Reports Come In Of A Heavy Attack

“Rama’s younger brother, Lakshmana, has reddish eyes and a voice that resounds like a kettledrum. His strength matches that of Rama’s, and his face shines like a full moon. Just as wind gives aid to a raging fire, Lakshmana has joined forces with his brother. It is that best of kings, Shriman Rama, who has brought down the Rakshasas fighting in Janasthana.” (Akampana speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 31.16-17)

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A wise person accepts valid information from hearing. That is to say they don’t insist on personal observation and experience when not necessary. One example is the weather forecast. The experts say that it will rain today. From morning until night. Heavy at times, but ever-steady, there will be no parting of the clouds on this day.

Skepticism is always an option, so if I decide to not take an umbrella with me on my walk to the bus station in the morning, the negative consequences are on me. I get validation of the forecast through the rain drenching my face and clothes, and so there is no more doubt. The situation could have been prevented by accepting the knowledge on authority. There is an element of faith, for sure, but that is the case with virtually every aspect of living.

Many thousands of years ago a powerful ruler received eyewitness testimony of the amazing fighting ability of two men. They were brothers, and the person who observed decided to compare them to fire and wind. The leader, the elder brother, Shri Rama, fired arrows that were like heat-seeking missiles. In whichever direction the enemies fled, the arrows followed. The fighters could find no escape. Though the origin Himself was known to be peaceful, calm, kind and fair, the specific face they saw of Him was terrifying.

That fire-like fighter was aided by the wind-like younger brother named Lakshmana. Having a voice like a kettledrum, just from speaking there was intimidation. Lakshmana followed Rama as a matter of duty, though the guiding sentiment was love. Rama was enough to take on fourteen-thousand of the king’s men, and Lakshmana was there in the background, just in case.

A wise person would have taken heed. These are not people to be messed with. The king of Lanka, Ravana, thought his forces were enough to secure victory. They were the aggressors. They went to the forest of Janasthana specifically to attack Rama. Instead, reports came back of a heavy attack, originating from the son of King Dasharatha.

Ravana learned enough to not try a similar mission in the future. Instead he went the cowardly route. Combining with the advisor Maricha, Ravana changed his shape. He used deception to steal Sita away. Rama’s beautiful wife was alone at the time, not bothering anyone. She had amazing abilities acquired through asceticism, but she would not use them in a place where Rama was tasked with defending her.

The heavy attack that Akampana experienced was nothing compared to what awaited Ravana in Lanka. Rama was defending before, but this time He came in full force, bringing along an army of monkeys and bears. Just as Rama’s arrows met their targets, so too did the rocks and trees hurled by the dedicated servants, who were not nearly as skilled in warfare as Ravana’s men, who could employ black magic when desired.

The Ravana-like mentality existed prior to his time on earth and it continues through to this day. The less intelligent will deny the expert testimony passed on in Vedic literature and held safe through the system of disciplic succession. Taking shelter of skepticism, of the inaccurate information provided by the flawed senses, the choice will be made for material enjoyment. Forget the Almighty. Forget dharma. Forget right and wrong. Just as the forecast of fire and wind eventually wiped away Ravana and his clan, so the all-devouring agent of time shows its gruesome face to erase the gains acquired through human effort.

Just like the fighters dedicated to Rama were protected, so His servants are spared the cruel death that continues the cycle of reincarnation. No more changing bodies for the liberated soul, who no matter where they reside always sees the fearless Rama standing in their heart, holding His illustrious bow and arrow, with Lakshmana by His side.

In Closing:

Standing guard to preside,

With Lakshmana by His side.

Like wind aiding the fire,

Of enemy’s defeat to transpire.

What Akampana in Dandaka saw,

That Ravana’s army flawed.

Same brothers today at the ready,

To protect those of devotion steady.

My Brother’s Keeper

“Please tell me which of Your enemies shall today be deprived of their life, fame, and friends by me. I am Your faithful servant, so please do instruct me as to how I shall go about bringing this whole earth under Your control.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 23.40)

The most highly acclaimed and heralded lawyers are those who know best how to use argument and rhetoric to persuade others into agreeing with their position. Winning an argument requires confidence, conviction, and sometimes even trickery of word. The “leading question” is one of the most commonly used tricks of the legal trade.

A leading question is a quested posed to a witness wherein a specific premise is automatically built into the question. The result is that this premise becomes automatically accepted regardless of the answer to the question. The most common example given of a leading question is, “Are you still beating your wife?” If the witness answers “yes”, then it is confirmed that they are continuing the practice of wife-beating. If the answer is “no”, then it doesn’t necessarily mean that they never beat their wife; it just means that such a practice has stopped. If lawyers for the opposing party are quick enough to recognize these questions, they can raise an objection with the judge, which usually results in the original question being stricken from the record. Nevertheless, the art of crafty legal debate revolves around this concept of word jugglery. It is similar to the discipline of logic taught to math students. If one fact is true, and another fact is based off the original fact, then the second fact must also evaluate to true. There are many such laws in the discipline of logic. In fact, having good logical skills is one of the requirements for being a good lawyer. For trial lawyers, their aim is to do whatever they can to get the jury to believe their side of the story. To that end, a good lawyer is one who can best use his logical skills to interpret the law and the words of others to his advantage.

The Vedanta-sutras declare that everything in this material world is but a reflection of what already exists in the spiritual world, janmady asya yatah.

“O my Lord, Shri Krishna, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Shri Krishna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes…” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.1)

Therefore the systems of logic and reasoning are things that emanates from God. For this reason, devotees of the Lord are well acquainted with the discipline. Just as lawyers defend their clients, the pure devotees act as God’s representatives on earth, serving and defending Him to the best of their abilities. A learned person is referred to as a pandita, and the devotees are the greatest panditas since they have perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth, Lord Shri Krishna. They are no strangers to the logical tricks used by lawyers, but there is a key difference. The devotees use logic and word jugglery to defend God’s interests.

Lakshmana was an example of one such devotee. An incarnation of Lord Ananta Shesha Naga, Lakshmana was a pandita from his birth. Born as a son to Maharaja Dasharatha of Ayodhya, Lakshmana served as the close confidante and ever well-wisher to his elder brother, Lord Rama, an incarnation of Krishna, or God. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Dasharatha had to banish Rama from the kingdom for fourteen years. Rama was the rightful heir to the throne, but Dasharatha was forced to choose his other son, Bharata, to succeed him. Rama had no problem with such a request. One of God’s features is that He is atmarama, meaning self-satisfied. He is need of nothing, so renunciation is a quality that He automatically possesses to the highest degree.

