Krishna's Mercy

Rest Assured

2012-02-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Seeing an answer not forthcoming from the king, Vashishtha tried all kinds of ways to make him understand. He said that the son of Gadhi is powerful through his great austerities and explained that Rama is also very capable.’” (Janaki Mangala, Chand 3.1)

āyau na utarū basiṣṭha lakhi bahu bhānti nṛpa samajhāyaū |
kahi gādhi suta tapa teja kachu raghupati prrabhāu janāyaū ||

When in doubt, don’t say anything. Stumped on a particular question, if you say the wrong thing, you might offend the person you’re speaking to. Moreover, if the cameras are rolling, your incorrect answer will be remembered and repeated over and over again. One king a long time ago was dumbfounded at the request coming from an innocent sage. Having just praised the vipra for his standing and good deeds, the king couldn’t now outright reject the request, as it would invalidate his previous words. At the same time, saying ‘yes’ would mean parting with his most beloved son. At this time a well-wishing adviser, another member of the priestly class, stepped in to offer some calming words.

We’re not always so lucky. In the trickiest situations, coming up with the right thing to say is not easy. If politicians should hesitate on national television in a debate, their candidacy can end immediately. Nobody wants to be led by someone who can’t speak with confidence and knowledge. The leader is in the top position for a reason. Good communication skills can mask the lack of intelligence, but at the same time someone who is knowledgeable can be perceived to be a dunce if they cannot in a short amount of time come up with the proper words to convey their thoughts.

There are so many issues to contend with in troubling situations that sometimes even if there is pressure to respond, it is better to just stay silent. After all, you can’t hurt someone’s feelings if you don’t say anything. In fact, the Miranda warning given to people arrested in the United States starts off by saying that the detained person has the right to remain silent. The reason for this is that anything said during the time of arrest can be used against them in the court of law. If that’s the case, why not stay silent throughout, not divulging any information? If you stay quiet long enough, maybe the troublesome situation will pass.

Vashishtha knew that the king of Ayodhya could not afford to hesitate for long. The son of Gadhi, Vishvamitra, had come as a matter of urgency. Night-rangers were foiling the religious practices of the ascetics living in the forest. More than just foil, these creatures would attack with force, often killing the sages and then eating their flesh. One ghoulish creature in particular was intent on harassing Vishvamitra. Named Maricha, he was a chief counselor to the king of Rakshasas in Lanka, Ravana.

“Please allow Rama to protect me during those times when I am observing religious functions and trying to keep my concentration. O chief of mankind, a terrible fear has befallen me on account of this Rakshasa Maricha.” (Vishvamitra speaking to Maharaja Dasharatha, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 38.4)

Ironically enough, though Maricha was on the other side of justice, he later turned out to be a speaker of the glories of both Vishvamitra and the person the sage desired for personal protection. In one way through his wickedness Maricha increased the fame of the eldest son of Maharaja Dasharatha and also affirmed the king’s dedication to piety. As the leader of a famous land, Dasharatha’s primary desire in life was to uphold righteousness. In a world full of duality, the right course is not always discernable, so the safe bet is to follow the direction of the brahmanas.

But here now was a brahmana asking the king to lend his eldest son. There was a massive royal army that could have gone with Vishvamitra, guarding the perimeter of his ashrama. But as if to strike at the very heart of the king, to take the one possession that meant more to him than anything else, Vishvamitra asked to have Rama as an escort. Rama was not even twelve years old yet, but the sage knew that only He could protect against the attacks of Maricha.

Before future events could validate the sage’s premonition, Dasharatha’s royal priest stepped in to offer some sound words of advice. After Vishvamitra made his request, the king was stunned, basically speechless. Seeing that an answer was not forthcoming, Vashishtha reminded the king of the qualities of the people in question. He rightfully said that Vishvamitra was a strong ascetic, completely dedicated to austerity. In the Bhagavad-gita, the song of God, Lord Krishna states that He is the penance of the ascetic.

“I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.9)

Krishna’s statement was part of a series of remarks meant to indicate how God is the life of everything. To make this concept easier to understand to the conditioned living beings, Krishna went through some common activities and occupational positions and revealed how He is the specific identifying feature in each of them. For the ascetic to have true value, he must be dedicated to austerity. The statement, “If I could only be king for a day”, indicates a desire to get whatever you want and enjoy the regal life but for even a brief period of time. The ascetic lives with just the opposite mindset. “What more is there that I can renounce today? So far I have fasted and lived in the wilderness, but surely there is something more that I can live without.”

Asceticism and its powers are so great that the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, are filled with accounts of historical incidents where famous personalities took to asceticism and achieved a higher end. The potency of austerity for religious purposes is not limited to men either. The daughter of the mountain king was told in her youth by Narada Muni that she should marry Mahadeva, the greatest of the gods. Mahadeva, or Lord Shiva, is in charge of the material mode of ignorance, so he is the ideal worshipable figure for those who are into black magic, those desirous of material opulence to be used for nefarious purposes, and the ghosts and the goblins. Lord Shiva is himself completely renounced, yet his devotees are often very wealthy, having acquired their riches through simple offerings made to him.

The mountain king and his wife were a little taken aback by Narada’s words. Lord Shiva wears a garland of skulls around his neck and has ashes smeared all over his body. He hovers around crematoriums and holds poison in his throat. What kind of husband would he make? None of this mattered to Parvati, the king’s daughter. She immediately went to the forest to perform austerities, with famous seers arriving many years later to test her devotion. Parvati was even offered Lord Vishnu, the same Krishna and Rama, as a husband, but she refused, stating that she would abide by the words of her guru, Narada. Through her penance she was able to please Mahadeva and earn him as a husband. The two are to this day happily engaged in devotional service and overseeing the affairs of the material world.

Vishvamitra was not an ascetic in name only. He had previously been a king, but due to his asceticism he was now recognized as a saintly man. King Dasharatha had a vow to uphold righteousness at the direction of the priestly class, so he should not have thought that Vishvamitra’s request would cause harm. Vishvamitra knew what he was doing, as he was very powerful through his austerity.

Vashishtha also reminded Dasharatha that Rama was capable, though He was very young. Dasharatha didn’t know that Rama was the Supreme Lord appearing in his family to delight the residents of Ayodhya. The Lord would charm the world and countless future generations of man with His splendid deeds, which included protecting Vishvamitra from Maricha. As described by Maricha to Ravana in the Ramayana, Rama, though a young man with barely any signs of manhood on His face, without hesitation strung His bow and thwarted Maricha’s attack on Vishvamitra’s sacrificial fire.

“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)

The force of the arrow released by Rama was so strong that Maricha was thrust thousands of miles away, never daring to bother Vishvamitra again. In this way Vashishtha’s words were prescient, and Dasharatha was fortunate to have him around. When we are in doubt or if we don’t want to do what is right, hearing from someone else about what to do isn’t always pleasant. We may even get angry with them for speaking the truth, but in the end we are benefited by their honest and wise counsel.

Dasharatha knew that Vashishtha was correct, though the king never looked at Rama as being supremely powerful. The Supreme Lord’s splendor and might take a backseat to His beauty, charm and endearing qualities in the eyes of the divine lovers. The fact that He is God and offers protection from wicked characters and speaks pearls of wisdom like those found in the Bhagavad-gita is not the primary cause for the dedication to bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Rather, in divine love the emotions can be so strong that the devotee starts worrying about the Lord’s welfare and whether or not He will be able to handle different situations.

Taking Lakshmana with Him, Rama would protect Vishvamitra from the attacks of several Rakshasas. Through the good steward’s leadership, Rama and Lakshmana would be led to the kingdom of Videha, where the marriage of Rama’s eternal consort was being arranged. Her husband was not already decided. Whoever could lift Mahadeva’s bow would win Sita’s hand. Just as Parvati was meant for marrying Shiva, Shri Rama was meant to raise the bow and live happily ever after with Sita Devi, the daughter of King Janaka. Thanks to Vashishtha’s good counsel, the wheels were set in motion for that wonderful marriage to take place.

In Closing:

From vipra’s request king’s heart did sink,

Follow virtue or keep Rama, couldn’t think.

The distressed condition of king he could tell,

Vashishtha stepped in for doubts to dispel.

As brahmana, Vishvamitra’s opinion right,

And Shri Rama, though young of great might.

Mahadeva daughter of mountain king to marry,

To the woods vow for austerity she did carry.

Sita Devi meant to wed Rama in the same way,

Vashishtha’s words to make real fateful day.

Getting Away With It

2012-02-13T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Just as a tree starts to blossom during the proper season, so the doer of sinful deeds inevitably reaps the horrible fruit of their actions at the appropriate time.” (Lord Rama speaking to Khara, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 29.8)

You arrive at the construction site in the morning, ready to continue working on the new building that has to go up. You have certain procedures that you’re supposed to follow, guidelines that must be adhered to in order to see a successful completion. This building is important, as it will house many people on each given day. Suppose, however, that on one aspect of the construction you are a little lackadaisical. You don’t give it your full attention, but you think that it doesn’t matter because the building is so complex that what harm is one incorrectly built section going to do? This same mentality is quite commonplace in other activities as well, and it is a contributing factor in the disbelief in God and a higher power.

What will the result be if the section of the building is not constructed properly? For starters, the proper construction guidelines are there for a reason. Someone did not come up with them on a whim so that they could personally serve as a dictatorial controlling figure who wants to be in charge of every aspect of the worker’s life. Rather, the instructions are there to bring about the stated objective, which in this case is a safe and sturdy building. Defiance of the guidelines due to laziness or poor judgment will obviously jeopardize the meeting of the end-goal.

Interestingly enough, the negative reaction to the spotty work may not be witnessed by the worker who perpetrated the deed. The incorrectly built section could cause a wall to collapse or a floor panel to be loose or, worse yet, the entire building to crumble. The worker may be long gone when the time arrives for this disastrous event; thereby making it difficult for them to realize the consequences to their actions. Nevertheless, in spite of how long it takes for the negative reaction to arrive and whether or not the worker himself is affected, the consequence to impious deeds comes all the same.

The Vedas, the original scriptural tradition of India, reveal that this system of cause-and-effect operates universally and at both the microscopic and macroscopic levels. Known to most as the system of karma, fruitive work undertaken has consequences, or phala. The fruits aren’t always sweet in taste, and they may not manifest immediately. With the case of the poor building procedure, the bitter fruit arrived much later on, and it affected others who weren’t involved in the initial transgression. But karma is so fair that the person who commits the horrible deed reaps their due reward at the proper time as well. Indeed, every negative reaction we encounter in life, even if it arrives seemingly due to the actions of others, is the result of past work, or karma.

In the famous Ramayana, a remark made by the lead character, the chivalrous and pious prince of Ayodhya, Lord Rama, reveals the same truth. During the time of the included events, the Treta Yuga, a band of night-rangers was terrorizing innocent sages residing in the forest of Dandaka. Imagine a priest being attacked, killed and then eaten up right as they were delivering a sermon. This is similar to what was going on, except the situation was even worse. The priests in this case, brahmanas, were alone and simply desirous of fostering God consciousness, which is the ultimate aim of life. The night-rangers had no just cause for attacking, other than their hatred for dharma, or religious principles.

The perpetrators were apparently getting away with it. They were successfully harassing the sages and eating their flesh after killing them. Then along came the prince of Ayodhya to give them their just rewards. In speaking to Khara, one of the lead night-rangers, prior to battle, Rama informed him that the sinner gets his fruit at the appropriate time, just as the trees blossom flowers during the proper season. In addition, the reward they get is as ghastly as their initial deed. Khara would get the reward due him, punishment by death, delivered personally by Rama, who was an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Karma is helpful to know about because it explains the many situations we encounter. Karma must span beyond the current lifetime because of the variety in circumstance in birth. We can talk all we want about the difference between matter and spirit and how the sober human being should be able to tolerate the ups and downs that material life brings, but if a person is constantly harassed by material nature, put into regular discomfort and fear over the future wellbeing of both themselves and their family members, how will they have the opportunity to sit down and peacefully contemplate the highest truths of spiritual life? How will they make the best use of their valuable human form of life, which carries the highest potential for the assimilation of wisdom that can provide the most beneficial end?

“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)

The fact that one person is born into peaceful circumstances and another into turmoil is the result of past karma. As the soul is the essence of identity, the death of the living being is not the end of the road. Neither is death the ultimate punishment, for consciousness pervades into the next life, just as the air carries aromas. If a person thinks they can escape troubles through the end of life, the active propensity of the soul must continue on, which means there must be a future destination. Those born into rotten circumstances, where they face tremendous hardships at every corner, obviously had bad karma from the previous life. It is unkind to mention this, but no other explanation can be given for their condition.

Indeed, when karma is taken out of the mix, all the philosophies pertaining to spirituality and even atheism crumble. For instance, if there is no karma and God just wants us to acknowledge His existence during the “one” life we get to live, what about those people who never make it out of the womb? What about the children who never mature to the point that they can acknowledge God? Are they eternally damned to hell, or are they automatically sent to heaven? The punishment to hell seems rather harsh, considering the fact that children are innocent and need guidance. The automatic ticket to heaven also seems unfair, as it would make premature death a boon rather than a tragedy.

Under atheism, there is no concern given to cause and effect. The body, a collection of material elements, is taken to be the identifying aspect, though it constantly changes. In atheism there is no regard for piety and sin, with the thought being that consequences just come on their own. Under this model, birth in the animal kingdom would actually represent advancement, for the mental worries pertaining to earning a living and maintaining a family would be absent.

Even if one wants to deny the influence of karma as a fact of spiritual life, fruitive action still proves to be the determining factor to circumstances. The person born into a poor family may not have done anything wrong, but the poverty is there for a reason. The parents that were in troublesome situations arrived there through the result of their work and the work of others. Therefore action always has consequences, regardless of whether we see them or not. The Vedas just complete the picture by revealing that the reactions to work carry over into the next life.

The concept of a life is relative, as it is sort of like a chunk of a timeline cut off and used for analysis. We break down events based on days, weeks and years, but these are just relative measurements. The time continuum hasn’t stopped nor will it in the future. We refer to last year so we can better gauge the difference in circumstances between the present and the past, but there has been no shift in identity. In a similar manner, the spirit soul has a perpetual existence, with the different “lives” serving as markers for the various body types the soul assumes.

Knowing that the thief who regularly steals will eventually get robbed later on in life is comforting, but the human brain is meant to go beyond karma. Karma manages fairness in terms of fruitive activity, but there is one person who is above the influence of karma. Not surprisingly, that person is God, who is known by many names in the Vedic tradition. Some call Him Krishna, while others refer to Him as Rama or Vishnu. Some even worship Lord Shiva as the Supreme Person, though his position is actually somewhere in between Lord Vishnu and the living entities, who are tiny expansions from the original spiritual storehouse of energy.

Karma is instituted to manage the affairs of the spirit souls not desirous of personal association with God. Think of karma as the referees in a sporting event, except its judgment is not flawed. The offensive lineman may get away with a hold every now and then in American football, but in the grand scheme of life, the higher authorities note down every action and manage to deliver the appropriate reaction at just the right time through nature’s influence. As human beings are part of nature, they sometimes unknowingly deliver someone’s due rewards to them.

Karma stops for the Krishna conscious soul, who is always desirous of connecting with the Supreme Spirit. The beginning of Krishna consciousness is hearing about Krishna and becoming familiar with His transcendental features. As Bhagavan, Lord Krishna is the wisest, most famous, most renounced, strongest, most beautiful, and wealthiest. In the beginning one will have to accept these truths on faith, but through adhering to devotional principles, Krishna’s position is validated. The knowledge of karma comes from Krishna Himself in His discourse on Vedic philosophy known as the Bhagavad-gita. Rama’s statement to Khara is another example of Bhagavan’s supreme intelligence.

If, after hearing, the seed of the creeper of devotional service is sown and further desire to connect with Krishna springs forth, the next step is to chant the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. All the saintly figures of the Vedic tradition, the most famous acharyas teaching devotional service through their example, follow the chanting routine as their life and soul. Not all recite the same mantra, but the key ingredient in their chanting is the holy name. For example, Shri Hanuman, Rama’s most faithful servant, always chants Rama’s name. In pictures Hanuman is shown to be chanting the glories of Sita and Rama. Sita is Rama’s eternal consort, and the couple’s features are fully represented in their names. Just in Rama’s name alone are found the beneficial features belonging to both the Personality of Godhead and His closest associates.

As further taste is developed in chanting, increased dedication to the path of bhakti results. Activities in bhakti look awfully similar to acts of karma, but the difference is in the nature of the consequences. In karma, the resultant reward must bear fruit, and since the nature of the activity is sense driven, the reaction must apply to the body accepted by the living being. If one is extremely pious and follows religious rituals throughout their life, the reward they get is ascension to the material heavenly planets. Thus the rewards of karma are still there for the pious, and a commensurate body is required.

In pure bhakti, the only desire is to continue bhakti, to be able to worship Krishna, chant His names, hear about Him, and speak about His glories to others. Therefore the reactions to work don’t require a material body. The work in bhakti is free of karma, but it is not free of beneficial rewards. The bhakta is guaranteed to be put into conditions which are conducive to devotional service. Externally the conditions may not appear to be auspicious, but through remembrance of Krishna even the horrible conditions end up being supremely beneficial. It is guaranteed in the Bhagavad-gita that the departing soul who is Krishna conscious attains the Lord’s nature, which is blissful, knowledgeable and eternal. That combination exists in the spiritual world, where Krishna resides.

“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.5)

The interest in karma can lead to Krishna, so the negative reactions we witness in life can actually bring us to the right place. Therefore karma, material nature, ignorance, and other things apparently not related to Krishna aren’t universally harmful. Rather, anything that brings one closer to their constitutional position of servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be considered favorable. Though the thief thinks that since no one is looking he will get away with the crime, the system of karma will take care of him all the same. Taking the pure version of the same principle, even if we don’t think God is watching us while we chant, He hears our sincere recitations of the holy name and duly rewards us at the appropriate time.

In Closing:

Thinks with his crime away he is getting,

To avoid consequences world is letting.

Doesn’t know that from above being watched,

Higher authorities make sure he gets caught.

The resultant actions karma to deliver,

Severe too, can’t escape forever.

Know that karma has the final say,

From its influence can’t get away.

Know Krishna and His devotees are above reaction,

In bhakti taste sweet transcendental interaction.

From Suicide to Redemption

2012-02-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Or I will kill the ten-headed Ravana of great strength. Whatever has happened to Sita, at least her abduction will be avenged.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.49)

rāvaṇam vā vadhiṣyāmi daśagrīvam mahā balam ||
kāmam astu hṛtā sītā pratyācīrṇam bhaviṣyati |

The supporters of Hanuman will rejoice at the mere mention of this verse. Screams of joy, adulation, victory, triumph, hope, and good feelings abound when those who love Hanuman hear the words of this verse, which is found in the sacred Ramayana, the wonderful poem describing the pleasant and heroic acts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Rama. Yet, ironically enough, this verse touches on the victory over mental demons of a seemingly ordinary monkey, a being not belonging to an advanced species. Hanuman is no ordinary figure, though, as his victory over the debilitating forces of evil concentrated on the island of Lanka are well documented in the Ramayana, with special attention given in its Sundara-kanda, or book of beauty. The Ramayana is about Rama, and since Hanuman is always tied to the Lord in consciousness, hearing about him is as good as having the Lord’s company.

Who hasn’t suffered from the effects of mental demons every now and then? The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, account for every type of misery encountered in this world by grouping them into three categories. Adhyatmika miseries are those which arise from the body and mind. These pains would seemingly be the easiest to fix. For example, if we’re plagued by bad thoughts, just turn the situation around and think of good things. If we’re feeling sick, take some medicine. If we’re not getting enough sleep, just sleep more.

Obviously the practical application of the solutions isn’t so easy. The mental demons are especially the toughest to get over, for as soon as negative thoughts creep in, a sea of sorrow starts to rise and fill up the mind until a large ocean has been created. The despondent individual, the owner of the mind, is stuck on one side of the ocean and the length and breadth of the water seem too vast to overcome. Finding your way into this helpless situation is not very difficult. You just need a few setbacks, grouped together, one after another. Then you need to start fearing what will happen if you never succeed, if you never find your way out.

Think this way long enough and pretty soon you’ll find yourself in a situation where you want out. “O poor twisted me. I’m drowning in my sorrows and I have nothing to rescue me. Life has treated me poorly, as it seems that wherever I go, a black rain cloud constantly drenches me. No one else is wet; just me. In fact, because of my failures, so many other people are going to suffer. Therefore it is better if I just end it all, escape from the tumultuous life that I never figured out how to survive in anyway.”

In this way the mind can go from a peaceful existence to the brink of suicide in a few short steps. The material existence is very conducive to this type of defeatist attitude. After all, the land is created with this defeat in mind. The jivas, the individual spirit souls basking in the company of the Supreme Person in His imperishable realm, have no need to leave their engagement, devotional service. Only when there is a desire to compete with God, to surpass His abilities in creation, maintenance and destruction, can there result a negative condition.

The threefold miseries of life only exist in a temporary world devoid of God’s personal association. What is the difference between personal and impersonal? The proprietor starts a business and sets the wheels in motion for its operation, but this doesn’t mean that he’s always at the jobsite. There is generally a stark difference in behavior between the days the boss is in the office and the days he isn’t. When the company owner shows up to work, everyone has to be on their best behavior, as they have to show him that they are working hard. Yet as soon as the boss leaves, it’s party time, provided that another strong hand of authority is not there to watch over everyone. If someone like this is present, their influence likely isn’t as great as the boss’s.

Despite the differences in behavior, the presence of the owner is still perpetually there, as his proxies and energies keep the business running. Similarly, even if we deny the existence of God or just forget about Him because of being distracted with other work, it doesn’t mean that the Lord’s influence is not present. It is said that not a blade of grass can move without God’s hand. He created the material elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether and the subtle elements of mind, intelligence and false ego. He controls the heat and the rain, and He is responsible for the creation and destruction of the universe in repeating cycles. All of this information is there in the Vedas, and it shouldn’t be surprising to hear. In practically every spiritual tradition the same information is presented, except maybe not with as much detail.

“O Arjuna, I control heat, the rain and the drought. I am immortality, and I am also death personified. Both being and nonbeing are in Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.19)

The material world introduced miseries because the boss, the Supreme Lord, is not personally present. He has expansions and different manifestations that reside within every atom, but this influence doesn’t necessarily direct anyone towards anything. For example, in the living entity there reside two souls. One soul is the essence of identity and the other represents the Supreme Lord. Though God’s expansion, the Paramatma, is responsible for all the visible results we see, it is the individual atma, the soul, that takes responsibility for driving the ship, deciding where to go and what to do. The Supersoul has no say in this, as He is an impartial witness, simply watching everything going on and waiting until the day when the individual soul will turn its mind towards spiritual life.

In the imperishable land, there is no distinction between personal and impersonal. God’s features, pastimes, names and other things directly relating to Him are not hidden. Nor is anyone there aloof to His presence. Rather, everyone engages in working for His pleasure. Even if He is not directly in front of them, they think of Him nonetheless. With the Supreme Lord thinking about Him is as good as being with Him. In this way even if one is trapped in a material realm and suffering from the threefold miseries of life, they can turn their area into a replica of the spiritual world by acting in the Lord’s interest.

How do we do this exactly? Moreover, how do the effects manifest? We can take the wonderful Shri Hanuman as an example to learn from, though his behavior should not be directly imitated. The great ones make it look easy, but if anyone were to try to repeat their feats of strength and bravery, they would come up short. Hanuman was purposefully put into the situations he found himself in by the hand of God, because the Lord knew that Hanuman was up to the challenge.

Though God, who is known as Krishna in His original form, does not have a personal presence in the material land, He can choose to make appearances in it whenever He wants. Depending on the time and circumstance, He will take on different spiritual manifestations. In the Treta Yuga, Krishna appeared as the pious and handsome prince of Ayodhya, Lord Rama. One way to tell if someone is God is by noticing their exquisite beauty. Rama was a warrior prince, and for an important period of time in His life He roamed the forests without any royal garb. In fact, the stipulation was that He had to roam around like a beggar, though He was allowed to take His weapons with Him, His bow and arrow set.

Yet even when roaming the forests, Rama looked more beautiful than anyone else. Accompanied by His wife Sita Devi and younger brother Lakshmana, Rama’s beauty increased all the more. When the different villagers would see Rama and Lakshmana walking by, they would remark that the creator must have first made them and then used whatever he had left over to populate the rest of the world. Those with a pure vision could become immediately liberated from the pangs of material existence by seeing Rama and Lakshmana.

Devotion to God as a practice is known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. There are specific tastes that come from this interaction, tastes only available to those who recognize, honor and cherish the personal forms of the Supreme Lord, understanding that He is a personality just like everyone else. In the abstract vision of God or in the impersonal mode of worship, the transcendental tastes are absent. Hence these other paths are always inferior to bhakti. Looking upon the Lord with amazement and feeling a thrill throughout the body is one method of worship, but service can also manifest through direct acts, work performed for the Lord’s satisfaction. This was the route taken by Hanuman. His work was no ordinary business either.

Playing out her role in the dramatic, real-life play that is the Ramayana, Sita was taken away from Rama’s side by a powerful king named Ravana. Rama was the greatest bow warrior in the world, so Ravana knew he couldn’t defeat Him in battle. Struck as he was by the impulse to have Sita, the most beautiful woman in the world, for his wife, Ravana devised a plan where he could take Sita away without anyone knowing. When it came time later to find His wife, Rama enlisted the help of a band of forest dwellers residing in Kishkindha. They were mostly monkey-like, but they had many human features and tendencies as well.

Hanuman was the most capable of these warriors, so he was tasked by Sugriva, the king of these Vanaras, to look for Sita and return the information of her whereabouts to the camp. Though given the task by Sugriva, Hanuman was essentially performing devotional service for Rama. Long story short, Hanuman ended up in Lanka, Ravana’s remotely situated island. Hanuman was all by himself; no one was there to help him. No telephone to use to call home. No text message to send to get advice. He had to find Sita using his tremendous skills, which included an unmatched fighting prowess, a keen intellect, and mastery over every mystic perfection of the ancient system of yoga.

As endowed as he was in these areas, Hanuman’s greatest strength was his devotion to Rama. This is what initially enabled him to infiltrate Lanka without being noticed. He searched and searched, but he couldn’t find Sita. Lest we think devotion to God is all roses and lilies, Hanuman then quickly fell into a depressed state. His love for Rama coupled with his failure to find Sita made him sadder than ever. Though he had such wonderful abilities and had already exhibited tremendous feats of strength and heroism, he essentially hated himself for not having found Sita. Obviously, none of this was his fault, for what had he done wrong? He did everything asked of him. Ravana was the one who took Sita, so he was really to blame. Nevertheless, Hanuman decided that if he returned to Kishkindha a failure, everyone else would soon quit their bodies. Rather than be responsible for that, Hanuman thought it would be better to just starve himself to death. This way he would give himself the proper punishment.

He was on the brink of suicide. Then he thought to himself some more. He correctly decided that if he should quit, so many bad things would happen. If he continued to fight on, however, at least there would be a chance of succeeding. This is the rule to live by. The Paramatma is always residing within us, so as long as the life breath is there, there is an opportunity to connect with Him, to make the most of the human form of life. With death we have no idea where we will end up next. There is no guarantee that we will even get the opportunity to try to understand God and the need for worshiping Him.

Deciding that living was better, Hanuman still couldn’t get over his sadness. That Sita wasn’t found was really bothering him. In the above referenced verse, we see him change course, reawaken from his temporary slumber. Hanuman decided that if he was going to fail, he was going to take Ravana down with him. Hanuman is described as having tremendous fortitude and being an elephant among monkeys. One would have to be courageous to continue to fight, especially when they were just on the brink of suicide. Hanuman is the most powerful person, and he only uses his strength for good. If Sita were no longer living, Hanuman would get revenge by taking out Ravana. Who was Ravana to escape punishment? Why should Hanuman have to suffer while Ravana continued to live?

Through this wonderful passage Hanuman once again reveals his unmatched level of devotion to Sita and Rama. His love for them is a thing of beauty. Though he roams the earth in the guise of a monkey, his portrait is flawless, bringing satisfaction to those who are dedicated to serving the Supreme Lord in thought, word and deed. Hanuman’s fortitude would enable him to emerge victorious, to find Sita and help in her eventual rescue. He showed us that even in devotional service there are severe ups and downs. But if our heart is situated in the right place, we will find the right course of action every time. Anyone who regularly remembers Hanuman and his devotion will be guaranteed to find redemption from the curse of material existence.

In Closing:

“Not finding her Sita may be gone,

Sadness mind constantly dwells on.

Ravana should escape, who is he?

By me punished with death will he be.”

From failure Hanuman first in sadness dove,

Then thinking of success from despair arose.

Ravana for his deed would not get away,

The powerful Hanuman the demon to slay.

In devotion Hanuman always to finish strong,

His deeds and qualities daily dwell upon.

Living Well

2012-02-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

“How can God exist if so many bad things happen to good people? The struggles from cancer are a glaring indication. The fact that the body could grow something that starts to attack you from the inside - spreading to the vital organs and sapping your energy until the life is extracted from you, forming a slow and painful death - how can any loving God allow that to happen? What about the people who don’t worship the Lord at all, who think they are the doers in action, responsible for every single result that manifests - how are they able to get everything handed to them in life if they don’t even acknowledge God’s existence? Doesn’t that represent a flaw in the theory of theology? Shouldn’t you have to worship God in order to succeed?”

These are certainly important issues that when left unaddressed can derail the progress of even the most sincere spiritualist. Fortunately, if the proper set of information is consulted, not only will the Supreme Lord’s position be properly known, but what was previously erroneously considered good fortune and favorability will be understood to be hellish life. When there is hellish life, there is no question of favoritism from any higher power. Since the Supreme Lord’s actual position is that of the reservoir of pleasure, the fountainhead of all beautiful forms, a vision that is so sweet that the living entity purified through proper exercise of penance, austerity and sacrifice can’t get enough of it, it is understood that any forgetfulness of this person automatically creates an unpleasant situation, regardless of what the external conditions may say.

Picture living in a palatial mansion. You worked hard to acquire enough money to live comfortably. You didn’t worship at all; you didn’t think of God except for the times when death affected a close friend or family member. Everything is there for you in this house: a spouse, children, appliances, a steady dose of food and entertainment. Now ask yourself this: are you happy? Is securing the amenities in life the ultimate goal? You may have been inclined to think so previously, but now that you have everything, you’re definitely left feeling a little empty. There has to be more.

Why is that? The animals, those without the intelligence to deny the existence of God, let alone conjure up His image, never have to work for anything and yet they get the same amenities. The bird is happy living in the nest on a branch, the pig in its slop, the tiger in the jungle, and so on. In fact, the basic conditions are present from the time of birth; they don’t have to be created through hard work.

The human being may not realize this, but they are meant to transcend the base instincts of the animal, for that is why intelligence exists. If this weren’t the case, then living like an animal would be the right way to go. Just eat, sleep, mate and defend to feel the pleasures of life. What need is there then for culture, education, philosophy, science and so many other things that stimulate the mind?

The person lacking the spiritual association lives miserably. They may have billions of dollars in the bank and no financial worries, but that supreme happiness eludes them. Moreover, they can lose everything in a second, including their own life. The spirit soul exists through the many shifts of the body, thus it is the essence of identity. At the time of death, the soul continues on, but the body just lies there. The soul continues to roam from body to body, while the inanimate material possessions can’t do anything on their own.

