Nothing Is Ever Enough

“A demoniac person, in spite of acquiring all the opulences possible to obtain in this universe, continues to be envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.4 Purport)

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A key lesson to take away from Hiranyakashipu’s interaction with Lord Brahma is that life is not about acquiring stuff. It may often become the central focus, but there is actually no long term benefit. A striking blemish remains, which can eat away at a person like a disease.

It’s only natural to think that I just need a little bit more. A bigger house. Right now the one bedroom apartment is not cutting it. Friends tell me that I’m throwing money away every month on rent. Owning is better. The mortgage payment goes towards a hard asset, which can be sold at a later date. Moreover, the general trend is towards appreciation, i.e. the house will be worth more in the future.

I am quite content with where I am. Lots of time freed up to focus on other things. No worries pertaining to maintenance. Didn’t lose a fortune on a down payment. The savings is still at a sufficient amount and a hardship in terms of loss of income will not bankrupt me.

Yet even if I were gifted a palatial residence, my happiness is not automatic. There is not a linear relationship, since the ways of the mode of passion are such that one desire only feeds more. The joy of satisfaction is not permanent and soon another issue will arise.

सत्त्वात् सञ्जायते ज्ञानं
रजसो लोभ एव च
प्रमाद-मोहौ तमसो
भवतो ऽज्ञानम् एव च

sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ
rajaso lobha eva ca
pramāda-mohau tamaso
bhavato 'jñānam eva ca

“The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of Kunti, and because of this one is bound to material fruitive activities.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.7)

Hiranyakashipu earned the favor of Lord Brahma, the creator. This was not easy and the boons subsequently received are rarely, if ever, handed out. There was protection against death in a variety of situations. For a king this meant ruling over a kingdom in peace. No need to worry about foreign invaders. No need to build a wall to repel a large group trying to live off your wealth without working.

The problem for Hiranyakashipu was that he maintained envy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No amount of opulence could change that. The king had a lustrous golden body. His name is the combination of words meaning “gold” and “soft cushion.” There is great symbolism to the name of that historical personality.

On the other side, if a person is a devotee at heart, then even the smallest benediction seems too much. This is because they don’t require anything to continue in their service. This would be evident in the future arrival of a son. The five-year old boy named Prahlada was not given the same blessings from Narada Muni.

Prahlada was Hiranyakashipu’s son, so there was a good material situation in living in a kingdom. Yet Prahlada had no interest in enjoying the riches. He had a spirit of renunciation from birth. More importantly, he was fearless, so much so that he shared the wisdom of the ages to his friends during the recess period in school.

The foundation of the teachings was love of Vishnu, i.e. the same person for whom the father maintained envy. This means that Prahlada was risking lethal punishment through his teachings, but there was no fear.

Meanwhile, Hiranyakashipu had every protection the human mind can think of and he was still afraid of the work of a small child. The “stuff” from the creator made no difference, and the same principle applies across all situations of living. It is not that only in an ancient time period the connection to the Divine in love brings steadiness of mind and contentment. The same can be realized today through something as simple as chanting the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Despite abundance of stuff to get,

Still more desires in future to bet.

Since satisfaction none,

Only on how more to be won.

Like Hiranyakashipu demonstrating,

After the creator supplicating.

Meanwhile Prahlada peaceful still,

Not agitated by attempts to kill.

Hitting The Mark

“Then Lord Brahma, who awards infallible benedictions, departed, being worshiped by the best of the demons, Hiranyakashipu, and being praised by great sages and saintly persons.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.3)

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ततो जगाम भगवान्
अमोघानुग्रहो विभुः
पूजितो ’सुर-वर्येण
स्तूयमानः प्रजेश्वरैः

tato jagāma bhagavān
amoghānugraho vibhuḥ
pūjito ’sura-varyeṇa
stūyamānaḥ prajeśvaraiḥ

The Sanskrit word amogha says that the benedictions coming from Lord Brahma, who can sometimes be addressed as Bhagavan, hit their mark. That is to say they do not fail. This means that Hiranyakashipu had approached the right person. The standing position maintained for so long, without any food or breathing, was worth it. The severe austerity ended up pleasing the person who is worshiped by so many great personalities, in this world and others.