Lakshmana was Rama’s closest brother. Rama’s other two brothers, Bharata and Shatrughna, both loved Him very much as well, but Lakshmana was the one who spent the most time with Rama. Growing up in Dasharatha’s kingdom, Rama and Lakshmana learned the military arts together from their spiritual master Vashishta. In fact, the two did everything together, for Lakshmana wouldn’t even eat unless Rama was with Him and ate first. This is the etiquette followed by pure devotees. They know that God is the proprietor of everything, so they recognize His supremacy at all times throughout the day. Eating, though a necessity, is one of the highest forms of sense gratification. Devotees do everything for the satisfaction of God, however, so even when they eat, they first recognize God.

Lakshmana was extremely angry at his father for the order he laid down on Rama. Rama was ready to start serving His exile sentence when Lakshmana did his best to persuade Him otherwise. The above referenced statement was part of his plea. Lakshmana’s idea was that Rama should be installed as the new king anyway. Lakshmana would personally see to it that no one would interfere. Always his brother’s keeper, Lakshmana had abandoned any family ties or affection he held for anyone else in favor of serving Rama. This is the behavior of a true sannyasi, or one in the renounced order of life. One can put on a saffron robe, carry a stick, and go begging from door-to-door, but if they don’t have pure love and devotion for God, then they cannot be classified as a true sannyasi.

So Lakshmana was ready to fight anyone, including other family members if he had to, in order to secure Rama’s installation as king. His final statement to Rama was, “Who do You want me to kill first?” By using a leading question, Lakshmana tried his best to persuade Rama to listen to him. In actuality, such a coup wasn’t required. Everyone in the kingdom loved Rama very much, so there would be no need to fight anyone. Also, Rama had more important things to accomplish by going to the forest, and He wanted to maintain Dasharatha’s good name. In the end, Rama would leave for the forest, taking His wife, Sita Devi, and Lakshmana with Him.

Lakshmana’s actions are still noteworthy. A devotee will do whatever they can to protect God from miscreants. Being a kshatriya, Lakshmana was ready to use all his fighting skills to help Rama, but he was also ready to use his logical skills to persuade Rama to do what he thought was right. Fellow devotees today can follow Lakshmana’s lead by using their brains to defend God.

So who does God need to be defended from? From the beginning of time, there has been an ongoing war between the daivas, the devotees, and the asuras, the atheists or demons. In the age of Kali which we currently live in, the influence of the asuras is greater than it has ever been. Aside from the ascendency of the avowed atheists, there are others who use the statements of the Vedas to further their bogus ideas of impersonalism and voidism, which are really no different than atheism. In this age, bona fide kshatriyas are hard to find, so it is up to the devotees to do the fighting, using words as their weapons.

Just as Lakshmana fired arrows to defend Rama from Rakshasas, devotees can fire arrows in the form of words and logic. Bhaktas simply have to push forward the authorized statements of past great personalities. Vyasadeva, the author of all major Vedic texts, takes Krishna to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as do great devotees like Prahlada and Hanuman. Devotees simply need to broadcast the message of these great saints, and at the same time, use logic, analogy, and deductive reasoning to defeat the bogus arguments of the atheists.

God doesn’t require this action from people, but He most certainly appreciates it. Lakshmana openly declared himself to be a humble servant of Rama and nothing else. Even though He was a powerful kshatriya warrior, he had no attachment to his great strength. His only business was to serve his brother. In this way, he is our role model. Lord Chaitanya, Krishna’s incarnation appearing in India some five hundred years ago, was a great logician and learned scholar, known as Nimai Pandita in his youth. He could explain one verse from the scriptures in eighty different ways, but in the end, He would explain everything as Krishna, or God. That is the lesson for us. Logic and deductive reasoning exist for only one purpose, to further the legitimacy of the discipline of devotional service, or bhagavata-dharma, the only occupational duty of mankind. We simply have to chant “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, follow the regulative principles, and most importantly, explain everything in terms of Krishna, and the Lord will be pleased with us.

The Beautiful Warrior

“These arms of mine, which are fit for wearing sandalwood pulp and armlets, distributing wealth in charity, and protecting friends and family, shall today, O Rama, be used to do whatever is necessary to stop those who wish to obstruct Your installation as king.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 23.38-39)

God can be equally merciful through the use of violence or nonviolence. The dualities of the material world do not apply to Him, for He is the very definition of virtue and purity. We cannot apply our mundane morals to Him.

“Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, self-control and calmness, pleasure and pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and infamy are created by Me alone.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.4-5)

The quality of ahimsa, or non-violence, is described in the Vedas as virtuous. As living entities, we are all in the same boat as far as our experiences go in this material world. We are all spirit souls at our core, but somehow or other we have accepted a material body subject to the repeated cycle of birth and death. Disease and old age afflict everyone. The only way to break out of this cycle is to come to the platform of real knowledge. What is that knowledge that we have to acquire? It is not knowledge of how to invent the latest high-tech gizmo. It’s not knowledge of how to increase our bodily comforts or even how to increase our duration of life. The purpose of human life is to use our God-given intelligence to come to the platform of understanding and loving God. This can only be achieved through rendering pure loving service to Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His devotees.

By understanding that we are all part and parcel of Krishna, we see that there is no need for us to be unkind to our fellow man. To go one step further, there is no reason for us to be violent towards others. The mode of passion can sometimes get the better of us. Lust leads to anger, and anger leads to violence. This type of violence is in the mode of ignorance, so one who can control his anger by acting in a non-violent manner is considered virtuous. Unnecessary violence is certainly deplorable, but this doesn’t mean that non-violence is the only path to take under all circumstances. This is where the concept of ahimsa has been misinterpreted. Every one of us possesses the three qualities of material nature (goodness, passion, and ignorance) to varying degrees. For this reason, we see that people have different demeanors, temperaments, and ethical standards. Not every person is nice, with some people being downright dangerous. In order to give protection to the innocent, a class of people is required who can fight off enemies.