With a life focused only on material enjoyment the mind turns feverish. With each new object acquired comes a new attachment. It may be neat to fly in an airplane to visit exotic destinations, but what if you didn’t need that to be happy? If one person is satisfied with a little and another with a lot, the former is automatically superior. They live a more efficient lifestyle, as they require less to operate. With each new requirement comes the difficulty in acquiring and securing that object. For instance, if I can’t live without my cell phone, I need to make sure to work enough to pay the bill for it each month. I also must back up my contacts, email, music, books and videos. These tasks are made easier with the increased use of the cloud, but even that requires a connection to the internet, which must be paid for by someone.

Each attachment brings a new obligation, which gradually builds up to a hellish life. The vacation is preferred to time at work because of the lack of obligation. Reduced work equates to increased freedom, thereby giving the person with less attachments more freedom. In the Vedic tradition, the topmost spiritualist is the sannyasi, who is in the renounced order. More than just a way to stay free of attachments and the allures of sex life, sannyasa allows for freedom of motion, a limit on obligations to free up time for fulfilling life’s ultimate purpose.

And what purpose is that? It is to connect with God. For that to happen, He must be understood. To know Him properly, one must follow a bona fide path, one laid down by past spiritualists who attained the proper realization. We know that they were successful based on their experiences which are documented. Though we have trouble accepting information not experienced personally, through applying a little faith and exercising the principles espoused, the same experience of spiritual happiness can be had within this very lifetime.

There is still the issue of misery and pain, which makes it difficult to accept the fact that there is a God. How could God create cancer? How can God allow such horrible things like murder and rape to happen? These are the negative reactions that are obvious to notice, but the actions that led to them are overlooked. In karma, every reaction arrives at the proper time. The planting of a seed brings a flower sometimes many months later. If the impatient person were to chastise the plant for not producing the fruit right away, would their behavior be intelligent? Is it wise to yell at an unbaked pie before it goes into the oven?

The reactions to work come at the appropriate time, like the blossom of flowers on a tree. The nature of the reaction is commensurate with the intensity of the action. You can look at so many examples to see how this works. If you stay awake all night, you may think there are no repercussions, but when you have difficulty waking up the next morning, the negative reaction is coming your way. The more ghastly acts like murder, rape and so on bring the worst type of reactions, though again at the proper time.

As far as God sanctioning the negative reactions, if He were to eliminate the unfavorable consequences, then there would be no action. Moreover, sometimes what we think is unfavorable turns out to be favorable. If we miss an assignment in school or say something hurtful to someone else as a child, our superiors will scold us. Getting yelled at is never fun. At the time it is considered the most miserable experience. Should the child yell at God for allowing that admonishment to occur, would the behavior be wise? When the same person grows up and learns to avoid the behavior that caused the scolding, they will reach a more positive condition. Thus what was previously unfavorable turned out to be favorable. What you were cursing God about before, you now appreciate as a valuable life lesson.

Lost in the complexity of action is the reality that any outcome can occur. For instance, if I decided to play a video game for fun, there is every chance of me playing that game over and over again and never winning. After my repeated failures, is it wise to lament how miserable life is, how God never allows me to win? The decision to play the game was in my hands, and I knew going in that success wasn’t guaranteed, and yet somehow I am blaming God for my problems after the fact.

The entire material creation operates in a similar manner. The system of karma is the most fair, as it is meant to distribute the proper results at the appropriate time. The desire to exercise freedom in the absence of God’s association results in the creation of a playing field where there is every type of possible outcome. If not for the full range of possible outcomes, there could not be material activity. Everyone would just sit in silence, not doing anything the whole time.

The spirit soul is meant for activity, however. This property is built into its constitution. The soul’s dharma is to serve, and the more pure the beneficiary of that service, the higher the benefit to the worker. No one is more pure than God, whose original form is so sweet that it is addressed as Krishna, which means all-attractive. Stare at the beautiful youth, who holds a flute in His hands and wears an enchanting smile. Dedicate your life to remaining by His side. Chant His holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, and fill your ears with transcendental nectar. Purify the tongue through transcendental recitation and get nourishment through Krishna prasadam, sanctified food first offered to the Lord.

In the many good and bad outcomes, if there is no Krishna consciousness, the situations are identical. Thus for someone who avoids bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, there is no chance of finding supreme auspiciousness. Rather, their illusion through attachment to material objects only further diminishes their opportunities for connecting with the reservoir of pleasure. The ghastly outcomes that affect the body so severely are also temporary, having no bearing on the spirit soul. In a world filled with illusion, there must be duality. For every healthy person there is a sick one as well. For every person of prominence there is another lacking notoriety. For every success story there is a person who has failed miserably.

In karma the extremes of life arise constantly, but in God consciousness the dualities are removed. Instead, every situation becomes favorable, even those previously thought to be horrendous. Knowledge of the time of quitting the body, whether voluntarily or through succumbing to the effects of disease, brings an increased eagerness to at least contemplate the position of God and whether or not He exists. Maharaja Parikshit, a famous historical ruler, was unfairly cursed to die within seven days by a brahmana. Rather than get angry at God for his ill fate, he used the opportunity to hear about the essence of spiritual life, devotional service to Krishna. Shukadeva Gosvami then spoke to the king the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the crown jewel of Vedic literature. The pious king heard and thought about Krishna while He was dying, which meant that His next destination would include Krishna’s constant association.

Anyone who has the opportunity to contemplate the meaning of life and why God would create this world is very fortunate. Through following a few simple instructions, like chanting the maha-mantra for sixteen rounds a day and avoiding the most sinful behaviors, the doubts that pervade the mind will soon dissipate. In an otherwise miserable world, the beacon of light is the holy name and the person it represents. One who always hears that name and understands the transcendental features of the entity it addresses will be living extremely well.

In Closing:

Why do the evil seem to get away?

No pain for the harmful things they say?

How can God create cancer, the worst disease?

Should not the suffering of His children He ease?

Incorrect is our assumption of living well,

Soul’s fortune is what counts, as the Vedas tell.

Every reaction comes at appropriate time,

Severity matches error’s nature in kind.

Beyond duality find condition,

Chant Krishna’s name, reach highest position.

Rock and a Hard Place

2012-02-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

“When the lord of munis told the king the reason for his visit, the king became caught between love and truth and thus couldn’t come up with a response.” (Janaki Mangala, 24)

jabahiṃ munīsa mahīsahi kāju sunāyau |
bhayau saneha satya basa utarū na āyau ||

There was a rock and a hard place, and in between was the king of Ayodhya, dumbfounded as to what to say to a stunning request, one he wasn’t expecting. As the mind is capable of working tremendously fast, within an instant the stunned king remembered both his love for Rama and his dedication to the truth. As the age-old problem between what to follow, your heart or your mind, rose to the surface, the king couldn’t settle upon a proper response. The lord of munis, Vishvamitra, had really stumped him with his request, but due to the all-pervading nature of the person whose association was desired, all parties involved would be satisfied in the end.

What was the dilemma facing King Dasharatha? Let’s look at the truth angle first. Kings in those days, the Treta Yuga, were dedicated to piety. Their guidebook for governance of the innocent citizens was the Vedas, especially the truths pertaining to the laws of man, which were handed down by Manu. The origin of life is God, who has more defined features in the Vedic tradition. Though there are many pictures of God and different realizations of Him, the lack of detail in one spiritual tradition doesn’t mean that the attributes are absent in the original person Himself. A child may not know that the sun rises and sets every day, but their lack of understanding has no influence on the operations of the sun itself.

In the same way the living entity’s ignorance of spiritual matters, of the transmigration of the soul, of the source of identity being the individual spirit located within the heart, of the paltriness of rewards pertaining to material sense gratification, of the need for following law codes of spirituality to reach a better end, and of the need to ultimately think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead at the time of death, has no bearing on the effectiveness of the teachings of the Vedas. Every living being is born ignorant after all, and since the duration of life is so short, it is impossible to acquire perfect knowledge. Nevertheless, the Vedas make sure that man is not left totally in the dark. The caretakers are provided instruction on how to guide the human being from the time of birth all the way up until death. At every step there is instruction, and for every type of person there is an occupational duty.

The administrators, known as kshatriyas, are responsible for government. As the primary duty of government is to protect life and property, the kshatriyas must be skilled at fighting. An aggressor has no concern for another’s life or their property, so in order to combat the aggressive forces, a more powerful fighter is required. The key to a successful government is applying justice equally. Not that one person’s protection is more important than another’s. Even the life of a cow is to be considered on a level equal to that of the wealthiest citizen of the state. A cow can provide some milk to be used for food, while a wealthy businessman can account for a large portion of the treasury through tax revenue, but the ruler is not supposed to see a distinction between the two. Every spirit soul is equal constitutionally, and thus every innocent being living within a particular jurisdiction is to be protected by the heads of state.

King Dasharatha upheld his dedication to the truth very well. He accepted that responsibility from his predecessors, who belonged to the line of kings started by Maharaja Ikshvaku, who was actually the son of Manu. Hence the rulers in Dasharatha’s family were known as Ikshvakus. King Raghu was another famous king in the line, so the princes were sometimes addressed as Raghava. As a kshatriya is expert at fighting, he is not required to be supremely intelligent on matters of spirituality. If there is a question on how to administer justice, he consults the royal priests, who belong to the brahmana community. The deference to the brahmanas is unconditional. This means that whatever a bona fide brahmana asks for, the king obliges. This usually isn’t a problem, because their requests turn out to be beneficial to everyone involved. The brahmana not only knows the duties of his own order, he is familiar with the occupational duties of every single person as well. Hence he can guide any person on the proper path in life. Think of it like a high school teacher who can teach pretty much any class perfectly.

Not surprisingly, love is what got in the way of Dasharatha’s commitment to the truth. He was childless for a long time. Though in the grand scheme this doesn’t matter, as the spirit soul is the essence of identity, still to uphold the family name, to keep the line of kings going, Dasharatha wanted a son. He would be granted that wish after performing a sacrifice at the insistence of brahmanas. The king would be blessed with four sons, with the eldest being his favorite. A parent usually doesn’t play favorites, even if their behavior indicates otherwise. A father may be closer with one son than another but it usually doesn’t mean that he loves any of his children more.

Dasharatha definitely did love Rama, the eldest son, the most. You couldn’t blame him, as Rama was the Supreme Lord appearing in the guise of a human being. It is said in the stories recited during the Satyanarayana Puja that Dasharatha in his previous life was pious and regularly performed the puja. Hence through his good deeds he became qualified to have the Supreme Lord appear as his son. The benefit of this, of course, is that you get to share your love without impediment. If we worship a deity or chant the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, we show our love through our actions, but having the same object of worship in front of you every day in the form of a child represents another level. The childhood form is the most effective at extracting the natural loving sentiments of the caregiving living entity.

The more attractive the child, the more endearing his visage and activities, the more that love will come out from others. No one is more attractive than God, so Rama thus enchanted everyone in Ayodhya. His younger brothers all loved Him, with Lakshmana especially attached to Him. It is said in the Ramayana that Lakshmana would not eat or sleep without Rama by his side. It is not uncommon for a younger sibling to latch onto an older one, but sometimes there are fights and rivalries. This was not the case with Rama and His brothers. All four thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.

Vishvamitra, who is described as the lord of munis because of his high standing and his dedication to austerity and penance, once visited Ayodhya. Dasharatha received him properly and felt ashamed in a sense. The king openly declared that Vishvamitra could fulfill any desire and easily provide the four fruits of existence: dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and ultimate emancipation for the soul are the four rewards available to the individual who follows the system of religiosity passed down by the Vedas. The king was ashamed because he couldn’t think of anything he could give in return to Vishvamitra. Nevertheless, the king had vowed to give the brahmanas whatever they asked for, so he was a little fearful of what Vishvamitra wanted.

As if the muni knew exactly what to say to put the king in a bind, he asked for Rama to accompany him in the forest. A band of night-rangers had been causing a major disturbance in the forest, where other brahmanas lived. Can we ever imagine such a thing? Do thieves think of robbing homeless men? These brahmanas had nothing. They barely ate anything and they lived under trees or in conditions not seen in the poorest countries today. Yet they had tremendous wealth in their dedication to God, which these night-rangers despised. One ghoulish creature in particular was having a strong influence. His name was Maricha, and Vishvamitra specifically mentioned him when talking to the king.

“Please allow Rama to protect me during those times when I am observing religious functions and trying to keep my concentration. O chief of mankind, a terrible fear has befallen me on account of this Rakshasa Maricha.” (Vishvamitra speaking to Maharaja Dasharatha, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 38.4)

Dasharatha was in the toughest situation. For starters, why Rama? Why not any of the other royal fighters? Rama wasn’t mature in terms of years. Later on, when the same Maricha would try to attack Vishvamitra with Rama by his side, the night-ranger would notice that there weren’t yet any signs of manhood on Rama’s face. This meant that the Lord was quite young at the time. Dasharatha was bound by love to his eldest son, so how could he let Him go? At the same time, to deny a well-meaning brahmana is the most egregious violation of piety. What would happen to his standing as a pious king? He would likely destroy the good name of the Ikshvakus.

Very, very reluctantly, Dasharatha acquiesced. Lakshmana, true to his nature, followed Rama and the muni to the forest. The same Maricha would attack, but this time Rama would teach him a lesson never to be forgotten. Without hesitation, without blinking an eye, the young Rama would string His bow and then shoot an arrow at Maricha that had such force that the demon would be thrown hundreds of miles away into an ocean. Vishvamitra knew what he was asking for; he knew that Rama was the most capable bow warrior in the world. God assigns Himself the duty to defend the religious practices of the devotees who take shelter under no one else except Him.

Externally, Dasharatha followed his mind instead of his heart, but since thinking about Rama is as good as seeing Him, the king’s love for his son never dissipated. If anything, in separation the fondness grew stronger. The majority of us don’t have God as our son, so the option of worshiping in separation is all we have. Through a consciousness fixed on God, even following your mind ends up keeping your heart pure. Vishvamitra’s request and the king’s rightful acquiescence would enhance the glory of the Raghu dynasty, and it would give countless future generations more of Rama’s pastimes to remember and honor.

In Closing:

King of Ayodhya really stuck in a bind,

Way out of rock and hard place couldn’t find.

To protect the truth was his vow,

But part with son Rama could he how?

“I need Rama” lord of munis did say,

To drive the likes of Maricha away.

Dasharatha did not know what to do,

Agreed in end, love for Rama to stay true.

In bhakti no fault with following the mind,

Because even by thinking of God love to find.

The Immeasurable

2012-02-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Every individual person can be measured, but Krishna has already shown that although He also is an individual, the entire cosmic manifestation is within His mouth. All these points considered, Krishna cannot be measured. How then did Yashoda want to measure Him and bind Him? We must conclude that this took place simply on the platform of pure transcendental love. This was the only cause.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.13-14 Purport)

Take the largest object you can imagine and then try to keep in mind its size. This exercise is a little difficult considering the fact that there are land masses so great in scope that you can’t appreciate the impression they make unless you have a bird’s eye view from an airplane or other vehicle flying high above. Not until you see something with your own eyes can you be truly awe-inspired. This explains the purpose for sight-seeing, travelling to landmarks and world wonders to see the scenes in question for only a few brief moments. The experience doesn’t last long, so one might even say that it is easier to just look at the same scenes in pictures, for in either case the association with the object will be temporary. But we like to experience awesome things in person so that their wonder can truly make an impression.

Whatever it is we think is the greatest is actually minute in comparison to the land mass that is the earth. And then the earth is puny compared to the many other planets existing in this solar system. Then all the planets themselves can’t compare to the sun, which is so powerful that we can’t even get close to it. The sun is thousands of miles away, yet even from that distance it has such a tremendous effect on us.

The wonder of space is noticed by the size and scope of physical objects, but there is also time. Look at old pictures of yourself and you can’t imagine how strange the time period shown in them was. Then see and hear about the period of time on earth prior to your birth. Again, the feelings are strange. “What did people do back then? What a great time it must have been? I would love to go back and live through that.” While it may seem interesting, the recent past, perhaps one hundred years ago, is nothing in comparison to the infinitely large time factor. It operates in both directions: past and future. Think of the environment around you right now. In one hundred years everything will seem strange to the people living on earth. They will yearn to travel back in time to what you consider the present.

Take the full breadth of time and space and you get a slight idea of Lord Krishna’s position with respect to the world. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna is unmanifest. This means that from our perspective we cannot see how large and pervasive His energy is. It is said that the deity is the authorized object of worship for the fallen souls in the material world. The deity is made of earthly elements, and through authorized procedures it can accept the obeisances of those looking to see God and connect with Him. The deity is but a small replica of Krishna’s features. Say that the worshipable statue is one foot tall. Does this mean that Krishna is so short? Does this mean that we’re taller than Krishna? In actuality, the Lord is so tall that we could never find enough materials to dress Him properly. His transcendental belly has so much room that we could never properly fill it with sumptuous food preparations.

Despite the fact that Krishna is unmanifest [alakshyam] and beyond the perception of the senses [adhokshaja], in mother Yashoda’s courtyard some five thousand years ago He was bound up to a mortar as punishment for having broken a pot of butter. The relevant details are presented in the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the crown-jewel of Vedic literature, a bhakti-shastra. The difference between any other scriptural work, or shastra, and a work on bhakti is that the Supreme Lord is described in the most complete detail in a bhakti-shastra. In other works Krishna may be described as the Supreme Absolute Truth, the feature of Brahman that is beyond duality. Brahman is explained to be all-pervading, unmanifested to the naked eye. Brahman cannot be perceived by blunt senses or by instruments. No microscope exists that can perceive the size and presence of the spirit soul. We can only go off of outward symptoms.

The Bhagavatam also touches on Brahman and its features, but as it is a bhakti-shastra, it spends more time describing the source of Brahman, Lord Krishna. Despite the fact that He is unmanifest, in His original feature God is still a person. His personality is indescribable; hence the common use of the term “neti neti”, meaning “not this, not that”, in the Vedas. If you took a label maker and went from object to object and noted its relation to the Supreme Absolute Truth, you would have to label everything as “Not God.” After all, how can even the sun, which is composed of the material element of fire, be considered beyond duality? Something which is created must be destroyed, thereby indicating that it is subject to the influence of time and space.

Krishna, on the other hand, is not bound by any force. Time never touches Him, as His spiritual body is always blissful and knowledgeable. He holds a flute in His hands and dazzles the ears of the liberated souls who take their only wealth in life to be Krishna consciousness, the steady stream of transcendental thoughts that can constantly flood the mind through recitation of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

The inconceivably brilliant Krishna appeared on earth in the form of a human child, one that looked like it was subject to birth and death like everyone else. A child is the dependent of the guardians, be they parents or other elderly figures. As a child can be controlled by a loving guardian, so Krishna could be tied to a mortar by His mother, the sweetheart Yashoda, the wife of the king of Vraja, Nanda Maharaja. This incident was so cherished by the reciter of the Bhagavatam, Shukadeva Goswami, that in the shloka that presented it the juxtaposition to Krishna’s all-pervasive and beginning-less and endless position was made.

How was Yashoda able to bind Krishna? Elevated transcendentalists try their best just to see God, what then to speak of controlling Him? As Krishna is beyond past, present, future and the influence of space, the only conclusion is that He allowed Yashoda to bind Him. Children have no ability to pay for expensive vacations or to go to the amusement park, but adults find themselves in these places regardless. Through their loving innocence, the children are able to get the parents to willfully agree to visiting these places.

Krishna is the Supreme Father, so to allow for loving exchanges He agrees to play the part of a naughty child who needs to be punished for His transgressions. The ropes used by mother Yashoda were never long enough, as Krishna retains His amazing features even when in the form of a child. Therefore devotees rightfully look at the deity with the utmost respect. Though in the form of a statue made of resin, wood or stone, the deity is non-different from Krishna. It accepts the offerings of flowers, food and water made to it and returns them as prasadam, or the Lord’s mercy.

The rope became long enough once Krishna allowed it to be. The significance of the incident with mother Yashoda cannot be discussed enough. The beautiful Shyamasundara was more than just intentionally captured by Yashoda’s ropes of loving affection. Shri Krishna would do anything for His devotees, regardless of the time or circumstance. If someone’s only desire is to connect with God in pure innocence, why would the most powerful person deny their request? He will go out of His way to do whatever it takes to please them, even if it means transgressing the social standards He instituted as part of His Vedas. The rules are meant to bring one to Krishna after all, so someone who is already there need not worry about self-realization. We don’t see any mention of Yashoda’s having viewed her son with awe or reverence. She did not sit in meditation or study Vedanta. She had no interest for understanding Brahman, but from her sincerity of purpose, she got to love God without inhibition.

Krishna would have a similar interaction with a devotee later on during His time on earth. This time a princess found herself in trouble and needed Krishna to make her dress infinitely large. As a child being tied by His mother, Krishna first made sure the rope was never the proper size, as what measurement exists that can accurately account for Krishna’s body? With Draupadi, the princess of Panchala and wife of the five Pandava brothers, the situation called for a sari that did not have an end. Draupadi was in the middle of being disgraced in an assembly of kings, who were trying to take off her sari. In utter helplessness, Draupadi prayed to Krishna to save her, and He did so by making sure that no matter how much the kings pulled, her sari would never completely come off. The person who is above matter assumed the form of the largest garment in the world to protect His devotee.

The loving spirit of devotion is best felt through separation, though we may not be fond of this method. Yashoda bound Krishna that day to the mortar, but eventually the Lord would have to be set free and then leave Vrindavana completely. Never to fear, though, as through reliving His pastime and chanting His holy names, that same butter thief can be bound up and remain in our consciousness forever. He can leave anytime He wants to, but since He is won over by pure love, He makes the heart and mind of the devotee His most comfortable residence.

In Closing:

As He has no end and no beginning,

His greatness there is no measuring.

Adhokshaja means His presence cannot measure,

Unmanifest also is Vrindavana’s treasure.

Yet from Yashoda He could not hide,

With ropes of love to mortar she tied.

That He let her only way to explain,

His loss in chase was mother’s gain.

Chant holy name with faith and confidence,

So in your heart Shri Krishna to make residence.

Sea of Sorrow

2012-02-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Having thus considered many kinds of troubling thoughts within his mind again and again, that elephant among monkeys could not cross over his despair.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.48)

evam bahu vidham duhkham manasā dhārayan muhuḥ ||
na adhyagacchat tadā pāram śokasya kapi kunjaraḥ |

If you have a strong affection driving you towards your intended destination, no amount of mental anguish caused by temporary setbacks will stop you in your progression. The intense love means that you don’t need to remember every single slogan fed to the mind through its many travels in life. Strong attachment for meeting another’s interests can help the distressed cross over the sea of sorrow and reach the land of victory. Even if you are unsuccessful, there is no cause for concern, because the dedication will continue nonetheless. It was through this dedication that Shri Hanuman carried forward in his most difficult mission of finding a missing princess.

“Slow and steady wins the race.” This is a famous proverb that is helpful to those who are impatient. “I want it right now. Why can’t I just get it already? How much longer will it take?” These laments are understandable, as the desired outcome is considered so favorable that you just can’t wait until that moment comes when you don’t have to worry about working so hard. This helps to explain how nostalgia operates and why taking the mind into the past can be so comforting. After the fact, the trepidation over the fear of failing is absent. The outcomes of the past are already known, so the experiences can be relished, as opposed to having the mind constantly worry about whether or not a particular set of procedures will produce tangible fruits. Remaining calm also helps to prevent exhaustion, keeping the worker steadily motivated.

“Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” This is a famous proverb that is taught to young children, who are forced to fall asleep earlier than adults. The parents know that their children will not follow any regulation unless it is imposed. Regulation in activity is important to follow at a young age, for it prepares the individual for what they have to face in the real world, when they will have to support themselves. “If my child grows up spoiled, they will expect others to meet their demands. They won’t value hard work and money, and instead they will look to just have fun without paying heed to the consequences of shirking responsibility.”

If the children are taught discipline, to go to sleep at a reasonable time and to wake up early, they will be better suited for accepting instruction, showing up on time to school, and remaining awake and alert throughout the day. An alert child is one that can think more clearly and act more rationally. On the other hand, a child who perpetually falls asleep late at night, has no discipline, and does whatever they want will have tremendous difficulty assimilating to circumstances that are unpleasant. The need for regulation continues into adulthood, as drinking and partying all night are not good if one wants to perform well at work the next day.

“Never give up”. This is a rallying cry that can apply to pretty much every person. This saying is needed because giving up is quite common, as it is the easy way out of any situation. Why keep trying, when you can just quit? Pressure goes away, and with it also the work required to meet the desired end. The safety of inactivity awaits the quitter, thus making the path of least resistance appealing. But afterwards, the reality sets in that the wished for objective could not be attained. Moreover, the quitter doesn’t know if they would have been successful or not, because they didn’t put forth a full effort. They gave up before they knew what their action could potentially bring.

These different slogans are fed into the mind over the course of a lifetime, but they are very easy to forget. If they weren’t, there would be no need to try to conjure them up or have them repeated to us. But why do we forget? If we know that the person who is slow and steady eventually wins whatever race they are running, why do we give way to lamentation when we suffer bumps along the road? If we know that eating in moderation will maintain our physical appearance and help us to avoid bodily discomfort, why do we pig out and eat junk food? If we know that we should never give up, why do we still have a strong attachment, an almost magnetic-like one at that, to the comfortable position on the sidelines of life?

The “why” questions can be asked over and over again until you eventually reach a point where answers are no longer possible, but with respect to the need for the mind to be constantly reminded of cogent facts, the issue is rooted in desire. In a world conducive to forgetfulness of life’s real mission, the satisfaction that results from endeavors is temporary. In more simple terms, whatever we are doing is not making us happy. Since one thing doesn’t give us full satisfaction, we jump to another. As soon as the seed of desire is watered, immediately there is the chance of another desire sprouting. A small fire is much easier to control than a raging one. Similarly, the mind is easier to control when desires are not running about. But as soon as the senses start to constantly seek satisfaction, the thoughts of the mind run rampant.

So how do we control the mind? How do we get the mind to remember the clever slogans that were given to us many times in the past? Though desire constantly arises and thus causes the mind to run around like a pack of horses let loose, desire itself doesn’t have to be renounced. Rather, if it is purified, if it is directed in the proper area, the resulting effects go from being detrimental to beneficial. How does this work exactly? We can take one of the most celebrated divine figures in history and his difficult time in an enemy territory many thousands of years ago to get an idea.

A princess had gone missing. More accurately, she was taken away by force by a powerful king famous around the world for his fighting prowess. Lest we think he won this princess fair and square, this king was actually too afraid to fight the woman’s husband in a fair conflict. Knowing that he would lose to this seemingly ordinary human being roaming the forests after being kicked out of His hometown, the evil king set up a ruse so that he could take away the princess while her husband was not around.

The prince in question was Lord Rama, the jewel of the Raghu dynasty and eldest son of Maharaja Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya. Rama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Lord’s four-armed form residing in the spiritual land of Vaikuntha. Rama had a purpose for roaming the earth: He was to take out Ravana, the demoniac king in question. Ravana had been harassing the innocent people of the world for too long, and because of the boons he had been previously given, he could not be defeated in battle by even the strongest heavenly figures.

But Ravana was not immune to the attacks of human beings. The problem was that no human being had the fighting prowess to stand against Ravana. Therefore Vishnu Himself, after being petitioned by the heavenly figures, decided to come to earth in the guise of a human being to do away with Ravana. With the kidnap of His beautiful wife Sita Devi, Rama had the excuse He needed to take on Ravana in battle. As He was especially dedicated to dharma, Rama did not want to attack the king without just cause.

But first things first. Rama, who was accompanied by His younger brother Lakshmana during their travels in the forest, needed to find out where Sita had been taken. For this Hanuman, the faithful servant of King Sugriva, was required. As a wise member of the administrative class of men, Rama knew the importance of alliances. When looking for Sita, He formed a friendship with Sugriva, who had himself been kicked out of his kingdom and separated from his wife. After helping Sugriva regain his kingdom, Rama enlisted the help of the Vanaras ruled over by Sugriva to find Sita.

Hanuman was the most capable of the Vanaras in Kishkindha, so he eventually made his way to Lanka, Ravana’s kingdom. As Lanka was an island situated far away from the mainland, no one else in Sugriva’s army could reach it. Hanuman was endowed with divine qualities, which included tremendous strength and the ability to increase his stature at will. Assuming a large form and leaping from a mountaintop, Hanuman flew through the air to reach Lanka.

As amazing as this feat was, he still wasn’t close to fulfilling his mission. Now he had to find Sita, whom he had never met. He had to do this without being noticed by the citizens of Lanka, who were loyal to Ravana. Yet Hanuman found a way through this, as he diminished his stature and crawled through the city unnoticed. Despite his ability to search every inch of space unseen, Hanuman still could not find Sita.

Finally, the violent waves from the sea of sorrow started rushing in. Hanuman now began to think of what would happen if he couldn’t find Sita. Pondering the matter over, he decided that if she wasn’t found, Rama and everyone back home would renounce their lives. This meant that Hanuman would be the cause of their deaths; that his failure would lead to a lot more than personal dejection. In this way, through his thoughts he put even more pressure on himself.

Deciding that going back home a failure wasn’t an option, Hanuman contemplated suicide. Rather than deliver the bad news to everyone, he would stay in Lanka and renounce his life. As his mind was frantically rushing through so many thoughts, he quickly realized that this wasn’t a viable option. If he killed himself, there would be many negative consequences, whereas if he remained alive, there was at least the chance of Sita being found.

In the above referenced verse from the Ramayana, we see that all of this thinking weighed heavily on his mind. So many different pieces of information, so many potential outcomes, and he had to decide right then what to do. It’s completely understandable that he would start to feel the pressure. In this troublesome time it was difficult for him to admire how he had just crossed over the ocean, which was an amazing feat. He brushed aside how he had searched through Lanka without being noticed. All the famous slogans were far away from the mind. All he could think about were the consequences and how he had to find Sita.

It was because of love that he eventually forged ahead. He loved Rama more than anything, so that is what kept him going. The sea of sorrow created in his mind was quite vast, but with devotional service to Rama, there is nothing that the devotee cannot cross. It was his devotion to Rama that enabled Hanuman to leap across the ocean, for he wasn’t normally known to exhibit such divine qualities. It was only when he needed them to please Rama, who is God, did he invoke them.

Similarly, when it seemed like his mental demons were going to get the best of him, he remembered his love for Rama and His wife Sita. He crossed over the sea of sorrow by remaining firmly committed to his devotional service. For the living entities struggling in the ocean of material suffering, Hanuman and his wonderful activities are the lifejacket to keep them afloat. His dedication to Rama is the example for everyone to follow, for life’s mission is to become fully devoted to God. There is no other business for the spirit soul, the essence of identity.

In Closing:

In difficult tasks follow the proper pace,

Because slow and steady does win the race.

Fall asleep early, early will you rise,

Makes you healthy, wealthy and wise.

These slogans very easy to forget,

Mind in fever at slight trouble’s onset.

Hanuman couldn’t cross sorrow’s sea,

Felt responsible for success did he.

Devotion to Sita and Rama to help in the end,

On his example let troubled mind always depend.

Resetting The Clock

2012-02-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

The sun is such a central component of life on earth that man revolves his routine around its relative position. The demarcation of a day is based on the full cycle of a rise and set by the sun, and with that day comes the routine of work, leisure, play, interaction, travel, rest, eating, etc. Yet man doesn’t have to do things this way. After waking up in the morning, he could just continue on from the previous day, as if no time had passed, as if the calendar hadn’t rolled onto another day. The routine, though, brings regulation, and regulation brings the ability to achieve a larger stated objective through a methodical process. When that same methodology is applied to fulfilling life’s ultimate mission, that of achieving the perfect consciousness while quitting the body, the rising and setting of the sun turn into welcomed and anticipated events.

