Writing Down To Remember

“O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.10)

Download this episode (right click and save)

prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya

kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ

mandāḥ sumanda-matayo

manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ

Today, using only a small device we can speak to someone situated thousands of miles away. As soon as we say something, they hear it. That sound travels incredibly fast. The same can be done with video images. On television we watch a live sporting event occurring so far away from our home. We have a wealth of information available at our fingertips. We can get food made and delivered to us with a few swipes of the finger. Now, does this mean that we are more advanced than our predecessors? Did generations past suffer because they lacked these things?

According to the Shrimad Bhagavatam, man today is most unfortunate. Though we think we are living longer, the average duration of life is actually much shorter than in ages past. The qualities in the population of the universe change over time. From the beginning to the end, there is a gradual decline in dharma, or virtue. With this decline, the conditions for living become more difficult. As an example, in the beginning period, man lived for thousands of years. If the time from beginning to end were divided into four periods, a zero would get dropped from the average duration of life with each successive period.

“In the Satya-yuga people used to live for one hundred thousand years, in the Treta-yuga people lived for ten thousand years, in Dvapara-yuga they lived for one thousand years, and in this age, Kali-yuga, people may live up to one hundred years. With the progressive advance of each new yuga, the duration of human life is reduced by ninety percent - from one hundred thousand to ten thousand, from ten thousand to one thousand, and from one thousand to one hundred.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.9.62 Purport)

The first period is known as Satya Yuga. Another name for it is Krita Yuga, as it is the age of purity. The present age is the last one, known as Kali. The marks of Kali Yuga were predicted beforehand, in the aforementioned Bhagavatam. In the age of Kali, man quarrels over anything. As an example, driving is routine business for going to and from places. Yet due to road rage it could be the cause of a great disagreement. There are arguments over what celebrities wear to awards shows and which player is the best in a particular sport.

In Kali Yuga man is less fortunate. The quarrel and hypocrisy contribute to this for sure. There is also the shorter duration of life. Since life is shorter, old age approaches more quickly. Because aging takes place faster, abilities within the body diminish more quickly. Therefore we see that memory is not as good. In this age particularly, things need to be written in order to be remembered.

We see this decline even within a single lifetime. Fifty years ago, math equations were memorized, as were speeches. Now there are pocket calculators and smart phones to do equations for you. There is the teleprompter that displays your words to speak. Thus memory power diminishes through changing necessity as well.

The self-help expert advises to write down good ideas. This is a way to organize your life as well. If you have to do ten things tomorrow, it’s better to make a written list so that you don’t forget. The same recommendation can be used for remembering, appreciating and remaining always conscious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The idea is to first learn about God from an authority figure. The Bhagavatam already accurately predicted the circumstances of the present age, so we can validate its authority from that alone. Someone who faithfully follows the teachings of the Bhagavatam is known as a bhagavata. The Bhagavatam is also known as the Bhagavata Purana. So there is the book bhagavata and the person bhagavata, with no difference between the two in terms of philosophy.

The person bhagavata can explain the esoteric truths presented in that ancient work. They can tell us who is God, what He looks like, where and when He appears, what He looks for in the conditioned souls of the material world, and what is the way towards forming a relationship with Him. For our benefit, the person bhagavata may write down their instructions. This way we can have those words of wisdom even after the person has left this world.

The truths accepted from the spiritual master, the teacher following the Bhagavata Purana, can be realized through practice. Those realizations can then be written down, to be reflected on later. The written word can also be passed on to others. In the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, the author relates a story of how a certain prominent preacher visiting town had his popularity limited due to things he had authored. Franklin makes the point that if the preacher had simply avoided writing down anything, he would have become even more popular through being less vulnerable to his critics. He quotes the latin phrase, litera scripta manet, which means “the written word remains.”

That truth can be flipped around to be used as a positive. If you have good thoughts about the Supreme Lord, when you write them down they can become your savior in the future. They can help others as well. The Supreme Lord Krishna has been so kind to the souls in Kali Yuga, despite their general misfortune. In the form of the sankirtana movement started by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the volume of literature that appreciates God and describes Him has greatly increased.