This class of people is known as the kshatriya, and they make up one of the four varnas, or natural societal divisions based on quality and work. Metaphorically speaking, human society can be thought of as a person. For a person to function properly, they must have a brain, arms, a stomach, and legs. The kshatriyas represent the arms of society. The violence they use is sanctioned by the Vedas since it is only invoked when necessary. Lord Krishna Himself advised His disciple and cousin, Arjuna, to perform his prescribed duties as a kshatriya by fighting in the Kurukshetra war:

“Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me, and at the same time you should continue your prescribed duty and fight. With your mind and activities always fixed on Me, and everything engaged in Me, you will attain to Me without any doubt.” (Bg. 8.7)

According to the Vedas, a warrior who dies while fighting on the battlefield immediately ascends to heaven. This is because fighting on religious principles is not an easy thing to do, so such acts of bravery are duly rewarded. If a society lacks a strong kshatriya presence, then anarchy will ensue since the innocent will have no one to protect them. The miscreants will run hog wild and atheism will run rampant.

God comes to earth from time to time in human form to personally provide us protection from such miscreants. Many thousands of years ago, appearing as the eldest son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya, God assumed the guise of a pious prince named Rama. Lord Rama had three younger brothers who were all virtuous and dedicated to His welfare, but Lakshmana was especially close to Him. On one occasion, Rama was banished from the kingdom for fourteen years by Dasharatha. This was not due to any fault of Rama’s, but rather to promises that Dasharatha had made to one of his queens. This made Lakshmana very angry. He couldn’t stand to see Rama treated this way. In the above referenced statement, he is trying to persuade Rama to ignore Dasharatha’s order and ascend the throne by force.

In Vedic times, governments were religious monarchies run by kshatriyas. Born in a family of great kings, Rama and Lakshmana were trained in the military arts by great sages. They were actually the greatest warriors on the planet. Lakshmana easily could have installed Rama as the new king by force, and this is exactly what he was suggesting. Lakshmana is making the point that the same hands that he used for executing the nonviolent duties of a kshatriya, could also be used for thwarting the actions of the miscreants. Both acts are equally as pious. The main business of a kshatriya is to provide protection. In the day-to-day affairs, kings would also smear sandalwood pulp on themselves, distribute charity to brahmanas (the priestly class of men), and maintain family relations by making trips to various cities. Here, Lakshmana is stressing the point that his hands are certainly fit for performing those tasks, but that one shouldn’t forget that his hands can also be used for protecting Rama.

By nature, God is very nice and equally disposed towards all living entities. The name Rama actually means one who gives pleasure to others. That was Lord Rama’s nature. He was loved and adored by all the citizens of Ayodhya. Even Dasharatha loved Him very much. Violence wasn’t required in this situation, but Lakshmana suggested it anyway out of love for his brother. Though God is neutral towards everyone, He makes an exception for His devotees. If they are put into trouble, He takes special care to give them protection. Sometimes He sends His authorized representative, or He even personally appears to offer that protection.

“In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 4.8)

God can be both peaceful and hostile, and still be equally as pleasing to His devotees. Lord Vishnu is a good example of this principle. As Lord Krishna’s four-handed form seated in the hearts of all living entities, Lord Vishnu (Narayana) carries four items in his hands: the conchshell, the lotus flower, the disc, and the club. The first two items, the conchshell and flower, are peaceful. The conchshell is blown during pujas and other ceremonies relating to deity worship as a way of welcoming God. Lord Krishna Himself blew a conchshell at the beginning of the Kurukshetra War. The lotus flower is significant for many reasons. Its beauty and shape is used to describe the Lord’s features, including His eyes and navel. Its wonderful scent is also very pleasing to the living entities. It is also regularly offered to the Lord with love and devotion during religious ceremonies.

“When Shishupala was abusing the kings who were about to attack him, Lord Krishna took up His disc, which was as sharp as the blade of a razor, and immediately separated the head of Shishupala from his body.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 19)

The disc and club represent God’s weapons of choice when defending His devotees. Lord Krishna’s weapon is the sudarshana-chakra, which He has used on many occasions. One time, the rascal Shishupala insulted Krishna in front of a gathered assembly, and in response the Lord very nonchalantly hurled His sudarshana-chakra, which immediately cut off Shishupala’s head. The disc then kindly made its way back into Krishna’s possession.

Rama and Lakshmana used their bow and arrows for their weapons. More than just wielders of ordinary weapons, the pair were expert in chanting mantras which augmented the power of their arrows. Rama’s arrows would also return to His quiver after going through His enemies.

Ordinarily, this sort of violence can be very off-putting, but since it is a display of God’s causeless mercy to His devotees, such activities are quite beautiful. That is the secret behind God and His actions. The four items of Lord Vishnu are equally beautiful to the devotees. It may be a difficult concept to grasp at the beginning, but one who follows the path of devotional service will gradually come to understand this.

By the same token, if a devotee uses sanctioned violence to protect God and His interests, it is equally as beautiful. This was displayed by Lakshmana as well as the Vanara army, headed by Hanuman. In this age of Kali, the best weapon we can use to defeat the miscreants is the sword of knowledge. That sword can be easily acquired by one who constantly chants the Lord’s names, reads His books, and humbly serves His devotees.

Lakshmana is one such devotee. He is God’s protector. One who is devoted to Krishna has nothing to fear from Lakshmana, since he is also their protector. He protects God’s interests, so if we follow the path of devotional service, he will also protect us.

Prowess

“You have advented Yourself to fulfill Your own statement that You come within this material world just to protect the principles of religion and annihilate unwanted miscreants.” (Narada Muni offering prayers to Lord Krishna, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 36)

God is the most powerful, the all-omnipotent. Sometimes we forget the power that He has, or at other times we have trouble comprehending His greatness. For these and many other reasons, the Lord comes to earth from time to time to display His prowess, reminding us of His potencies.

God doesn’t do this to show off. The Vedas describe Him as atmarama, meaning self-satisfied. He is in need of nothing, for He can survive through any condition. Devotees, however, love to see the Lord in action. Similar to how people enjoy happy endings to stories, the pious like to be reminded of God’s greatness. It gives them a feeling of peace and serenity. There is so much that we encounter in our everyday lives that goes against God and His injunctions that it can be difficult to bear. Sinful activity is quite prevalent and it can lead to a distressful condition. During these desperate moments, the devotees pray for the Lord to personally appear and alleviate the situation.