Imagine seeing a giant housing structure full of intricacy. There are many floors and rooms, and the layout is such that you can’t begin to imagine how someone thought up the architecture. But someone did indeed envision the plan, which they subsequently put into place through the work of engineers and builders. As they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, the project takes dedication and effort through many days, building little pieces here and there. In one way, forgetting about the big picture can be helpful, for by giving attention to tiny components that should fit perfectly well together, the mind doesn’t get overwhelmed about the length of the project. If someone were to tell us during youth that school would take twelve years to complete and we knew what that meant, we’d likely not want to attend.

Instead, we take one year at a time, focusing on advancing to the next grade. The same pattern is followed in any large scale project. In software application development, there are many complexities that need to be worked out. The enterprise application isn’t built in a day, but through building a solid codebase, adding routines, testing them, redesigning for efficiency and then retesting, eventually a solid program is completed.

According to the Vedas, the oldest scriptural tradition of the world, there is an Absolute Truth, an entity who is beyond duality. The world we live in is filled with polar opposites: heat and cold, light and darkness, success and failure, and birth and death. The Absolute Truth is the entity that is above these dichotomies. He is the same in birth and death, in heat and cold. The relative conditions don’t matter to Him because He is situated in complete knowledge and bliss. As His existence stretches the bounds of time and space, He is eternal.

The human form of body is meant for understanding that Absolute Truth. Indeed, the search for pleasure is rooted in the desire to associate with non-duality, though the feverish worker may not be aware of this fact. The bliss resulting from innovation in technology, from finishing a difficult project, or even from enjoying with friends and family is derived from the inherent relationship every living being has with the Absolute Truth.

The questions remain: how to connect with the Truth and where to find Him? How do we know that the Truth is a He? Doesn’t the masculine delineation make the Truth the opposite of something else, namely the feminine? If we have an opposite, isn’t that a duality? The Absolute Truth is referred to as a male because of its position of dominance. Mutually contradictory attributes must exist in the Supreme Person; otherwise the lack of features would indicate a defect. Man is looking for perfection in a worshipable figure, someone without defects. The daily stories in the news reveal this inner desire of man. A noted inventor, technologist, politician, athlete, or celebrity is propped up to “rock star” status and adored for their achievements. If they should fall, have a slip up, the same adoring media will punish them relentlessly, looking for any way possible to release their hatred.

The perfect being is known as God to most, but the Vedas provide many more names and descriptions for Him. Moreover, the Vedas say that the human brain cannot conceive of God on its own. Man must consult someone who knows the Truth from having both accepted the information from their own spiritual guide and from practicing the regulative principles of freedom. The highest form of religious practice is equated with freedom because through connection with the Absolute Truth, the duality of the phenomenal world ceases to be inhibiting. The sunlight shining bright in the eyes in the morning inhibits the ability to drive and to see what’s up ahead, but this doesn’t mean that the sunshine is bad. It all depends on how one uses the material elements. Through following the regulative principles of freedom, the material elements fulfill their proper purpose to the individual.

“One who can control his senses by practicing the regulated principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord and thus become free from all attachment and aversion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.64)

And what purpose is that? Not surprisingly, it is to help the individual connect with God. The bona fide guru learned from his guru the principles of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. The guru’s chain of disciplic succession must originate with the Absolute Truth; otherwise the information presented will be based on mental speculation, which is flawed. The issue with following any regulative discipline is that the forces of material nature will operate all the same. If my goal is to lose weight, the enticements of sumptuous foods and late-night partying will get in the way of success. If my desire is to study for an important exam, then fatigue, inertia, and the allurements of relaxing without any pressures placed upon the mind can serve as wonderful distractions.

In bhakti practiced in a land conducive to illusion, the distractions are everywhere. The spirit soul has travelled through so many bodies in so many lifetimes that understanding the need for self-realization is rare enough. One who strives for understanding the position of the spirit soul, the essence of identity, is considered very fortunate. Once the sincere soul hears about the Absolute Truth and what’s required to connect with Him, they may accept the bhakti discipline in earnest, but the same past habits borne of attachment to use material elements for enjoyment in the absence of God’s association will still remain.

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 7.19)

In the pursuit for self-realization, for understanding the individual’s identity and how one is meant to be in God’s association, the repetition of days can be very helpful. In a life where one feels trapped, as if they are in a prison, the monotonous days can be too much to take. With the start of each new week, you have to go back to work, immerse yourself in the same arduous tasks from the previous week. The same goes for each new day. You have to shower, eat on time, do your chores, manage the home, keep family members happy, and follow so many other routine engagements just because another day has passed. The weekends and vacations are anticipated for the very reason that time loses its influence. The more the human mind can forget about the pressures that time brings, the more relaxed it will feel.

In bhakti, however, routine things that are monotonous can be turned around into pleasurable dependencies. The passage of time, the repetition of days, suddenly becomes a wonderful boon. The central component of the bhakti-yoga discipline is the chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The recommendation is that one chant this mantra for at least sixteen rounds a day on a set of japa beads. A japa mala consists of 108 beads, and chanting the mantra one time on each bead around the mala equates to one round. Therefore sixteen rounds means saying the mantra many, many times. Once finished with the daily routine, the same procedure must be repeated the next day, and the next, and so on.

But what if we didn’t have that routine, which is built on the passage of time as marked by the relative position of the sun? The opportunity for repeatedly reciting the holy name would go away. The chance to hear the sound of Krishna, which brings to mind the sweet vision of the Supreme Personality of Godhead smiling while holding His flute and giving that innocent glance that is both charming and inviting, would be missed. The most wonderful vision of the Supreme Lord in His form as Rama, holding a bow in His hands and waiting to defend and protect the innocent, receiving the service of Shri Hanuman and delighting in the company of Sita Devi and Lakshmana, would remain far away from the mind.

Chanting is the foundation stone of bhakti-yoga, and it is meant to act as a springboard. From chanting comes hearing. From hearing comes the accumulation of thoughts, ideas for new ways to potentially connect with Krishna, the Supreme Absolute Truth. With other activities, such as visiting a temple, reading a book about Krishna, cooking nice food preparations and offering them to the Lord to become prasadam, and singing along to kirtana songs, new aspects can be added to the routine.

From following a routine, habits develop. It is said that the habits one develops before they reach the age of thirty shape their behavior for the rest of their life. Therefore in the Vedic tradition, students are introduced to Krishna-bhakti as early as possible. There are other methods of self-realization, such as meditation, study of Vedanta, and fruitive work with the results renounced, but they each carry prerequisites. To meditate requires ideal conditions of peace and quiet, Vedanta study demands high intelligence, and fruitive work with detachment depends on knowledge of the impact of the work and the ability to carry out the functions properly.

All bhakti requires, however, is love. This love can be seen in even the child, so someone immature can take to chanting and dancing and be immersed in yoga. The aspect of spirituality that is applicable to the most number of people will be the best, and it will have God represented most fully. The holy name is non-different from Krishna, a truth proved by the fact that anyone can recite the holy name, even if they are unintelligent or unfamiliar with the principles of Vedic teachings.

From following bhakti, the dawn of each new day brings renewed hope, a chance to connect with Krishna again. The new day arrives without our desiring it, so this means that we will continue to get new opportunities in bhakti for as long as we shall so desire them. Just as the lotus flower opens at the sight of the splendorous sun, the sincere servant of the Supreme Lord wakes up every day with bright enthusiasm over their chance to tell their beloved just how much they love Him. At the end of life, that spiritual sunshine is met in His permanent home, with life’s mission fulfilled.

In Closing:

At rising of the bright sun we are glad,

But to repeat misery we are sad.

To man the sun is giver of light and heat,

But each day chores and tasks we must repeat.

Use the passing of days for your benefit,

So that best end you’ll meet after body to quit.

Daily chant maha-mantra rounds that are sixteen,

So that in your mind’s vision Krishna to be seen.

Take every day as giver of chance that is new,

To please the Lord of complexion dark blue.

Dharma-katha

2012-02-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Hearing the words of the king, Vishvamitra complimented him in return. The sage then discussed dharma and his reason for coming there.” (Janaki Mangala, 23)

kausika suni nṛpa bacana sarāheu rājahiṃ |
dharmakathā kahi kaheu gayau jehi kājahiṃ ||

While it’s nice to have peers to share your experiences with, it is more beneficial to be in the company of authority figures who are capable of assertively identifying and revealing the real religious principles, remaining unafraid to discuss them with whoever is worthy. Our friendships are formed for our own immediate satisfaction, as it is beneficial to have people around whom we consider to be equals. Just being able to share experiences with others, to let them know what you are feeling and not have them judge you in return, is such a contributing factor towards mental health that people who lack this association often have to resort to approaching trained professionals to hear their problems. Dharma-katha, or discussion on religious topics, is a primary benefit coming from the brahmana community, and in this interaction the relationship is one between teacher and student. Hearing about dharma is so powerful that even a famous king like Dasharatha stood by quietly and listened attentively while such words came from Vishvamitra, an exalted sage who visited his community.

What would a king have to gain from listening to a person with a long beard who lived in the woods? Can a homeless person give us advice on how to live our lives, which are dependent on technological advancements and involve the constant pressure of having to meet the monthly bills? What would they know about raising a family, tending to matters at work, or maintaining a sound financial footing? The brahmanas of ancient times weren’t poor without cause. They voluntarily accepted a meager lifestyle so that they would have a wealth of knowledge. From distractions in activity, through the feverish pursuit to best our fellow man in competition, a loss of rational thought results.

The first thing to go is proper identification. The country of origin, religious tradition, bank balance, skin color, gender, and so many other factors get used for identification, when in reality such attributes are transient. The bank balance can change quickly, as can the country of residence. Our physical abilities gradually diminish over time, yet we still remain vibrant living beings. Therefore identification must come from something besides the body or external attributes.

A brahmana earns their distinction by knowing Brahman, which is pure spirit. Strip away external appearances and conditions and you’re left with a vibrant energy, a spark of life if you will. Since that spark pervades nature, it can be thought of as a singular collective energy. The Vedas give a name to that force: Brahman. The living beings are all part of Brahman, which means that their identity comes from pure spirit and not external conditions.

Hearing about Brahman is easy, but actually realizing it is a totally different matter. To maintain the proper identification, to not get sidetracked by illusion, the Vedic literature institutes dharma, which can be thought of as religiosity or religious law codes. Dharma actually means an essential characteristic, so when it is used in place of religiosity, the guiding principles are meant to maintain the essential characteristic of Brahman within the living being.

Dharma is flawless, so even the person not willing to accept any philosophy at all can progress in knowledge through following the guiding principles. Not everyone you meet will be up for philosophical discussion. They will sometimes be guided by emotion, the problem of the day. The worldwide news media exploits this tendency. Television news especially caters to emotion rather than intellect. The latest murders, shootings, rapes and statements from politicians are presented as important events, but if you looked at the entire picture from a mathematical point of view, these incidents are trivial. For instance, yesterday the majority of the world lived peacefully, didn’t die, and didn’t have anything horrible happen to them. Yet if only one tragedy occurred, it becomes the most talked about event due to the influence of news providers and their consumers.

Following dharma maintains sobriety of thought within the living being. Each personality type is provided their own religious principles to follow, with the idea being that eventually, maybe even in a future life, full enlightenment will be reached. The brahmanas are already at this stage, and their occupational duties call for teaching others about virtue and how to follow the proper principles. A wise king like Dasharatha was already a devoted soul, so he didn’t need a lecture on dharma. He was a wealthy king, but this didn’t mean that he somehow took his identity from his wealth or his standing in society. Rather, he viewed everything within the framework of his purpose, what role he had to play in upholding dharma for the good of everyone else.

Vishvamitra, a forest-dwelling brahmana, once visited the good king. Dasharatha received him nicely and offered him kind words of praise. The sage complimented the king in return and then discussed matters of duty, or dharma-katha. He also revealed the purpose of his visit. Brahmanas don’t need much for their maintenance. As their aim is to behave righteously and stay connected with Brahman and its source, the Supreme Lord, they can get by with a small amount of land and basic food. In Vedic rituals held by pious kings, the brahmanas were always gifted things so that they didn’t have to work for a living. Gold, jewelry and cows were regularly donated to the priestly class for their benefit.

Vishvamitra didn’t need any of these things from the king, however. He required expert protection, for the terrorist-like night-rangers in the forest were disturbing his adherence to piety. These creatures would appear in the dark with false guises and then attack just at the moment that a fire sacrifice was culminating. In the Vedic tradition a religious sacrifice is known as a yajna, which is another name for God. A sacrifice didn’t have to involve an animal being killed or offered up. A sacrifice generally consisted of a fire, with clarified butter offered as oblations. With a fire sacrifice, the component actions are pure and the presiding deities of creation are pleased. As Lord Krishna points out in the Bhagavad-gita, even though other figures take their portions of the sacrifice, it is the Supreme Lord who is responsible for the rewards distributed by the demigods.

“Endowed with such a faith, he seeks favors of a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.22)

Krishna, or God, is the enjoyer of sacrifice. If one isn’t worshiping Him directly, the Lord still must be present for any of the worshiped personalities to receive their share. In this way sacrifice is very important. It is the backbone of a life dedicated to dharma. In the modern age the most effective sacrifice is known as the sankirtana-yajna, where one regularly recites the holy names: “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

To try to picture what Vishvamitra was going through, imagine sitting in meditation in your room and then getting attacked just as you started to think about God. This was basically what the sages in the forest were facing, as the night-rangers weren’t just attacking but also killing them and then eating their flesh. Dasharatha had jurisdiction over that part of the forest, so Vishvamitra came to request special protection. What the king didn’t know was that the sage had a special protector in mind, He who protects all the fallen souls.

Dasharatha’s eldest son Rama was the same Krishna, the Supreme Lord, in the guise of a human being. Though quite young at the time, Rama was an expert bow warrior. He played the role of a fighter to give pleasure to Dasharatha’s family line, the Ikshvakus, and protect the surrendered souls, the pious brahmanas, living in the forest. Dasharatha would rather die than part with Rama, but since he lived dharma, since he swore to uphold it, since he praised Vishvamitra with the sweetest words, he had no choice but to agree to the request.

From that acquiescence Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana would accompany the good sage into the forest. As a brahmana thoroughly understands Brahman and how to maintain realization of it, Vishvamitra’s dharma-katha continued when he was in the company of the two boys. They would make sure to regularly tend to the sage and perform their morning and evening prayers. In return, the sage would speak to them about dharma, narrating ancient stories of historical incidents relating to God. How amazing is Lord Rama? His pastimes are so wonderful that even He likes to hear about them.

Vishvamitra would also impart on the boys confidential mantras to be used in fighting. Rama is the creator of the universe and Lakshmana His eternal servant, so they don’t require any aid in fighting. Nevertheless, to add to Vishvamitra’s stature, to prove just how important discussing dharma and teaching it to others is, they listened attentively, as if they were ignorant on the matter. Maintaining that veil of ignorance, the boys would enter King Janaka’s kingdom on the day of a grand sacrifice, where Janaka’s daughter would wed whoever could lift the extremely heavy bow given by Lord Shiva. The maintainer of dharma, Dasharatha, listened to the words of the speaker of dharma, Vishvamitra, and thus ensured that the object of dharma, Shri Rama, could lift Shiva’s bow and reunite with His eternal consort, Sita Devi. In this way attention to dharma always pays, as it is beneficial for both those who follow it and those who hear about it.

Vishvamitra didn’t need to provide a reason for his visit to Ayodhya, but he did so to let Dasharatha know that he wasn’t just taking his son away without cause. Moreover, Dasharatha didn’t need to worry about whether or not the request was appropriate, for by hearing about dharma, the king was reminded of his duty to uphold it. The most elevated brahmanas live bhagavata-dharma, or devotional service, so their cogent requests should never be denied, especially by one who is capable of meeting them. The king would benefit from his wise decision by receiving Sita as a daughter-in-law and giving countless future generations the opportunity to bask in the glory of the couple’s marriage story.

In Closing:

About dharma the brahmana speaks,

Others about purpose in life to teach.

These discussions attentively hear,

Cycle of birth and death no longer fear.

Praise and honor Vishvamitra earned,

The kind words of king he did return.

Sacrifices of sages night-rangers did harm,

Thus needed Rama, He of mighty arms.

Because King Dasharatha finally did agree,

Splendid marriage of Sita and Rama world to see.

Be Your Own Scientist

2012-02-05T21:00:00.000-05:00

“In our Krishna consciousness movement, we have recommended that the neophyte chant at least sixteen rounds. This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one wants to remember Krishna and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master's order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 22.113 Purport)

The proponent of bhakti-yoga, which is the spiritual discipline following a mood of devotion directed at the Supreme Absolute Truth’s position as a personality, recommends that chanting the holy names is the best way for attaining realization of the self in the modern age. Specific acharyas, who lead by example in their quest to distribute the glories of bhakti to others, have more specific recommendations, targeted practices that can be implemented by anyone, removing some of the doubts associated with where to go next in the quest for enlightenment. The central practice, the one which all other rules and stipulations depend on, is the chanting of the maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, for at least sixteen rounds a day.

Chanting this mantra is difficult for someone who is not accustomed to reciting words derived from the Sanskrit language. In the beginning it is recommended that one recite the mantra very slowly so that they properly enunciate the words, enabling the ears to hear the sounds and soak in the spiritual nectar. From the requirement for deliberation can come the immediate fear relating to how one will ever be able to follow sixteen rounds as a daily routine. “It takes me forever to finish just one round, which is 108 recitations of the mantra. How am I going to find time to finish sixteen in one day? And say that I do accomplish the feat once, how can I continue that day after day? I don’t think I can do it. There must be some other way for self-realization. What if I chant another mantra? What if I chant just eight rounds and focus the rest of my time on other pious acts?”

While this rationalization may seem valid, there is no reason for the outright rejection of the sixteen-round recommendation, especially since it was first instituted by Lord Chaitanya, the preacher incarnation of Godhead and saint most effective at disseminating the glories of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Lord, to the masses. The efforts of His disciples and descendants further add to Lord Chaitanya’s glory, revealing His true power in getting others to awaken their dormant love for Godhead. The human brain is quite powerful, so much so that it can conduct miniature scientific experiments throughout the day. If that dedication to science is applied to the bhakti field, and specifically to the chanting recommendation, through experience one can not only elevate themselves to the position of chanting sixteen rounds daily, but they can be firmly convinced of the necessity of the practice.

How does this work exactly? In any activity that you take up, you have a resultant reaction. For instance, if you decided to eat at a particular restaurant one night, depending on what you pick from the menu, you can notice the reaction that follows. If you visit the restaurant in the future, applying tight controls on the experiment you can see if the same reaction comes from following the same behavior. We already perform these little experiments in our mind all the time, even if we’re not consciously aware of it. Taking a different route to work in the morning is a sort of experiment, with the measurable result being the amount of time it takes to get to the office. If the new route, the change to the otherwise controlled environment, consistently yields better results, behavior will be altered permanently.

In the arena of bhakti, instead of dismissing the chanting recommendation, one can try to increase the number of rounds recited daily and see what effect it has on life. Start off with dedicated chanting of just one round, repeating the routine the same way, at the same time, day after day. If the time of day chosen doesn’t yield benefits, pick another time. The human being develops habits through behavior, so if the habits are beneficial, one can follow pious behavior without consciously thinking about it. Just as getting up on time is a force of habit based on obligations, one can make recitation of the holy name for one round on a set of japa beads a sort of involuntary behavior.

To be able to retain the results of the scientific experiments within the mind, sobriety is required. Therefore accompanying the chanting recommendation is the restriction on meat eating, intoxication, gambling and illicit sex. Seems rather restrictive, but every recommendation exists for a reason. It is not just that one preacher decided he would scan his light of righteousness upon everyone and mark as many people sinners as possible. Something is a sin based on the negative effect it has on consciousness. As the boon of the human birth is the ability to find the highest bliss through transcendental association, whatever behavior prohibits that attainment should be avoided.

Once the chanting of the maha-mantra for one round daily becomes a habit, another round can be added on. The key, however, is to make sure that the number doesn’t ever diminish, for that will foil the experiment. If the controls are not tightly maintained, there is no chance of the results being worthwhile. The second round doesn’t have to come at the same time as the first round. The perseverant devotee can try different timings and routines to see what can be done to fit both rounds into a single day. Once the two rounds of chanting becomes a routine, a third round can be added, and so on.

The wonderful thing about following this routine is that we already know what results to expect. So many people have reached the platform of chanting the maha-mantra for sixteen rounds daily, and they love it so much that no amount of money will make them give it up. Instead, they look for even more ways to connect with God in bhakti. There is the offering of food preparations to the deity manifestation within the home or temple. There is the singing of songs congregationally with others. There is dancing to the songs and reading books about Krishna. The chanting routine only opens up so many other avenues, though it is never abandoned by the serious spiritualist.

Though we can take the word of the practicing devotee as authority, still the doubting mind needs convincing. Therefore through our own scientific experiments, tweaking the daily routine and finding what works, we can reach a stage of purity that is not found through any other endeavor. The feverish pursuit for material success attacks one’s honesty and compassion. Review the great entrepreneurs and businessmen of the past and you’ll see that they were quite brutal on many of their workers, not tolerating any blemishes or subpar effort. In business, bending the truth, acting harshly, negotiating with toughness, and trying to destroy your competitors are par for the course, almost requirements for success. Yet for all that effort, only material success is attained, which vanishes at the time of death.

In bhakti there is a similar pursuit for success, except one becomes purified of all vices and character flaws during the process. The necessary ingredient is sincerity. The more one is sincere in their service to Krishna and the spiritual master, the more they will get out of the process. The topmost transcendentalist is referred to as a paramahamsa, which means that they can extract the sweet nectar out of anything in life. Notice that the topmost spiritualist isn’t he who can find new ways to criticize others. That can be done by anyone, even the most ignorant hater. The truly enlightened see God’s influence everywhere and can appreciate everything He has to offer.

More importantly, the paramahamsa knows how to extract the topmost loving sentiments, the undying spark for transcendental action, from within everyone. That is a definition of a true saint. A saintly character is one who sees good in others and tries to help them, but the best saint is one who sees everyone with an equal vision and knows their true potential for serving Krishna, which makes both the Lord and the worshiper happy.

Question: What if I get to sixteen rounds and still don’t see any results?

What should the spiritualist do if they reach the sixteen round routine and still don’t find any results? It should be noted that there is no such thing as a utopia, even in spiritual life. The uniqueness of bhakti is that time and space have no influence. Time is the agent for change, causing misery when there is happiness and dissipating the sadness that comes from separation and loss. In bhakti, there is the eternal link to Krishna, so even separation can become a time of joy. The perceived loss of Krishna’s association only strengthens one’s mental attachment to Him. And since Krishna is absolute, thinking of Him is just as good as being by His side.

The most important barometer in bhakti practices is the change in behavior and how much Krishna is within the consciousness. If through chanting and following the regulative principles one is more in control of their senses, less angry, more determined to reach Krishna, less attached to material objects, and more appreciative of their spiritual guides, then progress is being made. If there are still issues in these areas, chanting still should not be abandoned. There is no loss on the yogi’s part, especially if they are sincere in bhakti. This is validated by Krishna Himself in the Bhagavad-gita.

“The Blessed Lord said: Son of Pritha, a transcendentalist engaged in auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in this world or in the spiritual world; one who does good, My friend, is never overcome by evil.” (Bhagavad-gita, 6.40)

In any other area of endeavor, failure to complete the tasks results in a waste of effort, or a total loss. Perhaps there are some lessons learned about what not to do and some experience gained, but the object only half constructed has no value. On the other hand, in bhakti there is progress in terms of knowledge and temperament and also the house of devotion, wherein one keeps Krishna within their heart to be remembered and honored daily. Thus making an experiment out of bhakti and tweaking the procedures to meet the stated objective is always worthwhile, something every intelligent human being can take up and then monitor for progress.

In Closing:

Follow the same path to work day after day,

Let me try something new, a different way.

If my commute does improve this move,

Then going forward to use me it behooves.

In bhakti recommendation is holy name to chant,

Recite mantra daily even if you think you can’t.

Vow of one round daily first to take,

Add on later, see what effect it makes.

What can be the harm, in chanting no cost,

To see God soon, no chance of loss.

Let Me Stay

2012-02-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

“There are many faults associated with ending my life, and if I remain alive I can find all-auspiciousness. Therefore, I will keep my life-breath, for by living success is assured.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.47)

vināśe bahavo doṣā jīvan prāpnoti bhadrakam ||
tasmāt prāṇān dhariṣyāmi dhruvo jīvati samgamaḥ |

In distress the bewildered man calls out to death personified, who he knows lives just inside of him, ready to come out at any moment. Addressing “death”, the man wonders if death can hear him calling. “Can you hear me? Won’t you come and take me away? I have suffered enough. I’ve done all I can to try to find success in life, but it’s of no use anymore. I know that you’re lurking around the corner, so just arrive here, right now, and end my suffering.” On the flip side, when times are good, when there is attachment to the life one has grown accustomed to since the time of birth, the plea is to have just a few more years. “Won’t you let me stay? Why do you have to take me away at this very moment?” Enjoyment and renunciation toggle back and forth, but through following a specific course of behavior, the mind can be properly situated and realize the reason for existence.

Why worry about either extreme? If death lives inside of us and is going to arrive, why worry about it? It’s like trying to control the temperature outside and stop the seasons from coming, both of which can never happen. In its struggles through life, the human being constantly accepts and rejects, like a swinging pendulum that operates on a fixed schedule. First there is the acceptance of the body, which takes place within the womb of the mother. Entry into the new, strange world brings the acceptance of parents and familial relationships.

The discovery process follows, wherein objects of the senses are noted and made use of. Yet at a young age, small children start to reject things, as they are given new toys which they don’t play with much. The tendency is for relatives and friends to buy toys for newborns, but the parents aren’t particularly fond of this. Seeing their child every day, they know that the interest in a new toy doesn’t last very long. The child may delight in the gift for one or two days, but after a while their interest will wane, leading them to discard the toy in favor of a new one.

The same acceptance and rejection occurs on a larger scale as the human being matures into adulthood. What throws a wrench into the mix is the knowledge of impending death. At some point in their life, the sober adult human being realizes their mortality. Seeing that their ancestors have passed on, they realize that at some point in the future, maybe even a long time from the present, they will be forced to renounce everything.

The constant struggles through acceptance and rejection, the hard work that goes into maintaining the body, and the pressures to repeatedly follow prescribed duties can become too much to take after a while. Especially when there is failure, the distressed worker may wonder what the purpose is to their existence. “Why do I constantly have to work? I’ve done enough in my life. Can’t I just live in peace? If I’m going to keep failing, I might as well renounce my body and thus remove the source of distress.”

On the flip side you have attachment to enjoyment. Eat, drink and be merry every single day and don’t worry about the future implications. Obviously there are consequences to every action, but not bearing the burden of the potential impact on future conditions can give some peace of mind. Nevertheless, irrespective of one’s viewpoint death arrives eventually. Therefore the need to find the proper engagement should always be the primary aim.

Can we say definitively that one set of activities is superior? Whether one wants to die or remain alive, what is the difference if the outcome will be the same? Existence is there for a reason. There is a purpose to our growth cycles, our repeated struggles through life. One way to realize this fact is to study every single behavior we’ve ever shown and try to decipher the root cause. “Okay, so I did this during my youth. Then later on I did that. Now, as an adult I regularly do this. What was I thinking when I first started out in each of these ventures?”

This sort of scientific analysis can be very tedious, as outside help will also be required. Sometimes we may forget why we took a certain action. Input from our friends and family can help, as they may remember what we told them prior to our involvement in a particular endeavor. Enthusiasm is shared with friends and family, so in this sense it turns out to be beneficial. They may remember certain things that we have totally forgotten about now.

Another route to figuring out information about the root cause is to accept it from authority. This is how we acquire many of the key pieces of information in life already. Indeed, we know that death will occur based on authority. We know from the authority of our sense perceptions and the past recorded sense perceptions passed on to us that everyone who has ever lived eventually died. We don’t know about death ourselves, for we have no memory of ever dying. We take it as a fact based on the words given to us by others and the visible results we see with our eyes. Noting down the outcomes, we see that as human beings, we are similar in makeup to the people who have died. Thus if they had to suffer death, the same fate will surely await us.

This method of knowledge gathering can also be used to figure out the reason for our existence. Take someone else’s experience, note down their thoughts, and then see if we are similar to them. If we can apply the same principles to our own lives, then we can learn the meaning of life directly from their experiences. This is much easier than trying to study every action that we have ever performed. That being said, where do we go to get this information? How do we decide who is worthy of acting as an authority figure, someone we can learn from?

Let’s take one example and see if it can apply to us. Many thousands of years ago, a royal kingdom was buzzing over a contest about to take place. The ruler of this kingdom had a beautiful daughter whose family ancestry was not known. Technically this girl was the king’s adopted daughter, as he had found her one day while ploughing a field. He could have left the baby girl in the ground or given her to someone else to raise, but immediately upon holding her in his arms, he knew that she was his daughter. Lest we think that this king was attached to family life or to his senses, he was actually famous around the world for being a great transcendentalist, one who had limited the influence of the senses.

What do we mean by the senses and their influence? Just imagine going through every day being perpetually hungry. Imagine always craving sex life, at every second. Imagine being unable to live for even a few hours without getting drunk. Imagine being so mentally distressed that you had to gamble on every game that was being played. These conditions are all the result of the influence of the senses, which, when left uncontrolled, can carry away the good mind of the sober person.

“There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.16)

In the Bhagavad-gita, one of the most famous scriptural works in history, it is said that a yogi is one who neither sleeps too much nor too little. He also doesn’t overindulge in eating, nor does he starve himself. In one sense, every person is taught the principles of yoga to some degree or another. Even if they are not taught them, they figure out some of the key principles on their own eventually. For instance, driving drunk is considered very dangerous behavior. The biggest alcoholic knows that it’s not a good idea to drink too heavily if they have to drive. Inebriation is merely an effect imposed by the senses; hence one who avoids getting overly intoxicated is following some sort of regulation.

Similarly, we know that if we don’t sleep enough the night before, we will be tired throughout the day. The same applies for eating too much or too little. If we don’t eat enough, the senses will attack us with hunger throughout the day. If we eat too much, we’ll have indigestion, lethargy, and overall weight gain. The senses are what drive us towards these different behavioral extremes, so by learning to control the senses, we can reach a favorable position.

The king in question was known as Videha, which means one who is outside of their body. Through the practice of yoga, the spirit soul, the essence of identity, becomes aloof to the senses. Instead of following the immediate demands for eating, sleeping, mating and defending, the yogi can control his behavior and remain fixed in calmness, peace, tranquility, and sobriety. The soul is not attached to the senses, so no amount of sense indulgence can bring true happiness. Yoga is practiced to limit the influence of the harmful effects of material existence, i.e. to remove distresses.

Though this king was an expert yogi who didn’t get too happy or too sad, he was warmed to the heart when he picked up this little girl. He immediately harbored affection for her, as he wiped the dust off of her body. Being childless, the king immediately desired to take the girl in as his daughter. As if the higher authorities knew what he was thinking, a voice from the sky appeared on the scene to let the king know that the girl he found was indeed his daughter in all righteousness, or dharma. In that particular time period, which was a long time ago, adherence to the principles of religion, or occupational duty, was the guiding force in life for the pious kings. This particular ruler was often described as dharma-atma, or righteous souled.