What exactly did Hiranyakashipu ask for? A new car? A palatial mansion? Food and wine to last a lifetime? Knowing the exalted status of the person being worshiped, upon successful supplication the future terror of the world asked for something he thought to be quite clever.

Near-immortality. A little contemplation on the issue reveals that such a thing can never exist, the paradox, but Hiranyakashipu thought he would outsmart nature itself. Make one equal to two; put a square peg in a round hole. Immunity from death in a variety of situations. Protection against all kinds of attackers. Brahma is the creator, after all. He uses the three modes of nature to generate the different kinds of suits to be worn by the conditioned souls.

These are expansions of pure spirit, amshas coming from a source. The conditioned state is forgetting the original and eternal nature. Forgetfulness has an immediate consequence: leaving the spiritual world. To enter a new world requires a specific kind of suit. Something like needing a special vessel for travelling in outer space, in earth there are different kinds of residence.

To live in the water requires a form like a fish. Breathing takes place differently underwater than it does on land. To fly through the air requires a different proportion of the material elements. So many conditions that Brahma creates up to 8,400,000 different vessels.

Hiranyakashipu wanted protection against everything Brahma could conjure up. Not to limit the creator’s creativity. Not to stifle his ingenuity. Not to put a halt to generating new population on earth. Simply give protection against everything created. Brahma could offer this boon because he was directly responsible for creation.

Hiranyakashipu also wanted protection against various weapons. As a king he was aware of the primary modes of combat. From something as simple as a rock to the most complex arrows released by expert marksmen, let there be immunity from fatal injury.

A person might be surprised to learn that Brahma left after having agreed to every request. These boons were difficult to obtain, and they would not necessarily bring peace to the king. After all, there could be the lingering doubt that something was overlooked. Like that feeling after leaving the house and thinking that the stove was not turned off, maybe the king could meet death, after all.

Of course the great oversight was not realizing that someone empowers Lord Brahma. This is explained in detail in the Shrimad Bhagavatam. There are four verses in particular, known as the chatuh-shloki, which give the sum and substance of the entire work. It is spoken by Lord Vishnu to Brahma.

The creative power comes from the Supreme Lord. He was there before anything existed and He will remain after everything is gone. He is the beginning, middle and end, as also explained in the Bhagavad-gita.

Hiranyakashipu intentionally didn’t approach Vishnu due to an intense rivalry. In truth, there were no ill feelings on the other side. Vishnu is not affected by hatred or adoration directed at Him. He is atmarama, or satisfied in the self. But the king could not let go of a past incident, where the demoniac brother named Hiranyaksha was killed by Vishnu’s avatara of Varaha.

That was for the good of the entire universe. This is Bhagavan’s work. Every person connected receives auspiciousness, even if they are unaware. Hiranyakashipu would soon be the beneficiary, despite harboring such hatred for God.

In Closing:

Because Brahma empowered sufficient,

In granting boons not deficient.

So Hiranyakashipu approaching right,

For desired protections in sight.

Though properly the mark hitting,

Meaning still body one day quitting.

Since from Vishnu the potency coming,

Only then a benefactor becoming.

Four Material Benedictions That Are Difficult To Maintain

“Material benedictions are not always exactly worthy of being called benedictions. If one possesses more and more, a benediction itself may become a curse, for just as achieving material opulence in this material world requires great strength and endeavor, maintaining it also requires great endeavor. Lord Brahma informed Hiranyakashipu that although he was ready to offer him whatever he had asked, the result of the benedictions would be very difficult for Hiranyakashipu to maintain.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.2 Purport)

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Though birth in the material world is likened to a fall for the jiva soul, all hope is not lost. There are ups and downs which are bound to occur. They arrive almost automatically, on a schedule like the winter and summer seasons.