The short-lived man has ample opportunity for learning of his true mission, that of devotion practiced purely. The same man who quarrels over trivial things can instead spend the entire day in contemplation of the all-attractive features belonging to the Personality of Godhead. The man with poor memory can read the same verses from the Bhagavatam and their appropriate commentaries, day after day. So even with the degraded conditions of the present age, there is a path to rescue.

In Closing:

Good idea coming to mind,

But then later how to find?

 

Since birth in Kali’s age set,

Important things easily to forget.

 

Saved when on paper to write,

From sound coming again to life.

 

In bhakti-yoga having great application,

Benefitting valuable Krishna meditation.

Are You Remembering The Sound

“The mind is always flying to this and that, but one must always practice concentrating the mind on the form of the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna or on the sound of His name. The mind is naturally restless, going hither and thither, but it can rest in the sound vibration of Krishna.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Introduction)

Download this episode (right click and save)

Profit means success. You are profitable in your venture if you have achieved the desired result. As success is not easy, there are rules to live by. To live by a rule, you have to remember it. Likely you received the rule from someone else, so you essentially have to remember what someone else told you in order to succeed. If you heard about that principle through reading or coming upon it by chance, you still have to remember. In a similar fashion, to make the human existence as a whole profitable, one simply has to remember a sound.

“Keep your chin up.” This rule is for building perseverance. The easiest thing in the world to do is fail. All you have to do is give up. If you’ve had enough of the pressure, if you’re too afraid of dealing with defeat again after a long struggle, you just don’t put forth an effort. Don’t try. You fail from the beginning, but it supposedly hurts less since your expectations were lower. You’re told to keep your chin up, to hold your head high, in order to achieve success, to go against the tide of inertia. You keep this rule in mind because of how easy it is to get discouraged through failed attempts.

“Practice makes perfect.” The human being is flawed. He cannot simply will something to happen. He can’t form an image in his mind and then have it manifest before him without any effort. If you have an idea for how a certain room in your house should look, you have to then put the work in to make that vision a reality. If you want to be a champion, the best in your field, you have to work at it. You can’t expect perfection immediately, since there is only one all-perfect being. You have to practice, and since practice is generally not preferred, you have to remind yourself of the benefits of practicing.

“Live to fight another day.” You remember this principle because at the time of failure it’s hard to remember that time will wipe the slate clean eventually. You’ll get your chance again, even if that chance doesn’t come again for another lifetime. Why give up all hope today when you have another chance tomorrow? You keep this principle in mind because it is very easy to forget time’s ability to heal wounds.

Just as remembering a principle or two helps us to earn temporary victories in this temporary life, remembering a guiding principle can help to achieve the ultimate victory of the human form. This form came to us after a long struggle. We don’t remember it, but we’ve lived before. We know this based on our present experiences. We actually lived in our mother’s womb. We couldn’t see the outside world then. We couldn’t talk to anyone. We remained packed up in the tiniest of spaces for around nine months. In adulthood we have fear of small spaces. Known as claustrophobia, to do something as simple as sit in an airplane for extended hours we require medication to ease our tension. Yet we lived in our mother’s womb for so long without any worry.

We don’t remember that time, but it did happen. It was a past life in a sense. From the Bhagavad-gita, we learn that there were many past lives. This is made possible by the eternality of the soul and the multitude of species. Think of the species like different outfits. The material world is like a closet full of millions of outfits, each of which can be accepted by a spirit soul. We can spend some years in the outfit of a fish, only to shed those clothes and later on put on the garb of a lizard.

The human form is the pinnacle achievement. It is the best set of clothes because it carries the highest potential for intelligence. Remembering requires intelligence. To know what to remember to achieve a specific result also requires intelligence. So we know that to get ordinary success a person has to have some brains to them. To get out of the material form, to escape the cycle of birth and death, requires the intelligence to remember the foremost guiding principle: devotion.

“Be devoted to God. Remember His transcendental form, which is changeless. Remember His ability to create innumerable universes without effort. Keep in mind His love for all creatures, large and small. Remember His teachings found in the Bhagavad-gita, which say that the material existence is not a very good friend, that it features temporary gains and losses which bewilder the spirit soul who otherwise knows better.”