“Since he was childless, and due to affection for me, he placed me on his lap and said, ‘This is my child.’ Thus he developed feelings of love and affection for me.” (Sita Devi speaking to Anasuya, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 118.30)

When the girl was brought back to his kingdom, the king and his wife raised her as their own daughter. When the time came for her marriage, however, the king was caught in a bind. On the one hand, as a soul devoted to dharma, the king had to get his daughter married; otherwise he would invite scorn from friends and family. For a king famous throughout the world for his mastery of yoga and adherence to religious principles, scorn based on deviations from righteous behavior is the worst kind of punishment. This ridicule would be rooted in his attachment to his daughter, which would stain his reputation.

On the other hand, the king didn’t know who the girl’s biological parents were. In those times the marriages were all arranged, as dharma called for women to be protected by men. The father would have loved to protect his daughter throughout her life, but there was the age difference. The king would likely pass on before the daughter, so who would take care of her in old age? Therefore marriage was necessary, with the father always looking to find an appropriate match in a groom. The boy’s qualities should be compatible with the girl’s, and he should come from a nice family.

Not being able to do an appropriate comparison of the astrological signs at the time of birth, the king settled upon a compromise. Previously he had been handed down a famous bow that was practically impossible to lift. He decided that he would hold a self-choice ceremony, where his daughter’s hand in marriage would be given to whoever could lift the bow. From her personal qualities, the daughter was worthy of the most chivalrous husband, so what better way to find the worthiest prince than to have them lift the famous bow?

As the news of the contest went out, seemingly all the royal kingdoms from around the world arrived to take their stab at becoming aligned with this famous king and his family. Like an assembly line, one by one valiant princes came and tried their hand at lifting the bow. Yet each of them went away dejected, as they couldn’t even move the bow. Just as one prince left a failure, another would immediately come in to fill his place in the rangabhumi, or arena. Yet he too would fail.

Then a famous sage and two handsome youths arrived on the scene. One boy was dark in complexion and the other was fair. The women of the town had gathered on that day to see the bow-lifting contest, as they too were very attached to the king’s daughter, wanting her to get married to the most suitable husband. Seeing these two youths, the women couldn’t help but be enamored. They remarked to one another, “Seeing these two young men our entire bodies are filled with bliss. Indeed, the fruit of our existence has arrived today upon seeing these two.”

The older youth, who was dark in complexion, would try to lift the bow. The younger brother was not a candidate for marrying the princess, because if the elder one were unsuccessful in lifting the bow, he would never even make an attempt. The younger seemed so devoted to the elder that he would never show up his brother. Thus the townspeople desperately hoped to have the darker one win the contest. He gave them so much delight just by His vision. If He would win the contest, then both brothers would join the family.

These two youths were Rama and Lakshmana, sons of the famous king of Ayodhya, Maharaja Dasharatha. They were travelling through the forests with the venerable Vishvamitra Muni, a sage whose sacrifices were being disturbed by the miscreant element of society. Upon the request of the king holding the ceremony, the trio was invited to come and observe the festivities.

The host king was Maharaja Janaka of Mithila and his daughter in whose honor the ceremony was being held was Sita Devi. Thus the women captivated by the sight of Rama and Lakshmana wanted Sita to be married to Rama. Some even began to worry that their preferred outcome wouldn’t happen. They wanted Rama to marry Sita so badly that they began to privately curse the king for having made his promise. “What if someone else comes and lifts the bow? What if, just like the rest of the princes, Rama can’t move the famous bow?”

From the remarks of the women, we see that they knew that the reason for living, the fruit of their existence, was revealed on that day from the vision of Rama and Lakshmana. They were on to something, as they weren’t exaggerating in their comments. From the ancient texts of India, the Vedas, we learn that Rama and Lakshmana are divine personalities. Lord Rama is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the person most of us refer to as God. Lakshmana is His dear friend, His eternal associate in the spiritual sky. Thus just by having a strong affection for the vision of Rama and Lakshmana, not holding any envy towards them and basically loving them without motive, the observing women realized the reason for their existence. Because of their pure motives, and also because of Sita’s divine nature, Rama would indeed lift the bow and win the hand of Janaka’s daughter in marriage.

We can take it on the authority of the women in Mithila what our reason for existence is. But the mind tends to doubt, and it also forgets things very quickly. Therefore, for further substantiation, we can look to the above referenced sentiment from Shri Hanuman. After Sita and Rama would be married in a grand ceremony, they would spend much time together, eventually roaming the forests of India. During that time Sita would be taken away from Rama’s side by the king of Lanka named Ravana. The king did this by temporarily luring Rama and Lakshmana away from Sita’s side. In His subsequent search for His wife, Rama formed an alliance with a band of forest dwellers in Kishkindha.

Their lead warrior was Hanuman, who later found himself all alone in Lanka, looking for Sita. Just like the women in Mithila, Hanuman fell in love with Rama and Lakshmana from meeting them the first time. This tells us that Hanuman is no ordinary person, for a spontaneous transcendental attraction towards God is very difficult to acquire upon first glance. The real purpose of yoga is to limit the influence of the senses to the point that the mind can relish the transcendental topics describing the Supreme Lord, His various incarnations, and their activities. God is a singular entity, but according to time and circumstance, He manifests Himself differently. In this particular time, God took the spiritual form of a warrior prince. In the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the crown jewel of Vedic literature, it is said that the incarnations of the Supreme Lord never actually assume or reject forms. They simply appear on the scene when the time is right. The conditioned souls don’t know what formless actually means, thus they describe the incarnations according to their visual appearances.

Though Hanuman had never met Sita, he knew that since she was married to Rama she was someone special. Therefore Hanuman tried his hardest to find her, searching practically every inch of space in Lanka. Yet he was unsuccessful. This is when doubt started to creep into his mind. What if he never found her? How could he live with himself if he returned to Kishkindha and gave everyone the heartbreaking news? In his mind, Hanuman decided that news of his failure would bring the destruction of everyone back home, of all of his friends and family. Hence he settled upon just resigning his body. He was essentially choosing the “death, take me now”, option.

Previously he had been eager to act, as he had leaped across the ocean and bravely entered enemy territory without being noticed. Normally the renunciation attitude comes after the attachment leads to unhappiness. This wasn’t the case with Hanuman, though. He enjoyed working in devotion to please Rama. He contemplated suicide because he felt like a failure in serving Rama. In this way his actions in Lanka were not part of fruitive activity at all. Just as Janaka was a true yogi even when he had an attachment to Sita, Hanuman was always in yoga even while contemplating quitting his body over failing to find Sita.

Just like Janaka, Hanuman’s transcendental affection would lead him in the proper direction. In the above referenced verse from the Ramayana, we see that Hanuman changed course by properly considering the matter over. He tells himself that quitting at this point in time would bring so many negative consequences, while remaining alive would at least keep some hope for seeing a positive future outcome. He’s basically deciding between life and death, the reason for continuing on. If he quit, if he demanded death to come, the chances of Sita being rescued would go away. Moreover, the people back home possibly would never find out what had happened to him. Hanuman was blessed in his youth with the ability to choose the time of his death, so special was his character. Therefore if he wanted to die, he simply had to summon death and he would be taken away.

On the other hand, if he remained alive, there was a chance at success. That victory would bring pleasure to both Sita and Rama, as well as to all the forest dwellers, his extended family, back home in Kishkindha. Thus we see that the purpose to one’s existence is not to satisfy the senses, but rather to feel bliss through service. This happiness is of the transcendental variety; hence it never fizzles out. It is so wonderful that it keeps the soul within the body fully craving transcendental association. The women in Mithila realized the fruit of their existence, and Hanuman showed that that fruit is worth tasting. When he had the vital force still within his body, while he still had the chance to see Rama’s smiling face, Hanuman desired to maintain his life and continue fighting on in devotion.

That same vision of the Supreme Lord in constant happiness can be seen by one who regularly practices bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Devotion can manifest in any type of activity; it can come from seeing the Lord as a youth about to lift a bow and also by looking for His wife in enemy territory. Should these rare opportunities not be available to us, we can always hold on to the holy names, the sound vibration representations of the Supreme Lord. The two best names for God are “Krishna” and “Rama” and they are nicely sequenced together in the maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. As long as we have the ability to recite this sacred formula, our life is worth living. Death will come regardless, but while we have the chance to stay in our body, we should taste the wonderful fruit of our existence by feeling the bliss that comes from associating with God. This was the path taken by Hanuman, and for his dedication he was rewarded with success. He would go on to find Sita and help Rama in rescuing her. Just being able to hear about Hanuman is reward enough for having taken birth.

In Closing:

If enjoying life ask death to let me stay,

Otherwise welcome it, take me away.

But there is a purpose, reason to exist,

To find bliss pure consciousness must persist.

In Mithila women Rama and brother did see,

Gave so much pleasure, like wish-fulfilling tree.

Hanuman found pleasure in time of trouble,

Contemplated death, but effort instead redoubled.

Take steps now before death does arrive,

Chant holy names, pleasure to derive.

Sannyasa At Home

2012-02-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

“The grihastha ashrama, or the shelter of spiritual family life, is as good as the life of a sannyasi, a member of the renounced order. Regardless of whether one is a householder or a renunciate, the important point is that of relevant inquiries.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Science of Self-Realization, 1f)

The structure you’re trying to support with your work determines the influence that the work will have on your overall consciousness, which is the determining factor in one’s disposition, positive or negative. Whether one is working on an assembly line and going through the motions or starting a brand new computer company at a time when the personal computer doesn’t even exist, it is the influence on consciousness that determines whether the work applied is worthwhile. When supporting the highest aim, that which keeps consciousness pure, even ordinary work can become a source of great pleasure.

In Vedic culture, the sannyasa ashrama is held in high esteem. Based on the conditions required to maintain this order we can see the obvious benefits. Sannyasa equates to renunciation, and specifically to giving up ties to the spouse. From the relationship to the spouse come so many obligations of family. Family responsibilities require that one has to support a household, which means that one has to work for many years. When one is obligated to do something, their time is immediately occupied in affairs that aren’t necessarily enjoyable. If it is my desire to play on the beach all day or just travel to different destinations, I obviously can’t do these things if I have to work to support my family.

Sannyasa relieves the most pressing of these obligations, as the order is typically accepted after one has been married for many years. When the spouse can be taken care of by the children, a person can accept the renounced order and be free from family obligations. Nevertheless, as it is an ashrama, or spiritual institution, sannyasa is meant to further the highest goal of attaining pure God consciousness by the time of death. Human beings have a higher intelligence for a reason. Without the ability to contemplate on God and achieve His association, the life of an animal is preferable, as there are minimal worries.

“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.5)

With the release of obligations, a sannyasi can dedicate more time to devotional efforts, such as chanting the holy names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, assimilating Vedic wisdom, and travelling from place to place disseminating information about bhakti-yoga. Bhakti, or devotion, is the soul’s most pleasurable occupation and when it is tied to yoga, the love is directed at the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Through their position, the sannyasi acquires the highest gravitas. His message calling for exclusive devotion to God carries the most weight because he lives a renounced life. If I am overweight and talk to people about the benefits of exercise and eating healthy, obviously my message will not be taken very seriously. In a similar manner, if someone is attached to material existence, working hard to maintain a home revolved around sense gratification, the message that bhakti-yoga is the highest discipline for mankind will be more difficult to accept. A sannyasi has no source of income; they purposefully travel from one place to another, not staying for too long anywhere they expect to get good accommodations. Though the changing modern times have loosened some of the restrictions on the sannyasa order, the main purpose to the ashrama remains the same: dedicating one’s life completely to serving God.

So what about the family man? Is he lost? Does he have no chance for self-realization because he must work? As mentioned before, we accept work to support a certain goal. The grihastha ashrama, or married householder life, is not held in as high esteem as the sannyasa order because one must mix with fruitive activity to maintain their home. There is a risk in this, for if the goals start shifting towards increasing the luxuries at home, at having indulgence in sense gratification over anything else, the consciousness gets contaminated during the application of work.

If contamination does occur, the remedy is not to suddenly abandon the home and take up the life of a mendicant. Rather, if the primary occupational practice within the home is shifted towards bhakti-yoga, then even the fruitive work becomes pure. For instance, if I work hard to maintain a home where regular chanting of the holy names takes place, where sumptuous food preparations are offered to the deity representation of the Supreme Lord residing in a place in the home, then my work is actually part of yoga. In fact, everything that I do to support that lifestyle, from eating properly to sleeping on time, becomes a component of that yoga as well.

Who would ever think that arriving in the office and answering your emails and phone calls would be an act of yoga? Typically, the ancient discipline is associated with sitting in strange postures and travelling to remote destinations where one can meditate with limited distractions. The mind is the central focus of yoga, as its link to the divine consciousness forges a bond that produces bliss. Whatever state of being one remembers at the time of death, they attain that state in the next life. So whoever keeps the link to the divine consciousness active while exiting the body attains the company of the Lord in the next life.

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

A person who works for serving the Supreme Lord, for creating a spiritual atmosphere in their place of residence, who never flinches in their devotion, actually lives the life of a sannyasi though they may not have the necessary robes. The sannyasi is a traveller after all, going from place to place to deliver the news from the transcendental realm. That message is required because without accepting information from a chain of disciplic succession that originates at the beginning of time, mankind will continue to speculate on the nature of the Absolute Truth. That speculation will never reach a concrete conclusion, for without authority any person’s guess is as good as another’s.

Picture being in a room with other people when suddenly the lights go out. In the dark, the room’s occupants can speculate as to what’s going on externally, but no one can actually be sure that what they are saying is true. On the other hand, when the light is present, the same objects around the room can be described in a multitude of ways, with each person’s description being valid since they understand the actual nature of the objects about which they speak.

The human mind alone is incapable of understanding the Supreme Absolute Truth because of duality. Can we imagine something that is white and black at the same time? What about a form that has hands and at the same time doesn’t? These are some of the features that describe the Supreme Absolute Truth, who is both formless and with form. The absence of a form can only take place when there is a form that gets removed, sort of like how darkness only enters when light dissipates.

“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 9.4)

In the Bhagavad-gita, the object of sacrifice, the Supreme Absolute Truth in His personal form, describes how He pervades the material existence with His impersonal aspect, which doesn’t have a form visible to the eyes. God resides within us as the Supersoul, but we don’t see Him. We can’t even see the individual soul within the body, which represents our identity, so how are we going to notice God’s unmanifested form?

The Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic scriptures describe the personal forms of the Lord which have appeared on this planet many times throughout the years. Spiritualists worship these personal forms, which are described as avataras of Bhagavan. Even if one doesn’t know the Absolute Truth’s personal form, they are still worshiping Him all the same, though that worship doesn’t bring personal association. Only the devotee connects with Bhagavan, for the Supreme Lord appears on the scene to validate their dedication. A long time ago, a famous five-year old son of a king was being tortured by his atheist father. Prahlada Maharaja was dedicated to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his father Hiranyakashipu didn’t like this. Prahlada tried to explain to his father that God was inside of him as well, but the father wouldn’t listen. Rather, he mocked Prahlada and sarcastically asked if his God were in the pillar situated next to them. Prahlada said “yes”, and immediately the Supreme Lord in the form of Narasimhadeva appeared on the scene and did away with Hiranyakashipu.

The impersonal aspect of the Supreme Lord pervades the material creation, and the unmanifested Supersoul is also within every living creature, but these features did not appear on the scene to protect Prahlada. Rather, the Supreme Lord, in a personal form, appeared from a pillar to show that He is a personality, someone with features that are astonishing in their abilities. These features are all-attractive and all-good. Though Narasimhadeva killed Hiranyakashipu with His nails, that act of violence is wonderful to remember, as it showed God’s dedication to protecting those who surrender everything to Him.

Whether one is a householder or a sannyasi, dedication to bhakti-yoga is what matters. Our work supports a specific end, and if that end involves bhakti-yoga, the hard work that we apply will always be worth it. The Personality of Godhead hears the heartfelt cries of His holy name coming from His devotees, just as the mother of a newborn calf rushes to the scene and produces milk for her dependent child. The spiritual association is the greatest reward in life, for it is the only link that doesn’t sever at the time of death. Krishna remains with those who love Him, regardless of the specific work they may take up to please Him.

In Closing:

Sannyasi high gravitas to gain,

By no longer in home to remain.

From fruitive work’s full rejection,

No more duties or obligations.

But all work just meant to further an end,

The structure of home on our work depends.

For purification just change your goal,

Glories of God in home do you extol.

To love Krishna like Prahlada make life’s aim,

Personal divine association to gain.

What To Give

2012-02-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

“O Prabhu, you fulfill all desires and give the four fruits of existence. Understanding that, I am fearful of what I could possibly give to you.” (Janaki Mangala, 22)

tumha prabhu pūrana kāma cāri phaladāyaka |
tehiṃ teṃ būjhata kāju ḍarau munidāyaka ||

Just imagine being the wealthiest person in the world, capable of going into any area and taking property because of your ability. Then picture coming up to someone else and telling them that you can’t give them anything valuable. Your statement isn’t one based on sentiment and it is not rooted in a deficiency in ability. Rather, the person you’re speaking to is the one who can give you anything that you really desire, anything important to you. Though they outwardly have nothing, their wealth is more valuable than anything else, so it is impossible to repay them when they are kind enough to bestow benedictions upon you. Such a scene was present in the city of Ayodhya many thousands of years ago, but the acknowledged wealthy party in this scenario, the king Dasharatha, was able to provide the exalted sage Vishvamitra something invaluable. That gift is the most cherished item for every single person, and the fact that Dasharatha would voluntarily part with it for a moment only enhances his wonderful stature.

Who is Maharaja Dasharatha? The ancient kings of the world were concentrated in the area today known as India. Not that their influence was confined locally; they were addressed by such names as Mahipati and Bhupati, which mean “lord of earth”. The names weren’t assigned out of sentiment either. The kings had control over the entire earth, through either personal supervision or the influence of their many proxies. There were other kingdoms headed by other leaders, but the main king would have a recognized supremacy.

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

With that firm authority came great responsibility. King Dasharatha and those rulers appearing before him in the family upheld virtue. Maharaja Ikshvaku set the standard for good governance, having heard the truths of the Bhagavad-gita from his father Manu. Manu heard it from Vivasvan, who heard it from Shri Krishna, the original speaker of the Gita. The Bhagavad-gita is a song containing the essence of Vedic teachings, the true meaning of life and the ultimate philosophy to guide mankind’s behavior.

How can we make qualitative comparisons between philosophies? How do we determine if one philosophy is better than another? The more the philosophy tackles the root issue of life, especially with respect to identity, the more valuable it will be. For instance, if we read a book on how to succeed in business, it will only benefit us if we identify with businessmen. The same goes for cookbooks, marriage counseling, and instruction on how to be a good life partner.

Sometimes even philosophies that seem larger in scope get mistaken to be guiding philosophies on life. The Constitution of the United States of America is a nice example in this regard. A document formed off of compromise and aimed to rebuke the perceived harsh treatment from the past government, the Constitution serves as the foundation of the American government. Some revere the Constitution and its principles so much that they refer to the document as their “Bible”, which is a stunning admission. For something other than the original Bible to be considered the guiding philosophy on life indicates that the Bible is either misunderstood or deficient in its ability to guide behavior.

Religion in the true definition is not based merely on sentiment. It is a science which has laws that cannot be denied. Just as it would be silly to say that we believe or don’t believe in the law of gravity, to deny the existence of spirit and its position transcendental to the material nature can only be a sign of ignorance. Documents like the Constitution negate behavior that is considered harmful from governing bodies, championing the concept of freedom and its benefit to society. At the same time, tyranny, oppression and those acts of government which are shunned by the founders of the United States are the very result of freedom. Without an exercise of freedom, we cannot get any outcome in behavior. Therefore freedom itself cannot be the answer to life’s problems.

The Bhagavad-gita addresses all of these issues, as it puts forth the ultimate philosophy on life, the primary guiding principle. It is said that the Vedas, the system of spirituality instituted by Shri Krishna, are the root of the tree of material existence. This means that every philosophy, existing past, present or future, is derived from the Vedas. Lord Krishna is the head of Vedic philosophy, and since He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His original system of religion is meant for connecting the living entities with their most preferred destination. Thus every rule presented by Vedic philosophy, including the recommendations given to kings, is intended to carry the living entity further along towards the ideal destination of the Supreme Lord’s company.

A king like Dasharatha knew the governing principles, how to guide human behavior properly. Freedom is wonderful, but if it is misused you get chaos and misery. A document only limiting the actions of government will not provide man the guidance that he so desperately wants. History is filled with tyrannical regimes who killed millions of people to meet the demands of their brutal leaders. This could only occur because of the soul’s inclination to serve. Even with full freedom, with no restrictions on action, the living being will have a desire to offer some service.

Vedic philosophy does not overlook the service issue. Rather, the tendency towards service is completely embraced, with every member of society given an object of service that matches their body’s inherent qualities. The pious ruler implements these matches to keep safe what is known as the varnashrama-dharma system. Because of their fidelity to the Vedas and the nature of the work they had to perform, the pious kings like Dasharatha were in possession of so much wealth. They distributed charity, but only to the brahmanas, the priestly class of men who were voluntarily living by austerity.

One such austere brahmana was Vishvamitra, who visited King Dasharatha’s palace one time. The king could give away in charity pretty much anything valuable to a brahmana, even if they didn’t specifically ask. All special occasions were marked by the donation of such things as gold, cows and jewelry to brahmanas, who thus didn’t have a hard time surviving despite not specifically working for a living. The priests engaged in sacrifice, penance, austerity, learning the Vedas, teaching the Vedas, and giving instruction to society and its leaders. Since they were so busy providing valuable instruction, they didn’t have time to earn a living through fruitive activity.

King Dasharatha was so pleased to have Vishvamitra visit him and bless his family that he offered the above referenced sincere words of praise. The sage could grant any desire, including the four fruits of a human existence: religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and ultimate salvation. As this combination of rewards is difficult to come by, one is considered very fortunate to get all of them. If Vishvamitra, who had no possessions, could provide this to the king, what could Dasharatha possibly give in return? This imbalance instilled some trepidation in the king, for perhaps the brahmana would ask for something that he couldn’t give. If that were the case, it would be a shameful stain on the Ikshvaku line that Dasharatha belonged to. The king must always give the bona fide brahmanas whatever they want, for why else do they rule the earth? If the most intelligent and munificent members of society are not pleased and protected, how can the king say that he is doing a good job?

Fortunately for the king, Vishvamitra would ask for something that he could give. Nevertheless, the request tore at the heart of the pious ruler. Vishvamitra wanted protection while living in the forests. Some night-rangers were causing a disturbance, and rather than exhaust his spiritual merits by casting curses on them, Vishvamitra thought it would be better to have expert fighters guarding him for a while.

Did the sage ask for the most experienced fighter in Ayodhya? Did he ask Dasharatha for his most capable man who had proven his fighting ability in the past? Oddly enough, Vishvamitra asked for the king’s eldest son Rama to be his escort. This was strange because Rama was still a young boy, who barely had signs of maturity on His face. We know this from the accounts of one of the attacking night-rangers.

“At the time, there were not yet visible any signs of manhood on the boy’s beautiful face, which was dark-blue in complexion and had an all-auspicious gaze. Rama had a gold chain round His neck, a small tuft of hair on His head, wore only one piece of clothing, and held a bow in His hands.” (Maricha speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 38.14)

Rama was Dasharatha’s most prized possession, his favorite person in the world. The king would have to agree to the sage’s request though, so Rama went with Vishvamitra, with Rama’s younger brother Lakshmana following along. Lakshmana would never do anything without Rama, so strong was the love he had for his elder brother. While in the forest, Vishvamitra would get attacked by a night-ranger named Maricha during a time of sacrifice. Though Rama was so young, Vishvamitra’s intuition would prove correct, as Dasharatha’s eldest son would unhesitatingly string His bow and pierce Maricha with an arrow. The blow was so fierce that the night-ranger was thrown many miles away into an ocean.

Shri Rama was none other than the Supreme Lord, appearing on earth to enact pastimes and rid the world of the influence of Maricha’s clan, which was concentrated on the island of Lanka at the time. Dasharatha sacrificed his most beloved son, and for that kindness his stature as the most wonderful king would increase even more. Through Vishvamitra, Rama and Lakshmana would make it to the famous bow sacrifice held in the kingdom of Videha. There Rama would win the hand of Sita Devi, King Janaka’s daughter, in marriage. Thus it can be said that Dasharatha’s love for the brahmanas acted as a catalyst for the eventual meeting of the divine couple, Sita and Rama, the savior of the fallen souls.

In Closing:

Picture a person who has everything,

For no wealth is he at all longing.

Then to another admits that nothing can give,

For how to repay knowledge on how to live?

This situation long time ago occurred for real,

Vishvamitra king’s son for a moment wanted to steal.

To brahmanas Dasharatha never could say no,

So with Vishvamitra eldest son Rama did go.

Lakshmana, devoted brother took with Him,

In Janakpur hand of Sita Devi to win.

Changing The Subject Matter

2012-02-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

“No one can check the thinking activities of a living being, nor the feeling, willing or working processes. But if one wants actual happiness, one must change the subject matter only. Instead of talking of the politics of a dying man, one might discuss the politics administered by the Lord Himself.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.6.34 Purport)

This whole world is a product of God’s energy after all, so a blanket rejection of everything within it as being detrimental towards one’s spiritual aspirations is not a very wise policy. Though the human being has so many tendencies towards behavior that proves to be harmful in the end, the inclination to act needn’t be unnaturally checked. Rather, the same interests can be directed towards the inexhaustibly brilliant Vedic literature, which is full of enough variety to satisfy the inquisitive mind for many lifetimes. The hero in these documented accounts, the person who is the central focus of the pious behavior followed and the anger and rage of those who defy the established law codes, is none other than the Supreme Lord, whose spiritual form allows for an attachment that proves to be the most auspicious.

Can attachment be detrimental? What is wrong with having affection for something? Is not the human spirit meant to love? If you have attachment to something that will cause you harm in the end, then obviously the emotional fixation is not warranted. For instance, having a few drinks at home after work may cause a slight relaxed sensation, but should the person indulge in even more adult beverages due to that feeling, in the process developing an attachment so strong that they can’t go a single day without intoxication, will they be benefitted by that behavior?

What about an attachment to a relationship, such as one involving romance or friendship? Fidelity to the relationship is certainly honorable, but basing attachment solely on bodily designations is flawed from the beginning, for the forms identified with must be renounced at some point in the future. Death is guaranteed for whoever takes birth, and whoever dies is guaranteed to take birth. The spirit soul, the essence of identity, is transcendental to these changes, but unless one knows how to identify with the self, the attachments they form will be based on temporary objects that must be parted with eventually. The stronger the attachment, the more painful the emotional fall at the time of separation.

In day-to-day affairs, there is a desire to hear about famous people. The news media profits from this desire. And the sentiments don’t necessarily have to be positive. Should there be a lascivious scandal on the campus of a university famous for its football program, the same figures previously adored and hailed as legends will be dragged down to the point that the newsmakers won’t settle until everyone hates the involved parties. Politics is arguably followed by the most number of people, for what a politician says and how they say it form the subject matter for the endless debates that take place both in print and television news media.

Should we not follow world events? If things are going on around us, why would we want to close our ears to them? The Vedas declare that the human form of body is the most auspicious, but not for its ability to form attachments to bodily relationships or famous figures described in the news. These tendencies indeed exist because of the properties of spirit, which from its constitution has a propensity to love. Love results in service, the kind which operates without motivation and interruption.

“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated [ahaituki] and uninterrupted [apratihata] to completely satisfy the self.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.6)

Service to worldly entities always involves motivation, and interruption is guaranteed. The attraction to the dealings of worldly figures carries the motivation for some type of personal enjoyment, either the ability to praise and honor someone or the inverse of harboring hatred and resentment. A famous athlete is praised for being so good at what they do, but should they fall from grace through illicit relations with many women, they will be hated by the same fans.

Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a famous acharya on the Vedic teachings of Lord Chaitanya, remarks that hatred is borne of the same loving spirit found within the soul. Indeed, every emotion is derived from the soul’s desire to love in a transcendental way. This cogent fact uncovers the secret to finding lasting happiness, felicity which continues beyond the current lifetime. As the human being is the only species capable of rationally reaching this conclusion through following instruction and thinking it over before fully accepting it within the mind, it is the most advanced species. A precious human birth thus should not go to waste.

How do we break the tendency for harboring attachment to the temporary, or asat? When reviewing the disciplines of spirituality to potentially take up, it is natural to look at the restrictions first. To follow a discipline means that one currently does not have discipline. This only makes sense after all. We attend school to get educated because we are initially uneducated. We get trained in a particular field if we lack the training. Similarly, we start to follow religious principles because we currently don’t follow them at all.

The more restrictions you impose, the less appealing your system will be to potential followers. In the ultimate system of religion known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, the bona fide acharyas, when deciding to accept disciples, will impose a restriction on meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex. It should be noted that these prohibitions are not necessary for practicing bhakti, as the chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, can be taken up by anyone at any stage in life. The famous brahmana Ajamila inadvertently recited the name of Narayana, which is another word for God, at the time of death and was rescued from punishment for his past sinful behavior. During the latter half of his life Ajamila did not follow the regulative principles, so he would not have been accepted as a disciple of a bona fide spiritual master. Nevertheless, through past accumulated spiritual merits, he was fortunate enough to say the holy name while quitting the body, which thus guaranteed his salvation.

This incident reveals the end-goal of the human birth: to think of God at the time of death. The restrictions are put into place to make that happen. Obviously for someone who grew up eating meat it will be difficult to give up the practice at every meal. The same goes for abandoning intoxication for someone who enjoys it so much, but the focus on the positives in bhakti is more important. With enough immersion in transcendental service, the restrictions will take care of themselves, though they are still explicitly stressed and monitored to show what is required in a spiritual leader. If a preacher speaks on the superiority of being attached to God and no one else, if they have attachments to sinful behavior, how will their message resonate? Example is better than precept, so one who actually follows the principles they preach will be a more effective leader.

Lord Chaitanya, the famous preacher incarnation of Godhead, took to the renounced order of life at a very young age precisely for this purpose. Imagine a twenty-four year old coming up to you and speaking about detachment, the endless existence of the spirit soul, and how one should abandon attachment to anything not directly related to Krishna, or God. Will we take such a youngster seriously? What could they possibly know anyway? But if the same person lives in the renounced order of life, they immediately become superior to others in terms of authority. After all, the person being preached to likely isn’t a sannyasi, and even if they are, they probably didn’t take to the order at such a young age. Thus through following the regulative principles, one earns respect from others and gets their attention when speaking on the glories of bhakti.

If the restrictions are imposed and followed, the tendency towards hearing about famous figures will be there anyway. If we don’t watch the news, we’ll still want to hear about someone else. Luckily for us, the Supreme Lord, the object of sacrifice and penance, comes to earth every so often along with His closest associates. As a respectful guest of the land He owns, Lord Krishna takes part in activities which mimic those of the ordinary living entities. The difference is that Krishna’s tejas, or splendor, is impossible to fully cover up. His activities, which include His instructing others, are the most splendid, so marvelous that they are still talked about to this day.