“Your appearance and disappearance are made possible by Your inconceivable energy just to give protection to the faithful devotees and to annihilate the demons.” (Lord Brahma offering prayers to Lord Krishna, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 14)

There is nothing that brings more pleasure to the devotees than seeing God victorious in His battles against the demons. These pastimes are so pleasing that people like to relive them over and over again. Through the grace of the great saints of India, many of these events have been recorded in written form in the various Puranas, Mahabharata, and Ramayana.

The other reason God chooses to personally display His prowess is to baffle the atheists. Since the beginning of time there has been an ongoing war between the daivas and the asuras. Daivas include demigods and the devotees of the Lord. The asuras are the atheists. The devotees are more than happy to execute their devotional service in a peaceful manner, not concerning themselves with those who are not interested in worshiping God. The asuras, however, see devotees as the biggest threat to their sinful way of life. Asuras have no belief in God, so essentially, they don’t believe in anything. Since their value system is so flimsy, they feel threatened by the devotees. For this reason, they try as hard as they can to disprove the existence of God. They go about this in several ways, with the primary method being the acquisition of great material wealth. “Look at me! I have so much power and money. These other people are so poor that they have taken to worshiping a God who doesn’t exist.” This was the mindset of famous demons like Ravana and Hiranyakashipu.

Another way atheists go about attempting to disprove the existence of God is through scientific research. The Vedas describe the difference between matter (prakriti), and spirit (purshua), but most scientists are only interested in matter. They believe that if they try hard enough, they can reach a point where they can create life from matter. They have yet to succeed, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. The fatal flaw in their logic stems from the fact that God is achintya, or inconceivable. The gross material senses can never truly comprehend the nature of God. Even the widely subscribed to Big Bang Theory can’t explain how the initial “bang” took place. We are incapable of fully understanding God because we living entities are part of God’s marginal energy, meaning we aren’t on the same level as God. Our intelligence is limited by the powers of our mind, which uses material objects as reference points.

The Dr. Frog analogy is appropriate in this regard. A frog living in a well all its life knows only of what it has experienced. If someone comes to the frog and tries to explain the size of the Pacific Ocean, the frog will naturally ask, “How big is this ocean? Is it bigger than this well?” The Pacific Ocean is infinitely larger than any well, yet the frog doesn’t know anything outside of his current habitation. This same principle can be applied on a macro level to all of human civilization. Even with the invention of various spaceships such as the Mars rover, we still don’t have the slightest clue into how large the universe actually is; such is the nature of God and His powers of creation.

One of God’s appearances on earth took place many thousands of years ago in the town of Ayodhya. When the Lord appears in human form, He likes to take birth in a kshatriya family, because it is the duty of the kshatriya warriors to provide protection to the rest of society. Lord Rama was the greatest kshatriya warrior. Both He and His younger brother, Lakshmana, were trained by the great sages Vashishta and Vishvamitra. The brahmanas are the highest class in the varnashrama dharma system since they dedicate all their time to studying the Vedas and performing various sacrifices and rituals. Since brahmanas are directly engaged in serving God, they have perfect knowledge of all material subjects. They can train others not only on priestly matters, but on all areas relating to fighting and defense. Vishvamitra, being pleased with the respect shown to him by Rama and Lakshmana, imparted on them various mantras. The recitation of these mantras would turn an ordinary bow and arrow into a weapon equal to the magnitude of a nuclear bomb. A mantra is a sound vibration uttered for a particular purpose. The entire Vedic system revolves around mantras. Sound vibrations are very powerful, so the flawless recitation of a mantra can yield great results.

“Who is there, proud of his fighting prowess, that shall be able to withstand me when I appear on the battlefield holding a bow with my fingers covered by a shield made of alligator-skin? Killing one with a number of arrows, and sometimes many with a single one, I shall drive shafts into the vital organs of men, horses, and elephants. Oh Lord, today I shall display the strength of my arrows by removing the king’s power and making You the Supreme Lord.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 23.34-36)

Rama was the rightful heir to the throne, but His father, King Dasharatha, instead chose Rama’s younger brother, Bharata, to succeed him. In conjunction, Rama was ordered to spend fourteen years in the forest as an exile. Lakshmana didn’t take these orders very well and he tried his hardest to get Rama to defy them. He proposed to Rama the idea of a coup, with himself leading the fight against any enemies. The above referenced statement was part of Lakshmana’s arguments intended to persuade Rama.

Lakshmana’s words weren’t exaggerations. He was Rama’s brother and also an incarnation of Ananta Shesha Naga, who is almost as potent as God Himself. The two brothers fought and killed many demons during their time on earth. On one occasion, Lord Rama personally slaughtered 14,000 Rakshasa aggressors in Janasthana. These Rakshasas were all associates of Ravana, sent by him to go to Janasthana and kill Rama. These historical accounts aren’t exaggerations or mythology. Killing that many Rakshasas is mere child’s play for Lord Rama and for Lakshmana as well.

Rama appreciated Lakshmana’s mood of devotion, but eventually decided against the coup idea. Instead, Rama abided by the exile order but allowed Lakshmana and Sita Devi, Rama’s wife, to accompany Him. Lakshmana was able to display His prowess while in the forest and also later on during the battle to rescue Sita from Ravana’s kingdom of Lanka.

The lesson here is that God is great. This is a fact agreed upon by all the major religions of the world. The Vedas, being the original scripture for mankind, go one step further by describing just how great God is. His name, form, expansions, pastimes, and attributes are described in great detail in the various Vedic texts. Other religions of the world may have one or two books they consider as scripture, but the Vedas have volumes and volumes of books detailing God’s glories. Originally this information was passed down through an oral tradition, but due to the kindness of the great sages, they were eventually put into written form. Each one of these books is very large, for the Mahabharata alone contains around 100,000 verses. If we simply set aside a little time to read these books every day, keeping a mood of faith and humility, we too can take great pleasure in God’s victories.

Make Lemonade

“These hands of mine aren't meant to simply enhance my beauty, the bow is not meant simply to be a decoration, the sword is not meant for tying around my waist, and the arrows aren't meant to remain standing immobile. These four things are all meant for killing my enemies.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 23.30)

There is a famous saying which recommends that “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. “ This principle can apply to spiritual activities as well and here Lakshmana is teaching us how to go about doing that. It is very easy to rebuke material objects as being part of maya, or God’s illusory energy, but it takes a little intelligence to see that normal everyday things that appear to be material, can actually be used for religious purposes.