These are the instructions of the confidential servants of the Supreme Lord, who is the one and only God for all of humanity. To remember these instructions is indeed difficult, as they cover all aspects of life. They apply to any and all situations, and sometimes the rules seem to contradict. On the one hand we should be detached from the outcomes to actions, and on the other we’re supposed to remain enthusiastic in our devotional efforts. How can we remain detached and interested at the same time?

Above all else, the guiding principle is to remember God. We can remember this principle by committing it to memory and calling upon it when needed. We can also accomplish the same by simply remembering a sound. It is a mantra, more specifically, which is a sequence of sounds aligned perfectly together to bring the presence of the Supreme Lord and His energy. The one mantra to remember is the greatest of mantras, and so it is known as the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

To see if we are progressing along the right path in life, we can ask ourselves the same question each morning: “Are you remembering the sound?” Are we remembering the sound of the holy names? Are we attached to chanting those names, and how long do we go without remembering them? The names are sufficient for success in life, though we have no faith in this. Thus we have to keep reminding ourselves to remember the sound, and the best way to remember is to constantly hear. One who thus always hears remembers not only the sound of the maha-mantra, but also Krishna Himself. In so doing, they attain His nature in the next life, living in His land, where He takes great pleasure with His perfect energy, Hare, and His number one protector, Rama.

In Closing:

For success in venture to find,

Guiding principle to keep in mind.

 

From remembering only a sound,

Success of human birth found.

 

Carrying in potency to Him the same,

So important thus the holy name.

 

Tomorrow and today remember by hearing,

Sound your pathway to liberation clearing.

Live to Remember

“One can very easily associate with Krishna simply by remembering His transcendental pastimes. Everyone has a tendency to love someone. That Krishna should be the object of love is the central point of Krishna consciousness. By constantly chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and remembering the transcendental pastimes of Krishna, one can be fully in Krishna consciousness and thus make his life sublime and fruitful.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 34)

Download this episode (right click and save)

“Work hard all week and then on the weekend party so that you won’t remember anything.” Sound familiar? Such is the pattern when godlessness runs rampant. Indeed, without knowing about the Supreme Lord, His forms, names, features and pastimes, too much intelligence becomes a hindrance. Rather than make one superior, enlightenment only causes more sadness, depression over the lot in life. When knowing God, however, the condition turns around immediately.

What causes the sadness?

Consider all of the “why” questions when there is no understanding of God:

“Why can’t I get the association of my friend or family member back? Money is work. And since no amount of money can bring back the dearly departed, it means that no amount of work will allow me to always get what I want.”

“Why can’t I get that person to love me? What have I done wrong? Am I a bad person? Am I not attractive? It breaks my heart that they are with someone else right now. They should be with me. Life is not fair.”

“Why must we all die? Why do tragedies occur? This isn’t right. You work hard your whole life, play by the rules, and then something horrible happens to you. In fact, everyone dies. All that we work hard for eventually vanishes. Nothing remains forever. This thing that we call life is a sick and twisted game. It looks like it’s fun, but in fact it is not. It is destined for destruction. It’s like we’re all passengers on this giant Titanic-like ship. We’re all going to get thrown overboard eventually, but not necessarily at the same time. People are enjoying as if nothing is going to happen, but something will. I don’t understand all of this.”

Facing such frustration, what choice is there but to forget? Why stay wise to everything when forgetfulness helps to alleviate the pain for a little bit? Hence the popularity of intoxication in a godless consciousness. Instead of visiting the house of worship, the local nightclub or bar is the place to frequent. Instead of researching further into the meaning of life, instead of discussing topics to increase one’s intelligence, the choice is to forget. It is preferable to remain stupid, for this will alleviate some of the misery.

Indeed, without a true understanding of God, the human birth is far inferior to the animal birth. The animal also eats, sleeps, mates and defends. The animal does not know shame. It does not care what others think of it. There is no work that is beneath the animal. It will do whatever it takes to survive. It enjoys sex without discrimination. No need to worry about a long-term commitment. Marriage is out of the question. There are no mortgage payments or health insurance concerns and no fear of losing one’s livelihood. Sure, death can arrive at any moment, but that is true in the human species too.