Pick up a gossip paper that is more than a week old and it likely won’t be useful to you. The twitter feed from a month ago doesn’t have any relevant information because the news reported was meant to only pique the curiosity of someone looking for higher enjoyment, not to satisfy them. With Krishna’s activities, the enjoyment derived from hearing lasts for as long as the Supreme Lord’s stories continue to be told. If you’re interested in hearing about politics, how people lie to get ahead, and how the pious counteract the influence of the sinful, just immerse yourself in the Mahabharata, which describes Krishna’s involvement in the famous feud between the Kauravas and Pandavas. If you like hearing about love stories, men and women getting together, condition yourself to learn about Shri Krishna and His eternal consort Shrimati Radharani. Then hear about their dealings from a bona fide source. These pastimes, though very intimate and thus off limits to the neophyte, are documented in the Shrimad Bhagavatam for a reason. They give tremendous joy to those who have an anxious desire to hear about God and His activities.

If you like hearing about weddings, focus your mind on the famous ceremony held in Janaka’s kingdom, where Krishna in His form of Lord Rama lifted an extremely heavy bow belonging to Lord Shiva to win Janaka’s daughter’s hand in marriage. If you want to hear about the struggle for existence, the successful triumph over both physical and mental obstacles, travel back in time to when Shri Hanuman, Rama’s most faithful servant, infiltrated the enemy territory of Lanka all by himself to find Rama’s missing wife, Sita Devi.

These mental trips will be so worth it that you’ll eventually abandon your attachment to the temporary. The natural yearning towards service and stimulation of the mind doesn’t have to be artificially renounced. Rather, just by changing the subject matter, one can go from living a material existence to enjoying a spiritual life which is full of knowledge, bliss and eternality. The human being’s birthright is to love God, and by following the methods laid down by Krishna Himself, that destiny can become a reality.

In Closing:

Stories of celebrities in papers you’ll find,

Piques the curiosity of your mind.

From hearing about scorn, love and deceit,

Some pleasure in your mind you receive.

These tendencies don’t outwardly reject,

Focus on Krishna instead, change the subject.

With proper training hear of highest love,

Radha and Krishna always think of.

For bravery Hanuman, and Mahabharata politics,

This way guarantee of salvation when body you quit.

Why Should I Live

2012-01-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

vināśe bahavo doṣā jīvan prāpnoti bhadrakam ||
tasmāt prāṇān dhariṣyāmi dhruvo jīvati samgamaḥ |

Here the valiant warrior, Shri Hanuman, lays down a vital piece of information that is applicable to every single human being, irrespective of the time period of their existence and their mental state of mind. Who hasn’t been so dejected that they thought of ending their life, fleeing from the relentless pressures applied by material existence? The family, friends, work, school, and so many other forces constantly ask us to perform at peak levels, to maintain our obligations, to deliver when times are tough. With death, there is no such pressure, nor does one have to witness the unpleasant aftermath that follows failure.

What was Hanuman so down about? The completion of a seemingly impossible task rested in his hands. A beautiful princess had gone missing several months back and it was up to a band of warriors to find her. The person who took her obviously didn’t want to be found, and he didn’t really leave any clues as to his location. Through scouring the globe, one of the search parties eventually came upon some valuable intelligence. Sita Devi, the daughter of King Janaka, was being held on the island of Lanka, the home of the powerful king Ravana.

One slight problem though. The members who came upon this information could not reach Lanka, as the island was so far away from the mainland. They could try to construct a boat, but that would take a long time, and time was of the essence. Hanuman, the most powerful of the members in the party, was the only one capable of leaping across the ocean. He took his perch on top of a mountain and then thrust himself into the air. Coursing through the skies, he looked so beautiful. The source of his beauty was not only his outward appearance but also the mission he was undertaking. The dastardly Ravana had a ghoulish figure which matched the nature of his activities. He had flown in an aerial car with Sita to Lanka, but now Hanuman was launching himself through the very same skies.

Hanuman was exhilarated upon reaching Lanka. He then found a way to infiltrate the city without being noticed. Yet after searching for so long, he still couldn’t find Sita. This is where dejection set in. The pressures applied to him were mounting more now that he was so close to victory. It is one thing to lose at the outset, knowing that you didn’t have a chance. It is more heartbreaking to fail just when you think you have overcome all the obstacles placed in front of you.

To make matters worse, Hanuman mentally reviewed what might happen should he return to his group a failure. The warriors in his group were forest-dwellers, or Vanaras. They lived in the Kishkindha forest, where ruled the king of Vanaras, Sugriva. Waiting with Sugriva were Rama and Lakshmana, two famous princes of the Ikshvaku dynasty. Sita was Rama’s wife, so Hanuman was essentially acting on Rama’s behalf. Just imagine a group of individuals staying at home and waiting to hear news on the mission. It is similar to being in the waiting room of a hospital to hear how a difficult surgical operation has gone for an ailing friend or family member.

Hanuman did not want to return to Kishkindha with bad news. He had settled in his mind that everyone would die if he told them that he had failed. Rama would quit His body, then Lakshmana, then the whole royal family living in Ayodhya. With Rama gone, Sugriva would soon follow, and then all the monkeys and their wives after that. In this way Hanuman ruled out returning home.

The next option was suicide. Not the kind where one jumps off of a ledge or overdoses on drugs, but rather the voluntary quitting of the body through yoga. The soul is the identifiable aspect within a particular life form, and since it is separate from the body, whenever the soul exits, the living being goes from being alive to being dead. The soul continues its existence, and where it ends up next is determined by the consciousness at the precise moment that the previous life ended.

In ancient times men could choose when they were going to die by sitting in meditation and liberating the self from the body. This was the method considered by Hanuman, for he had mastery over every siddhi of yoga. A siddhi is a perfection, so when practicing yoga properly, the fruit is an ability to do something amazing. A real yogi can become lighter than air, become large or small in stature, or quit his body whenever he chooses. These events took place in the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation, so it was not out of the ordinary for people to practice yoga properly.

Hanuman figured he’d either sit in trance and end his life or just dive into the ocean. Living off nothing but the fruits falling off trees, he wouldn’t enjoy his remaining time on earth. He didn’t want to take the option of quitting to enjoy life instead, for how could he be happy knowing that others were waiting to hear from him? Ah, but this would be the key factor that would eventually keep him going. Not that he was worried about his own stature or what would bring him fame. No, Hanuman was always concerned with the welfare of Rama, Lakshmana, Sita and all of his other beloved friends and well-wishers.

In the above referenced verse from the Ramayana, Hanuman makes a wonderful observation that everyone can take to heart. By ending his life prematurely, there would be so many bad things that would result. For starters, he would have abandoned the mission. A soldier must fight until the very end, not being concerned with victory or defeat. This level of detachment should be the goal for every person who is engaged in fruitive activity or just carrying out their occupational duties. If we get too elated over victory, we will have a difficult time dealing with trouble. If we become too dejected over defeat, how will we ever succeed? The house takes a long time to build, as each component must be layered upon one another, with eventually a full housing structure resulting. If there is dejection over a small setback, a day where things don’t go your way, how could the final piece ever be built?

In addition to the black mark of having abandoned the mission, Hanuman would have to face the fact that others would lose their hope of finding Sita and thus happiness in life. He would quit and give up his body, but what would happen to everyone else? They would just sit there and hope for no reason? They would wonder, “What has happened to Hanuman? Did he find Sita? Did he fail in his mission? How can Hanuman fail? No one is more powerful than him. What could be taking him so long?”

This very scenario went through Hanuman’s mind, thus leading him to the conclusion that the quitting option was fraught with peril. On the other hand, staying alive at least gave him a shot at success. He wasn’t guaranteed of victory by remaining alive, but ending his life ensured that there would be no chance. It is similar to how athletes playing in an important tournament will say that they can’t win the tournament in the first week, but they can lose it. This means that if they don’t take the early opponents seriously, they will have no chance for the prize at the end. As long as they can stay in the tournament, they have a chance to win.

While these points may seem obvious to the sober observer, to the person in the heat of battle fighting the mission the rules and principles to live by don’t always remain at the forefront of consciousness. With remaining alive and trying, Hanuman had a chance to find Sita and return the information of her location to the party back home in Kishkindha. This is exactly what he would do. His courage and bravery know no limits; he is the dearmost friend of Sita, Rama and Lakshmana. Hanuman’s feats are so legendary that they are still talked about to this day, and he is celebrated and honored by so many around the world.

If his mission were ordinary, Hanuman would still be worthy of praise based on his heroic feats. But since he was working to please the Supreme Lord, Shri Rama, and His pleasure potency, Sita Devi, Hanuman’s heroic acts were part of the discipline known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. As mentioned before, yoga has to do with detaching the soul from the body and keeping it fixed in trance. But this doesn’t mean that one has to sit quietly and meditate all the time. There is another soul residing within the body known as the Paramatma, or Supersoul. This entity is non-different from God; it is His kind expansion accompanying the individual soul, or atma, wherever it goes. The first step in yoga is detaching from the senses, and the culmination is linking the individual soul to the Supersoul.

The best way to create this link is through a bond of love, which is bhakti-yoga’s aim. In this sense, quiet meditation, chanting sacred mantras like, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, reading Vedic texts, attending temple gatherings, and other devotional activities can constitute yoga. Even fighting and frantically searching through an enemy territory can be considered yoga. God is a singular entity, but to please those who follow bhakti He kindly appears on earth every now and then in different forms. As Lord Rama, God created scenarios where others could take up service to Him, for this would bring them tremendous happiness.

As we saw with Hanuman, service to God can actually increase the pressure for finding success. Hanuman’s mission is the same one given to all living entities, though they may not necessarily have to follow the same course of action. Conditioned life, which is marked by the soul accepting a temporary body that it has nothing to do with, continues for only as long as permanent yoga is not established. Does this mean that Hanuman had periods in his life where he wasn’t attached to God in a mood of pure love? For the eternally liberated souls, there is never a chance for falling out of the mood of bhakti. But this doesn’t mean that they stay safely tucked away somewhere, hidden from society. The divine descents mark the beginning act of a wonderful drama to be played out in a carefully choreographed sequence of events. The Lord fills the roles with the most capable actors, people who are fully immersed in God consciousness.

Hanuman’s role in the Ramayana gives a real-life example of how to overcome obstacles and find success in life. Attaining perfect yoga in one lifetime is very difficult. Lord Krishna, the same Shri Rama but in a different visible form, states in the Bhagavad-gita that it takes many lifetimes for a person to even endeavor for self-realization, and then to find success from there is equally as rare. Yet the unsuccessful yogi does not waste any effort. If he has not succeeded in purifying his consciousness by the time of death, he gets to resume his chase in the next life from the same point where he left off. This benefit is exclusive to bhakti. If we fail to complete a building we were working on, we don’t get to start over in the next life. Everything is erased at the time of death except for consciousness, the soul’s innermost desires.

Quitting life prematurely is not the answer because it removes the potential for success. There is no way to predict what type of body the soul will receive next, especially if a person is driven by lamentations over material failures. On the other hand, as long as the vital force is within the body, there is a chance to please the Supreme Lord. This can be the rallying cry that gets us out of bed each morning. “Let me get up so that I can at least try to please God today. This is not possible, as I am the most fallen person, but since I’m alive I might as well make the attempt. Let me chant the glorious names of my beloved Lord, sound vibrations which are equal to Him. No other person is as kind to give everyone the chance to love Him without fail. There is no way to smother God with too much love. He will accept whatever I offer Him, so why should I not take full advantage of that? We human beings are brimming with potential for the outpouring of so much affection that no one will believe that any person could love that much. In our material service we are checked by the beneficiary’s ability to accept our love and also by the effect that behavior will have on the relationship. With Shri Rama, however, the more love we offer, the more endeared to Him we become, like the mother cow that produces heaps of milk when she sees her dear children crying for attention. Therefore let me arise today and give my love to God in a mood of bhakti.”

By thinking in this way, the devotees give themselves a chance at remaining vibrant, day after day. Surely there will be bumps along the road, but that comes with the territory, as there are many Ravanas in the world trying to bring unhappiness to the innocent. They don’t want to worship the Supreme Lord; they would rather everyone worship them. But while there are many evil creatures, there are also people who follow in Hanuman’s line, taking devotional service to be life’s mission. To them Hanuman is a teacher, an honorable personality, and a beloved figure who should be remembered every day. He is loved by Rama so much because of the great concern he takes into every action and his desire to remain alive to please God and His family. By harboring the same love for Hanuman, Shri Rama and His beautiful wife Sita Devi will bestow all fortune upon us, ensuring that success in bhakti will come.

In Closing:

A grave mistake I will commit,

If prematurely my body I quit.

My chances for success to ground to fall,

So the path of quitting riddled with faults.

If you remain alive there is still the chance,

To please God, stature of bhakti to enhance.

Thus Hanuman chose to continue to be,

Guaranteed that Sita he would finally see.

His example is the one for all to follow,

Practice bhakti, in misery don’t wallow.

Making Work Pay

2012-01-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

“When Lord Krishna was present in this material world to manifest His eternal pastimes of the transcendental realm of Goloka Vrindavana as an attraction for the people in general, He displayed a unique picture of subordination before His foster mother, Yashoda. The Lord, in His naturally childish playful activities, used to spoil the stocked butter of mother Yashoda by breaking the pots and distributing the contents to His friends and playmates, including the celebrated monkeys of Vrindavana, who took advantage of the Lord's munificence.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.8.31 Purport)

Mother Yashoda works so hard during the day to maintain the household. A good mother never gets the proper credit she deserves. Selfless in motive, the mother runs the household, attends to the needs of the children, both large and small. There are the children designated by nature, who need help in doing everything from getting up in the morning to dressing properly for school. Then there is the biggest child in the husband, who needs help in similar areas and also admonishment with respect to errant and forgetful behavior. Yet the leader of the family assumes her duties in stride, not asking for anything in return. She wants everyone else to be happy, and for this so much work needs to be completed every single day. Bearing this in mind, it’s a little strange that the person who created this and many other universes, a person who is all-knowing, would delight in foiling a good mother’s work, in making her tasks a little more difficult to complete. Through the elation that would result, the hidden meaning to the plan of the greatest plan-maker would be revealed.

“Mom, I’m hungry. Mom, I need something good to eat. Mom, can you make my favorite dish tonight? Mom, I need a ride to such and such place, can you take me?” For such statements to be uttered by children is not out of the ordinary, but if you look at them on the surface, they indicate odd behavior. The human being craves freedom, for the many violent uprisings throughout the course of human history have revealed this fact. Without freedom of action, man feels trapped, made to work against his will and restricted from doing those things that he likes to do. Yet concomitant with freedom is responsibility. If I want to be able to do whatever I want, I should at least know how to do what it is I am desirous of.

With each pursuit that freedom enables comes responsibility. If I want the freedom to be able to play sports, I should take the responsibility to prepare myself for the games. Preparation doesn’t just involve the action on the field of play. One must additionally eat and sleep properly, which requires consideration to both time and quantity of consumption. Ideally, my exercise of freedom should not impose on the ability of others to enjoy life. I may want the freedom to go places and experience new things, but if others are obligated to take me from one place to another and manage my wellbeing, where is the question of their freedom?

The head of the household takes all of this into consideration when the dependents want this thing or that. Freedom is wonderful, but the good mother knows that the children shouldn’t have too much of it. Rather, accepting responsibility during childhood bodes well for the individual when they mature into adulthood. Nevertheless, the specific requests made by the children are more times than not granted by the mother. Though they may specifically ask for things, she doesn’t consider her child to be spoiled. Rather, the opportunity to serve is the greatest reward, for that is the way the parent offers love. If the child were completely self-sufficient or if they never asked for anything, how could the parents show their love?

Shri Krishna, the Supreme Lord, knows these ins and outs of human behavior. In the science that describes the interactions the living beings have with God, the exchanges of transcendental emotions are known as rasas. The offering of paternal affection is known as vatsalya-rasa, which was particularly enjoyed by mother Yashoda. The living being gets its yearning for freedom from its identifying aspect: the spirit soul. Lord Krishna is intimately familiar with the properties of the soul, so for those who are desirous of exercising their freedom in the spiritual arena, He creates a playing field filled with circumstances just suitable for the occasion.

Some five thousand years ago, the ideal playing field on this earth was Vrindavana. It is still the best place to interact with Krishna, but during the Dvapara Yuga the conditions were the most auspicious, as the object of service had personally descended to earth. The idea that the Divine can make appearances before us and not become tainted by the material elements and their inhibiting influence requires some faith to be extended by the sincere listener in the beginning. This shouldn’t be too foreign a practice, as the first day in every new class in college requires the same trust. The professor hands out the syllabus, and even though the required work may appear daunting, based on the credentials of the instructor the student understands that if they follow the coursework and complete the necessary assignments, they will be better off for it.

In a similar manner, accepting the statements found in Vedic texts like the Shrimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita on faith in the beginning can only lead to a better condition in the future. Even if one is of a different religious persuasion or not spiritually inclined at all, just hearing from these works will delight the mind, carrying it to a time and place of supernatural purity. Vrindavana is the home of homes, and its caretaking mother is Vrinda Devi, the goddess of devotion who creates circumstances favorable for the exchange of transcendental mellows.

The manager of the most sacred home in Vrindavana is the person who Shri Krishna especially blessed. How did He arrange for this? If Jesus were to come up to us, would we not feel a tremendous thrill? If the Supreme Lord in our worshipable form of choice were to bestow His glance upon us, revealing His identity and form, should that not be enough to fulfill the mission of life? While seeing God is wonderful, the spirit soul still craves action under conditions of freedom. Better than seeing God is being able to interact with Him. Better than interacting with Him is serving Him with every thought, word and deed.

This is precisely what mother Yashoda did. Under the pretense of motherly duties completed to maintain a family consisting of the child Shri Krishna and the father Nanda, Yashoda went to work every day. Though these were traditional times, where the women weren’t formally educated or allowed to freely intermingle with other men not their husbands, mothers like Yashoda worked very, very hard. Everything they did was for the benefit of their household. Shri Krishna enjoyed mother Yashoda’s cooking very much, but since He also took delight in enchanting the other residents of Vrindavana, He would sometimes steal from the stocks of butter in the homes of the neighbors.

The mothers would complain to Yashoda, but they secretly loved the fact that the adorable Krishna was attracted to their homes. They would find new places to hide their butter so that Shyamasundara and His friends would think of more elaborate plots for how to get to the secret stash. Mother Yashoda took Krishna’s activity as impetus to work harder at churning butter in her own home. In addition to cooking and caring for her dependents, Yashoda would sit down peacefully and churn butter in a pot; all the while singing of her beloved son’s most cherished activities. Aside from His playful pastimes, Krishna had thwarted the attacks of several ghoulish creatures who had infiltrated Vrindavana. As a child killing powerful creatures is completely out of the ordinary, Yashoda decided she wanted to remember those incidents all the time. What better way to immortalize a set of activities than to put them into song format that can be sung over and over again?

Since Yashoda worked so hard for His satisfaction, you would think that Krishna would oblige by being a well-behaved son. On the contrary, under the pretense of feigned anger over having been neglected for a moment while feeding, Krishna broke the pot of butter His mother took so much time to fill. To make matters worse, He ate some of the butter and distributed the rest to monkeys, animals who are known for stealing others’ food. It may sound strange to those who have never been in India for too long, but in places like Vrindavana and Chitrakuta, monkeys roam the streets just like ordinary citizens. They cause a disturbance by sneaking up on people and stealing whatever they have in their hands, hoping it is food. The unsuspecting visitors have to pay attention especially to their eyeglasses, as monkeys are fond of taking these.

As monkeys are already prone towards theft, the fact that Krishna was voluntarily handing over Yashoda’s wonderful butter was a brave act of defiance. Yet the mother delighted in this naughty behavior of her son. As He was playing the part of a delightful child, Yashoda made sure to stay true to the role of a caring mother. She chased Krishna with a whipping stick and then bound Him to a mortar as punishment. Rather than child abuse, this was a sparkling display of divine love, for the event is so wonderful that people still sing about it to this day.

When Krishna was caught He faked tears of fear, which rolled down His face, mixing with the anjana, or eye-ointment, so carefully applied by His mother. This scene of Krishna crying after being caught by mother Yashoda was appreciated by Kunti Devi, the mother of the famous Pandava brothers. During adulthood, Krishna was particularly favorable to the Pandavas. After the brothers survived numerous attempts made on their lives and eventually reclaimed the throne of Hastinapura that was rightfully theirs, Kunti Devi offered a set of prayers to Krishna, thanking Him for His kindness and attention. In these wonderful offerings, she remarked on the good fortune of Yashoda, who was able to tie up the Supreme Lord with ropes of affection.

Mother Yashoda worked hard to keep her family happy, and the young Krishna made sure she worked even harder. While carrying out duties it is easy to forget the purpose behind them, the tie that holds all the actions together. Shri Krishna purposefully created situations where His mother could stop working for a few brief moments and give Him personal attention. That same opportunity is created for every living entity desirous of transcendental association, freedom of spiritual movement. Through the excuse of following a routine in bhakti-yoga, the devoted soul can take time out of their busy day to give attention to Krishna. By regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, the beloved darling of Vrindavana will play regularly on the field of your mind.

In Closing:

Have to take care of my duties you’ll say,

But how to make this work actually pay?

From Shri Krishna’s charming glance you’ll find,

Supreme wisdom, tie that everything binds.

Children, young and old, to ask have the nerve,

Mother responds, never gets credit she deserves.

Yashoda to Krishna’s welfare was dedicated,

Lord acted like her efforts not appreciated.

All done for transcendental love to increase,

In caring for Krishna Yashoda never to cease.

The Ingredients For Success

2012-01-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

“O Prabhu, you fulfill all desires and give the four fruits of existence. Understanding that, I am fearful of what I could possibly give to you.” (Janaki Mangala, 22)

tumha prabhu pūrana kāma cāri phaladāyaka |
tehiṃ teṃ būjhata kāju ḍarau munidāyaka ||

The pious king knew that the exalted guest kindly received at his home came to ask for something. He wasn’t a resident of Ayodhya, so his visit had a purpose. For the king, there wasn’t much to give in comparison to what the sage could bestow. From proper wisdom comes the attainment of life’s ultimate goal, which automatically incorporates the four primary rewards that are delineated by the Vedas. The ancient scriptures of India identify the four primary rewards and go about describing how they can be achieved, and the lessons imparted are not bound by sectarian designations or specific time and circumstance. In the same way, the counsel and association of the saintly class is not restricted to any group. Just hearing about these saints many years later can provide so many benefits.

Why was this guest so exalted? How could he fulfill all desires? The plants in the garden produce fruits that can be consumed. The same goes for the farm in general, which produces the food that sustains life. In one sense, you could consider the plant to be a wish-fulfilling tree which grants our desires in life. Whatever it is we may want, it can’t be achieved unless there is vibrancy in life. The vital force within the body is maintained by food; therefore the plants serve as the sustenance, the source of the boons that life can grant us.

If someone were to give us land and the ability to grow crops, that reward would be greater than anything else offered. Someone may give us money or good fortune that is temporary in its manifestation, but the resulting benefits will be targeted. Getting the source of all enjoyment is more important, because from that source there are endless possibilities for rewards. Another way to think of it is to compare a prepared food dish to the actual raw ingredients. The dish can be enjoyed by those who have a taste for it, while the ingredients can be used to prepare many other dishes. Hence the possession of the ingredients is more valuable.

In the playing field of the material world, there are endless avenues for activity, with some leading to better conditions and others leading to worse ones. The Vedas declare that the human form of body is the most auspicious because of the potential it brings for achieving the four fruits in life: dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Dharma is religiosity, which immediately signals a departure from the animal species. Following regulative principles is only possible in a civilized society. From abiding by religious principles you get artha, or economic development. Without a profitable end to your ventures, what will you have to show for your work? Economic development affords the opportunity for kama, or sense gratification. And finally, after a life filled with enjoyment of the three rewards, there is the ideal boon of moksha, or salvation. Follow religious principles, profit in your work, enjoy the rewards, and then never repeat the same cycle again.

The brahmanas, or priests, can grant these four rewards through their association. Not to be confused with magic genies who suddenly arrive on the scene and give you what you want, the saints provide instruction so that mankind can follow the proper set of activities that will bring those rewards through work. Dharma, artha, kama and moksha apply to every single human being, regardless of religious persuasion or interest in spiritual life. Indeed, by following the guidelines laid down by the brahmanas, one doesn’t even need to know what the four rewards are or why they are worth attaining.

The spirit soul is the actor and the material bodies the playing field. The material elements as a whole can be considered the field as well, and with proper knowledge one will know how to succeed on that field. As the brahmanas provide this knowledge through their instruction, the value of their association can never be properly estimated. Whatever reward it is you want, whatever fruit you would like to enjoy from the tree of life, the Vedas provide the answer. Though the highest reward is to voluntarily escape from the playing field and find the constitutional engagement of loving service to God, the enjoyments derived from a material existence are not denied the follower of the Vedas.

Maharaja Dasharatha had only desires for divine association. His eldest son was an incarnation of the original person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the king was already living in the spiritual world, basking in the sweet vision of Shri Rama day after day. From that love for Godhead sprung natural affection for those who represent the Lord’s interests on earth, the brahmanas. Already taking care of and respecting many priests in his own kingdom, Dasharatha one day had the good fortune of being visited by Vishvamitra Muni.

After properly receiving his guest and getting his blessing, the king prepared for what the muni might ask. In the above referenced verse from the Janaki Mangala, the king offers the highest praise to Vishvamitra. The muni is addressed here as Prabhu, which means “lord”, and is praised for being able to grant any desire, including the four fruits of existence. One who attains dharma, artha, kama and moksha in a single lifetime is considered extremely fortunate, as the rewards don’t cohabitate very well with each other. Too much religiosity dampens the urge for sense gratification, and too much economic success makes following religious principles more difficult. In addition, if I am addicted to sense gratification, how will I get release from the cycle of birth and death? Moksha is specifically hinged on desire, what the consciousness is focused on at the time of death.

The association of the brahmanas thus becomes very important. They can put the proper guidelines into place, where the four rewards can cohabitate without a problem. Almost thinking out loud, Dasharatha here remarks how he feels that he can’t give the muni a proper gift. If someone gives you the four fruits of existence, what could you possibly give them In return? Ah, but Dasharatha did have something that any person would desire: God’s personal association. Vishvamitra had come to ask for this, the king’s most valuable possession.

What would you do in the same situation? Someone comes by your home to borrow the services of your son, who happens to be an expert bow warrior, though still of a young age. This son is your most cherished object; his vision every day makes your life worth living. You had gone many years without having children, and you fretted over whether or not the family line would continue. Only after having completed an important yajna, or sacrifice, did not only one, but four beautiful sons come your way. Now someone who doesn’t live in your community wants to take your eldest son? Why would you agree?

The reason for Dasharatha’s eventual acquiescence is revealed in the above referenced statement. As the brahmanas provide the most valuable information in life, their requests cannot be denied. Indeed, it was the brahmana class who had urged Dasharatha to perform the sacrifice that brought Shri Rama to his family. The ways of the Lord are so mysterious and perfect at the same time. Though God is never influenced by external action, He arranges events in such a way so that it looks like a specific behavior leads to His presence. It was a fact that Rama had desired to appear as Dasharatha’s son a while back and that the advice of the brahmanas was given to increase the value of their association, to show how much respect they deserve.

Lord Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana would be the reward for Vishvamitra’s graceful presence. Of course the exchange was not an even one, for the four fruits of existence cannot compare to the presence of Rama and Lakshmana. The two beautiful youths are splendid in their appearance, dedicated in their vow to protect, and most sincere in their efforts. Just being able to say the names of the two brothers is a boon that brings many auspicious merits. Vishvamitra didn’t ask for Rama’s protection as a means of getting even. He was having difficulty living peacefully in the forests, as the night-rangers had harassed many innocent sages. The brahmanas unable to carry out their religious duties, their protector, brahmanya-devaya, Shri Rama, would go to the forests and weed out the toxic influence of the ghoulish enemies of the saintly class.

By following the regulations advised by the brahmanas, the four fruits of existence can come to us, but this path is very difficult. On the other hand, through following the recommendation of pure devotion to the Supreme Lord, the four rewards become insignificant. Dasharatha felt like his life was taken away whenever he was separated from Rama, which shows just how cherished God’s association is. As the holy name is the best way to connect with that sweetheart who roamed the forests as a young child protecting Vishvamitra, the most recommended practice for spiritual upliftment is the chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The acharyas of the Vedic tradition have done so much for us that we really have no way of repaying them. Through dedication in bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, we honor their efforts and hopefully please them. The benedictions offered by the saints are meant to culminate in spontaneous devotion to God, so if we take up the processes of bhakti right away, their past tireless efforts will prove to be fruitful for us.

In Closing:

Four fruits of existence brahmanas give,

So that pursuing proper path you can live.

Follow dharma to get economic development,

Satisfy senses and hope rebirth to circumvent.

King meeting Vishvamitra felt hesitant,

For vipra can provide of desires attainment.

What possibly could king give in return,

Nothing of equal value was cause for concern.

King’s eldest son Rama of existence its source,

Chanting His name is life’s proper course.

To part with his son king did finally agree,

From Vishvamitra’s request, sages God to see.

Stop Embarrassing Me

2012-01-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

“It is a natural psychology in every individual case that a person likes to hear and enjoy his personal glories enumerated by others. That is a natural instinct, and the Lord, being also an individual personality like others, is not an exception to this psychology because psychological characteristics visible in the individual souls are but reflections of the same psychology in the Absolute Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.6.33 Purport)

When someone tells you that they don’t like to be praised, know that it’s not the truth. Surely there is embarrassment over hearing someone else extol your virtues, telling you how much you mean to them and just how capable you are in a particular area, but this doesn’t mean that you dislike the praise. Would you rather have it the other way around, where others mock and make fun of your most valuable assets? The inclination towards deriving pleasure from accepting praise extends from the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As we are but parts and parcels of His grand effulgence, His immeasurable storehouse of spiritual energy, we inherit some of His tendencies. As much as it exists in us, that tendency towards feeling pleasure from praise exists in full in the Personality of Godhead, a fact which subtly reveals the secret to finding lasting felicity.

Why the secret? Why shouldn’t the one engagement that gives us the most happiness be known to everyone? The nature of the operating playing field is such that ignorance helps to enhance the experience. Just as when we watch a movie or television program we don’t like to think of it as a scripted production, if we knew the real purpose behind the material creation, the initial desire for fleeting enjoyment would be gone. In a movie, we know that the actors are just acting and that the story is scripted, but we willingly forget these facts during the time of the performance. Only through this method can we get into the story and have an emotional response from the experience.

The purpose of the creation at large is to pursue false enjoyment. The enjoyment is considered false because it is short-lived and based on ignorance. A dog is happy to get a few morsels of food from a dumpster, but a human being would consider the same fare to be repugnant. The only difference in the two cases is the level of intelligence. Ignorance is bliss in a situation where the better taste remains unknown. In the larger picture, if we were to know the real path to follow, then starting from the time of birth we would find life to be uncomfortable, with the predicament similar to being stuck in a prison.

Through uncovering the true meaning of life, however, we can more confidently accept the ultimate conclusion, that we are part and parcel of God meant to act in His service at all times. We can take the circuitous route to this end by studying so many different aspects of nature, including both matter and spirit, the influence of time and space, the infinite natures of both of these amazing aspects of creation, and the equality shared between all life forms. On the other hand, we could take the direct route, connecting with the fountainhead of both matter and spirit right away and deriving the necessary knowledge from there.

The latter option is preferable because it is more practical. It is difficult to accept so many different pieces of information and know what to do with them. Moreover, along the more deliberate path there are more opportunities for distraction, with the wayward spirit soul considering other engagements to be more delightful, more worthy of time. Should even all of the relevant information be processed and accepted, there is no guarantee that the proper engagement will be taken up. I may know all there is to know about math and science, but unless I apply the principles to find a better condition, the knowledge is really of no value.