Started by the great saint Shankara, the Mayavada philosophy is quite popular in India as a school of thought relating to religion. The Vedas are the original scriptures of the world emanating out of India. They collectively include many great works such as the Puranas, Mahabharata, and Ramayana. One of the more popular Vedic texts is the Vedanta-sutras, a collection of aphorisms compiled by Vyasadeva, God’s literary incarnation. Shankaracharya purposefully misinterpreted the Vedanta-sutra to be a doctrine espousing the belief that God is impersonal. If we believe that God is one, an entity separate from us, then we view Him as being personal. This feature of God is known as Bhagavan, meaning He has all opulences. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can also be realized in two other subordinate features of Paramatma (Supersoul), and impersonal Brahman. The Mayavadi philosophers mistakenly believe that Brahman is the only aspect of God. They take the Vedanta-sutra as their ultimate authority, not realizing that the author himself wrote his own commentary on the Vedanta-sutra known as the Shrimad Bhagavatam, wherein he declares God to be personal, with His original form being that of Lord Krishna.

Since Mayavadis take God to be an impersonal energy, they believe that the aim of life is to somehow merge into this energy and become one with Brahman. They declare that the various forms of Godhead, including all the demigods, are all just different manifestations of the impersonal Brahman.

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.11)

Along these lines, they take everything in the material world to be maya, or illusory. Since they believe everything to be false, their prescribed method for achieving transcendental realization is the rejection of everything material, i.e. complete renouncement. Everyone must become a sannyasi and study Vedanta philosophy. They think people engaged in bhakti yoga, or devotional service, are wasting their time associating with maya.

The Bhagavata-dharma school thinks differently. Dharma can be defined as religion, but a more precise definition equates dharma with an occupational duty. Religious beliefs may change based on a person’s sentiments, but duty and occupation don’t. In fact, the Vedas never mention anything about religion. Spiritual life is referred to as sanatana-dharma, meaning the eternal occupation of man. Service to God is not something to be practiced only in this material world, but in the spiritual world as well. Bhagavata-dharma means religion in devotion, or just straight devotional service. This is the system of religion instituted by God Himself. There are many types of religious and spiritual disciplines referred to as yoga, but devotional service is the highest discipline because it involves loving God purely, without any personal motives. Followers of this school don’t take everything to be false. Birth, old age, disease and death are real, as are pains and pleasures. Though they are real, they are also temporary. As soon as one takes birth, their death is guaranteed. It may come in one day or in one hundred years, but death will surely come. At that point, the soul remains intact but is given a new body according to one’s karma.

“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.22)

Devotees understand that everything is temporary, so instead of simple rejection, they make the best use of a bad bargain. Lord Krishna declares that anyone who thinks of Him at the time of death no longer has to suffer through the cycle of birth and death resulting from karma.

“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)

Understanding and firmly believing in this fact, devotees try to utilize everything in this world as a means towards achieving that end, i.e. thinking of God at the end of life. If we practice thinking of God right now, then it is more than likely that we will think of Him at the time of death.

Lakshmana was the younger brother of Lord Rama, who was one of Krishna’s primary incarnations appearing on earth during the Treta Yuga. Just prior to His would-be installation as the king of Ayodhya, Rama was ordered to leave the kingdom and not return for fourteen years. This order was given by Rama and Lakshmana’s father, King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. Rama had no problem with the decision, but Lakshmana was quite upset. The above referenced quote was part of a series of statements Lakshmana directed towards Rama in hopes of persuading Him to remain in the kingdom. Lakshmana was willing to even mount a coup, installing Rama on the throne by force. He was the perfect devotee, so such sentiments weren’t surprising. He renounced all other relationships that he had in favor of serving Rama.

Lakshmana declared that his hands weren’t there just for decorating his own body. Both he and Rama were born in a kshatriya dynasty, meaning they were warriors by trade. In those times, the governments were religious monarchies run by pious warriors well acquainted with the principles of dharma. The Vedas actually declare that this system of government is ideal, where trained military men would run the government and take advice from the priestly class of men, the brahmanas. Lakshmana here is stating that his hands don’t exist simply to satisfy his own senses or enhance his beauty, but rather, they are there to serve God. The same went for his bow, arrows, and sword. He was a military man whose duty it was to provide protection to others. He made the best use of his trade by incorporating his fighting skills in his service to God.

Some may be put off by such statements since they seem to be condoning violence. Contrary to many popular theories on non-violence, the Vedas do sanction violence for specific cases.

“According to Vedic injunctions there are six kinds of aggressors: 1) a poison giver, 2) one who sets fire to the house, 3) one who attacks with deadly weapons, 4) one who plunders riches, 5) one who occupies another's land, and 6) one who kidnaps a wife. Such aggressors are at once to be killed, and no sin is incurred by killing such aggressors.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bg. 1.36 Purport)

Lakshmana viewed Dasharatha and his wife Kaikeyi as aggressors since they were perpetrating such an iniquitous act as Rama’s banishment to the forest. Violence committed on proper religious grounds is allowed. The Bhagavad-gita, spoken by Lord Krishna Himself, gives the same conclusion. It is not that one should go around happily attacking others. Since kshatriyas have a religious duty to give protection, they should execute their duty with detachment.

“Do thou fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat—and, by so doing, you shall never incur sin.” (Lord Krishna speaking to Arjuna, Bg. 2.38)

In the end, it turned out that Lakshmana’s intervention wasn’t necessary. Lord Rama had higher purposes to serve by going to the forest and taking His wife, Sita Devi, and Lakshmana with Him. Nevertheless, Lakshmana’s mood of devotion can serve as a great example for us. We can all use whatever we have at our disposal to serve God. We can use our hands to prepare nice foodstuff to be offered to Him, our ears to hear Krishna-katha, our mouth to taste Krishna prasadam, and our legs to travel to Krishna temples. We don’t require large sums of money, just a little sincerity.