मात्रा-स्पर्शास् तु कौन्तेय
शीतोष्ण-सुख-दुःख-दाः
आगमापायिनो ऽनित्यास्
तांस् तितिक्षस्व भारत

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

“O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.14)

Though no extra endeavor is required for receiving happiness, there is the option of working for such. In this regard there are two factors to consider: human effort and benedictions from higher authorities. The living entity is not themselves the doer, as even with paurusham the three modes of nature, gunas, must cooperate for the arrival of a successful outcome.

In the case of receiving benedictions or blessings from a person equipped to provide them, the result may not exactly be auspicious. That is to say a wise person can question whether or not the reward is actually a benediction. This is because of the maintenance factor.

1. A house

The in-laws are moving. The father has retired and he has decided to shift to a new location. The family is leaving behind the house, donated to you as a sign of affection. No more having to rent. No intense search for a new dwelling. A place with which you are already familiar is available, and at no cost.

Yet this benediction is not without its headaches. There are the annual property taxes, which are quite steep. It seems like every week there is a new issue that warrants attention. Call the landscaping people to cut the grass. Contact the roofing guy to patch the hole in the ceiling. Figure out why the heating decided to fail on the coldest day of the year. In many ways life was a lot simpler when there were only one or two rooms that someone else had the responsibility to maintain.

2. An expensive car

This time you put in long hours at the office. Overtime, they call it, and the purpose was to save up enough money to purchase the car of your dreams. This is a benediction that makes you so happy at first, since it fulfills a personal desire.

The problem is that you have to park far away when arriving at work in the morning. There is a weekly trip to get a car wash. If the slightest blemish appears on the exterior, you feel grief. Another issue is that a few years later the model becomes outdated. People who buy automobiles of the economically affordable class have more features than you. State of the art, they have a rearview camera, integration with the smartphone, and keyless entry.

3. Beauty

There are certain ways to enhance through personal effort, such as better diet and proper exercise, but in most cases the gift arrives at the time of birth. A beautiful person has the features gifted to them by nature, and others are appreciative.

The problem here is that increased attention may not always be preferred. The beautiful woman has men hounding her constantly. Not until she gets married will people finally back off, and only then a little.

There is also the competition factor. Others are beautiful, as well, and a person’s false ego, ahankara, may have them assessing the differences. If another person happens to be more beautiful, something needs to be done to change the situation. Chase after a temporary victory in the hopes of maintaining a feature over which the human being has little control and only gets to keep until the time of death.

4. Immunity from death in a variety of situations

This was the benediction King Hiranyakashipu received from Lord Brahma, the creator. The person who takes the three modes of nature as raw materials to create the different vessels in which the fallen spirit souls can reside personally gave the boon of protection against death.

It wasn’t a one hundred percent guarantee. There are always chinks in the armor of protection, but Hiranyakashipu was satisfied enough. Immunity against man and beasts. Weapons could not kill him, and even the paired time periods of day and night were covered.

Brahma warned that the benedictions were difficult to obtain. This wasn’t necessarily a reflection of its value. Hiranyakashipu had to work very hard to gain Brahma’s favor. He could have asked for practically anything, but the greatest fear on his mind was quitting the body and having to leave behind the opportunity for power and authority.

Despite the protections, the king was still paranoid. He had an inherent understanding that Vishnu, the Supreme Lord, would find a way to break through and successfully attack. The justification came after Hiranyakashipu had gone too far in harassing his devotee son named Prahlada.

That boy had the greatest benediction: hearing the glories of Vishnu. The connection took place while in the womb, but the sound was so powerful that the knowledge was retained after birth. Prahlada was not worried, since he knew that God the person was taking care of him. Not even the lethal antagonism of the crown could sway him, as he was unflinching in his devotion.

In Closing:

Terror raining down,

From father the crown.