The person in God consciousness lives to remember. They acknowledge the terminal diagnosis handed to every being that takes birth, but this is seen as a positive. With that birth there is the chance to remember. The person most worth remembering is the one who does not take birth or die. This person has all-attractive features that never exhaust. He is worth remembering both in the early stages of life and at the time of death.

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

By living to remember, the rest of the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The misery of being unable to fulfill all desires is understood. The reason for death is understood as well. The negative conditions correspond with a lack of God consciousness. Without God there cannot be happiness. Without God there cannot be an existence, but there is a way to separate from Him in consciousness. Birth and death take place when the consciousness is separated, and so the person desperately seeking to forget actually confirms the need to have God’s association.

“There are millions of living entities who have become conditioned by the laws of material nature, and they are wandering throughout the planetary systems of this universe in different bodily forms. Among them, one who is fortunate meets a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna and comes to understand the meaning of devotional service.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 19.151)

When such a person is truly fortunate, he meets a person who is God conscious. That person then gives as a gift the seed of the creeper of devotional service, or bhakti-yoga. Through the help of the Supreme Lord and His bona fide representative, the seed starts to grow. The resulting creeper is continually watered through the chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” Holding it all together is the remembrance of the Supreme Lord in His personal form, which is full of attractive features and activities. In the life of remembrance, even that which was previously miserable turns into something wonderful.

By being truly God conscious, one learns that every living being is eternal at their core. There is really no such thing as birth and death. It is merely an illusion, like the changing of clothes. I put on clothes this morning and I will later take them off. These are factual occurrences, but they give the illusion that somehow my identity is changing, while it isn’t. I am the same person today as I was yesterday. Continuing further, I will be the same individual in the next life, after death passes. Someone may not be able to get my association again, but that isn’t so important. The soul is meant to always keep God’s association, which is actually never lost. All other entities are not God; so losing or gaining their association isn’t so significant. If they are devoted to the same God, then their association is always present, for they remain alive in their teachings, example, and name.

We see that to keep this perpetual presence, the relationship to God is necessary. Without it, there is only loss. Despite all the hard work to accumulate so many gains, everything will vanish eventually. Thus forgetfulness becomes a viable option; a way to remain blind to the misery. We would never consider ignorance to be superior to intelligence, but it is the case when there is no acknowledgment of God. And even that superiority is an illusion, a temporary way to escape misery. Reality is God, and so intelligence becomes significant when one associates with Him. Therefore those who practice bhakti-yoga should be known to be the most intelligent. They not only see everything properly, they know how to utilize everything to remain satisfied, without forgetting.

In Closing:

As everything changing, nothing set,

Work hard so later on to forget.

 

This path certainly not the most wise,

Better to see further with spiritual eyes.

 

Association of God is one most sought,

Blessed is guru who this creeper brought.

 

Water with chanting holy names constant,

Living to remember, God no longer distant.

Symptoms of a Disease

“Unless a living entity forgets his real identity, it is impossible for him to live in the material conditions of life. Therefore the first condition of material existence is forgetfulness of one's real identity.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.12.2 Purport)

Download this episode (right click and save)

If you tell someone that you are suffering from a disease, they will ask about the symptoms. For instance, if you have some type of cold or flu, there is likely a fever. In the absence of a high body temperature, how can you be suffering from the disease? In that case, your condition is the same as the healthy person’s. For the individual who suddenly turns forgetful of God, there is an immediate symptom: birth. The disease is the forgetfulness and the first symptom is birth. The cure is, not surprisingly, remembrance.

Bhakti-yoga brings the required remembrance. In the spiritual world there is no concept of bhakti-yoga. The term has no value. All activities are already in bhakti. All the participants are of pure motives. They want only one thing: to serve God. Each serves to their best capacity. The tree lacks features to allow it to do things like move and communicate, but this does not preclude it from offering service. It takes on the noble role of providing shade to the Supreme Lord and His closest friends when they play in the forest.