When following the proper engagement from the beginning, despite a lack of knowledge of the component concepts, whatever knowledge and renunciation are required to continue that service will eventually arrive automatically. Therefore the Vedic seers recommend only one method of salvation for the sincere spiritualists of the modern age. That method is the constant chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Recite this mantra with firm faith and attention and make it your life’s occupation.

Why is this mantra and its recitation recommended over other methods such as the study of the Vedas, strict austerity measures, attending sacrifices, travelling to pilgrimage destinations, and following the principles of piety? The Hare Krishna mantra is a plea to be allowed to engage in the Lord’s service. The energy of the Lord known as Hara is also addressed. As she acts according to her constitutional position at all times, she is the best role model one could ask for. Requesting the energy to show us the way, to give us the strength to love God purely, without any motive for fruitive gain, the alleviation of distress, the advancement in knowledge, or the answers to life’s most difficult questions, represents the best prayer.

The name of Krishna is all-inclusive, for it directly addresses the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-attractive. Chanting the name of Krishna through the maha-mantra praises the Lord at the same time, something which He loves. From this praise the living entity finds an easy way to take up service. If someone were to tell you to love God and to dedicate your life to serving Him, how would you go about doing that?

“If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 12.11)

A possible solution might be to serve man through giving up the fruits of your work. “I will help the poor. I will help those who are less fortunate. The poor are God’s children after all, so the Lord will certainly be pleased by this effort.” Indeed, Lord Krishna does recommend the renunciation of the results of work in the famous discourse He gave to a hesitant warrior on a battlefield five thousand years ago. It should be remembered, however, that the giving up of the fruits of work option wasn’t the first one recommended by Krishna. Rather, it was the last option, when one couldn’t work directly for Krishna, follow the principles of bhakti-yoga, or always think of the Lord.

This means that the best way to serve Krishna is to directly engage in thinking of Him. It’s easier to think about someone if they have extraordinary qualities, features that are of importance to us. The celebrities earn their fame through their features, for if they were ordinary why would we care about them? From the attention paid to famous movie stars, athletes and politicians, we see that man already has the tendency to praise others and derive pleasure from that offering.

With the Supreme Lord, the ideal target of that praise is met. Shri Krishna is the most attractive, which means that every one of His personal aspects is worth contemplating. Krishna is the most beautiful. He has a blackish complexion and wears a peacock feather in His hair. His youthful visage is so amazing that it defeats the pride of thousands of cupids. Krishna is also the wealthiest and the strongest. Power brings attention, and Shri Krishna is the most powerful, so He garners the most attention from everyone.

The Lord is also the most knowledgeable, for His doctrine of spirituality helps every single person, regardless of their position in life and their level of intelligence. The same can’t be said of any other doctrine. Renunciation applies only to those who are too attached to the senses. It doesn’t help those who are already renounced and looking for supreme pleasure. The acquisition of knowledge can apply to those who have a high capacity for intelligence, but what if someone isn’t inclined towards philosophy and rational thought? Should they be shut out from God’ service?

Chanting the holy names, which is the best way to praise Krishna, is available to every person, across all age groups. Through chanting the mind stays connected with Krishna, which is the number one recommendation for attaining salvation. Krishna may get embarrassed by hearing such praise, but this doesn’t mean that He doesn’t enjoy it. The more the loving emotions rise to the forefront of consciousness, the more one becomes firmly convinced of the benefits of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, whose cornerstone practice is the chanting of the holy names.

Based on the rules that Krishna has Himself laid down, the bhakta who wants to continually praise the Lord is given the opportunity to do so. If we want to spend every day engaged in describing the glories of Krishna and His associates, the divine forces will act to create endless opportunities. The same can’t be said of any other endeavor, for in fruitive activity we are competing with our fellow man for supremacy in a particular field. As each person has a right to manipulate the material elements to their liking, no one can be successful eternally, nor can they completely fend off the competing forces.

In bhakti, even the competitive attitude turns out to be beneficial for all the parties involved. If I spend my time praising Krishna, addressing Him with the choicest verses, uttama-shlokas, others may see the behavior and want to imitate it. As Krishna’s glories are inexhaustible, the new competition entering the arena doesn’t do anything to dampen the spirits of the original glorifier. The more people in the field of bhakti the better, for Krishna’s glories continue to get told in new ways. With more glorifiers, there are more opportunities for others to hear about the sublime life that only comes from connecting with God.

If you already like to honor someone, why not honor the most honorable? He is willing to accept this praise at any time, and it’s such a fulfilling activity that you will never tire of it. In the rare occurrence that no one else is pleased by your effort, just knowing that Shri Krishna is happy will be enough to keep you going. Whether He gets embarrassed or not, Shyamasundara will never deny the outpouring of affection flowing His way.

In Closing:

Happy do you feel from words of praise,

Your ego to higher place it does raise.

Embarrassed by the words some will always say,

But are we not pleased if others compliments pay?

Through your words the highest person please,

Whose vision pain of suffering does ease.

Chant the holy names, for there is no cost,

In service to man there is guaranteed loss.

With bhakti your knowledge only to increase,

Spinning in wheel of suffering to finally cease.

Bearing The Burden

2012-01-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

“I think that a terrible wail will be released upon my return, causing the destruction of the Ikshvaku family and the Vanaras.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.37)

ghoram ārodanam manye gate mayi bhaviṣyati ||
ikṣvāku kula nāśaḥ ca nāśaḥ caiva vana okasām |

Why is Hanuman thinking so negatively? So what if he failed? How could any of this be blamed on him? He hadn’t committed the atrocious sin of stealing another’s wife and hiding her hundreds of miles away. He wasn’t related to the parties in question; he was just a messenger after all. Lord Rama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, would never think of shooting the messenger, and Hanuman was well acquainted with Rama’s qualities. Therefore he had to know that simply putting forth an effort was good enough, that there needn’t be any worrying over failure in the mission of finding Sita Devi, the daughter of King Janaka. But Hanuman doesn’t operate this way. Because he thinks through every situation thoroughly, he knows the burden placed upon his shoulders. He carries that responsibility well, for no one in history ever faced that much pressure.

If we wanted to compare what Hanuman was feeling like, we could perhaps look to the airline pilot, whose job it is to carry hundreds of passengers safely across the sky to their intended destination. To become a pilot requires extensive training, and you’re usually not flying your missions solo. In addition, there are communications channels available to assist you, as well as computers. Nevertheless, just knowing that so many people’s lives depend on your decisions can be a little too much to handle.

Hanuman, through careful consideration, felt that two entire communities were depending on his success in Lanka, the enemy territory ruled over by the demon king named Ravana. A demon in this sense doesn’t just refer to someone who has a ghoulish figure and tries to kill people. Since the beginning of time the good and the evil have clashed. In Sanskrit the good are generally referred to as suras, or devotees, and the evil as asuras, or demons. Those who believe in the Supreme Lord and the worthiness of worshiping Him are the good guys, and they will always be harassed by the side that wants nothing to do with spiritual life.

In Lanka were found Rakshasas, who are worse than typical asuras. A person may just be given to atheism and not necessarily desirous of squashing anyone’s belief system. Thus they are asuras by definition, but their influence isn’t very strong. The Rakshasas live in total ignorance; they will eat the flesh of any animal, killing human beings if they have to. Ravana’s clan lived off of terrorizing innocent sages residing in the forests. Just imagine attacking a homeless person on a regular basis while they are eating. That gives a slight idea of how horrible the crimes were that the Rakshasas committed. The sages had nothing; they chose an austere lifestyle so they could devote themselves to God. Rather than leave them be, the Rakshasas assume false guises and then attack at just the right times, when sacrifices to propitiate the lord of sacrifice, Yajneshvara, are going on.

Yajna is a Sanskrit word for sacrifice, and it is also a synonym for Vishnu. The entity we have an abstract concept of is more clearly defined in the Vedic tradition. Rather than be referred to as God or the Almighty, the same person is addressed through His different features and pastimes. Since the human being advances in their consciousness by taking up sacrifice, there must be a beneficiary. Typically the suras residing in the heavenly realm take their portion of the offerings poured into the fire. The clarified butter produced by the innocent cow is used as an oblation that goes into the fire sacrifice. Each pour is accompanied by the chanting of specific hymns and mantras. The idea is that the demigods eat the butter every time it comes into the fire. When they eat, they are satisfied and can thus provide the earth the rain it needs.

God is the lord of sacrifice, so He is known as Yajneshvara. Vishnu is another name for the Lord because He is all-pervading. There are also spiritual manifestations, or forms, to go along with these features. Vishnu also addresses God’s four-handed form that resides in the spiritual sky of Vaikuntha. Krishna refers to the Lord’s all-attractiveness and His form as the two-armed Shyamasundara, the beautiful youth with a blackish complexion. Rama is also Vishnu, but in the form of a warrior prince. Aside from their homes in the spiritual land, these manifestations make appearances on earth every now and then. In this way anyone can worship any of the Vishnu forms and be directly in touch with God.

The airline pilot, in addition to receiving direct help from others, is not necessarily in hostile territory. The elements of Mother Nature are neutral. To some the rain is annoying and causes discomfort, while to others it nourishes the crops and maintains life. The falling rain plays no favorites; that it is viewed differently by people is due to the specific viewpoints and dispositions. The rain is not purposefully trying to make anyone happy or sad. Hence there really isn’t an inhibiting force actively engaged in trying to stop the person transporting many people from arriving safely at their destination.

Hanuman’s position was quite unique. Sita had been taken by Ravana to Lanka against her will and behind Rama’s back. If you’re willing to kill innocent sages and eat them, you’re obviously not going to have the courtesy to ask a woman if she wants to be with you or even have the courage to fight her powerful husband in battle. Ravana was consumed by his desires for illicit sex, and he was willing to do whatever it took to satisfy them. “Act now and think later. No one is watching anyway, so if you can get away with the crime everything will be alright.”

But Ravana’s punishment would come soon enough. Hanuman would deal the first blow, a mighty one at that. Yet from the neutral observer’s perspective it seemed like victory wasn’t going to happen, that Ravana was going to win. Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana, after Sita went missing, travelled to the forest of Kishkindha and formed an alliance with a group of enthusiastic monkeys, who were headed by their king Sugriva. Like a good ruler, Sugriva divided up his army into strategic search parties and ordered them to scour the earth to look for Sita. Hanuman was Sugriva’s chief minister who had actually arranged for the initial meeting between Rama and Sugriva. It was an open secret that Hanuman was the most capable and dependable of the monkeys. Therefore it was understood that if Sita were to be found, Hanuman would be the one to find her.

Sure enough, eventually Hanuman would be left standing alone, as none of the other monkeys could make the giant leap across the ocean separating the mainland from Lanka, where it was learned that Sita had been taken. Launching yourself off of a mountain peak, flying through the air, and overcoming the obstacles thrown your way is not an easy sequence of events to complete successfully, yet Hanuman forged ahead. He reached the outskirts of the city. Now it was him against a city full of ghoulish creatures. Hanuman was a one-man army, yet he wasn’t intimidated. He clandestinely entered the city and searched practically every inch of space for Sita. He had never seen her before, but based on her qualities, he could understand that she would stand out amongst all the women there. This was indeed true, as Ravana’s many wives were fond of enjoying with their intoxicated husband into the wee hours of the night. Inside the palaces Hanuman saw a lot that he didn’t want to see, but he had no choice in the matter. To look for a beautiful woman, one has to search among other women. That he was risking sin in seeing the wives of another man in their bedroom did not matter to Hanuman.

After all this difficult work, Hanuman still hadn’t found Sita. This is where the pressure started to get to him a little bit. He started working through the scenarios of what would happen if he returned to Kishkindha without news of Sita’s whereabouts. Knowing full well everyone’s love for Rama, and the Lord’s love for Sita, Hanuman came to the conclusion that his failure would destroy the entire race of monkeys and the clan of Ikshvakus, Rama’s family. Rama loved Sita, so He wouldn’t live long knowing that she wasn’t found. That in turn would cause Lakshmana to quit his body. Then everyone back in Ayodhya, Rama’s hometown, would also follow suit. Seeing Rama gone, Sugriva would then cease to live. This would be followed by his family members ceasing to be, with the rest of the monkeys eventually suffering the same fate.

Can we imagine this kind of pressure, that our failure in a very difficult task would cause so much pain to others? Who would blame Hanuman anyway? Had he not tried his best? What did he do wrong? He wasn’t interested in moral victories or the fame that would accompany his accomplishments. Rather, being locked in devotional meditation, bhakti-yoga, Hanuman wouldn’t live with letting down his beloved Rama. By imagining the worst and adding even more pressure on himself, Hanuman’s resolve increased. He would go on to successfully find Sita and etch his mark in history as one of the greatest heroes.

One can’t help but be attracted by Hanuman’s kindness, concern, and resolve. Staying on the righteous path is very difficult, especially since it seems like no one else is interested in following it. How many people are eager to talk about devotional life, the pastimes of the Supreme Lord, and the meaning to an existence? How many people are willing to chant the glories of the Supreme Lord on a regular basis? If we do find someone like this we should consider it the greatest blessing, for just through an exhibition of sincere faith they keep us aligned with virtue.

The aim of this birth is to make it our last one in a material dress, which is a temporary dwelling where attachments are formed to objects we have no control over. Association with job, family, friends, and children is temporary, almost happenstance meetings that should never lead to attachment. Yet we always think of what will happen should we lose our association with these objects. That loss is guaranteed, however, as separation is concomitant with birth. Therefore the aim of life is to find an attachment that transcends birth and death.

This is where spirituality comes in. Not to be used to find a temporary condition that fosters attachment to something nonpermanent, the ideals of spiritual life are meant to create a purified consciousness that remains steady long after the soul exits the current body. The sound vibrations of, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, and full immersion in bhakti-yoga practices can help create the right attachment. Hearing about Hanuman, pondering over his thoughts and being floored by his unmatched level of devotion also greatly increase our chances of success in life. Since Hanuman and the wonderful servants of God show the way, their glories continue to increase with each passing day. They are true blessings in this life, and their association should be accepted without hesitation or fear.

Hanuman bore the burden placed on him because he had no other choice. He was in a sort of Catch-22. Since he loved Sita and Rama so much, he couldn’t stop thinking about them no matter what he did. Therefore if he had quit and returned home, his consciousness would have been the same. He would have had to live with his failure for the rest of his life. On the other hand, he could continue searching and fail while fighting to the death. One path would bring him tremendous unhappiness and the other would at least maintain the hope that Rama could be pleased. Faced with these options, the correct choice was rather clear.

Our life breath similarly exists to allow us to follow the path of devotion. Even if there are temporary setbacks, infighting with other devotional communities, attempts to squash devotion by the asuras, and so many other impediments, the determination should never stop. For as long as the vital force remains in the body, the potential for putting a smile on Shri Rama’s face is there. If He is pleased then the whole world feels the benefit.

In Closing:

No one ever faced that kind of pressure

Like Hanuman, who of victory unsure.

Had to find Rama's wife who was missing,

In formidable land, fear instilling.

Hanuman knew that return would cause loud wail,

In Kishkindha upon news that he did fail.

Both Ikshvakus and Vanaras would cease to be,

When a non-triumphant Hanuman they would see.

But above all his love for Rama would prevail,

Hand of God ensures that devotee doesn't fail.

Spiritual Television

2012-01-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

“The Absolute Personality of Godhead is not different from His transcendental name, form, pastimes and the sound vibrations thereof. As soon as a pure devotee engages himself in the pure devotional service of hearing, chanting and remembering the name, fame and activities of the Lord, at once He becomes visible to the transcendental eyes of the pure devotee by reflecting Himself on the mirror of the heart by spiritual television.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.6.33 Purport)

As Goswami Tulsidas so nicely notes in the opening verses of his beautiful work titled the Ramacharitamanasa, it is less common for a person to appreciate words composed by someone else than it is for someone to love what they have written themselves. The psychology of this fact should make sense, as the analysis applied to the written word is different in the two perspectives. On the one side you are critically assessing the composition that someone else has written, deciding whether or not the premises and conclusions are valid and whether you are uplifted in some way through the association. In the case of your own work, skewering your vision is the amazement arising from the fact that you were even able to craft anything at all. “I can’t believe I wrote this. Look at how I cleverly placed that truth into there and how I brought everything together in the end. Wow, nice job.” Though in most cases this natural inclination may give the writer a false sense of prestige and an inflated ego, if the subject matter is sublime, then even the unwarranted attachment to one’s own work can be used for bringing the highest good.

“You are born alone and you die alone”, is the common refrain of the person suffering through a rough patch in their relations with other human beings. If you are scorned from a relationship that was built on a strong attachment, concerns over the future will surely come up. “Will I ever find someone to make me happy? How will I live out the rest of my days if I don’t have anyone by my side?” The cure for loneliness appears to be simple enough: seek out companionship somewhere else. The wise seer, however, knows that life within a specific form is temporary, for that is the nature of both the large and small playing fields.

What is the large playing field? Think of the entire world and its collection of matter. Everything we can see is composed of combinations of earth, water, fire, air and ether. Depending on the desires of the inhabiting individuals, these material elements are used for different purposes. The sandbox and playrooms of young children are there to occupy their time, but when the same children mature the activity doesn’t change all that much. The playroom may get larger and the games played may involve stocks, card tables, and large arenas, but the manipulation of matter is still present and it remains the perceived vibrant way to occupy time.

The smaller playing field is the body itself. The form of the living being changes at every second, for otherwise how could hair and nails grow? We know that when we get a haircut, however, our identity does not change in the least. The subtle change may affect how others look at us and how we feel about ourselves, but our identity is not altered. The identity remains intact from the time of birth all the way up until the time of death. In this way the body is a sort of playing field, with the living being residing within considered the knower, the person in charge.

“Arjuna said: O my dear Krishna, I wish to know about prakriti [nature], Purusha [the enjoyer], and the field and the knower of the field, and of knowledge and the end of knowledge. The Blessed Lord then said: This body, O son of Kunti, is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field.” (Bhagavad-gita, 13.1-2)

As the knower inside the body is eternally situated, at least from our perspective of observation, there is an ideal companion who bears the same property. At this point, can’t we say that the relationships we form with others are also connections between two knowers? After all, other people are knowers, with their bodies changing but their identities remaining the same. But if the relationship is held together by attachment to the playing field, there is no real connection with the knower. For instance, if I am attracted to someone based on their fame, we know that the fame is attached to their localized playing field, which will either diminish in stature as time passes or be completely renounced at the time of death. This means that the relationship is limited and that there is no attachment to the knower.

There is one Supreme Knower who is so amazing that there is no difference between His field of play and His identity. Indeed, He is owner of both the large and small playing fields. He resides within every single one of us and yet is untainted by the actions taken. His form never changes, though He has a body that is gigantic. He also has a body that is small, as He can take many forms if He so chooses.

Connecting with Him is the ultimate cure for loneliness because His company never has to be renounced. Around the world He is spoken of through His different features and energies. Those completely attached to the temporary playing field refer to Him as nature, the almighty force for change. Those with a little inclination towards spirituality refer to Him as God, and those who are slightly more advanced call Him Brahman.

Only those who truly know Him refer to Him as Bhagavan and try to connect with Him through His many spiritual manifestations, including His original form of Krishna. Lord Krishna, the all-attractive Bhagavan, possesses the attributes of beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge and renunciation simultaneously and to the fullest degree. Since He owns the playing field, these attributes never leave Him. Despite the passage of time and the travels through boundless space, Shri Krishna retains His position as Bhagavan.

Since He is the most attractive, who wouldn’t want to connect with Him? Since He lives eternally in His spiritual body that is full of bliss and knowledge, why wouldn’t we want to maintain an attachment to Him? Thus we see the real purpose behind the ancient system of yoga. At its root yoga means a connection, an addition of two operands. The two entities are the living entity, who is the knower of the individual playing field, and the Supreme Lord, who is the entity to be known, He whose spirit and body are not different.

How do we connect with Krishna? Is there a place we can go to find Him? If we have to travel, doesn’t that require using our playing field that is the body? Is not that body then subject to destruction? So how can we make sure that we find Krishna before we leave our body? Also, what will happen once the playing field dissipates? Will Krishna stay with us? Thankfully Shri Krishna has addressed these issues in the famous work called the Bhagavad-gita, where the science of self-realization is explained succinctly and thoroughly at the same time. Paradoxical combinations are no match for Shri Krishna, who is greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest.

The best way to connect with Krishna is to hear about Him. We can only harbor an attachment for another living entity if we have somehow come in contact with them. When people read the news and hear that a famous celebrity has died, their sadness is the result of an attachment formed through prior hearing and seeing. The majority of the readers of the news have never met the celebrity in question, but they feel sad at their passing because they had a connection with them in some way. That connection was so strong that it caused pains of separation to return when it was learned that the person in question would no longer provide new outlets for connection.

You can hear about Krishna by reading works like the Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam. You can also listen to those who have spent their whole lives hearing about Krishna. The latter option is considered superior because then at least the proper mood to apply in hearing about Krishna is created. No one can fully understand God, but the more that is learned about Him, the greater the chances are for harboring an attachment to Him.

The playing field that is the body is temporary. Because the human form is the most advanced temporary form, the keepers of the faith, who glorify Krishna constantly, consider the human form to be the most auspicious. Despite whatever playing field we enter, the material elements will have to be renounced at some point. The lower animals also get playing fields, and the life forces within them are also the knowers. There is no potential for knowledge acquisition in the lower species though. That benefit is reserved for the human being, who thus has an obligation to make the best use of that opportunity.

To find Krishna before we leave our body we have to locate a person who is speaking about Krishna in the proper way. Association with their words is the most important, for physical association can dissipate within a second. If I can speak about Krishna in a room there is a benefit for the people in the immediate vicinity. If I can speak about Krishna through published words that can travel all across the world, obviously the benefit will be larger. In the advanced technological age, there is every chance to find the association of someone who has connected with Krishna. They may not even still be on this earth, but their preaching continues through their recorded words.

“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, Bg. 15.8)

Though the playing field is renounced at the end of life, consciousness stays with the individual. It carries from one life to the next, so if there is an attachment in consciousness to Krishna, that association will not dissipate with the exit from the body. If our cure for loneliness is to always think about Krishna now and stay attached to Him, He’ll stay with us in this life and the next.

How can we stay attached to Krishna when we have so much work to do, so many obligations to fulfill? We can hear about the Lord for a few hours a day maybe, but what do we do with the rest of our time? Thankfully the holy name is just as good as Krishna; it carries all of His glorious features. In any time period, in any situation, one can simply chant, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, and be in the Lord’s company. Regularly reciting this mantra is so powerful that it will start to automatically play within the mind even during times where other work is being performed.

The devotional writer finds yet another way to keep Krishna by their side. As the tendency is for the individual to prefer their own writing to the words of others, if one can write about Krishna regularly, remembering His pastimes and describing His sweet form, the attachment to the resulting work will allow for Krishna’s association to continue. Krishna will remain with the writer during the time of composition and also during the time of reading. If the author is very proud of their work and likes to read it over and over again, they get to see Krishna every time through the descriptions found in the pages.

Hearing, chanting, remembering, talking, travelling to places important to Krishna; there are so many avenues available to cure the most acute loneliness. Every other attachment formed in life is an attempt to alleviate the pain of separation we feel from the dearly beloved Lord, the most attractive entity who also holds the most amount of love for us. Through the many processes of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, Krishna can be seen within the heart, a place wherefrom He never leaves.

In Closing:

Interest from writing of others sight,

But still your own work more do you like.

Use that penchant for your highest benefit,

Immerse in thoughts of God before body you quit.

Know that Shri Krishna is the reservoir of pleasure,

That His vision within the mind is greatest treasure.

Let not a moment pass by with this opportunity,

From cycle of birth and death gain immunity.

From those who know Krishna knowledge take,

Then write yourself, a cure for loneliness make.

Succeeding in Work

2012-01-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

“With folded hands the king said the following words which were auspicious and good to hear: ‘Seeing your pure lotus feet today I am very much obliged to you.’” (Janaki Mangala, 21)

rāu kaheu kara jora subacana suhāvana |
bhayau kṛtāratha āju dekhi pada pāvana ||

The pious king tirelessly works to maintain the standard of law and order, to ensure that his subjects are properly taken care of and that the rules and regulations of the administrative class are not violated. Yet it is a little difficult to know when that work is successful, whether or not the effort expended has been appreciated or made a significant impact. With the blessing of the sight of the pure lotus feet of the servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, the past work proves fruitful, and the king becomes obliged to the kind person who provides the affirmation.

Who doesn’t want to make a difference? Who doesn’t want to matter? A word of caution in this regard, though, for the worst tyrants in the world made an impact on history. Going on a killing spree, causing mass starvation, and bringing otherwise capable people to utter destitution make a tremendous impact on society, but not for the better. The common unstated purpose to the desire to make a difference is to positively affect someone else’s life, to show that your work has meaning.

The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, are so intricate that they reveal the root cause of this desire. At the heart of the living being’s vitality is the spirit soul, which has inherent properties, the foremost among them being the desire to serve. If you look around, you’ll see that there is a common trait shared in all behavior. One person is the CEO of the company while another is a worker, but both of them are offering service. The boss is seemingly independent, not having to answer to anyone, but unless there are customers to buy the product or service, the title becomes meaningless. Hence the company head, who is the face of the organization and thus equivalent to the business, serves the customers. The worker serves the company and the customers serve their own interests by purchasing relevant products.

In the animal species the tendency towards service is also present. Motherly affection is seen just as much in the cow as it is in the human being. The cow brings forth heaps of milk when its child starts to cry, just as the Supreme Lord, who is also the Supersoul, rushes to the scene when His devotees cry out His names in a mood of love and affection. Hearing the chant of, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, the Supreme Person takes it as a signal for help, that one of His innumerable children is requesting His loving association.

The work the spirit soul takes up when in a particular form of body can end up either successful or unsuccessful. This binary view isn’t as limiting as it seems, for work can be repeated or directed to other areas. The larger the scope of the work, the more people it affects, the more important it is to see a successful outcome. Next to the authorities governing the material elements at large, the ruler of the state has the most responsibilities. His actions affect a large number of people. Therefore, for his work to be successful, kritartha, he needs someone who can see the bigger goal and assess whether or not that is being satisfied with the actions undertaken.

How do we find someone who has this proper vision? The fact that spirit exists within all species is not known to many. In fact, the external features of the species make just the opposite realization commonplace. I see that a dog and a cat have different behaviors and outward features, so I think that they are inherently different. At the same time, I know that there is variety within the human species, but in the end everyone has the desire to serve, to make a difference.

“That knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all existences, undivided in the divided, is knowledge in the mode of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.20)

The wise seer studies Vedic philosophy under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master and quickly realizes that spirit is present within all forms of life, from the tiny ant all the way up to the large elephant. As spirit is the catalyst to action, it can be thought of as a singular, large energy pervading all of space. Perceiving the presence of spirit and its equal influence within the species is one thing, but actually knowing what is good for spirit is another.

With spirit comes the penchant for service. Those who can take their desire to make a difference and direct it towards pleasing the one person who can accept the most service thereby attain the greatest profit for themselves. The ruler’s duty is thus quite clear: allow for everyone in society to reach that stage of spiritual evolution, where their service is offered to God. How to fulfill this obligation is a little tricky, as not everyone will immediately be open to accepting the ultimate mission in life as genuine. Some will be too distracted to contemplate the truths of spirituality.

Just because a perfect success rate is not practical doesn’t mean that the king should abandon the pursuit. Rather, the work assigned to the king is very important and should be carried out as a matter of obligation, with not too much concern placed on success or failure. Think of a school system with the different grades. The first grader can’t understand algebra and the laws of physics, but this doesn’t mean that their time in school is wasted. Through performing the work prescribed to their grade-level, they can gradually advance to the higher stages of knowledge.

The head of state ensures that the conditions in society are conducive towards the realization of the self, which then leads to service to the Superself, or the Supreme Lord. Though the king is supposed to be detached while carrying out his obligations, it is still nice to know whether or not progress is being made. If there are some errors, the advisors to the king, the brahmanas, can come on the scene to rectify the situation. A brahmana is a priest who understands the all-pervasiveness of spirit. If he gives a blessing to a king, saying that their work is being done properly, the king feels most obliged, for he knows that his effort is not going to waste.

One king a long time ago got that very blessing, which indicated the success of his work, when he was visited by one of the most famous sages in history. King Dasharatha of Ayodhya one day had the honor to greet Vishvamitra, who was living in the forest as a hermit. The brahmanas of the time chose the pristine wilderness as their home because it had conditions better suited for sacrifice and penance, two key aspects to any genuine discipline of spirituality. The brahmanas would teach others about their relevant occupational duties, and since the kings had the most influence through their work, they required the counsel from the brahmanas the most.

Vishvamitra visited Dasharatha and was duly honored by both the king and his family. The muni in turn gave his blessings back to them, which made Dasharatha supremely happy. Vishvamitra was a servant of the Supreme Lord, so to see his feet, to take the dust coming from those feet and place it on the head, is the greatest blessing one can ask for. That association results in purity in thought, humility in demeanor, and the chance to receive knowledge on how to make future work profitable.

The supreme profit for the living entity is to be immersed in God consciousness. Through a properly situated consciousness, even routine work becomes a kind of yoga, or divine trance. King Dasharatha was a fighter who administered the kingdom of Ayodhya, yet he was a yogi as well, as the Supreme Lord had appeared in his family as his eldest son. It was this son, named Rama, that Vishvamitra came to borrow, for he needed protection in the forest from the attacking night-rangers, who had suddenly increased in influence.

Dasharatha knew that Vishvamitra’s association made all his work successful, so he couldn’t go against the request, though he was reluctant to. Because of that faith in the spiritual guide, the entire world would be benefitted. Lord Rama, Bhagavan who carefully arranged this beautiful sequence of events, would travel through the forests with Vishvamitra and Lakshmana, the Lord’s younger brother. The trio would inadvertently make their way to the kingdom of Videha, where a grand contest with a bow was being held. If not for Dasharatha’s acquiescence, Rama may never have made it to that contest, where King Janaka’s beloved daughter Sita was awaiting. Through the help of the combination of Vishvamitra and Dasharatha, the marriage of a lifetime took place.

Question: Does the opposite condition of not meeting a devotee mean that your work is unsuccessful?

If through the prosecution of his work Dasharatha hadn’t met Vishvamitra, it would have indicated that the king was not worth visiting at the time. The bona fide brahmana is the spiritual master of society, but he doesn’t disseminate the confidential information of the Vedas to just anyone. If something is very important to you, why would you discuss it with people who won’t understand that importance? Will you trust a young child with an expensive vase that could break easily? Will you hand over your family fortune to a money manager who doesn’t understand the value of hard work and money?

The distribution of transcendental knowledge occurs through the proper qualification of both parties, the sender and the receiver. Vishvamitra felt that Dasharatha was worthy of his association, and the king made sure to abide by dharma, or virtue, so that the priestly class would be pleased with him. The servant of the Lord and the sincere recipient of transcendental knowledge make the perfect combination. Through their interactions others can learn so much as well. In the case of Vishvamitra’s visit, the love shared between the involved parties and their affection for Shri Rama set the best example for countless future generations to follow. The rules and regulations may shift based on time and circumstance, but the primary dharma of the soul to love God never goes away. Bring it to the forefront of your consciousness by hearing always about the Lord and humbly accepting the sincere words of instruction kindly offered by the devotees, whose lotus feet act as boats offering safe passage across the ocean of material suffering.

