Doesn't Pride Indicate A Lack Of Intelligence

“Then I, resembling a cloud and having molten-golden earrings, made my way into Vishvamitra’s ashrama, for I was very proud of my strength due to the boon given to me by Lord Brahma. As soon as I entered, Rama quickly noticed me and raised His weapon. Though He saw me, Rama strung His bow without any fear.” (Maricha speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 38.16-17)

Download this episode (right click and save)

ततोऽहं मेघसङ्काशस्तप्तकाञ्चनकुण्डलः।
बली दत्तवरोदर्पादाजगाम तदाश्रमम्।।
तेन दृष्टः प्रविष्टोऽहं सहसैवोद्यतायुधः।
मां तु दृष्ट्वा धनुस्सज्यमसम्भ्रान्तश्चकार सः।।

tato’haṃ meghasaṅkāśastaptakāñcanakuṇḍalaḥ।
balī dattavarodarpādājagāma tadāśramam।।
tena dṛṣṭaḥ praviṣṭo’haṃ sahasaivodyatāyudhaḥ।
māṃ tu dṛṣṭvā dhanussajyamasambhrāntaścakāra saḥ।।

Friend1: How can someone be proud?

Friend2: I have no idea what that means.

Friend1: From an intellectual point of view, pride doesn’t make much sense.

Friend2: Why is that?

Friend1: Because there are so many other factors at play.

Friend2: At play for what? I’m not sure I understand.

Friend1: Take a simple example of being proud over the kind of occupation you are in.

Friend2: Okay. Let’s do the CEO of a large company.

Friend1: It lands on the Fortune 500 list. The market cap is way up there. That means it would be really difficult for this company to go out of business. Mind you, it is not impossible. One false indictment by a rogue federal prosecutor and you could be done in a few months.

Friend2: Or if your company is built on a house of cards, with a series of interconnected loans. If they should default close to one another, the stock price will tumble.

Friend1: Sort of like during the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Anyway, this side of the discussion essentially makes my point, but we will revisit later on. Let’s say that I am proud over being the leader of such a company.

Friend2: Plenty of reason to be, as well. You get invited on the cable television networks to do interviews about the state of the economy. You fly on private jets. You decide who is fired and who is hired.

Friend1: I contend that it is still not wise to be proud. This is because so many other factors had to cooperate.

Friend2: As Shri Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita, the living entity is not the doer:

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: You need the initial success. You have to find a product or service that has mass appeal. In this route, you are getting rich by satisfying the needs of the common man.

Friend2: As opposed to acquiring wealth through stealing or lying, such as with politicians and their family members.

Friend1: You do not have full control over that success. For instance, you might become wealthy selling paper. Then one day the digital revolution arrives and people have less need for paper.

Friend2: Think of the newspaper business. They still haven’t figured out how to adapt fully to the new landscape.

Friend1: And then what we were discussing before. Everything could collapse in a moment. That is why someone shouldn’t be proud. At least that is my thinking.

Friend2: There will always be a check. Reference the story of Maricha attacking the ashrama of Vishvamitra.

Friend1: From the Ramayana?

Friend2: The Rakshasa was proud of his strength and abilities. Though he was cursed to become a man-eating ogre, that specific body-type carried some assets, namely in the ability to terrorize others.

Friend1: Shape-shifters. Night-rangers. Man-eaters.

Friend2: And so attacking innocent sages in the forest was child’s play. Maricha was accustomed to success. He was falsely proud. Then everything got checked.

Friend1: How so?

Friend2: By Shri Rama. This is the same person who restraints everyone’s success already, through the all-devouring force known as time. Kala is undefeated, with its complete manifestation the ever-feared moment of death.

Friend1: I have heard His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explain that every person submits to God eventually. The staunchest atheist sees Him at the time of death and has no other choice but to bow down to the superior force.