Protector

“You are worried that if You take over the kingdom, King Dasharatha will be bewildered, and thus the kingdom will not be ruled properly due to all the turmoil. And for this, You, who are a great soul, are unwilling to rule the kingdom Yourself? O great warrior, I promise to protect Your kingdom just as a shoreline protects the sea, otherwise I will not be worthy of the supreme destination of heaven set aside for great warriors.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 23.27-28)

In this passage, Lakshmana, Lord Rama’s younger brother, is swearing to protect his brother against any and all enemies. Lord Rama is God Himself, and Lakshmana is a perfect devotee of God. The example set forth here is that devotees should always be ready to defend the Lord from attacks.

One may ask why God, the all powerful creator, would require protection from anyone. In actuality, He doesn’t but He appreciates the sentiment. People sometimes see horrific tragedies and other calamities and think that God is personally taking out His revenge on the sinful. This is not entirely true. The Lord indeed created the material world and everything inside of it, yet He remains a neutral bystander, someone who doesn’t have a personal interest in the day-to-day affairs of man. The idea is that this world is a playground for the jiva souls who come here in the forms of various material bodies. Everything here is governed by karma, the system of fruitive work which accumulates commensurate reactions. Anyone acting on the material platform, i.e. someone working for some personal benefit, is accumulating karma. The results of this fruitive work determine what will happen to them in the future, both in their current life and also in future lives. Everything good and bad that comes to us today doesn’t appear due to our personal endeavors. Rather, our good and bad fortune is allotted to us based on our past karma. As we continue to perform fruitive work, we accumulate more karma.

“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.29)

Since God is neutral towards all living entities, we are all free to do as we please. We have free will in how we choose to interact with material nature, but we still aren’t responsible for the things that take place in nature. This is an important point that is not very easy to understand.

“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, Bg. 3.27)

Those who aren’t acquainted with Vedic teachings and the laws of karma, falsely believe that this gross material body is the be-all/end-all. “Once you die, everything becomes finished, nullified, nothing.” Based on this mentally concocted theory, these materialists then take the aim of life to be the pursuit of unfettered enjoyment. “Eat, sleep, and drink all you want.” While enjoying may be nice in the short term, if one doesn’t have a proper understanding about God and His energies, he becomes forever doomed. The fact of the matter is that this current life isn’t the only one we’ve ever had. Death is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new life.

“For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.27)

Since the material senses can never be fully satisfied, non-devotees jump from one material activity to another. They end up forming their own ideas of the origin of man and how life was created. These theories are all based on mental speculation. By coming up with these various flawed theories, they are completely rejecting the idea of God. For example, the modern day environmental movement seems harmless on the surface. “Protect the environment, burn less fossil fuels, recycle, etc.” These are the various prescriptions proposed by environmentalists for saving the planet and stopping global warming. While their intentions may be noble, the fact is that God created this planet, and He is in charge of destroying it. Human beings haven’t got the slightest idea how the weather system works. They have no power to make the earth warmer or cooler. Yet that is the precisely what the leaders of the modern day environmental movement are saying. They say, “Put us in charge. Let us run the governments of the world, and we will dictate everyone’s behavior. By following our guidelines, we can stop the earth from warming, and thereby save the planet.” These are the same people that told us thirty years ago that the earth was headed for a cooling cycle.

Material science has its limits. Scientists may bring about great material advancements, but they are still unable to explain the phenomenon of life. The original scriptures of the world, the Vedas, explain all these facts in great detail. The Vedas represent perfect knowledge because they have been passed down from authority, starting with God Himself. There is no need to perform any research or go to outer space to find out why we are here and how we can get out of this material world. The answers are all given by God. Yet most in society today still remain ignorant of the teachings of the Vedas. The scientific journals and the nightly television newscasts are what people follow. Therefore everyone is being educated in the flawed logic of the atheists. Devotees of God need to defend the Lord from the attacks that come from these godless theories.

Many thousands of years ago, Lord Krishna, God Himself, appeared on earth as the eldest son of Maharaja Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya. Known by the name of Rama, the Lord was dedicated to dharma, or religiosity, and the welfare of the great saints. Unfortunately, one day Rama was ordered to spend fourteen years in the forest by Dasharatha. The Lord gladly accepted the order, but His younger brother, Lakshmana, didn’t take it too well. The name Rama means “one who gives pleasure to others.” The Lord was loved and adored by all the citizens, as He should have been. He never bothered anyone; He was nice and respectful to all those worthy of it. He never did anything wrong. Knowing these facts, Lakshmana was quite appalled at his father’s behavior. The above referenced statement was part of his plea to Rama to get Him to remain in the kingdom. Lakshmana wanted to install Rama on the throne by force, and fight anyone who stood in their way. He promised to protect Rama the same way that the shore protects the sea from overflowing onto land.

Lakshmana made another interesting point. He declared that if he was unable to protect Rama, he wouldn’t ascend to the heavenly planets. In the Vedic system of varnashrama dharma, the kshatriyas are required to provide protection to society. They are the warrior/administrator class, thus they are required to be brave and courageous and fight any enemy that comes their way. Since they are involved in such a noble profession, they are guaranteed to ascend to heaven should they die in battle. So here Lakshmana is saying that if he doesn’t properly protect Rama, God Himself, that he wouldn’t feel that he deserved to go to heaven.

This shows the proper mindset of a devotee. Most people worship God for some personal benefit. It is only natural after all to go to God in times of trouble or when we are inquisitive about the soul. Pure devotees, however, serve the Lord without any personal motive. They are assured of going back to Krishna’s spiritual planet after death, but they have no desire to do so. They would rather humbly serve the Lord who is so kind and compassionate towards them. Actually, God is compassionate towards everyone, even if we don’t realize it. There is no justification for the attacks thrown at God by the atheists. The lesson here is that we should all follow Lakshmana’s lead by openly vowing to protect the Lord all His enemies. Even many pseudo-religionists, such as the Mayavadis, regularly criticize Lord Krishna and His various activities performed during His times on earth. We may not be great kshatriya warriors like Lakshmana, but in this age, we can protect the Lord by always chanting His glorious names and inducing others to follow suit. We may or may not be successful in our attempts, but that shouldn’t deter us. We should serve the Lord with the same dedication shown by Lakshmana. God will appreciate our sentiment.

Stepping Down

“O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve, by discharging his prescribed duties [dharma] according to caste divisions and order of life, is to please Lord Hari.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.13)

Varnashrama dharma is the prescribed system for the proper functioning of society, as enjoined in the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India. Varnashrama refers to the four varnas (societal divisions based on quality and work) and the four ashramas (progressive stages in one’s life).