In Closing:

Person works hard for a reason, not easily to quit,

So that in the end some success, tangible profit.

For the ruling king, the duties are increased,

With influence many people are reached.

Success or failure in tasks nice to know,

For from it dedication to virtue can grow.

King Dasharatha fortunate for Vishvamitra to meet,

Validated work through seeing sage’s pure lotus feet.

The two’s love for eldest son Rama mind should note,

Devotee’s mental company acts as rescue boat.

Password Change

2012-01-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

“To surpass the influence of the illusory energy is very difficult, but those who are determined to catch hold of the lotus feet of the Lord are freed from the clutches of maya.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 3.89 Purport)

As if we are Pavlov’s dog requiring specific training to follow certain actions, repeatedly taking the wrong tact and seeing the negative response is required before we can actually change our behavior. If it weren’t for the negative reactions and our dislike for them, the pattern of behavior would never change. And the change is necessary in order for a higher purpose to be fulfilled. In the absence of the change we’re just wasting time torturing ourselves. The repetitive pattern actually can teach us a lot about the makeup of the world, how the Supreme Controller has perfectly arranged everything for our benefit and how we can use objects around us to further the highest end.

While it’s nice to ponder these concepts theoretically, a practical example is more helpful. Staying in tune with the modern times, the password change suffices, especially that instituted by the managers of an IT infrastructure. If you work in an office these days, you are likely using a computer. A computer uses a system that requires authentication; otherwise any person could sit at your desk and pretend to be you. With authentication comes the ability to track performance and progress, to see if the person sitting at the desk is actually doing the work assigned to them.

In a computing environment, it is common to have sensitive data, information that not just anyone should have access to. Hence to facilitate the authentication and data protection requirements, each end-user is assigned a login and password combination. The password is where things get tricky. It is specific to each person and it is so sensitive that under an ideal setup, the system itself won’t know what your password is. Should you happen to forget it, the system will allow you to create a new one, which is stored internally with some sort of hash applied to the original characters. If your password is say “Krishna”, the system will perform a hash function to the characters in the word and maybe store the password as a bunch of unrelated characters.

There is no explicit way to retrieve the crypted password, for the hash function operates only on input. Therefore the only way to get the password is to repeatedly make attempts into the hash function to see if what you entered matches what is stored in the system. Bearing this in mind, a properly implemented system will place a limit on the number of login attempts that you can make. Otherwise one could easily perform what is known as a “dictionary” attack, wherein an automated system tries many combinations of letters and numbers until a correct login is made.

In addition to the limit on the number of failed login attempts, there are specific requirements for what a password can be. In ideal setups, this policy is implemented across the system, which means that even the highest person managing the company has to follow the rules and regulations. Your password likely has to have characters, both upper and lower case, and numbers. The password must also be a minimum length, for the longer the password, the more difficult it is to break or guess.

Here comes the kicker. This last requirement is probably the most annoying for the user. In addition to the length and character requirements, the password must be changed periodically, perhaps every month. This shouldn’t be too difficult, right? Have two passwords that you normally use and just rotate them every month? Ah, but the system is one step ahead of you. You cannot reuse any password that you have used recently. Therefore you really have to come up with a unique password each month, something which you may not even remember so quickly.

This rule is helpful for obvious reasons. Say that you decide to give your login credentials to a friend one time because you’re not at your computer, or perhaps you wrote down your password somewhere on a note placed on your desk. The biggest issue with having secrets is keeping them secret. This especially applies to the password, which is the secret of secrets. Should someone get ahold of your password and have nefarious motives, they could do a lot of damage to the system. The longer that secret stays valid, the greater the chances of a security breach. With the requirement for periodic change, if someone should happen to find your password, they only have a short time to use it, which greatly limits the chances of a violation occurring.

For the end user sitting at the computer regularly, authenticating all the time, the password change every month is beyond annoying. Why is this? If you can touch type - that is type without looking at the keys on the keyboard - the entering in of the password essentially turns into a muscle memory operation. You can likely type your password faster than you can verbalize it. If you had to write down your password, you might have difficulty, for it is your fingers that have memorized it more than your mind. Now that you have a changed password, the next time you go to authenticate, you will surely first enter the most recent password that just expired.

The immediate reaction to this behavior will be an invalid password warning flashing up on the screen. Since the password is so long and the characters masked on the screen, you try to enter it again really quickly, only to have the same message come up. Now the pressure is on. You have one more attempt to log into your account before you are locked out for having reached the failed account login threshold. This time you carefully type the letters, remaining conscious of the keys you are pressing. Whew! You made it. You can now use your computer with your login. You weren’t doing anything wrong before, but somehow the machine treated you like a criminal.

What’s probably more annoying is that you have to follow the same tact repeatedly, at least for a day or two, before your muscles get used to the new password. If not for the stern warnings and the fear of having your account locked out, you would never change your behavior to account for the new password. In this sense the warnings train you, sort of like shock treatments. As if you were a dog that was learning how to relieve himself at the proper time, the machine, for your own safety, to protect your data and identity, trains you every month to use a new password.

“Unseen and indefinite are the good and bad reactions of fruitive work. And without taking action, the desired fruits of such work cannot manifest.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 66.17)

What does this mean in the grand scheme of things? The entire world is filled with smaller and larger versions of the interaction with the authentication system on the computer. For every action there is a reaction. This is how karma, or fruitive activity, works. As Shri Lakshmana so nicely states in the Ramayana, there are both good and bad reactions to work, pious and sinful activity, and the results are not always immediately seen. They may not remain manifest for long either. Nevertheless, for every reaction seen, there is an initial cause, some work which was applied.

Knowing this information is only helpful if we can use it to change our behavior. We should follow actions that will effect changes that are worthwhile. At the same time, we should avoid behaviors that produce negative reactions. Ah, but here is where things get interesting. How will we know which reactions are bad? How will we know which consequences are worth avoiding?

The easiest way is to accept the information from authority figures, those who learned the relevant truths through either their own experience or through the words of wisdom passed down from previous authority figures. Our parents can tell us during childhood to not place our hand in a fire. At such a young age, we have no clue what fire is or that it will burn our hand, so if we follow the advice of our parents, we acquire perfect knowledge of something to avoid. The other option is to try it out ourselves, to feel the sting and then hopefully have it register that the same reaction will occur again and again, each and every single time the same action is repeated.

The latter option is the more painful one, as there is no guarantee of how quickly the proper knowledge will be acquired. For the larger picture, the entire duration of existence within a human body, the Vedas, the scriptural tradition of India, provide information about which activities to avoid and how they relate to the ultimate mission in life. Of the harmful activities, the most sinful, or detrimental towards the achievement of the end goal, are meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex.

Not to be misunderstood as restrictions meant to punish us or keep us from having fun, the negative reactions from these behaviors are visible even if we should ignore the warnings of the Vedas and the people who teach Vedic wisdom to others. Meat eating is harmful not only because of the detrimental health effects, but also because of the violence that goes into it. In a system of fairness, with no partiality applied by any governing agent, if one side is killed unnecessarily just for the satisfaction of taste buds which can be pleased through so many other areas, the same reaction must be imposed on the killer at some point in the future. In addition, through unnecessary violence, mankind loses his merciful attitude, his ability to harbor compassion. Killing innocent cows without discrimination makes it easy for man to kill innocent babies, confiscate wealth, and have an overall vindictive attitude towards their fellow brothers and sisters. This last attitude is the root cause of all strife in the world, and since it is a byproduct of a contaminated consciousness, we see that meat eating becomes one of the causes for wars and conflict.

The harmful effects of gambling are quite obvious. The mind feverishly engages in games and wagers for hopefully winning sums of money that don’t provide any happiness at all. People’s lives can get ruined by gambling, as there are support groups to help those with gambling addictions. The same defect is present in intoxication, as the false escape from the senses brings tremendous negative effects on one’s health. Drunk driving is eliminated through abstention from consuming alcohol, as are so many other negative consequences.

Illicit sex brings the most lasting and visible negative effects. If sex urges driven by lust are not controlled, you can get attachments and burdens that you don’t expect. You also remain beholden to an urge that is easily satisfied in the lower species. The monkeys and dogs have sex life without discrimination, so how can imitating their behavior be worthwhile for a human being with advanced intelligence?

The negative reactions resulting from these sinful behaviors are actually a great blessing. Just as the warnings from the invalid entry of the password helped to change our behavior for the better, the harmful sequence of negative effects arriving from impious acts are meant to change the way that we act, to keep us on the straightened path. The Vedas reveal that the precious human form of body is meant for realizing God, the ultimate reservoir of pleasure. Every ritual, regulation, restriction, and recommendation is intended to further that highest aim.

The knowledge coming from Vedic teachings is necessary; otherwise man remains lost like the animals. Thankfully for us, there is one tool that is so powerful that it automatically carries with it sublime wisdom. It brings peace of mind at the same time, which helps steer us clear of the dangerous path of impiety. That tool is the chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. In this age where sin is taken to be piety, where the end-goal of life remains unknown, a positive action is required to teach the highest truths. Repeated negative consequences resulting from sinful behavior can help us gain knowledge of what to avoid, but even with that, the soul needs a constitutional engagement, an area to go where pleasure is found.

The holy name is that area, as it carries the forms, pastimes and qualities of the Supreme Personality, who is known as Krishna because of His sweetness. Krishna’s words spoken in the Bhagavad-gita are sweet, as are His dealings with the cowherd women of Vrindavana. Krishna’s portrait is sweet, with its peacock feather, beautiful smile, and flower garland. Krishna’s material energy can also be viewed as sweet, for she purposefully makes life here difficult so that the wise will find the loving embrace of Shri Krishna awaiting them in the next life, in the spiritual sky where no one requires training in their actions, as they are all driven by the most beneficial attachment to Shri Krishna’s service.

In Closing:

Every month or so password must change,

Has to be new, not within recent range.

Old password entered through memory of muscle,

But with change system gives user much trouble.

The fear of losing access a good thing,

Reason to change behavior it does bring.

In same way forces of nature teach,

That for higher purpose man should reach.

Don’t follow animals who satisfy with ease,

Opportunity for loving God fully seize.

Concern For Our Friends

2012-01-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Seeing Rama in such a condition, the king of monkeys, Sugriva, who is grateful and true to his promise, will give up his life. Being depressed, aggrieved, sad, and full of miseries, poor Ruma will give up her life, being tortured by the grief for her husband.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.28-29)

kṛtajñaḥ satya samdhaḥ ca sugrīvaḥ plavaga adhipaḥ ||
rāmam tathā gatam dṛṣṭvā tataḥ tyakṣyanti jīvitam |
durmanā vyathitā dīnā nirānandā tapasvinī ||
pīḍitā bhartṛ śokena rumā tyakṣyati jīvitam |

Shri Hanuman, the faithful Vanara warrior, the eternally celebrated divine figure of the Vedic tradition, has concern for every living being. Not sidetracked by his own interests, he uses his love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead to guide all of his decisions, his choices in life. In others this natural impetus for action can get sullied through a desire for self-aggrandizement or personal profit. Hanuman would become famous for his successes in one of the most difficult missions in history, yet his concern was always directed at the innocent people of his village back home, especially because of their close ties to Shri Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana.

Depending on your angle of vision, bhakti-yoga can be considered a method of mysticism aimed at removing distresses in life or it can be viewed as the foremost occupational duty for the spirit soul. Bhakti is multi-faceted, so we can’t just point to one activity and say that it is the definitive embodiment of bhakti. Meditational yoga has its sitting postures and breathing exercises, jnana-yoga has its study of Vedanta philosophy, and karma-yoga has its fruitive work where the results are renounced for a higher cause. Yet bhakti, which is nothing more than pure love for God, can follow any activity. Even assuming a false guise, infiltrating an enemy territory, and looking through different rooms inside of a palace for a woman can be part of bhakti.

Just as the soldier is not punished for his act of killing an enemy fighter, one who takes to seemingly sinful behavior but for the proper cause does not suffer the negative consequences. Just as if we let go of an object from our hand it will fall to the ground, any action taken against the injunctions of scripture will lead to a negative reaction in the future. Because of this property the prohibited actions are considered sinful. If not for the negative consequence, there would be no question of sin.

Lest we think the guaranteed delivery of the unwanted side effects is just a sectarian belief, we can see evidence of the negative reactions from our own lives. If we were to run a red light, not only is there a chance of getting a ticket, but there is every possibility of colliding with traffic crossing from the sides, for they have a green light. If we eat too much food, we will feel physical discomfort. If we don’t pay our taxes, the government will eventually come after us. Each of these actions goes against standard codes of conduct.

The scriptures, the law codes instituted by the Supreme Lord at the beginning of creation, are meant to guide human behavior. The animals are excluded because they don’t have the intelligence to understand right and wrong and the purpose to their existence. Children are also excluded, as the responsibility for their actions falls squarely with the guardians. But the adult human being, who has the capability to make a sober choice in his pursuits, is advised to follow scriptural injunctions to avoid punishment. Following the recommended rules and regulations allows for advancement in consciousness, and going against the same obviously leads the worker in the opposite direction. Like trying to reach the sky by catching hold of falling raindrops, one who lives a life of sin and is wholly averse to bhakti has no chance of advancing the plight of the soul.

“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)

How can the soul advance? Does not the soul reside within a particular body? Therefore if we want to move the soul somewhere, shouldn’t we just take our body to that place? Though the soul dwells in a particular form, it is known that it doesn’t stay there forever. The soul existed prior to our birth, for Lord Krishna reveals in the Bhagavad-gita that the soul does not ever have birth or death. Hence we know that the soul will continue on long after the current life is finished. Something must determine where the soul ends up, and according to revealed information, that something is the sum collection of work and desires. Just as if someone works hard to become physically fit and desires to eat healthy they will get a lean and properly functioning body, someone who desires the best end for the soul and takes to the necessary work will be granted that reward in the future.

Yet bhakti is so nice that one who practices it doesn’t have to wait until the distant future to see results. They can place the soul in a happy place right away, just by accepting the need to serve God. He is a singular entity, the Supreme Lord, but based on time and circumstance He can be viewed differently. Bhakti is considered the highest practice because only in this discipline is the Supreme Personality taken for who He is, the best friend of the living entities. God is most certainly the original proprietor of everything and the ultimate enjoyer, but His inherent friendship to everyone makes the spirit soul a candidate to act in the Lord’s interests at all times, to enjoy His company. As God is not limited to a single residence or personal form, He can accompany the lonely soul in its travels just by appearing in a sound vibration. The devotees practicing bhakti thus always chant sacred mantras like, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, to keep their beloved’s company close by.

Hanuman, though using deceit and risking sinful behavior, was completely immersed in bhakti. Since Hanuman had Lord Rama’s image within his mind and was acting to please his beloved Rama, his actions in Lanka were not sinful at all. Moreover, he turned a playing field considered the “sin city” of its time into his sacrificial arena. Just as a church is a building turned place of worship, any area can be used to formally adore the Supreme Lord if it is sanctified properly. In the Vedic tradition, the sacrificial arena is where the relevant parties sit down together, chant sacred hymns, and offer oblations into a fire to please the Lord of sacrifice, Yajneshvara. The Vedas tag God with thousands of names to describe His limitless features and to give the devoted souls more ways to address Him.

The land of Lanka, an island hosting thousands of ghoulish creatures given to the worst kind of sinful behavior, was Hanuman’s sacrificial arena, where he would pour oblations into the fire to please Shri Rama. Sita Devi, Rama’s wife, had been taken to Lanka against her will by Ravana, the king of the island. Hanuman’s duty was to find where Sita was and return that information to Rama, who was stationed back at the camp in Kishkindha. Hanuman was part of a monkey race known as Vanaras who lived in the forests. Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana were there looking for Sita, and through Hanuman’s efforts they formed an alliance with the king of Vanaras, Sugriva.

Though on a reconnaissance mission, Hanuman remained in the bhakti spirit. Because of this he didn’t have to worry about sin. Though different actions carry small and large consequences relating to future fortunes, if one has the image of the Supreme Lord firmly etched within their mind, how can any temporary consequence be considered beneficial or negative? Hanuman already had Rama, so he didn’t need to worry about where his soul would end up next or what type of situation he would enjoy or suffer in the future.

Normally, if we were to reach such a state of mind, the obvious effect would be to become callous to the welfare of our friends, family, and community. I have God in my mind, after all, so what do I care whether someone else is happy or not? With the other kinds of yoga the aim is to find some level of detachment. If we work hard and renounce the fruits of our labor, we aren’t bound by the concern for loss or gain. If we study Vedanta and learn that we are spirit soul not attached to the body, we will not have concern over happiness or failure. By steady meditation in specific asanas, the effects of the senses will be mitigated, thus allowing for the mind to ease its attachment to friends and family.

As bhakti is the culmination of every kind of yoga practice, it would make sense if Hanuman didn’t care about anyone except Rama. But God is the source of everything, as the Vedanta-sutras so nicely state, janmady asya yatah. From one comes everything; from God has sprung forth the entire creation. One who knows this understands that every creature has an inherent link to the Supreme Lord, even if they are unaware of it. By serving God in a mood of pure love, the compassionate attitude derived from devotion will automatically extend to others. The topmost transcendentalist is referred to as a paramahamsa, or supreme swan. He can extract the good from any situation. Even if he sees a world full of sinners, since he knows they are linked to the Supreme Lord, he thinks of how best he can bring about their salvation.

Conversely, if the devotee should feel they are letting down the Supreme Lord, they automatically think of how that failure will affect others. This is what Hanuman faced in the situation in the above referenced verse. After having braved every obstacle and searched far and wide, Hanuman had yet to find Sita. Not surprisingly, he started pondering over what might happen if he did actually fail in his mission. He had convinced himself that Rama would renounce his life, Lakshmana right after, and then all of Rama’s family in Ayodhya following them. Hanuman knew that Sugriva was also hoping for Sita to be found, so if Hanuman returned to Kishkindha and announced failure, the monkey king would surely give up his body. The king’s wife Ruma would then have nothing to live for, so she would also give up her body.

In this way Hanuman essentially made himself responsible for the deaths of everyone he loved and adored. Yet he had done nothing wrong up to this point. He hadn’t taken Sita away, nor had he hidden her in a distant island. Hanuman tried everything in his power to find Sita, so why should he feel bad? Love is impossible to explain, especially when talking about those who practice bhakti at the highest levels. Hanuman would not settle for anything less than Rama’s complete satisfaction. The pressure was already great on Hanuman, as he had no friends or family with him while in a hostile territory. Rather, everyone in the immediate vicinity was rooting for his failure, even though they didn’t know he was there. Now that he made himself believe that everyone back home would die from disappointment should he fail, Hanuman put even more emphasis on his bhakti practices.

“O son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 7.8)

With this kind of devotion, how could Hanuman ever fail? Shri Rama is the ability in man, as He so nicely points out as Krishna in the Gita while discussing matters of life and death and the properties of spirit with His disciple and cousin Arjuna. Hanuman’s bhakti would lead to happiness not only for Rama, but also for all of the Lord’s friends and family. Hanuman was keenly aware of this, and he took the responsibility assigned to him very seriously. Therefore it should be known without a doubt that bhakti only increases our love for our fellow man, something no other kind of yoga can claim to do. As everyone’s constitutional position is to be engaged in God’s service, the bhakta isn’t shy about sharing their wisdom about the meaning of life with others. This is the kindest welfare work, as no temporary reward or sweet speech can provide lasting benefits to the soul looking to match their loving propensity with the proper beneficiary.

Just as Hanuman could survive in enemy territory by remembering Rama, so we can manage our way through the rough waters of the current age of quarrel and hypocrisy by remembering Hanuman and his dedication. Time after time, in situation after situation, Hanuman stepped up to the plate and delivered a top notch performance. When he faced doubt and worried over what might happen to his loved ones, he still didn’t give up. He kept fighting and eventually succeeded. Not giving up remembering Hanuman will similarly bring success in bhakti.

In Closing:

When on Supreme Lord only you depend,

Compassion for all humanity does extend.

For Hanuman, sea of doubt his mind did engulf,

But still only cared about others, not himself.

Shri Rama’s sadness Sugriva also would affect,

Then his wife Ruma too, body to reject.

This chain reaction Shri Hanuman saw,

Making himself ruination’s sole cause.

No matter, fight on with mission instead,

In finding Sita full speed ahead.

Measuring Efficiency

2012-01-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Advancement of material vision or material civilization is a great stumbling block for spiritual advancement. Such material advancement entangles the living being in the bondage of a material body followed by all sorts of material miseries. Such material advancement is called anartha, or things not wanted.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.8.27 Purport)

“Son, back in my day, we used to walk five miles in the snow to school and back. We didn’t have the comfortable, air conditioned and heated bus to take us places. We would go to work on the farm right after school. None of this video game playing, television watching, and general time wasting. We also got married at a young age and didn’t get divorced. In my day, we didn’t have so many of the things that you have now, and yet we liked everything that we did have.” The classic old fuddy-duddy grumbles about how much life has changed since their time and how the newer generation doesn’t know how good they have it. Though it is natural for the human being to get into this mindset as they grow older, the attitude actually uncovers the secret of how easy it is to find a baseline of happiness. Though the advanced lifestyle hinged on progress seems the better option, by comparing the disposition of the consciousness and the minimum requirement for having peace of mind, there is no question which system is superior.

How can there be any contest in this matter? Nowadays we have microwaves, internet, cellular telephones, high definition television sets, automobiles and airplanes. Just from these basic advancements so much of everyday life has changed. No longer do you have to worry about the harsh winter coming to wreak havoc on your family. The drought in the summer is also okay, for you can buy your food from some other source. The vital provisions can be shipped in from an area where the harvest is bountiful. Because of these options there is not so much of a reliance on aspects of the past lifestyle which now seem primitive.

Easy to overlook in this analysis is attachment. With each new gadget and advancement of technology comes a new source of misery. You can take something as simple as the automobile to see evidence of this. In days past, you had to walk many miles to get to places. Correspondingly, the places you needed to get to weren’t too far away. The neighborhood school served the people living within close proximity. The larger plots of land allowed for food to be grown locally; you didn’t have to travel very far to eat. With the requirement for walking, exercise was automatically accounted for. This not only helped in keeping one’s physical health strong, but it aided in mental faculties as well. A sedentary lifestyle can become so mentally debilitating that it can lead to depression. Obesity in children is now an epidemic, though this is a veritable enigma. Children have the most energy, so why should they ever become excessively overweight? They can handle a tremendous amount of food because of how much energy they can burn off in a given day.

With the automobile comes the responsibility of insurance payments and maintenance. If the car stops working, you have to find a way to fix it. This is going to cost money, which means that part of the time that you travel to work is spent on maintaining your car, which, ironically enough, you use to get to work. In one sense you’re working just so that you can maintain something that can ensure that you keep working.

The automobile also brings an increased risk of accidental death. The news media pays much attention to soldiers killed in action overseas, but the number of deaths on the highway each year dwarfs that by a significant amount. On one side you have people killed while carrying out their occupational duties, namely the protection and defense of the innocent, and on the other you have people travelling to work, school, or the homes of family and friends. Obviously the number of deaths should be higher for those involved in dangerous combat, but the total number of traffic fatalities is much greater. Though the number is so high, it is just brushed aside as being part of the collateral damage that comes with having the freedom to drive on the open road.

For the champions of advancement the underlying appeal of progress is the ability to travel to new destinations. A person can now explore outer space if they want instead of being stuck in a tiny little area with no way out. Why would a person choose prison life over a life of freedom? Why would someone want to remain complacent and follow the same behavior every day when they can continuously explore and discover new things about this complex place that we call the creation?

The questions can be turned around though. Who is actually more advanced, the person who is content with a simple lifestyle dedicated to service to one particular entity or the person who requires constant expensive change to feel stimulated in the mind? Let’s think of it another way. Say we have two cellular telephone devices. They are identical except for the performance of the battery. One phone has a battery that can allow the phone to operate for up to a week with average use. The other phone’s battery goes dead in a few days. Obviously the phone with the stronger battery is superior, as it is more efficient. It can do more work with the same amount of energy as can the other phone with the inferior battery.

Applying the same principle, the living entity who requires costly advancement simply to find mental felicity is less efficient than the person who can find happiness at any time and in any circumstance. Lest we think the latter person is a myth, the Vedic principles provide instructions to create that very disposition for all of us. At the heart of activity is the search for ananda, or bliss. The external appearances can cloud this fact, but when the wise person abstracts behavior, both present and past, it is seen that this desire for pleasure is the instigator of every single action. Even austerity measures like dieting and observing ritualistic functions are undertaken for eventually furthering a better mental condition.

As consciousness is the key determining factor in a person’s happiness, when it can be focused on something that has an inexhaustible supply of bliss, pleasure can be found in any circumstance, regardless of the time period or how advanced society may be. That ultimate source of pleasure is, not surprisingly, the Supreme Lord, who thus gets a specific description based on this feature. Since He is the reservoir of pleasure and all-attractive, He is known as Krishna in the Vedic tradition.

How do we connect with Krishna? Do we need the simple life of the farm or the hustle and bustle of the city? While for the spiritualist it is easy to put down the latest advancements in technology, can’t things like e-readers and internet videos help one to connect with God? Aren’t these outlets easier to use than the past requirements of having to travel to a place where discussions on Krishna were being held? Shri Krishna, being absolute, can be found through His holy names, which are put together nicely in the perfect prayer known as the maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

The maha-mantra addresses Krishna and His energy and asks them to be allowed to be engaged in the Lord’s service without motivation and without interruption. The same desire for pleasure is there, but since it is directed at connecting with Krishna, the devotee is considered free of desire, akama. Since there is no personal desire, the service can continue without interruption, for there is no stage of maturity that causes the outflow of service to cease.

For the spiritualist who makes the chanting of the maha-mantra a serious occupation and follows the prescribed regulations of reciting it for sixteen rounds a day on a set of japa beads coupled with abstention from meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex, the Supreme Lord and His smiling face can be remembered at any time and at any place. Shrila Haridasa Thakura, the acharya of the holy name, would find tremendous pleasure by living in a cave and chanting the maha-mantra in front of the sacred tulasi plant, who as a goddess grants devotion to Krishna to those who honor her.

On the other side, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his disciples found supreme pleasure by travelling around the world and distributing the holy names to as many people as possible. This endeavor required travelling on airplanes, using typewriters and computers, and making use of basically everything the modern advanced society had to offer. Therefore in either situation, in the primitive or the modern, the soul desperately craving lasting happiness can find it.

In general, the simplified, renounced lifestyle is considered superior, for at least there are less distractions. But all in all, it is the efficiency of the mind which determines whether one’s condition is superior or not. The person who doesn’t need to travel far and wide to find happiness is much better situated than one who is aimlessly looking for that elusive happiness in all places around the world. As inside of every living being rests the Supreme Lord within the heart next to the individual soul, we don’t have to go far to find God. Through following the simple instructions of the bona fide spiritual masters, the mind can turn into a very efficient machine that uses the strong attachment to God to fuel further activities, which in turn keep the flame of devotion alive.

“For one who remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Pritha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.14)

More than just finding happiness in the present, it is promised by Shri Krishna Himself, who is the source of that pleasure, that into the next life the same engagement will continue for the devoted soul. The lower animals find sense pleasure through basic activities, but we don’t consider the animals to be advanced because they don’t know anything about the soul. Repeatedly taking birth as a pig is considered a punishment because one never learns how to connect with God, who brings the highest pleasure anyone can ask for. In this respect there can be no comparison between the person immersed in bhakti and the living entity comfortably situated in material affairs. One side has an engagement that will continue for lifetime after lifetime, while the other is both burdened by many unwanted responsibilities and limited by the duration of their body’s existence.

The supremacy of bhakti is proved by the efficiency of the workers who follow it. Moreover, their superior standing validates the position of Shri Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Material life in an advanced society requires exploitation of resources that aren’t so abundant. With scarcity comes fierce competition, and with competition comes a loss of compassion, leading to the predicament where everyone is always suspicious of one another. Therefore it shouldn’t surprise us that there are so many wars and constant strife in a life focused on material pursuits.

The fact that those things we actually need are the most abundantly available shows that God exists. Water, grains, milk and sunlight are available to practically everyone, and they are not expensive. Those things that we don’t require - elegant jewelry, modern electronic gadgets, and fancy cars - are more expensive on purpose. In a similar manner, in spirituality, Krishna is most fully represented in the processes that are the easiest to implement, that are applicable to the most number of people. The holy name is thus His greatest blessing, a sound vibration that is Krishna Himself. Anyone can recite it and find their way towards a most advanced consciousness.

In Closing:

Primitive better than advanced lifestyle, say we dare?

Before you scoff, the efficiency levels do you compare.

One side to so many amenities is attached,

While the other from everything is detached.

To find mental stimulation must travel far and wide,

While simple take pleasure having God by their side.

No need for expense, chanting holy name is free,

From the benefits supremacy of bhakti you’ll see.

Whether old or new, use everything that is around,

To serve Krishna, to maintain His name’s sound.

Basking in Sweetness

2012-01-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Seeing that sweet and beautiful form, the muni wants to keep worshiping it. Again and again, the muni praises the great spiritual merits of King Dasharatha.” (Janaki Mangala, 20)

madhura manohara mūrati cāhahiṃ |
bāra bāra dasarathake sukṛta sarāhahiṃ ||

In bhakti-yoga the purpose of every recommended activity is to foster Krishna consciousness, pure thoughts within the mind. The behavior we adopt, those things we pay attention to, imprint our consciousness with items for further contemplation. If our time is spent mired in filth, debauchery, and images that shouldn’t be seen, the consciousness will continue to contemplate upon them long after the original contact. The same principle can be turned in our favor should we change the nature of the associated objects. This is the purpose of divine love, the highest discipline man can follow. Regardless of whether we’re after spiritual merits or material rewards, gazing at the sweet and lovely form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead clears all misgivings, doubts, needless desires and erroneous thoughts.

What is an erroneous thought? Think of a conclusion that you reached that was based on ignorance. For the child this is quite commonplace, as they just don’t know any better. In adulthood we are also quite commonly mistaken, thinking that someone is evil when they are really not or guessing that one way to do something is correct when it later turns out to be wrong. To ere is human after all, and the living being’s propensity is to commit mistakes. The mistakes are rooted in illusion, taking something to be that which it is not. Therefore the material energy is known as maya, which is filled with objects considered to be one thing that are really something else.

The mistakes start from the time of birth, where the living being identifies with the body type accepted. Never mind the fact that you had no say in choosing the womb you would emerge from or the type of features you would assume, somehow that dwelling is equated with identity. The accepted form will constantly change through the passage of time. The infant child has a completely different body from the adult, yet the bewildered individual occupying that changing dwelling always takes identity from the body.

This misidentification indicates both illusion and mistake. From the root mistake other erroneous conclusions are reached. The family bonds are taken as absolute and the land where one was born becomes worshipable. Again, the birthplace could have been anywhere; you had no control over that. You may hate one area of land today because you consider it foreign, but you easily could have grown up there and learned to speak the language, immersing yourself in the “foreign” culture.

The doubts are dispelled through following a bona fide discipline of spirituality. In material education, there is some knowledge acquired, but the guiding conclusion is still erroneous. The fact that material nature, which doesn’t represent our identity, should be exploited through effort and work shows a misidentification with the body that perpetually leads to trouble. The animals don’t require education, for they instinctively know to look for food, erect shelter, mate with other members of their species, and sleep when rest is required. The human can similarly live a simple life involving these behaviors without needing any education whatsoever.