Friend2: In that light we can consider Maricha to be fortunate. He succumbed prior to death and also during that time. He was taught a lesson by Rama two times. Those incidents are nicely preserved in beautiful Sanskrit poetry. Rama defended Vishvamitra’s ashrama without hesitation, releasing an arrow that threw Maricha backward some eight hundred miles.

In Closing:

From success overly proud,
But not knowing that only allowed.

Since as the doer not set,
First sanction of nature to get.

Who controlled by the one standing,
With bow and arrow commanding,

Against Maricha enemy attacking,
With one strike far away backing.

What Does It Mean That God Is The Best Cheater

“Neither the demigods nor any exalted personalities were there helping Rama, for He acted alone. You should not entertain any doubt on this matter. Indeed, Rama shot feathered arrows, plated with gold, which turned into five-headed serpents that devoured all the Rakshasas. The Rakshasas were oppressed with fear, and wherever they went and wherever they turned, they saw Rama in front of them. In this way, O spotless one, have your Rakshasas been destroyed in the forest of Janasthana by Rama.” (Akampana speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 31.18-19)

Download this episode (right click and save)

नैव देवा महात्मानो नात्र कार्या विचारणा।
शरा रामेण तूत्सृष्टा रुक्मपुङ्खाः पतत्रिणः।।
सर्पाः पञ्चानना भूत्वा भक्षयन्ति स्म राक्षसान्।
येन येन च गच्छन्ति राक्षसा भयकर्शिताः।
तेन तेन स्म पश्यन्ति राममेवाग्रतः स्थितम्।
इत्थं विनाशितं तेन जनस्थानं तवानघ।।

naiva devā mahātmāno nātra kāryā vicāraṇā।
śarā rāmeṇa tūtsṛṣṭā rukmapuṅkhāḥ patatriṇaḥ।।
sarpāḥ pañcānanā bhūtvā bhakṣayanti sma rākṣasān।
yena yena ca gacchanti rākṣasā bhayakarśitāḥ।
tena tena sma paśyanti rāmamevāgrataḥ sthitam।
itthaṃ vināśitaṃ tena janasthānaṃ tavānagha।।

“I like how Vedic literature tries to assign qualities to God. Maybe that is not the best word. The acharyas describe features to the Almighty, who is actually without features. Both nirguna and saguna. He is not tied to material qualities in the way that we are, temporarily.

“At the same time, He has features which we can identify. The nature of His eyes is different. Whereas I can’t see beyond the building across the street, the Supreme Lord can see everyone and everything. Whereas I cannot remember what time I went to sleep last night, the hard-drive in the memory of Bhagavan contains every recorded observation since the beginning of time.

“In one section of Bhagavad-gita we see that Krishna compares Himself to gambling. Of the many varieties of cheating, He is equivalent with gambling, which is considered to be the best. I am not sure I totally understand. Why would we want to compare the Almighty, who is purity personified, to something dishonest?”

The idea is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the best at everything. We can look at an election, for instance. My candidate can do everything right. Travel to different states. Purchase television advertisements. Do everything in accordance with the best interests of the country.

When it comes time for the election, they have popular support on their side. In an overwhelming majority people will vote for them. The problem is that the other side cheats. They have the voting machines controlled by a bad actor, electronically. I go to the machine, pick my candidate, receive a print-out, but in truth the machine records something different. An algorithm applied across the many polling places so that only the keen observer will notice the theft, weeks later.

We can say that Shri Krishna is the greatest observer. Even if you kick Him out of the room, He sees the illegal activity going on. If you try to steal votes using a computer, He knows what you are doing. If you try to shame Him for calling out the treason, He is not intimidated or afraid.

When it comes to cheating, He will always outsmart the other side. A real-life example is the attack on Janasthana described in the Ramayana. Here the same Supreme Lord, the Shri Krishna speaking in Bhagavad-gita, was roaming the world as the warrior prince named Rama.