But Prahlada not phased,

Since as bhakta raised.

Not concerned over body to maintain,

Like Hiranyakashipu from Brahma to gain.

Why chase after difficult so?

Wise favor of Vishnu know.

I Still Don’t Get Why Brahma Had To Help A Bad Guy

“Narada Muni continued: Lord Brahma was very much satisfied by Hiranyakashipu's austerities, which were difficult to perform. Therefore, when solicited for benedictions, he indeed granted them, although they were rarely to be achieved.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.1)

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श्री-नारद उवाच
एवं वृतः शत-धृतिर्
हिरण्यकशिपोर् अथ
प्रादात् तत्-तपसा प्रीतो
वरांस् तस्य सुदुर्लभान्

śrī-nārada uvāca
evaṁ vṛtaḥ śata-dhṛtir
hiraṇyakaśipor atha
prādāt tat-tapasā prīto
varāṁs tasya sudurlabhān

Friend1: We all know the story of Hiranyakashipu.

Friend2: Do we?

Friend1: Yeah. The bad guy who tried to kill his son Prahlada because of the boy’s devotion to Vishnu.

Friend2: And who is Vishnu?

Friend1: The Supreme Lord in the personal form. The detail behind the abstract. The person whose shelter means everything. If you approach Him, then you are set.

Friend2: Define “set”?

Friend1: Taken care of.

Friend2: What does that mean? Approaching Vishnu means you will get what you want?

Friend1: Not necessarily. Sometimes He denies requests. The worshiper is better off, regardless, since Vishnu looks out for their welfare. Something like the child asking to climb onto the sofa when the parents know better. The increased height poses danger of falling, so even though the child asks nicely, they are denied.

Friend2: That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Why wouldn’t everyone take it?

Friend1: Perhaps they are unaware. With Hiranyakashipu there was hatred and envy of Vishnu. That’s why he approached Lord Brahma instead.

Friend2: Who is that?

Friend1: The creator. The architect of the population. He is behind its diversity. He is invested with potency from Vishnu, from whose navel he emerges. Brahma then has the ability to create.

Friend2: He lets the creativity of the mind take over, using the three base ingredients of goodness, passion and ignorance. Combined in different ways you get up to 8,400,000 different species.

Friend1: Hiranyakashipu approached Brahma for receiving benedictions.

Friend2: What kinds?

Friend1: Immortality, more or less. Safety from death, in the many forms that it can arrive. To safeguard against natural causes, he wanted immunity while inside the home and out. For the issue of outside attackers he listed the different kinds of species.

Friend2: Don’t forget weapons, too. The king who terrorized the world considered the instruments of death, along with their operators.

Friend1: I know we’ve discussed this many times, but it’s still a head-scratcher to me.

Friend2: That Hiranyakashipu couldn’t realize that even one percent mortality is enough for death to strike?

Friend1: No. That Lord Brahma would agree to these requests. He is so close to Vishnu, after all. Being a deva, he is in the mode of goodness. Lord Brahma shouldn’t be helping out someone so wicked, having ill-intent.

Friend2: He shouldn’t? Who should he be helping?

Friend1: Devotees. Demigods. Suras. Those in the mode of goodness.

Friend2: But Brahma is in charge of the mode of passion. Hiranyakashipu’s drive to live forever was to remain in rajo-guna for as long as possible.

Friend1: He’s still a bad guy, though. Why does Brahma have to help him?

Friend2: It’s the way nature works. The sun gives light to good and bad people alike. No one gets mad at the rain for providing drinking water to criminals. You’re also forgetting that good and bad are relative.

Friend1: How so? You don’t think trying to kill your own son is bad?

Friend2: Good brings you closer to the heavenly realm. Bad behavior is regressive; moving away from the higher destination. Nevertheless, you are still in a perishable place, within a perishable body, subject to the changes brought on by time. Beginning, middle and end. You still remain unaware that a higher authority controls time.