Real education teaches the individual that they are spirit and not matter. That spirit’s existence is evidenced through the autonomous actions of the residence it occupies. Death thus represents the exit of the spirit from its dwelling; not the end of life itself. Rather, life in a localized area can only exist when spirit is present. The fetus within the womb only develops when there is spirit inside. Abortion is only an option when there is a life; otherwise the fetus would never develop and cause the unwanted “burden” to the mother deciding to kill her child.

Education in spirituality is meant to alter behavior, to affix upon the consciousness images and sounds that are sweet, or madhura. There is nothing sweeter than the transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One way to distinguish between God and the living entities is to know that the Lord is never subject to illusion. He does not commit mistakes because His knowledge is never incorrect or incomplete. By the same token, objects of illusion are relative, so even the material nature we have so much trouble dealing with is spiritualized when in contact with the Lord.

In bhakti-yoga, which teaches all of these relevant truths and imparts the proper principles within the worshiper through dedicated activity, one of the central practices is deity worship. The material elements that are mistaken for our enjoyment or identity get manipulated in such a way so as to represent the transcendental features of the Personality of Godhead, which are described in the shastras, or scriptures. The deity is not a mentally concocted idol that a foolish person all of a sudden decides to worship. The fact that someone would want to worship a fake idol reveals at least that the soul’s natural propensity is to serve. Dharma as a system is built around the principle characteristic of the living entity. Despite one’s current status, high or low, in a position of power or servitude, service will be the catalyst to behavior. Tyrannical regimes have flourished throughout the course of human history precisely because they exploit this penchant within their citizens.

The deity is the proper beneficiary of the worshiping propensity in man. The deity is not created on a whim; rather it is crafted from the detailed descriptions found in the scriptures. The features of the Personality of Godhead are real, with their genuineness revealed through the results that come from authorized worship. And what are the results we’re looking for? The above referenced verse from the Janaki Mangala provides a few hints. The same deity that is worshiped in so many temples appeared in His own form on this earth many thousands of years ago to delight the hearts of the devotees and instill terror in the miscreants who were dedicated to thwarting the peaceful acts of the pious.

The muni Vishvamitra was visiting the city of Ayodhya, ruled at the time by King Dasharatha. Vishvamitra needed some protection while residing in the forest, as the night-rangers were assuming shapes at will and harassing the sages. Dasharatha offered the sage the utmost respect and then brought his queens and sons to give the same hospitable welcome. Dasharatha’s oldest son, Lord Rama, was the one who caught the muni’s eye. Rama is the very same Personality of Godhead contemplated upon by yogis and philosophers since the beginning of time. In this specific form, God took on the role of an expert bow-warrior, committed to protecting the innocent.

When Vishvamitra first saw Rama, he was mesmerized. Though only a young child, Shri Rama’s form was so beautiful, sweet in every way. That sweetness is what the living entity is looking for. In devotional service there are different transcendental mellows, or tastes through association. Even outside bhakti these tastes are seen to varying degrees. For instance, the relationship with a friend carries a different enjoyment than the relationship with a dependent child. The conjugal affair is of a different nature than the relationship of reverence established with respected personalities. Despite the differences, love can be present within all of these exchanges.

Madhurya is the highest transcendental mellow. Though it is usually taken to mean conjugal interaction, the root meaning of the word is sweetness or loveliness. In madhurya-rasa, or shringara-rasa, the Lord is appreciated for His transcendental sweetness. If we taste something very sweet that is intoxicating at the same time, the tendency is to continue to relish that taste and repeatedly indulge in it.

When intaking transcendental sweetness, the reservoir of enjoyment cannot be filled up. This was shown through Vishvamitra’s reaction. Rama’s form is compared to a murti, which is like a deity, and Vishvamitra’s attitude was to continually worship that form. He did not want anything else. Just from worshiping the deity and appreciating the sweetness of the transcendental features, the requisite consciousness can be acquired. It is for this reason that the temple exists. Outwardly there is the regular worship that occurs, but the underlying purpose is the desire to keep God’s features within the mind, to maintain that sweetness in association even when separated from the deity.

Vishvamitra was so pleased in the heart that he again and again thought of how fortunate the king was. Dasharatha must have accumulated so many spiritual merits, or sukriti, to have such a son. Ironically enough, Vishvamitra came to borrow that son, to temporarily separate Him from His father. Dasharatha would not like this proposal, but since the king’s vow was to defer to the priestly class, he could not deny Vishvamitra. Thanks to that genuineness of purpose, that selfless act of sacrificing the association of the person he loved the most, the king would allow for Rama to eventually make it to the kingdom of Tirahuta, where a notable contest was taking place to determine the husband of an unmarried, beautiful princess.

Just as the murti is worshipable and brings the sweetness the individual spirit soul is looking for, the scene of Vishvamitra lovingly gazing upon the beautiful form of Rama brings so many spiritual merits to the devotee. The purpose of the poet’s Janaki Mangala is to create as many such images within the mind of the listener. The poet himself got to relive the scene over and over again by singing his verses. When high concepts are put into poetry and song, they are easier to remember. Just from singing a few words and thinking about them, so much constructive thought can be triggered within the mind. The vision of young Shri Rama triggered boundless sweetness within the mind of the muni, whose thoughts were already pure. On that wonderful day in Dasharatha’s kingdom, the sage showed us the purpose of the murti, and why worship of it is a central aspect of bhakti-yoga.

In Closing:

Images seen into your consciousness they sink,

Repeatedly then of them you can think.

Keep association of objects bearing sweetness,

So that mind will remember and find happiness.

The muni Vishvamitra saw Rama and was amazed,

Upon such a beautiful form he repeatedly gazed.

Countless spiritual merits, what did the king do,

To deserve such a son, kind, sweet and charming too.

No matter, the muni would get to take Rama with him,

Eventually to Sita, Rama her hand to win.

Superconsciousness

2012-01-20T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Consciousness of the material body means spiritual consciousness expressed through the medium of a material body. This consciousness is inferior, destructible and perverted. But superconsciousness of the supramind in the spiritual plane is as good as the spirit soul and is never annihilated.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.6.4 Purport)

The individual being has an existence that is revealed through consciousness. From the thoughts, words and deeds emanating from the living being we can understand that there is a consciousness within steering activity. As Shri Hanuman so nicely points out in the Ramayana, it is the mind which instigates the senses to take to actions which bring forth all the auspicious and inauspicious conditions we see in life. The mind is a subtle material element that reports on the disposition of the consciousness. That consciousness is safe for only as long as the form it is encased within remains intact. As soon as that form is destroyed, the thoughts of the mind vanish. But there is a higher consciousness, which when developed carries over from life to life, moving like the aromas through the air.

“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)

Why is it important for consciousness to carry over? Shouldn’t the destruction of our worst thoughts be a welcomed event? If I’m suffering mentally from many traumatic past events, why would I want those mental images to linger forever? The development of the higher consciousness has nothing to do with temporary ups and downs, highs and lows, encountered in a relative existence. The individual living being’s original consciousness is unchanged; it is permanent. When the spirit soul assumes a dress composed of gross and subtle earthly elements, that pure consciousness gets pervertedly reflected, sort of like taking a beam of light and deflecting it in various ways. The sun provides immeasurable heat and light, but should a series of clouds cover the sky, the original energy is absorbed differently by the target individual.

When the living entity is unaware of their constitutional position, the pure consciousness gets misdirected towards areas of illusion. This refracted consciousness is destroyed at the time of death, even though the soul continues to exist. How can we be sure that these assertions are valid? How do we know that the perverted consciousness doesn’t remain intact and that the spirit soul continues to exist? For starters, we witness these changes through our own experiences. Memory is a product of consciousness, and we know that we don’t have perfect memory. If we did, we could call to mind what we had for lunch on any particular day from any time in the past. We sat through these lunches after all; our consciousness was present. If the thoughts of the past didn’t get destroyed, why can’t we remember them?

Along the same lines, we know that our entire dwelling has changed in appearance during the course of our lifetime, yet our identity remained intact. If you look at old pictures of yourself, you’re essentially viewing a different person, someone who will never return. Yet you were present during that time, and since then your identity hasn’t changed. This means that spirit is transcendental to the shifts of matter. The soul continues in existence regardless of what happens to the body. The Vedas say that the changes continue into the next life, for the soul never takes birth or dies.

“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, Bg. 2.20)

If we have information of value, we’d like to keep it safe and secure. Backup strategies are not put into place to store irrelevant data and viruses. Rather, important documents useful towards meeting the interests of the proprietor of the machinery are stored securely. A business establishment backs up their data regularly so that even if their hardware should fail, they have full availability to their critical business information.

To meet this requirement, the concept of cloud computing has really taken off. Instead of hosting your data in just one place, it is dispersed in a cloud, which can represent one or more systems located many miles apart. The benefit of the cloud is that if you should happen to travel somewhere, access to your data will not be limited. Moreover, if just one piece of the cloud should fail, the data is still intact, as the distribution of energy is well maintained. If a large server suddenly fails, as is known to happen, information will not get lost. It will stay safe in the cloud.

The living being’s material desires vanish at the time of death, for the newborn has to become educated and progress through maturity all over again. If at the time of death we are expert poets, in the next life we will not even know how to write in the beginning stages. Therefore physical and mental dexterity are wiped out at the time of death, like information lost in a server that crashes.

There is a higher consciousness, that when developed travels from life to life. It stays safely in a cloud-like environment, where it can be accessed when needed. This is the consciousness that accompanies a spirit soul’s existence. That consciousness is always there, but unless the individual knows how to use it while residing in a material body, it can be forgotten for long periods of time. Think of having millions of dollars in the bank and not knowing it. Obviously you will struggle hard for an existence and worry about financial matters when you don’t have to. The spirit soul is a lover of God fully protected by the Supreme Lord, who is the master of all energies. Forgetful of these facts, the miseries borne of birth, old age, disease and death arrive. The fear of death is itself an indication of ignorance, for why should someone be afraid when they know that they are constitutionally eternal?

When the material consciousness is developed, it remains in existence for as long as the body is safe. As soon as that house crumbles, so does everything within it. The superconsciousness, however, carries over to the next life. If I connect with God in some way during my lifetime, that progress continues in my next birth. This fact has been validated so many times in the past, with Shrila Narada Muni’s travels being one of the most famous examples. In one particular lifetime he had the benefit of eating the remnants of food taken by advanced transcendentalists. Just having their association stimulated an intense interest in spiritual life, to the point that in the next life Narada took birth as a devotee of the Lord capable of travelling to any planet at will. By the Supreme Lord’s grace Narada was able to remember his past experiences, but that wasn’t necessary, as he had the purified consciousness safely secured through his past desires.

This means that if we have valuable information we want to keep, it must involve connection with Lord Krishna, or God. The Supreme Godhead is the heavenly father whose name is certainly hallowed. The Vedas reveal that the father in heaven has forms and names. Krishna is the original form, and His name addresses His all-attractiveness. Connect with Krishna through yoga and you won’t have to worry about losing your maturation in consciousness in the next life.

“The Blessed Lord said: Son of Pritha, a transcendentalist engaged in auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in this world or in the spiritual world; one who does good, My friend, is never overcome by evil.” (Bg. 6.40)

Shri Krishna personally takes charge of those who try to connect with Him. For the materially developed consciousness, the mind, intelligence and ego somewhat carry over to the next life, but only through the influence they have on the type of body assumed. Whether I’m born as a merchant or an administrator is really of no concern, as the superconsciousness is still not fully developed. With taking to bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, the consciousness that knows the Supreme Lord carries over to any body type that I assume, and I can continue my devotional efforts from the place I left off in the previous life.

How do I practice bhakti? How do I know that I won’t forget the principles within my own lifetime? How do I know that Krishna’s promise is true? Bhakti is love, so in order to practice love there has to be connection, some type of association. The holy name is all-encompassing in this regard, so reciting it regularly through formulas like, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, keeps one connected with God, granting His divine association immediately through the medium of the ears and the tongue. The tongue produces this sacred sound vibration and the ears then relish the sound. From sound comes the necessary intelligence to keep that association going in the future.

It is not that the devotee turns into a robot that just follows a mechanical approach. Rather, the full intelligence belonging to the soul gradually gets uncovered, allowing the individual to be crafty enough to figure out ways to practice yoga in even the most difficult circumstances. As eating can become a distraction, the devotee purifies the behavior by first offering food in the mode of goodness to the Supreme Lord and then eating the remnants known as prasadam, or the Lord’s mercy. Something as basic as commuting to work gets purified by hearing and chanting the holy name during the travel. While falling asleep one can recite the holy names within the mind over and over again. To hear nice stories, to spend time contemplating the glorious qualities of others, the devotee reads sacred texts and their commentaries, which describe the intricacies of Krishna-bhakti in detail.

Chanting of the holy name never goes in vain, as one step taken towards Krishna brings the Lord many steps closer to you. After one exits the current body, the devotional attitude is kept safely within the spiritual cloud, where it is again accessed in the next life. Lifetime after lifetime, the individual basking fully in the transcendental light of the pure consciousness remains attached to their eternal occupation, devotional service to Shri Krishna.

In Closing:

Material elements superconsciousness does shroud,

Like the sunlight blocked off by passing cloud.

What you have only for short time is safe,

Upon destruction of dwelling nothing you can take.

By connection with the Lord of all different,

That consciousness continues, it is persistent.

Therefore with no other means take a chance,

Just delight in Krishna and His charming glance.

In the next life divine consciousness continues,

For sustenance holy name’s chant always use.

Domino Effect

2012-01-19T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Hearing that his brothers are dead, Bharata will indeed die as well. And seeing Bharata dead, Shatrughna will also no longer be. And seeing their sons dead, there is no doubt that the mothers - Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi - will then no longer be as well.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.26-27)

vinaṣṭau bhrātarau śrutvā bharato api mariṣyati ||

bharatam ca mṛtam dṛṣṭvā śatrughno na bhaviṣyati |

putrān mṛtān samīkṣya atha na bhaviṣyanti mātaraḥ ||

kausalyā ca sumitrā ca kaikeyī ca na samśayaḥ |

When you water the roots of a plant, the different branches and their leaves get nourished at the same time. This approach is more efficient than jumping from one branch to another to ensure that they each get enough water to stay alive. When comparing religious practices, the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in exclusive love is considered the foremost because the Lord is the root of everything. He is especially the life and soul of His intimate associates. Just as the husband who earns a decent living can then support his many family members, the direct satisfaction of the Supreme Lord automatically pleases others tied to Him. It also takes care of the responsibility put on the worshiper to repay debts incurred at the time of birth.

In the Vedic tradition, it is said that a man is burdened with three debts as soon as he appears from the womb. One obligation is to the forefathers, without whom one could not come to this world under the circumstances that they do. The forefathers set the table; they did the hard work so that wherever we took birth we were able to survive to the point that we matured into adults. Even if the circumstances weren’t to our liking, there is still a debt to be paid for having been brought into the world.

Another debt is to the demigods. Once life starts, it needs to be sustained. This requires food, which is dependent on the nourishment provided to the fertile fields. Without rain, heat and light the crops could never emerge from the earth. If there were no sun, the earth would likely last less than a day. Even if one just eats other animals, eventually there won’t be any creatures left if there are no fruits and vegetables available to eat. The cows supply milk freely to their owners, and they take some grass to eat for sustenance. Without the intervention of the heavenly figures, there is no chance of vegetation existing.

Then there is the debt to the sages, those wise seers who passed down Vedic wisdom through the generations. The human being emerging from the womb can survive in the early years through the help of the parents and the food growing in the ground, but to receive the real fruit of their existence, they require a second birth, one granted by the spiritual master, or guru. This birth is considered more important because it begins the life of enlightenment. Birth is a new beginning after all, so with entry into the study of the differences between spirit and matter, the cause behind the existence of the cosmos, and the position of the individual spirit soul relative to the Supreme Soul, the proper course of action can be followed for the rest of one’s time in a particular life form.

Each of the aforementioned entities can be propitiated in specific ways. The forefathers are repaid by having a son. In Sanskrit the word for son is “putra”, which means one who delivers another from the hellish realm known as “put”. In a formal ceremony, the son can offer pinda on the anniversary of the father’s passing. This offering then gets eaten by the forefathers should their souls have unfortunately made it to a hellish condition. In addition, should the son be very pious, he can deliver countless previous generations in his family from suffering for their past sins.

“In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Vishnu, and blessed them by saying, ‘Be thou happy by this yajna [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you all desirable things.’” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.10)

The demigods are pleased by sacrifice. You hold a formal gathering, invite an officiating priest and create a sacrificial fire into which oblations of ghee [clarified butter] are poured. The demigods each take their portion of these offerings and thus feel satisfied. When they are pleased, they provide heaps of rain to the human species. Since you need it to rain at regular intervals, these sacrifices need to be performed in a timely manner; otherwise there could be trouble.

The debt to the rishis is paid by studying scripture. There are so many volumes of Vedic literature available that one couldn’t read every single work in just one lifetime, let alone fully understand any of them. Typically just one work is focused on, read from every day, and then discussed in a council of other sincere spiritual leaders and seekers. They say that the Shrimad Bhagavatam is the crown jewel of Vedic literature because it bypasses the need for worrying about material affairs, the future fortunes of the soul with respect to a body that constantly changes. Just studying the Bhagavatam every day does so much for furthering one’s spiritual aspirations.

"Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers." (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 11.5.41)

Though the three primary debts arrive at the time of birth, there is one simple way to avoid having to worry about them. The Supreme Lord, the primary subject matter of the Bhagavatam and any other work focusing on bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, is the fountainhead of all energies and every manifestation. The concern over rain, progeny and knowledge focuses on aspects the soul accepts while travelling through the cycle of reincarnation. In its constitutional position, however, the soul is a lover of God. Therefore if it can remain fixed in trance on the divine form, pastimes and names of the Supreme Lord, the other concerns automatically take care of themselves.

This method is likened to watering the root of a tree. The Vedas have many branches of knowledge aimed at providing specific kinds of fruit. By following a particular recommendation, one type of fruit can be enjoyed. When the roots of the tree are watered, however, fruits abound everywhere. The ripened fruit is devotion to God, which can only come through direct service offered in the proper mood. How do we find out what the proper mood should be? Also, what kind of attitude results from that service? To find the answers, we can look to none other than Shri Hanuman, Lord Rama’s most faithful and trusted servant.

Hanuman once found himself in a very tough situation. He was in the enemy territory of Lanka looking for Rama’s missing wife Sita Devi. She had been taken there through a nefarious plot hatched by the king of Lanka, Ravana. After bravely making his way into the city unnoticed and searching everywhere, Hanuman still couldn’t find Sita. Not concerned over his own fortunes or the debts he owed to different people, Hanuman was only worried about how his failure would affect everyone else. After all, Rama was counting on him, and since he hadn’t found Sita, Hanuman seemingly let the Lord down.

Since Rama is the root of the tree of existence, He is intimately tied to so many other people. Hanuman, being properly situated in the divine consciousness, knew this very well. When pondering over what might happen should he return to Kishkindha where Rama was, Hanuman went through a chain of potential actions in his mind to see just what effect his failure would have. He knew that in Kishkindha Rama was waiting with His younger brother Lakshmana. Rama was originally from the royal kingdom of Ayodhya, where He was the beloved eldest son of King Dasharatha. Lakshmana was Rama’s younger brother and figuratively attached to the Lord at the hip. If Rama suffered pain, so did Lakshmana. If Rama received good news, Lakshmana took it as the source of the greatest pleasure.

Lord Rama had been banished from Ayodhya for fourteen years through a series of unfortunate events. Lakshmana refused to allow his brother to suffer alone, so he accompanied Rama in His fourteen year sojourn through the woods. Sita felt the same way, so that is how she ended up in the forest as well. In most circumstances this is unheard of. When soldiers get called off to war, do they take their wives with them? If there is an emergency situation calling for a police officer on the scene, does the notified cop tell his wife to get ready to come along?

Obviously such emergency situations are dangerous and the wives in these instances are trained to deal with them on their own. They surely love their husbands very much, but they would never think of coming along and being put at risk. With Sita, her love was so strong that she didn’t care what the standard protocol was. Never mind that she was a beautiful princess accustomed to living an elegant lifestyle. Her husband was sent away and she refused to allow Him to live alone, bereft of comfort. Not caring about herself, she was only worried about Rama’s welfare.

Of course Rama wanted Sita to stay home for a reason. The impious elements are always looking for new avenues for illicit sex life, ways to enjoy their senses more. Ravana had many beautiful wives, but just by hearing of Sita’s beauty he had to have her. He paid no attention to the fact that she was married to someone else. He didn’t even worry about winning her honorably through a fair fight against Rama. He hatched a plot to take Sita away behind Rama’s back; revealing himself to be a coward.

Hanuman felt that if he told Rama that he had failed in finding Sita, the Lord would give up His life. As soon as Rama would leave this world, so would Lakshmana. Hanuman’s knowledge of Rama’s inner circle and the nature of His closest devotees was not limited to that acquired through direct perception. He had personally dealt with Rama and Lakshmana but not with anyone else in Rama’s family. Yet from the above referenced verse from the Ramayana we see that Hanuman felt that with Rama and Lakshmana gone, Bharata would also quit his body. Bharata was another younger brother of Rama’s, and he had been handed the kingdom at the time of Rama’s banishment. Utterly disgusted by the turn of events, he refused to rule over the kingdom that rightfully belonged to his elder brother. He would have renounced his life immediately, but Rama asked him to stay in Ayodhya. A compromise was reached, where Bharata would worship Rama’s sandals every day until the Lord came back. Rama’s brothers are so wonderful that one can go back and forth arguing over who is the most devoted and never reach a firm conclusion.

Hanuman knew of Bharata and his devotion. If the devoted brother couldn’t see Rama and Lakshmana again, he wouldn’t live. Similarly, Shatrughna was ever devoted to Bharata. When King Dasharatha’s four sons appeared in this world, they essentially broke out into pairs. Though they all loved Rama like a father, behaviorally Lakshmana and Rama paired together and Bharata and Shatrughna were very close. It is revealed in the scriptures that Rama is the very same Supreme Personality of Godhead, descending to earth in the guise of a human being. His three brothers are also partial expansions of Lord Vishnu, God’s four-handed form residing in the spiritual land. Thus all four brothers can be considered worshipable.

Hanuman’s knowledge of Rama’s inner circle didn’t stop with the brothers. Without any of their sons, the mothers who gave birth to the four brothers would also cease to exist. King Dasharatha had already passed on after Rama left for the forest, so the mothers held on to the hope of seeing their four sons together again; that was their reason for living.

In one sense, Hanuman’s thinking is a little humorous. Through his disappointment over not having found Sita, Hanuman has essentially compared his “failure” to the first piece of a row of dominoes falling. When domino pieces are particularly aligned, once the first piece is knocked down, all the others will follow suit. Thus Hanuman is essentially blaming himself for the deaths of so many important personalities, people he worshiped.

By serving Lord Rama first, by giving his devotion to the Lord exclusively, Hanuman immediately harbored great love for the Lord’s associates. He had never met Sita before, yet he was so anxious to find her location that he felt extreme sadness over not succeeding right away. This is an indication of his devotion to Rama and also his enthusiasm in the mission. Aside from outward displays of emotion in the beginning, a great way to tell if someone is enthusiastically engaged in a particular task is to see how dejected they get if they should face the possibility of failing. If they really care about the task, they will be devastated should they be unable to complete it.

“One who works in devotion, who is a pure soul, and who controls his mind and senses, is dear to everyone, and everyone is dear to him. Though always working, such a man is never entangled.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 5.7)

No one in this world has ever been more enthusiastic to succeed in a mission than Hanuman was in his search for Sita in Lanka. He proved this not only by being extremely dejected about not having found the princess, but also by continuing on with the mission. It was so important to him to please Rama and those associated with the Lord that he’d rather die trying than live failing. Such perseverance is both inspiring and touching to the heart. It is thus no wonder that Hanuman is held in such high regard today by so many important people, not the least of whom are Sita, Lakshmana and Rama. He is their favorite person in the world, and they think of him and his welfare all the time. Anyone who pleases Hanuman pleases Rama as well, because Hanuman is forever tied to devotional service and victory in life’s mission, that of becoming God conscious by the time of death. Hanuman waters the root of the tree to find all auspiciousness in life. Whoever has the good luck to say his name, think about him and remember his activities will be supremely benefitted as well, for the perseverant Vanara shows how to practice bhakti all the time and bring satisfaction to the whole world.

In Closing:

Intimately tied to Him are Rama’s brothers,

And standing by waiting are loving mothers.

If of the Lord hearing the worst kind of news,

To maintain their lives what would be the use?

On association with Supreme Lord they depend,

Prayers and well-wishes to Him they always send.

Hanuman knew that Shri Rama is the root,

Of the devotee’s welfare, their happiness to boot.

Remember Hanuman and about three debts don’t care,

Devotion only to God, who with family pleasure shares.

Caught Butter-Handed

2012-01-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

“Mother Yashoda wanted to impress upon Krishna that since He was afraid merely to see her stick, He should not perform such disturbing activities as breaking the container of yogurt and butter and distributing its contents to the monkeys.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.12 Purport)

Feeding butter and yogurt churned for the family to stray monkeys is not a good thing. That this lesson was imparted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of a small child makes the situation all the more amusing. Imagine walking into a room and seeing your beloved son feeding food to monkeys that are known to come by and steal whatever you have. The monkey does not have a dharma to follow; it does not have rules and regulations guiding its behavior. When a human being behaves erratically, eating whatever food is available and not controlling their sexual urges, they outwardly resemble a monkey. Mother Yashoda sternly warned her child against taking something that didn’t belong to Him and giving it away to those who weren’t deserving of it. Through her instruction she delights the hearts of the souls who want nothing but the Supreme Lord’s association in life.

Why is that company desired? In every turn in a temporary world there is a chance for destruction, the total loss of what has been accumulated. The material amenities are available in such abundance in the modern age that a common game played amongst friends involves what you would renounce and what you would keep. The game starts with the hypothetical scenario of being trapped on a deserted island. You neither have an abundance of possessions nor the ability to easily procure them. In our home we may be lacking a certain film on DVD, a computer to do work on, some food items required for preparing dinner, an appliance to cook with, or some other ancillary item. The lack of that item isn’t a cause for despair, for one can go out to the nearby store and grab whatever is needed without too much of a hassle.

On the deserted island there is no such ability. As resources are limited, the crux of the game is deciding what important items you would take with you. For instance, if you could only take one book, which one would it be? From the rules of the game there is the underlying assumption that there are already many books to choose from in the person’s life. The fact that you would pare down the list to just one shows that there are multiple books that you try to derive enjoyment from. For the game, pick just one book that you can read over and over again. If you could only have a single book, one set of words to read, which would it be?

Obviously, the resulting choice would indicate the player’s favorite book. The same principle applies to picking a movie, a set of clothes, or a type of food. The hypothetical scenario in the game also creates a sense of dependence. If you can only read one book, you will rely on those pages for your entertainment, for the stimulation of the mind. That reliance on the book will make you so much more appreciative of the content. If you have something in abundance, you can take it for granted, so much so that you might not even connect with it. For instance, if you have relatives living close by, you may think to yourself, “Oh, I can see them any time. There is no urgency in spending time with them.” On the other hand, if relatives from far away come for a visit, you try to maximize the amount of time spent with them. As such, there is the likelihood that over the course of the year you spend more time with the people that live further away than you do with those who are close by.

The topmost transcendentalists play the deserted island game without even knowing it. They pick one subject matter to focus on exclusively, and since they weed everything else out, they have full reliance on those works and the sound vibrations that come from them. A yogi is a transcendentalist who controls their senses to realize the self. Of all the yogis, he who always thinks of Krishna, or God, is the best.

“And of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.47)

The yogi immersed in Krishna consciousness is the best because Bhagavan is the most complete representation of the Absolute Truth. The more features that are defined in the worshipable object, the more pleasure the worshiping individual will derive. With increased pleasure comes a desire to repeat the activity. A repeat of the activity gradually turns into a routine and pretty soon a way of life. If I spend my time basking in the sweet association of Krishna’s name, form, attributes and pastimes, what time will there be left for misery, despair, chaos, tumult, angst, hopelessness, and fear of total loss?

What specifically do the yogis practicing bhakti, or divine love, hold on to for sustenance? What is it that they carry with them to the deserted island scenario created within the mind? The holy name of the Lord is non-different from Him, so all that is required is a sequence of powerful words that can be remembered, repeated, heard, and contemplated on over and over again. Thankfully for us, Lord Chaitanya, Krishna in the form of a preacher, revealed the most sacred mantra, one that can be recited by the most number of people and thus revive the dormant love for Godhead within society at large.

Chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, is the lifeblood for the devoted soul immersed in bhakti-yoga. Seems rather strange that chanting could be the only requirement, but it is sort of like a foundational practice, one that feeds the other outlets of transcendental interaction. Just as the food we eat is the fuel for the activities we take on throughout the day, the chanting of the holy names is the spiritual food for the soul enlivened by the bhakti spirit.

For reading material, the yogi in bhakti relies solely on those works which describe the sacred pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since the pastimes are unlimited, the wise pick out just the holy name to hold on to, as its recitation is superior to witnessing the Lord’s actions and even being in His personal company. As an example, we know from the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the foremost bhakti-shastra, or scripture on devotion, that Shri Krishna descended to this earth some five thousand years ago and played as a child in the holy land of Vrindavana. One of Krishna’s pastimes involved breaking a pot of butter in anger. Mother Yashoda had temporarily stepped away from feeding Krishna to tend to a pot of boiling milk on the stove. Unhappy that His mother diverted her attention, Krishna broke the pot of butter she had just churned, grabbed some of the goods and then ran away. While He was eating some of the butter Himself and distributing the rest to monkeys, mother Yashoda went looking for her young boy.

Caught “butter-handed” in another room, after delighting in the vision mother Yashoda chased after her naughty child with a whipping stick. When she finally caught Him, she saw fake tears rolling down from the eyes of her beloved son, who was afraid that the mother would punish Him. Mother Yashoda instead decided to tie Krishna to a mortar, so that He wouldn’t run away from home out of fear. At the same time, she wanted Him to know that taking butter and giving it to monkeys was not sanctioned behavior.

The yogi who contemplates on this scene is actually in a superior position, though it may seem otherwise. From the descriptions of this event found in the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the sincere soul holding on to the holy name for dear life can repeatedly take a dip in the ocean of bliss that is Krishna’s sweet pastime of breaking Yashoda’s pot of butter. If we have a portrait of the event, it is nice to look at, but with a defined portrayal there are some limits introduced. If we just hear of the event and picture it within our mind, however, we can repeatedly contemplate on that image and continue to derive tremendous pleasure.

The yogi following bhakti thinks of such pastimes every single day. You can remember Krishna as the butter thief always and never grow tired. Day after day you can remember Yashoda’s instruction and laugh at how she had to explain such a common sense rule to her son. There are many other such pastimes described in the Bhagavatam, and they come to the mind of the soul who constantly hears the holy name of Krishna. That name can be heard at any time by reciting the maha-mantra, which is a set of words we should never leave home without. Whether in opulence or in squalor, any person can take the holy name as their most valuable possession.

In Closing:

If to a deserted island you should go,

Not many possessions there you know.

So take only those things you really need,

Automatically choose favorite items indeed.

Appreciation augmented by full reliance,

Nothing else around, on object full dependence.

For the yogi keep always one person in mind,

Who in her courtyard feeding monkeys mother did find.

Think of Yashoda telling Krishna that break pots He can’t,

Sweetest mental portrait drawn through holy name’s chant.