The highest spiritual planet is itself a forest-like area. It is known as Vrindavana, which means a forest where Vrinda Devi is prominent. She is the goddess of devotion who takes the form of the tulasi plant, which is a kind of basil. As this is the spiritual land, the nature isn’t exactly like that of an ordinary forest. There is no chance of a devastating fire consuming everything. The bugs don’t bite the young children that play. The scorching heat doesn’t do anything to harm anyone. Time, as a reference point, surely exists, but it has no influence. No one is going anywhere because they are happy where they are. They are consumed with loving thoughts of their beloved Krishna, who is the darling of Vrindavana.

When there is forgetfulness, the first outward indication of the disease is birth. Typically, birth is taken as a joyous occasion, the appearance of a new addition to the family. The birth brings so much potential. The new child can do whatever they want. They can become an astrophysicist, a chemist, a biologist, a politician, an inventor, etc. They can just be a very nice person who makes others happy. They can be a very good person for their family, raising nice children of their own. The potential starts with birth.

Lost in the joy, however, is the condition of the previous life. The newborn didn’t just emerge from thin air. They remain constant throughout their time on earth, and so they were a constant in the past as well. Today they are born, and tomorrow they will still be alive in most cases. This means that their existence continues into the future.

From the Vedas we get an idea of what the past life was. It was in a condition that saw forgetfulness of God. It could have been in the body of a different species, too. The cats, the dogs, the crows, the swans, the trees, and the parrots are also living entities. They can’t do the same things that human beings can, but that essence which gives them life is the same in quality as in the human species.

There is real potential for the newborn. Though birth is the symptom, the disease can be cured through actions taken in the current life. I may be suffering from a fever, but this does not mean that the fever has to stay with me forever. Following the doctor’s orders, I can accept a regimen of healing. This will eventually cure me. In the same way, following the spiritual doctor’s orders, I can make sure that this birth is the last one I will have.

The cure is bhakti-yoga. All other forms of religion, spiritual practice, mysticism, work for fruitive gain, and acquisition of knowledge are meant to culminate in bhakti. Bhakti-yoga is the easiest to practice but the most difficult to take up in earnest, for it requires a genuine shift in desire. Not just a signed statement attesting to the change of heart, bhakti-yoga requires a different kind of consciousness. That consciousness is measured at the time of death, where the judging authority cannot be fooled.

“Those who know Me as the Supreme Lord, as the governing principle of the material manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying all the demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices, can, with steadfast mind, understand and know Me even at the time of death.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.30)

To change consciousness, one simply has to remember and then keep remembering. The best way is to chant the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” The word “Krishna” addresses the darling of Vrindavana. Rama addresses both His elder brother Balarama and the Supreme Lord’s incarnation of Shri Ramachandra. Hare speaks to His divine pleasure potency, Shrimati Radharani. She is a permanent resident of Vrindavana, so fixed in bhakti-yoga that she knows no other way of life.

With the disease of forgetfulness, you get constant birth and death, both in terms of the physical body and the experiences within it. There is the birth of entrance into school and the subsequent death of graduation. There is the birth of meeting your friends for fun and then the death of separating from them. In this way everything in the diseased condition is temporary. In the healthy condition, the opposite is true, which means that remembrance of God is always superior to forgetfulness of Him. Through chanting the holy names and practicing bhakti-yoga as a way of life, that remembrance becomes easy and automatic.

In Closing:

When in diseased condition to be,

Some various symptoms should see.

 

Disease of forgetting God has symptom first,

Of entry into material land, painful birth.

 

Symptoms to vanish through cure,

Remember God for relief sure.

 

To spiritual land return back,

When supreme consciousness not to lack.

Ways to Remember Krishna

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

Download this episode (right click and save)

The ways to remember Krishna are many. The different ways are found in activities that can be grouped into four categories: religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and ultimate liberation from action in karma. These are often referred to as the four rewards of life, or the purusharthas. As there are seemingly endless ways to pursue these rewards, remembering the origin of life and matter, the person whose association is a reward far greater than anything we could conceive, is not as difficult as it may seem.