The bad guys, the cheaters from Lanka, attacked in full force. The leader of Lanka, Ravana, sent fourteen thousand of his men to deal with Rama. Just imagine. One against fourteen thousand. Is that a fair fight? In what universe would anyone even attempt such a thing?

This was the greatest form of cheating, but Rama was ready. He had His own defense. It was really an unfair fight in the other direction. There was no match for the arrows released from Rama’s bow. As Akampana later attested, those weapons were like heat-seeking missiles. They showed the face of a five-headed serpent in the end, just as death approached for the villains.

These incidents further underscore the reality that Bhagavan is the best at everything. There is no reason to try to cheat Him. Rather, stay on His good side, invite His protection, glorify His countless good qualities, and be forever blissful: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Dedicated in worshiping seat,
No reason intention to cheat.

Since nothing to be gained,
All good qualities retained.

And everywhere are His eyes,
Witnessing cheater who tries.

Like Rama against army defeating,
Rakshasas in fear retreating.

How Could Devaki Be So Forgiving

“When Devaki saw her brother so repentant, she also became pacified and forgot all his atrocious activities against her children. Vasudeva also, forgetting all past incidents, spoke smilingly with his brother-in-law.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 4)

Download this episode (right click and save)

Friend1: I will make a bold declaration here. A sweeping generalization, but I think it holds merit.

Friend2: Okay.

Friend1: People don’t like to be cheated. More so than being upset, they cannot tolerate it.

Friend2: What kind of cheating?

Friend1: Whatever you can think of. For instance, the scandal involving a baseball team relaying signals from the dugout to the batter at the plate.

Friend2: What kind of signals?

Friend1: They are able to tell what kind of pitch is about to be thrown.

Friend2: Oh, from the opposition team? How can they do that? What is their secret?

Friend1: As the saying goes, “With every convenience there is an inconvenience.” The league recently added a new system called replay challenges. You can review the video replay in the dugout of a controversial play and then decide to challenge.

Friend2: I see. Sort of like a time-machine. Though they called the last person out at the plate, you could go back in time and say they were safe.

Friend1: Exactly, and so one of the negatives of having this technology is that the teams now have real-time access to video feeds of the field. What some people did is take advantage by viewing the signals from the catcher, who tells the pitcher what kind of pitch he wants to be thrown.

Friend2: Okay, but how do you relay those signals to the batter?

Friend1: The accusation involves a complex system of sounds. Banging on a trash can, whistling, and so forth. In the egregious sense, they say that the batters wear a wire underneath the uniform. They get buzzed by someone else to signal the kind of pitch. Though no one has admitted to using the buzzer, publicly anyway.

Friend2: Wow, people will go to such great lengths to cheat!

Friend1: The higher the stakes, the more they will try. Which brings me to King Kamsa, as described in Shrimad Bhagavatam. You could say that he was trying to cheat destiny, which had proclaimed him a dead man at the hands of the eighth son of his sister Devaki.

Friend2: An akasha-vani. A voice from the sky. Why trust someone that you can’t see, but this message was kind of important. Difficult to ignore.

Friend1: Kamsa cheated children out of life. He robbed them of the living experience. As soon as any child was born to Devaki, Kamsa immediately killed it.

Friend2: Yeah, such a wicked person.

Friend1: What I want to know is how Devaki could forgive him.

Friend2: What do you mean?

Friend1: Well, after the eighth child was born, Kamsa didn’t find out until it was too late. Vasudeva, the father, transferred baby Krishna to Gokula. He did an infant-swap with Nanda Maharaja.

Friend2: Yes, Nanda’s family had given birth to a girl, who was actually yogamaya, Goddess Durga.

Friend1: Which Kamsa learned the hard way shortly thereafter. He tried to kill the baby, but it revealed the form of Durga and mocked Kamsa for the futile attempt. It was after that where Devaki forgave Kamsa.

