharata and the deer. King Nriga remembered the offense from his past life that led to the birth as a lizard. The two sons of the demigod Kuvera held the memory of the curse they received previously from Narada Muni, despite standing as trees for a long time.

There is so much uncertainty in an existence, and Shri Krishna and His Vedic culture help to alleviate as much of the tension as possible. As they say, knowledge is power, and the Supreme Lord is the reservoir of all knowledge. He empowers the surrendered souls to be able to liberate both themselves and others. He gives hints and tips appropriate for the times, such as with the chanting of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Will I remember the past?
After from this life to pass.

Where exactly to go?
Anyone with certainty to know?

Vedic teachings addressing the fear,
Misunderstandings to awareness clear.

That the soul always to exist,
Through time’s continuum to persist.

Don’t You Think Narada’s Message Was Too Heavy For A Child To Grasp

“When the great saint Narada Muni had thus spoken, King Indra, being respectful to Narada's words, immediately released my mother. Because of my being a devotee of the Lord, all the demigods circumambulated her. Then they returned to their celestial kingdom.” (Prahlada Maharaja, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.7.11)

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इत्य् उक्तस् तां विहायेन्द्रो
देवर्षेर् मानयन् वचः
अनन्त-प्रिय-भक्त्यैनां
परिक्रम्य दिवं ययौ

ity uktas tāṁ vihāyendro
devarṣer mānayan vacaḥ
ananta-priya-bhaktyaināṁ
parikramya divaṁ yayau

Friend1: Listen, those who enjoy the bliss of sharanagati naturally want to share the experience with others.

Friend2: Explain what that is.

Friend1: Surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan. In the complete sense, not just some profession of faith, where you sign a piece of paper or agree to show up at a house of worship on a regular basis.

Friend2: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gives the wonderful term of “Krishna consciousness.”

Friend1: Yes; change how you think. Beyond the mind and intelligence; reach for the essence of identity, the spirit soul.

Friend2: Atma.

Friend1: Merge atma with Paramatma. That is the meaning to yoga. Surrender is relinquishing control over the outcomes to actions.

Friend2: Which were never in our control to begin with:

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि
गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः
अहङ्कार-विमूढात्मा
कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

“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)

Friend1: I have this invaluable tool of the routine of chanting the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. I want to share the secret with every person that I meet.

Friend2: As Chaitanya Mahaprabhu recommended:

यारे देख, तारे कह ऽकृष्णऽ-उपदेश
आमार आज्ञाय गुरु हञा तारऽ एइ देश

yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa

“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Shri Krishna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.”  (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 7.128)

Friend1: Of course there are so many barriers. People have their guards up. Perhaps they already have allegiance to a particular faith. They may not want to hear about something they consider “Hindu” or “Indian.”

Friend2: Maybe they have reached a firm conclusion that there is no God. Why bother with surrendering when there is no one on the other side?

Friend1: To that end, I know people employ different tricks. They may dumb down the message. Though the name of Krishna is everything, the simpler explanation tends to avoid references that might be considered sectarian.

Friend2: What do you mean?

Friend1: Where you just speak on the generalities of loving God, serving God, and so forth.

Friend2: Okay.

Friend1: Even that is not a surefire way to succeed. Many supposedly saintly people in the modern day turn into life coaches. They give guidance on material life. “Find your passion.” “Always love.” “Learn to listen.” “Become vegan.”

Friend2: I’ve heard those messages. Not sure how they relate to spiritual life. Don’t know how effective they are, either.

Friend1: They work in attracting followers; increasing the numbers. How many end up in sharanagati is a different story. Anyway, I wanted to focus on Narada Muni.

Friend2: Alright.

Friend1: Specifically his instruction to Prahlada Maharaja while the child was in the womb.

Friend2: Not to interrupt you, but just see the potency of the real message. It penetrates through all barriers. There is so much information available on how to prepare for parenthood, but Narada’s example is the best one to follow.

Friend1: Hari-katha. Discourses about the Supreme Lord. That automatically incorporates the science of self-realization. What I wanted to ask is the appropriateness of the message. Shouldn’t Narada have dumbed things down a little? He was speaking to a fetus, after all. Right after birth we know that a child won’t listen to or remember anything I tell them. The child within the womb is even less developed. How could such instruction be effective?

Friend2: But look at the result. What did you want him to teach?

Friend1: Children are at the foundational level of understanding. They need to know things like the importance of sharing, eating and sleeping on time, respecting others, listening to their parents, and so forth.

Friend2: And you wanted Narada to cover those topics?

Friend1: Compare that message to the one about life and death and how accepting a material body is the greatest embarrassment. I mean aren’t we being too serious here?

Friend2: Every person needs to hear that message, but how many actually do? Those other topics will be emphasized in due course. They can also be learned through experience. For instance, I don’t like it when someone takes what belongs to me, so maybe I should offer the same respect to others. When people say mean things to me, it hurts my feelings. Maybe I shouldn’t do the same to others.

Friend1: That’s true.

Friend2: And no one had to teach me. Just consider that Narada was speaking to a womb and he still didn’t sugarcoat anything. He told the truth, as it is, and those who follow his example will be doing the best not only for their fellow man, but also themselves.

In Closing:

Prahlada an extraordinary case,
That womb memory not to erase.

And that teaching to understand,
Over atma-tattva a command.

But Narada’s way always effective,
By need for higher topics reflective.

Better than with sugarcoating to treat,
Krishna-upadesha for everyone you meet.