Dharma is religiosity. Think of it like doing things the right way. More than just a way to come up with a list of sins and pious acts, dharma is the system of laws aimed at bringing a better condition. In dieting there are so many laws. “Don’t eat after a certain time of the day. Avoid this food and that. Lower your carbohydrate intake. Increase the amount of protein that you eat. Stay away from saturated fats.” The fatty foods are even playfully described as “sinful”, which means that they lead to something bad.

In the same manner, if we’re not following religiosity the stuff we’re doing is bad. If we go to church once a week, we’re supposed to be good. If we’re praying five times a day, then we’re saved. If we avoid meat for a certain time period of the year, we’re okay. If we don’t have sex before marriage, we’re in the clear. These are the commonly held beliefs, anyway. The mind can easily become consumed with following such regulations, all the while forgetting their ultimate purpose.

Artha is economic development. In governments around the world today this is the primary focus, or at least this is what the politicians say they are concerned about. In industrialized nations food production is not a problem. In fact, so much food is produced that the farmers are given subsidies to hold back their production; this way they’ll stay profitable. A lower supply means less competition, which means more profits, which means the farmers will stay in the business of farming longer.

Artha can consume the mind of someone who has no interest in dharma. “Let me get a good job. Let me do what I really want to. Let me start a business selling a product that I really like. Then I will be happy. This way I’ll have enough food to eat, a beautiful home, fancy cars, and a way to support my family.” It is easy to go on thinking like this until the end of life, not worrying about anything else.

Kama is sense gratification. In a life devoid of genuine God consciousness, this is the real purpose to following dharma and artha. “Let me follow religion so that I can ultimately enjoy my senses. Let me produce economically so that I can enjoy the fruits of my labor.” Kama is very tricky, as one of its meanings is also lust. Lust is never satisfied. Think of it like really wanting a slice of pizza. You have one today, and tomorrow you will want another. The next time the satisfaction will be even less. Then you’ll look for something better, as your senses need to be satisfied. Each time the itch is scratched, it gets worse in intensity the next time, requiring even more scratching.

Moksha is liberation. When kama has left such a disgusting taste that one completely swears off of everything, they want a way out. “No more of this hell. I don’t want to keep wanting stuff. I’m sick of working. I’m sick of following rigid religious principles. I’m sick of hankering after food and sex. These things only lead to misery. Just get me out of here. I no longer want to be. I just want to remain in a state of freedom, where I don’t have to do anything.”

In this way a single lifetime can be spent entirely in pursuit of rewards that don’t bring lasting satisfaction. Mind you, this is only in the human species. In the other species there is only kama. The intelligence isn’t there to pursue dharma, artha or moksha. These four rewards can consume the mind of the individual for many lifetimes over, making it very easy to forget that there is a Supreme Controller, a person who instituted all of these practices and guidelines with the hope of one day reclaiming His lost souls.

Not that He couldn’t find them, but they did choose to remain away from Him. Remembering Him is therefore the best activity, as it brings His association. In that association, there may or may not be dharma, artha, kama and moksha, but these factors are of little concern. The remembrance itself brings the highest pleasure. That remembrance is known as God consciousness, and it is the real form of liberation. It is the liberation of the consciousness, which means that the individual can peacefully survive under any circumstance.

Remembering God really isn’t that difficult. The lotus flower is the smile of Krishna. Just look at it and remember that the Supreme Lord is all-attractive in His original feature. His position is not determined by sectarian sentimentalism. It is not determined by one’s blind faith, either. It is scientifically based, as in He has properties that can be understood through basic tools of perception. Granted, the magnitude of those properties is immeasurable, but through beautiful objects like the lotus flower we get a slight understanding of the transcendental features found exclusively in the origin of matter and spirit.

Krishna’s smile is as beautiful as the lotus flower. It calms the raging mind consumed with worry over the next quarter’s earnings report. It soothes the burning for sense gratification. It eases the worry over following this religious guideline and that. It allows the mind to forget about liberation from birth and death. If you’re seeing Krishna’s smile, why would you care about leaving your present situation?