Friend2: I see. I mean that is in the nature of a saintly person. They understand that succumbing to evil is not difficult while living here. We make so many wrong decisions. We shouldn’t hold a grudge, especially towards someone who is contrite.

Friend1: Okay, but to me that contrition is not genuine. Whatever Kamsa would say to me, I could never forget what he did previously.

Friend2: I see what you mean. Again, there is a higher platform of understanding. A different way of looking at things. Mind you, Kamsa was not spared punishment. Shri Krishna fulfilled destiny. The voice had been telling the truth. You mess with saintly people and you will eventually have to answer to a higher force. No reason to remain upset at Kamsa, since everything eventually works itself out.

In Closing:

Cruelty by Kamsa shown,
When to stone babies thrown.

But sister later forgiving,
Rather in peace forward living.

How that compassion to show?
When great atrocities to know.

Since Krishna’s mercy to unfold,
Saints never a grudge to hold.

How Was Kaikeyi Allowed To Stay In Ayodhya

“Being under the control of passion and lust, Rama’s father, Maharaja Dasharatha, wanted to fulfill Kaikeyi’s cherished desire, thus he did not go through with Rama’s installation ceremony.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 47.12)

Download this episode (right click and save)

कामार्तस्तु महातेजाः पिता दशरथस्स्वयम्।।
कैकेय्याः प्रियकामार्थं तं रामं नाभ्यषेचयत्।

kāmārtastu mahātejāḥ pitā daśarathassvayam।।
kaikeyyāḥ priyakāmārthaṃ taṃ rāmaṃ nābhyaṣecayat।

Friend1: One thing I’ve noticed is that people get really upset when they feel they are cheated out of something.

Friend2: Please elaborate.

Friend1: Let’s use an example that is easy to understand. Say that you are on line to purchase something.

Friend2: The checkout line at a supermarket.

Friend1: Sure. There is an impending snowstorm. Several feet set to drop. The store is more crowded than usual.

Friend2: Oh yeah, that always sends people into a panic. The news stations love when a severe weather event occurs. They can warn people to stay home. They can send reporters out into the field, to make it look like they are brave and sacrificing in order to get vital information to the people.

Friend1: You are on this line, growing impatient by the minute. Then someone comes along and cuts. They head straight to the front, hoping to checkout and leave the store.

Friend2: That happens every now and then.

Friend1: The common reaction is outrage. The people get very upset.

Friend2: They will yell at the person trying to cut. “Back of the line, pal.”

Friend1: Line-cutting is on a lower scale, but then you have someone stealing money from investors. You could have a politician blatantly cheating to win an election.

Friend2: Stopping the vote-count in the middle of the night. Lying about how many ballots there are remaining. Bringing in more votes from the backdoor, through suitcases. Sometimes this occurs within plain sight, as if daring the other side to raise a challenge.

Friend1: People become outraged; at least those who are aware of the theft. This brings me to the situation in Ayodhya. You have Queen Kaikeyi essentially stealing the throne.

Friend2: Provide the backstory.

Friend1: King Dasharatha is the leader in Ayodhya. Another in a long line of pious rulers dating back to King Ikshvaku. Dasharatha is ready to pass on the throne to Rama, who is the eldest son. Everyone agrees with the decision. It aligns with standard protocol, as well.

Friend2: Rama is the son Dasharatha longed for. That great leader was worthy of receiving an avatara of the Supreme Lord as a son. Rama is a complete incarnation of Vishnu, while the other three brothers are partial incarnations.

Friend1: One of those brothers was born to Queen Kaikeyi. She inserted emotion and past history into the situation. A new development, she asked that Bharata, her son, be made the next king instead. She also demanded that Rama be forced to leave the kingdom and not return for fourteen years.

Friend2: Kaikeyi had always been favorable. Only at this moment did she turn, after instigated by the devious servant named Manthara.

Friend1: Whatever the cause-and-effect, the damage was done. She stole the kingdom from Rama. She gave it to Bharata, who did not want it. The forced separation from Rama was too much to bear for the king; he left his body soon thereafter.