सर्गाणाम् आदिर् अन्तश् च
मध्यं चैवाहम् अर्जुन
अध्यात्म-विद्या विद्यानां
वादः प्रवदताम् अहम्

sargāṇām ādir antaś ca
madhyaṁ caivāham arjuna
adhyātma-vidyā vidyānāṁ
vādaḥ pravadatām aham

“Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the Self, and among logicians I am the conclusive truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.32)

Friend1: If it’s all the same thing, what is so special about the story?

Friend2: Prahlada was neither good nor bad. He was in pure goodness, shuddha-sattva. This is transcendental to the material qualities. I would argue that Brahma’s benedictions to the king help to highlight the folly of material pursuits. The lack of immortality, the protection that went to the Vishnu-devotee instead – that is more important to take away.

In Closing:

Asking that forever to live,

Brahma something close to give.

But known right from the start,

That from dharma soon to depart.

Of bad character could easily see,

Why creator then had to agree?

Idea that relative the positions aligning,

Also on Prahlada spotlight shining.

Four Ways To Counteract Negative Consequences Due To Arrive

“A sinful life can be counteracted by various processes of religion such as yajna, vrata and dana—that is, the performance of sacrifices, the taking of a vow for some religious ritual, and the giving of charity. In this way one may become free from the reactions of sinful life and at the same time awaken his original Krishna consciousness.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.27.1 Purport)

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Mention the concept of sin or sinful life in general conversation and there may be an immediate disavowal based on past experiences with threats of hellfire and eternal damnation. The dogmatic insistence was too much to take, as logic dictates that flawed individuals can’t correct every error merely through blind allegiance to a particular institution or a profession of faith. Moreover, the people pushing the hardest seem to have the most flaws themselves, deep enough to warrant legitimate skepticism.

The Vedas explain that papa [sin] is paired with punya [piety]. Something like the reverse of up or good. High and low. Hot and cold. These are dualities in a material existence, representing relative positions. Piety is like moving forward, progressing, and sin like retreating, regressing.

At the basic level sin is doing something the wrong way. As an example, driving on the left side of the road in America is sinful. There are negative consequences in most circumstances. Even if nothing should happen because the roads are empty on a particular day, there is still a negative consequence in that the illusion of lack of punishment promotes the dangerous behavior going forward.

Other than the risk of a tragic accident, the most basic punishment for this transgression is apprehension by police. Suspension of the driving license. Perhaps jail-time. After doing the time for the crime, the penalty is hopefully removed. The slate is wiped clean, so to speak.

In Vedic culture there are different ways to be absolved of general sin. In truth, there is an original mistake, so to speak, which led to the fall from a specific place, causing residence in the land of duality. Correcting that error is the best way to be absolved of all subsequent sinful behavior and their reactions, including vulnerability to recidivism.

1. Yajna

This is sacrifice. A formal worship ceremony. Something where you call a priest over to the home and gather certain items. Repeat specific mantras and offer oblations into a fire. Sometimes the individual can do the yajna themselves, if they happen to be qualified in the area.

Yajna brings all-around auspiciousness, as well. As an example, King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was extremely pious, but at an advanced age he still lacked an heir to the throne. At the advice of a priest-like person he conducted a yajna. Soon thereafter his queens became pregnant and Dasharatha was blessed with four capable sons.

2. Vrata

This is a vow. In the religious context, there is some kind of austerity. Something equivalent outside of the religious realm would be avoiding a specific activity after a certain mistake was made.

“Last week I drove on the wrong side of the road, so I am taking myself away from driving for at least one week. I won’t get behind the wheel. This way I will learn my lesson.”

In Vedic culture there is the Satyanarayana Vrata, commonly observed once a month on the full moon day to bring general auspiciousness to the individual and their surroundings. Wives fast for an entire day once a year to bless their husbands. Twice a month a person may observe a vow of abstaining from grains and beans. This both avoids sin and helps to increase consciousness of the Supreme Lord Vishnu, who happens to be synonymous with yajna.