You can remember Krishna by looking at the dark raincloud. It is of the precise complexion of Krishna’s body. And that body is the most beautiful. The complexion of the Supreme Lord’s original form was not concocted by Vedic scholars and writers. They merely jotted down what they saw. We have never seen anyone with the shyama complexion, so the description seems like mythology. But we can look at the dark raincloud or the tamala tree and understand immediately how beautiful Krishna’s complexion is. We can also understand that His body is real.

By looking at the tree we can remember Krishna. In Vrindavana it gives shade to both He and His close friends. The tree also produces the flute that Krishna enjoys playing. Thus through a simple object from nature, an object that we may see so many of in the course of our commute to work each morning, we can remember God.

As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, He is the taste of water. Who doesn’t drink water? Even if you drink something else, originally that liquid is based in water. Therefore everyone can remember Krishna every day simply in their consumption of liquids. Though it’s very easy to forget Him, the ways to remember Him are many as well. The ways to remember are kindly taught by the merciful spiritual masters, who represent Krishna’s interests in this world. Through their instruction, either written or spoken, one can learn the art themselves and apply it to achieve the highest end.

In Closing:

From dark raincloud that is blue,

Remember Krishna’s bodily hue.

 

From opened lotus flower’s sight,

Remember Krishna’s smile so bright.

 

In of drinking water course,

Remember Krishna is taste’s source.

 

Endless actions there in pursuit of rewards four,

So use them to remember Krishna more and more.

Don’t You Forget About Me

“Maya means forgetfulness of Krishna, and forgetfulness of Krishna and Krishna consciousness stand side by side like light and shadow. If one remains in shadow, he cannot enjoy the facilities offered by light, and if one remains in light, he cannot be disturbed by the darkness of shadow. “ (Shrila Prabhupada, Nectar of Instruction, 7 Purport)

Download this episode (right click and save)

“Just forget about her man. She was bad news. The more you think about her, the worse off you’ll be. Forgetfulness will only help you here. I know that it is difficult to forget, but if you can move on to someone else, you will be way better off. Have a short memory. If you let this linger inside, it will only hurt you.”

There is no doubt that forgetfulness is helpful in certain situations. They say that the cornerback in the National Football League should have a short memory. The cornerback is a defensive player assigned to guard one or more receivers from the offense. If they get burned by a wide receiver on a pass play that leads to a touchdown, they shouldn’t let that stick in their mind for the rest of the game. The moment is over, so why linger over it? Why stay hooked on failure, when your goal is to succeed? While in the short term such forgetfulness may be helpful, to have knowledge is always better than to lack it. This truth gives us a way to compare competing philosophies. If one is dependent on forgetfulness and the other remembrance, we can immediately tell that the latter is superior.

How does this work exactly?

We can study the news business to see the reliance on forgetfulness. Turn on the nightly newscast or cable news station tonight and you’ll be bombarded with headline after headline. “Such and such politician said that such and such politician will not cooperate. They want old people to die or they want the country to go bankrupt. Perhaps they are not interested in a certain issue.” Then you hear about someone being killed by someone else and also the latest crisis with a commodity. What you won’t hear, however, is anything from the previous year’s newscasts. This information is conspicuously absent. You won’t hear anything that was covered ten or twenty years ago. All those debates that took place between analysts; all those predictions; all those worries…no mention is made of them after the fact. The omission is not accidental.

Why would we even want to go into the past? What would we gain from that?

For one thing, we could see if the issues from today were present before and how they were dealt with. If they were addressed in the same way as they are today, we can predict what will happen going forward. Also, we can tell whether or not a certain issue existing has a bearing on one’s overall happiness. Let’s say, for instance, that in the current situation the price of gasoline is very high. Also, the unemployment rate in the nation is high; people are out of work. These factors will combine to create a difficult situation, one that is not desirable.