Friend2: A tragedy in one sense, a celebrated passing in another.

Friend1: I am just wondering how Kaikeyi survived. She implemented one of the greatest steals of all time. How did the people let her live? How did she remain in the kingdom?

Friend2: It is said that Bharata never spoke to her again. Shri Rama held no resentment or grudge. The people followed Rama’s lead. They would not do anything impious.

Friend1: Okay, but come on! You can’t let someone get away with that.

Friend2: Technically, there were no rules violated. She simply cashed in on boons previously promised to her. If anyone was to blame, it was Dasharatha. That is how Sita Devi viewed the situation. As Rama’s beloved wife, she did not take too kindly to the unfair treatment of her husband.

Friend1: People didn’t curse the king, then?

Friend2: If Rama left without issue, without holding a grudge, then there really isn’t anything more to do. This is the way saintly people are. They tend to side with lawful and legal action. Arjuna had every right to take over the kingdom by force, to not give any respect to Duryodhana. But he instead waited for a fair fight, to settle the dispute in the proper way.

Friend1: But don’t the good people get taken advantage of in this scenario? Why play by the rules when others don’t?

Friend2: Because we are not the doer. The Supreme Lord coordinates everything. Every wrong is eventually made right. We may not see the result manifest in our lifetime, but the truth cannot be denied. Everywhere are His eyes, as the Supersoul is not absent from a single space.

In Closing:

How Kaikeyi allowed to stay,
When behaving reprehensible way?

That Rama out of kingdom kicking,
After servant Manthara tricking.

Because peaceful was the transition,
Patiently awaited transfer edition.

That Sita’s beloved husband steady,
So citizens reluctant until ready.

The Ideal Way Of Living

“When your personal and supreme interests can be easily obtained from one place, it is not sensible for you in weakness to beg at the doors of others, O Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 54)

Download this episode (right click and save)

स्वारथ परमारथ सकल सुलभ एक ही ओर |
द्वार दूसरे दीनता उचित न तुलसी तोर ||

svāratha paramāratha sakala sulabha eka hī ora |
dvāra dūsare dīnatā ucita na tulasī tora ||

The Sanskrit word svartha translates to “self-interest.” What other interest can there be? I could want something for someone else. Altruism. Philanthropy. Charity. I could work tirelessly to save someone else from injury. Perhaps I put in the effort to build a new hospital in the community.

In truth, even working for others in such a way is svartha. I have some personal interest to the outcome, even though the direct beneficiary may be another person. More obvious cases of svartha are looking for a new job, purchasing a new home, moving to a place in the world with a more suitable climate, buying a new television, and so forth.

To meet these desires there are specific places to go. No one is entirely in control over their destiny. In fact, we have very little control, though we tend to think otherwise. Shri Krishna explains in Bhagavad-gita that the living entity is not the doer; material nature must first cooperate.

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)

Expecting such cooperation, we petition the employer for the new job. We hire the real estate agent for help in finding a home. We exchange money for goods at the local retail outlet. We hire the personal trainer to improve our physical health. We visit the doctor for treatment against disease.

The Sanskrit word paramartha translates to “supreme interest.” The general context is the long-term interest or the afterlife. I should prepare for the end, since it is destined to happen. I can postpone the discussion, if I want. I can pretend that the forced exit from the body will not take place for me, but such ignorance makes no determination on the reality.

There are different ways to meet paramartha. I could pray to a specific god on a certain date. I could attend a house of worship and accept the promise of the person speaking, who is authorized by the institution to give advice. I can also try my best to avoid harmful behavior, to be a “good” person.

Goswami Tulsidas, a saint of the Vaishnava tradition, says that there is no reason to go begging in weakness. No need to knock on doors for help in either svartha or paramartha. This is because both can be met in a single place.