3. Dana

This is charity. To an appropriate recipient and at the right time. Not randomly giving money away, especially to someone who won’t use it properly. I may think I am helping the beggar on the street with offering a few dollars, but if the money is subsequently used for committing a sinful act, then I am partially implicated. I lent some support to a behavior that requires absolution.

Dana is a kind of austerity, as well. It is said that a person who gives away in charity properly receives much more in return. The benefit may not arrive in the present lifetime, but surely the future looks brighter. It is a way to clear the consciousness, as well, for ahankara fools a person into associating with their acquired possessions, which are merely on loan from a higher authority.

4. Bhakti

This is correcting the original mistake mentioned previously. Sinful life at its core is turning away from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The many mistakes committed after this turn are classified as sinful since they keep a person away from their natural state.

Though bhakti should not be used for the express purpose of counteracting sin, there is no denying the effect. Shri Krishna is the swift-deliverer from danger for the people surrendered to Him. There is no discrimination in terms of how long such a person has surrendered, where they come from, how many lifetimes they have spent in sin, or what their motivations may have been in the recent past.

ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि
मयि सन्न्यस्य मत्-पराः
अनन्येनैव योगेन
मां ध्यायन्त उपासते
तेषाम् अहं समुद्धर्ता
मृत्यु-संसार-सागरात्
भवामि न चिरात् पार्थ
मय्य् आवेशित-चेतसाम्

ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi
mayi sannyasya mat-parāḥ
ananyenaiva yogena
māṁ dhyāyanta upāsate
teṣām ahaṁ samuddhartā
mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt
bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha
mayy āveśita-cetasām

“For one who worships Me, giving up all his activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, who has fixed his mind upon Me, O son of Pritha, for him I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 12.6-7)

Assessing the different methods, a wise person would conclude that bhakti is the best option. There is additional protection against future mistakes. This is because a person seriously engaged in bhakti-yoga has little time for life outside of yoga, which is connection with the Divine. If I am on the right path, then there is no question of getting lost. If I correct myself here and there but return to the place of danger, there is every chance of slipping up again.

In this age of Kali practicing bhakti-yoga and enjoying its benefits have been made easier. Simply chant the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. As a routine followed under proper authority and guidance, this single practice has the potency to remove concern for piety and sin altogether.

In Closing:

Punishment soon to be paid,

By that costly mistake made.

From Vedas way to counteract,

Like yajna with mantra exact.

Dana for possessions to give,

And vrata with restriction to live.

But bhakti the best of them all,

Because Krishna helping on call.

Five Reasons We Like Someone

“When the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pleased with the living entity because of his devotional service, one becomes a pandita and does not make distinctions between enemies, friends and himself. Intelligently, he then thinks, ‘Every one of us is an eternal servant of God, and therefore we are not different from one another.’” (Prahlada Maharaja, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.12)

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स यदानुव्रतः पुंसां
पशु-बुद्धिर् विभिद्यते
अन्य एष तथान्यो ’हम्
इति भेद-गतासती

sa yadānuvrataḥ puṁsāṁ
paśu-buddhir vibhidyate
anya eṣa tathānyo ’ham
iti bheda-gatāsatī

1. They are nice to us

This is perhaps the easiest way to develop fondness for another person. As an example, on a trip to the post office things turn stressful rather quickly. The newborn child is with you. It should be a simple process. In and out. File some paperwork and be done with the affair.

The problem is that the child is not accustomed to leaving the home and meeting new people. While you are standing in line, they start crying. This is the loudest you have ever heard them scream. The intensity surpasses that of when they bump their head or want a specific toy that they can’t have.

Trying your hardest to endure the situation, you get called up to the counter. The person there could not be nicer. They are understanding; they have children of their own. They help you get through, limiting the time spent crying by the baby.