The four varnas are brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra. Brahmanas are considered the highest class because they live in the mode of goodness, dedicating their time to reading Vedic texts, performing great sacrifices, and teaching others the science of self-realization. Vaishyas are the third class, for they are involved in making money. The modern day concept of the capitalist best describes a vaishya. They are also in charge of protecting cows. Shudras are the laborers; they serve the other three classes. Shudras are not trained in any religious system, so they are not qualified to perform any of the functions of the higher classes.

The kshatriyas are the second class of men, functioning as the protectors of society. The police and the military make up the kshatriya class. The inherent qualities we see reflected in today’s society don’t exactly lineup one hundred percent to the divisions laid out in varnashrama dharma. The key difference is in the fact that dharma is missing today. All four of the prescribed societal divisions are based quality, work, and religion or occupational duty. Each group has their specific religious duties to perform. The kshatriyas are to serve as the administrators, running the government and providing protection to all the citizens. The governments of the past were never secular. Kshatriya kings would always consult learned brahmanas on all matters of policy. We see that even the vaishyas had specific religious duties to perform, in that they were required to make sure that cows were never harmed in any way. Taking these facts into consideration, today’s society doesn’t really match up to the varnashrama dharma system.

The four ashramas are brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa. Brahmacharis are celibate students who take instruction on the Vedas from a guru, or spiritual master. Grihasthis are householders, living with a wife and children, involved in karmic activity, and earning money for their living. Vanaprasthis are retired from family life; they travel around usually with their wife, but they don’t have a set home where they stay. Sannyasis are completely renounced. They depend on Krishna, or God, for everything. These four stages are recommended as a way for one to make gradual advancement in spiritual consciousness. The aim of human life is to perfect the yoga process, whereby one has complete union of the soul with God by the time they die. As Lord Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita, one who practices yoga perfectly never has to return to this material world. They at once attain God’s nature:

"Anyone who quits his body, at the end of life, remembering Me, attains immediately to My nature; and there is no doubt of this." (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.5)

God’s nature is that off eternal bliss and knowledge. As spirit souls, we are also meant to be blissful all the time, but due to contact with material nature, we are forced to suffer the miseries of life while being embodied in a material dress. If we continue down the path of karma, or fruitive activity, we are forced to keep coming back to this world after we die. The only way out of the cycle of birth and death is to become Krishna conscious. This varnashrama dharma system was introduced to help man to do precisely that.

“You can retire to the forest after having ruled over the kingdom for a thousand years. At that time, You can hand over reins of the kingdom to Your sons. Indeed, this tradition was set by the saintly kings of the past who would only retire to the forest after giving charge of the kingdom to their sons, who would then care for the people as their own children.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 23.25-26)

God personally comes to earth from time to time to enact lilas, or pastimes, and to provide protection to His devotees. As Lord Rama, God came as a pious warrior prince, the eldest son of the king of Ayodhya. In line to succeed His father, Rama was instead ordered to spend fourteen years in the forest, living as an exile. Rama’s younger brother, Lakshmana, was quite offended at this treatment directed towards his eldest and most favorite brother. Lakshmana gave a heartfelt speech to Rama, trying to persuade Him to remain in the kingdom and take over the reins of government by force. The above referenced statement was part of Lakshmana’s plea. By telling Rama to first serve His period as king and then retire to the forest, Lakshmana is giving a lesson on the proper duties of a kshatriya king.

In the modern day style of government, presidents and congressmen are elected by the people through free and fair elections. While this system seems nice, it has certain drawbacks. Leaders have a very hard time giving up their posts. In the U.S., Senators serve six year terms, and they can be reelected an unlimited number of times. It is quite common to see Senators serve for thirty plus years, with some even dying while they are still in office. Presidents have an even harder time giving up their post. For this reason, Congress passed the twenty-second amendment to the Constitution, which limits a president to serving a maximum of two terms. In New York City, there was a law on the books which limited the number of terms a mayor could serve. Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn’t want to give up his post, so he persuaded the legislature to change the law.

One may ask the question, “What’s wrong with staying in office for that long? If they’re doing a good job, what’s the harm?” The problem is that regardless if one is a president of a country or a president of a company, one shouldn’t be overly attached to fruitive activity. The secret to life is to be able to act with detachment, performing one’s prescribed duties as enjoined in the shastras, or scriptures.

“You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.47)

As mentioned before, perfecting yoga is the real aim of life. If one is attached to material power, they are forced to repeatedly accept new bodies after death. Just imagine having to take birth again, forgetting everything from our current life, and having to attend school all over again. No one would want to do that, yet that’s what exactly what happens if we remain attached to the material world.

From Lakshmana’s statement, we can see that the Vedas recommend a king to step down after ruling for a set period. By taking to the vanaprastha mode of life, one gradually becomes detached from the things that bind them to the laws of karma. This was the tradition adhered to by all the great kings of the pat, for even Dasharatha (Rama’s father) was ready to step down and hand control over to Rama.

Lord Rama was God Himself, so He transcended all of these rules.

“There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 4.14)

Rama had more important business to attend to, such as protecting the sages the living in the forest and defeating the Rakshasa demon Ravana in battle. For these reasons, it was required for Him to take to the vanaprastha mode of life earlier than normal. His wife, Sita Devi, and Lakshmana would accompany the Lord in the forest. Later on, Rama would indeed rule the kingdom for a long period of time, eventually handing it down to His sons Lava and Kusha. What we can take away from Lakshmana’s statement is that varnashrama dharma is still a legitimate system worth following. Any activity we can perform that brings us closer to God will benefit us in the end.

Karma Amputee

“Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the original Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who regulates the sufferings and enjoyments of fruitive activity for everyone-from the heavenly King Indra down to the smallest insect [indra-gopa]. That very Personality of Godhead destroys the fruitive karma of one engaged in devotional service.” (Brahma-samhita, 5.54)

Karma is activity performed for a desired result, or a desire to act. Naturally everyone hopes these results will be beneficial to them. This material world is a place full of temporary happiness, so most of us act in such a way as to secure this type of happiness. Karma doesn’t always yield positive results however. Often times, people will go so far as to commit many sins in their quest to achieve happiness. Such activity eventually leads to their ruin.