This is the ideal way of living. Prahlada Maharaja makes a similar recommendation. He says that the short-term interest, svartha, is met through approaching Vishnu, who is the personal God. In most cases, we avoid such association even when focusing on paramartha.

This is because Vishnu is known to deny requests. If I want to ascend to heaven in the afterlife, Vishnu might say “no.” If I want to be a beautiful heavenly figure in the next life, perhaps that will not be my fate if I follow devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The distinction is that He will do what is best for me. Bhagavan will satisfy both my svartha and paramartha. No one else can do this. No matter how honest they are, how much money they have, how many years of experience offering advice they have, no one has potency comparable to the Supreme Lord.

Thus the saints reveal the proper perspective to carry in this living experience. Everything will work out for me properly, in the end, though it may take time, if I stay on the path of devotion. There may be many impurities in the beginning, since I have had countless desires since time immemorial, but the closeness through worship, upasana, will gradually correct the mistakes.

In Closing:

A rope for a snake,
Susceptible to this mistake.

In many paths choosing wrong,
Under sway of illusion strong.

But from acharyas a better way,
Fixed in short and long to stay.

That when everything Supreme Lord for,
Not to beg at another’s door.

I Am Confused About The Order Supplier Viewpoint

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.16)

Download this episode (right click and save)

चतुर्-विधा भजन्ते मां
जनाः सुकृतिनो ऽर्जुन
आर्तो जिज्ञासुर् अर्थार्थी
ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ sukṛtino ‘rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

Friend1: One of the many terms I learned from the association of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada through books and recorded lectures is “order-supplier.”

Friend2: Oh, yes. You will never hear that from others. There is a quote from Shakespearean literature about brevity being the soul of wit.

Friend1: I think that is from one of his plays, if that is what you mean.

Friend2: The idea is that the less amount of words you can use to get an idea across, the better.

Friend1: I think that’s how some of these people on social media become popular. They are limited in total characters for their posts, so they have to make their words count. Some of them are pretty smart; they come up with good posts.

Friend2: You could say the same about those memes. Put a few words on a picture and you can explain complex subjects in an understandable way.

Friend1: So the idea from Prabhupada is that we should not view God as an order supplier. Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is more than the online retail outlet.

Friend2: We shouldn’t think of Him as a store that we visit on occasion. Give me this. Give me that. Come through for me this one time.

Friend1: Viewing God as an order supplier diminishes His role. It trivializes His position.

Friend2: There is more to be gained from the relationship with Him. Another comparison we hear is to someone walking on the road, carrying a heavy load. If they should meet God, they ask Him to remove the burden. Well, that may bring short-term relief, but if you are going to ask something from the Almighty, wouldn’t you choose something more important?

Friend1: Here is where I am confused. I also know that the recommendation from the acharyas is to approach Krishna regardless. No matter our material desires, if we are hopelessly impure, controlled by the illusory energy of maya, still pray to the personal God.

Friend2: Yes. You should do that.

Friend1: Okay, but we aren’t supposed to view Him as an order-supplier.

Friend2: Hey, nobody’s perfect. To err is human.

Friend1: Not quite sure I understand.

Friend2: In Bhagavad-gita, we get the four categories that a worshiper initially falls into when approaching Shri Krishna. Someone wants money. Someone is in distress. Another is just curious about life and death and so forth. Another wants further knowledge of the spiritual side of things. None of them are perfect.

Friend1: I guess most people would fall into the “distress” category.

Friend2: Notice that they will not be turned away. If I worship a demigod, it is almost first-come, first-serve. If I really wanted to land that dream job, but someone else worshiped before me, then I am out of luck. What can the demigod really do for me?

Friend1: I see.

Friend2: The relationship basically ends there.

Friend1: What relationship?

Friend2: Between the worshiper and the benefactor.

Friend1: Oh, right. Well, at least until the worshiper wants something again.