Of course you will have a positive opinion of such a person. They say that a little kindness goes a long way. Hold the door open for someone approaching. Help a person in need. Give warnings to danger. From that behavior maybe there is hope that the entire society has not collapsed into chaos and madness.

2. They share the same interests

This is the easiest way to make friends. Enjoy playing a particular sport? Do you follow the professional athletes? Do you look for tips and offer advice to others? Are you in need of a playing partner?

Find someone who shares the same interest and there is bound to be a relationship. The nature of that relationship is equality. On the same level due to the interest, with no established superiority or requirement of offering reverence. Through that friendship other shared interests may develop.

3. They don’t yell

An extension of the kindness aspect, a person who doesn’t get angry is preferable in most situations. One exception might be with a boss who wants their employee to get a specific task done on time. That employee is relying on outside vendors to deliver. The boss needs the employee to apply pressure on the vendors, and part of that application may require the use of a stern tone.

If someone doesn’t yell, it means that they are calm in demeanor. They can then think more clearly. They are not swayed by the ups and downs of life. One minute you are flying high and the next you are in trouble. As there is constant fluctuation, better to stay above.

4. They are clean

Another trip into the city. This is to attend an important program. On top of the mess with the underground train system, there is a large volume of travelers today. Just your luck that the person sitting next to you smells terrible. It is some kind of food, though they are not eating anything at the moment. It must be what they cook at home. An unbearable odor of garlic, onions and meat, you tell yourself, “I hate this person.”

On the other side is the person who stays clean. They have external cleanliness from following good hygiene and internal cleanliness by not using foul language and avoiding situations that negatively affect the mind. The clean person’s association is preferable, as they are not an undue burden on others.

5. They are quiet

This is the hidden truth behind the popular affection for domesticated animals. The cat and the dog cannot talk. They can communicate desires for eating, sleeping, evacuating and the like, but there are no words exchanged. This allows for affection to flow more smoothly. There is no lingering memory of the harsh words a person once spoke. There is no grudge held over a verbal offense from years ago.

Silence is on the side of godliness, as is cleanliness. One should not speak more than is required, and they should not utter nonsense. Such a person’s association will be appreciated in most situations. This is one of the easiest ways to get respect from others.

The Sanskrit phrase atmavan manyate jagat describes that a person tends to think that others are like them. If I have trouble understanding a specific language, probably others are the same way. If I have to cheat in order to win office in a local election, I tend to think that the other side has a similar reliance.

The concept extends to preference and to friendship. It is only natural to have a positive assessment of someone I think to be just like me. It’s an extension of the false ego, ahankara, where I consider my viewpoints and way of life to be superior.

Prahlada Maharaja reveals the secret for attaining universal brotherhood. If I am prone to liking others who are similar to me, I actually have a link to every other person. This is because we are all spirit soul, atma, on the inside. The principle extends to the animal community, as well, including the non-moving species.

Every spirit soul is meant to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. That service is always evident, even if forgetfulness of the purpose is manifest at present. That is to say everyone is always a servant of Bhagavan, but sometimes that service is only towards the shadow or rear portion. Such service goes by terms like atheism and agnosticism.

The devotee serves the front portion, or God in the complete realization. Such a person then sees clearly, and as a result they give up temporary and conditional distinctions like friend and enemy. They understand that everyone is connected to Krishna, and so there is no reason for making judgments off of external factors.

In Closing:

Not many words to say,

Someone acting my way.

A common interest to share,

Of proper behavior aware.

From these causes blooming affection,

But wise not this exclusive direction.

Prahlada sharing with all the equality feeling,

That everyone servant of Bhagavan revealing.

Two Things Required From Krishna For Success

“She gathered more ropes from the house and added to it, but at the end she found the same shortage. In this way, she connected all the ropes available at home, but when the final knot was added, she saw that it was still two inches too short. Mother Yashoda was smiling, but she was astonished. How was it happening?” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 9)

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Every person has to work. They are compelled to. It is an integral aspect of living. Even the severely disabled fictional character depicted in the book and subsequent film about World War I had some type of autonomous action. Despite losing the hands, legs, sight, hearing, and speaking ability, what was left could at least gyrate, sending signals in Morse Code.