Throughout most of the world, and especially in the Western countries, meat eating is common. In America, chain restaurants are very popular. One look at the menu for any of these restaurants provides a glimpse into the diet of the average citizen. Meat is almost in every dish. Even something as basic as potatoes, whether they are mashed, fried, or cut up, almost always have some sort of animal flesh on them. Appetizers such as soups and salads invariably have either eggs or some chicken stock in them. Desserts and cakes would seem like a safe bet for vegetarians, but that is not the case. Almost every store-bought baked item has eggs in it.

America is the bastion of freedom in the world. For the time being, people are more or less free to act on their own without any impediments from others. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the name of the game in America. As long as you are not infringing on the rights of others, you are free to act as you wish. Sadly, this freedom isn’t afforded to animals. Cows are mercilessly slaughtered by the millions each year in order to feed the population’s appetite for beef. Not only are cows killed for beef products, but even for cheese. Most cheeses contain rennet, an enzyme procured from the intestines of a slaughtered calf.

Meat eating, along with intoxication and gambling, bring about temporary feelings of happiness. Steakhouses are very popular since people love to eat high quality beef. Major cities like Atlantic City and Las Vegas are paradises for gamblers. Las Vegas is especially appealing since there are casinos all over the place that are open twenty four hours a day. These casinos know what they are doing, so they make all the proper arrangements to lure gamblers to their venues. Once inside, gamblers are given all the food and drink they can consume because the casino owners want their customers to gamble for as long as they can. Intoxication goes hand-in-hand with all of these activities. Night clubs and bars are very popular. In fact the most popular activity amongst young people is “going out”, which means going to a night club or a bar to get drunk.

All these activities may seem harmless on the surface. “I work hard all day. Why can’t I have a little fun from time to time? I like to drink. It makes me feel good. So what if I eat meat? Mankind has dominion over the earth, so we’re only exercising our natural power by eating subordinate forms of life.” This is the general mindset of those addicted to these pillars of sinful life. Upon closer examination, one will find that these karmic activities actually yield harmful results. Take meat eating for example. As stated before, an innocent cow is mercilessly slaughtered in order for there to be beef. In the Vedic system, a cow is to be respected on the same level as one’s own mother. Infants can survive solely on the milk provided freely from cows. Cows don’t bother anyone; they are just living their lives like the rest of us. In fact they are so kind that they give us milk, which can then be turned into so many varieties of foodstuffs. Why should we kill them? There are so many other kinds of food we can eat. The presence of animal rennet in cheese is quite appalling as well. The slaughterhouse is essentially saying, “Come here cow. Give me your milk so I can turn it into cheese. Oh by the way, after you so kindly provide me with cheese, I will kill you so that I can eat your flesh along with the cheese.” Does this seem like civilized activity? Simply to satisfy the senses, one is willing to go to such extreme lengths.

As mentioned before, karma yields both positive and negative results; it is the ultimate system of fairness administered by Yamaraja, the son of the sun-god. Yamaraja is known as the god of death, for he takes away souls after they die, brings them to his lair, and then decides where they will go next. The merits and demerits resulting from all our actions are calculated. In turn, we are given a suitable body in our next life. Where we end up is solely dependent on our karma. Devotees of God take birth in a pious family where they can continue their devotional service from where they left off in their previous life.

“The unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.41)

Since karma represents the ultimate system of fairness, we can naturally conclude that meat eaters will have to suffer negative reactions in the future. If one satisfies the senses through unnecessary violence, it is only fair that the same people will suffer cruel punishment in the future for similar reasons. The great acharyas explain that all of the fetuses that are being aborted today are the souls of sinful meat eaters of the past. Sense gratification may seem nice, but one should be careful to study the negative effects of their actions. Intoxication and gambling have similar negative effects. Drinking too much alcohol takes away one’s cleanliness, and gambling takes away one’s honesty. Uncleanliness and dishonesty are two major barriers towards making advancement in spiritual life.

"The power of destiny will not bring as much happiness to my opponents as the distress that I will cause them by my own terrific prowess.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 23.24)

Spiritual life is the point of our existence after all. Our senses can only remain satisfied for so long before they start asking for more and more. This material world is not meant to be a happy place. It is described as dukhalayam in the Vedas, meaning a place full of distresses. This is the essence of the above referenced statement from Lakshmana. Many thousands of years ago, Lord Rama, an incarnation of God, was banished to the forest by His father and step-mother. Lakshmana was Rama’s youngest brother. Being very attached to Rama, Lakshmana wanted Rama to defy their father’s order and take over the kingdom by force.

In his statement, Lakshmana is basically saying, “Those who are banishing you to the forest wanted to achieve some sort of temporary happiness. I will, however, give them an even greater amount of unhappiness through my powers.” Born in the kshatriya race, Rama and Lakshmana were expert archers, unbeatable in battle. Lakshmana was a pure devotee, so he readily renounced everyone, including his own father, in favor of Rama.

In reality, Lakshmana’s proposed intervention wasn’t necessary. Dasharatha, Rama’s father, was actually quite distressed at the prospect of Rama leaving the kingdom. He nevertheless had to abide by the request of his youngest wife Kaikeyi. Rama, for His part, had a greater mission ahead; that of slaying the evil Rakshasa demon Ravana. Staying in the kingdom was not necessary for Rama. Still, we can all learn a lesson from Lakshmana’s actions. This life is meant for serving God. Any activity aimed at achieving any other end can be categorized as sinful. Even if we perform the most pious of acts, such as charity and religious rituals, if such activity keeps us bound to the repeated cycle of birth and death, then what have we really gained? By repeatedly committing sins, we force ourselves to suffer through more and more misery.

“In the Brahma-samhita (5.54) it is said that beginning from the indra-gopa germ up to the great Indra, King of heaven, all living beings are subjected to the law of karma and are bound to suffer and enjoy the fruitive results of their own work. Only the devotee is exempt from such reactions, by the causeless mercy of the supreme authority, the Personality of Godhead.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.6.28 Purport)

God is our only way out of this cycle of suffering. If we stick to bhagavata-dharma, or devotional service, we transcend all the reactions to our sinful activity. Kaikeyi would have to suffer in the future, for Dasharatha would die due to separation from Rama, and her son Bharata was unwilling to ascend the throne. Aside from refraining from sinful activity, we should make sure to act in God’s best interests. This was the path taken by Lakshmana, and for this he is eternally worthy of our love and respect.