Friend2: If you approach Krishna, the relationship doesn’t end. The association is purifying. Not only will Krishna assess my request, but He will purify me of unwanted traits and desires. He will intentionally say “no,” which the demigods cannot do.

Friend1: I see. But isn’t such worship offensive?

Friend2: You are still viewing Him as an order-supplier, but so what? Would we rather everyone become atheists? At least you are acknowledging His potency. At least you know that He exists. Whether full of desire, desire-less, or desperately seeking release from the cycle of birth and death, go towards the personal God and be benefitted in the long term.

In Closing:

In offensive manner to be,
When as order supplier to see.

That this wish only granting,
Then maybe your name chanting.

Better that way still,
With some hope to fill.

Because relationship bad traits to clear,
And to liberation bringing near.

Three Reasons Bhagavan Can Recognize My Problems

“Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everything. In this way the Supersoul exists.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.14)

Download this episode (right click and save)

सर्वतः पाणि-पादं तत्
सर्वतो ऽक्षि-शिरो-मुखम्
सर्वतः श्रुतिमल् लोके
सर्वम् आवृत्य तिष्ठति

sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat
sarvato ‘kṣi-śiro-mukham
sarvataḥ śrutimal loke
sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati

1. Since He is antaryami

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the all-pervading witness. Whatever goes on, in any part of the world, either in plain sight or in a hidden crevice, whether captured on security camera footage or lacking observation – He notices.

If a tree falls in a forest devoid of human beings, it does make a sound. This is because of the presence of Supersoul. This is known as a plenary expansion of the Almighty. It is just like Him, but in a different feature. It is not outwardly manifest, though for Him there is no difference to His existence based on how others view Him.

2. Since He sees past, present and future

He knows of my past lives. I have lived before. This is because the soul is eternal in nature. Nothing can be done to kill the soul. What we know to be death is actually the exit of the living force within. Birth is the arrival. In truth, that takes place at conception, with birth marking the time of exit from the womb of the individual soul already connected to a material body.

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

“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)

As explained to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavan remembers the previous births. The individual cannot. This is one way we are different from God. He also knows the present. He is aware of the surroundings, of what is taking place. He has knowledge of every single space, through the aforementioned feature of Supersoul.

Bhagavan knows the future. He explained to Arjuna that practically all of the soldiers assembled on the battlefield were destined to perish. There was no point in abandoning the fight. Destruction would take place regardless. It was destiny, the will of time, and Shri Krishna is that time, known as kala in Sanskrit.

3. Since He has knowledge to the fullest degree

His knowledge is not limited to a certain time and circumstance. He knew the conditions related to the Bharata War, while seated on the chariot for Arjuna. He knew the plight of the Pandavas and the wicked deeds of the Kauravas. He knew of Duryodhana’s plan to bind prior to it being attempted.

Yet just because Krishna appeared at a certain time from the womb of mother Devaki and later disappeared during the demise of the Yadu dynasty does not mean that the knowledge is limited. The wisdom stretches the bounds of the universe. The Vedas account for every kind of happiness, material and spiritual.

This review supports the recommendation to approach the personal God whenever there is a problem. Even if what I want is irrational, illegal, in violation of the standards of decency, destined to cause me harm in the future, against my personal interest, not worthy of the time of someone who has everything – I should still make the approach in that direction.

This is because Bhagavan is the great purifier. He knows what my problems are and He is not bound by any rules to oblige my requests. As Hari, He takes away the distractions and disturbances from the devotee. I lack perfect knowledge. Immersed in a particular situation, driven by desire, I fail to recognize right from wrong, auspicious from inauspicious.

Bhagavan sees perfectly, as everywhere are His eyes. His association is what matters most, and the more I stay with Him, the clearer that becomes to me: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

In approach purifying,
Foggy picture clarifying.

That despite wanting excessive,
And in demanding aggressive.

My plea always to hear,
But not guaranteed to appear.

Vishnu proper outcome granting,
So always His names chanting.