The individual has the choice for action, but not every choice brings the same result. Two people eat the exact same thing for dinner one night. The first person suffers terrible stomach pains a few hours later. The other one is just fine; sleeping through the night without a problem.

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि
गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः
अहङ्कार-विमूढात्मा
कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

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

The person in the background is the Supreme Lord. Even the atheists worship Him. Every person is connected to Him in some way. Those who vehemently deny any sort of superior authority in charge of nature pay homage to the controller by clearly displaying the power of His illusory energy known as maya. Just as an expert actor can make the audience forget that what they are viewing is a scripted performance, so Shri Krishna can fool the conditioned soul into thinking that there is no spiritual energy.

ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानां
हृद्-देशे ऽर्जुन तिष्ठति
भ्रामयन् सर्व-भूतानि
यन्त्रारूढानि मायया

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.61)

In the Bhagavad-gita we learn that the body is simply an instrument. The same can be said of the nature itself. Behind the instrument is the operator. Within the localized jurisdiction the individual, jiva, operates the machine that is the body. On the larger scale there is the operator of the srishti, the entire creation. From a pastime involving mother Yashoda we see that two factors are required from that controller for success to occur.

1. Arrangement

Mother Yashoda had a plan. The actor within the body made a choice, and a conscious one at that. This was not a movement considered involuntary, like breathing or the beating of the heart. She decided to punish her darling child. The same controller of the universe had appeared in her home as the beloved son. Quite small and yet totally adorable, Krishna had broken a pot of yogurt in anger. He then scurried away, as if knowing He had done something wrong.

Yashoda chased after Him and finally caught up to Him. The decision was to punish mildly. Tie the baby up to a mortar so that He wouldn’t run away anymore. To complete the task, to make it saphala, or successful, there had to be outside arrangement.

The mother gathered all the rope that was necessary. This was due to Krishna’s arrangement, though it takes a keen eye to notice. My successful journey to work in the morning requires the arrangement of proper materials. I need an automobile. I need gasoline to start it. I need the traffic lights to run properly. Most importantly, I have the expectation that the roads will be sufficiently clear; no construction closing lanes and no accidents jamming everything up.

Over this arrangement I have little control. I can make sure to have a car and fill it up with gasoline, but the functioning of the engine is so complex that I have to trust that everyone else did their job. Though so many individual actors combined together, unknowingly at that, there is still the great coordinator in the background.

2. Agreement

He made sure that Yashoda had sufficient material to fulfill her desire. There was just one problem. Every time Yashoda went to bind Krishna, she found that the rope was two finger-widths short. This was the case every time, no matter how many ropes she tied together. She had all the material a person could ask for. This was something like what would be seen years later with Princess Draupadi. When fiends tried to disrobe her in front of an assembly, they found that the sari magically became endless.

The arrangement at that time was also through Shri Krishna. Though His material nature takes care of the proper configuration in most situations, when there is direct interaction the Supreme Lord acts entirely on His own. Mother Yashoda became successful only after Krishna’s agreement. That is to say the child being punished had to first agree to the punishment in order for the mother to carry out justice.

The same applies for overall success in the human birth. Every person has the right to choose in favor of bhakti, for eschewing material sense gratification for the purpose of connecting with the Divine in pure love. The arrangement is already there; as Krishna sends the guru to light the path towards transcendence. The agreement must also be present, and fortunately Krishna’s favor is easily won. Something as simple as chanting His names captures His attention: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Taking all of the ropes found,

So that child to mortar bound.

But problem still only one,

That long enough were none.

From arrangement first proceeded,

But agreement also needed.

With success in life’s journey the same,

Favorable when chanting His name.