But we know that in the past the price of gasoline was less and that more people were employed. In fact, maybe five years ago the situation was significantly better. If we were to revisit some newscasts from that time period, would we see stories about how happy people were? Would we hear about how people loved having a job and paying less for gasoline? Of course we wouldn’t, as the news back then was focused on something else. There was another issue to worry about. The present day news will never remind the viewers of this fact because then the people would perhaps start to worry less. The present day situation is only an illusion, a temporary situation related to material comforts or the lack thereof. For the illusion to stick, for the interest to remain, there must be forgetfulness.

“The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead.” (Bhagavad-gita, 2.11)

On the other hand, with real knowledge, remembrance is required. This was pointed out by Lord Krishna in a talk He gave to a hesitant warrior named Arjuna. Arjuna was worried over the present condition, that of imminent war. Many people were set to die in that war, and Arjuna did not like this. Krishna, however, reminded Arjuna that the wise lament neither for the living nor the dead [Bg. 2.11]. This is because the soul is the essence of identity, and the soul is eternal. The bodies are temporary conditions, sort of like snapshots in time. What I see in the mirror right now is changing every second, but I don’t notice the changes until there are further gaps in time. The strongest indication of the change is death, which represents the full changing of bodies.

“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)

In His instruction to Arjuna, Krishna advised him to remember, not forget. This is important because the rest of the talk became very famous. It is today known as the Bhagavad-gita, and the teachings found within it were actually spoken by the same Krishna at the beginning of time. It is said that Arjuna was there as well, but he couldn’t remember being there. This is the difference between God and us. We are part and parcel of Him, but we are not as potent in the areas of opulence. Memory is an opulence tied to intelligence, and one of God’s potencies, namely the samvit potency, is full knowledge. We inherit this potency to a lesser degree, so we are not able to remember everything, including past lives.

By remembering the past, we can act with knowledge. Knowledge is better than ignorance, just as light is better than darkness. Perhaps forgetfulness can help in the short term, as it does with the scorned lover, but it is still wiser to remember the past bad experiences so that they are not repeated. The cornerback in the NFL still has to watch film of his mistakes after the game so that he doesn’t repeat them. The person scorned by relations with the opposite sex should learn the dangerous game that is kama, or lust. Sense gratification is the perverted version of true love, or prema, which is directed at God.

Krishna’s instructions to Arjuna summarize the teachings of the Vedas, whose ultimate conclusion is that full devotion to God is not only the best way to act but also the soul’s constitutional occupation. In simpler terms, we are all meant to serve God. To take up that service, we have to realize that it is worthwhile. And to realize that it is worthwhile we need to remember as many of our past bad experiences as possible. These experiences were harmful because they weren’t in line with our constitutional position.

For a life dedicated to sense gratification to continue, we must constantly forget. Otherwise we’d realize how pointless repeated birth and death are. Repetition occurs within the present life as well, as birth and death can refer to the beginning and end of any activity. The night club requires darkness, loud music, smoke, and intoxicating beverages so that the patrons will not realize that they are wasting their time. Better it is to remain in the dark if one wants to stay away from true happiness.

On the other side, Krishna’s instructions, which are presented today through the representatives of the Lord, enlighten the individual of their constitutional position, shining a light that at least offers them the option of making the right decision. This is very kind of Krishna and His representatives, as only those who really care about us would take the time to fix our mistakes. Arjuna was loved by Krishna and therefore guided along the proper path. That path is the same for us: devotion to God. It is easily found even in the dark age of Kali by chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

In Closing:

About present financial condition I have worry,

To move my money from one account to another I hurry.

 

Gas prices are certainly too high,

No employment for even those who try.

 

Of these things the news will constantly tell,

But never on the past situations will they dwell.

 

In material life forgetfulness a must,

Your sense demands instead of intelligence trust.

 

Krishna to Arjuna: past experiences must know,

Only then to supreme destination can go.

 

Memory is knowledge, superior path to take,

Worship God, ignorance from forgetfulness forsake.

The Safety of the Past

“Even while engaged in various activities, devotees whose minds are completely absorbed at Your lotus feet, and who constantly hear, chant, contemplate and cause others to remember Your transcendental names and forms, are always on the transcendental platform, and thus they can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Prayers by the demigods, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.2.37)

Nostalgia is certainly an interesting feeling, for it brings about sweet longings for past events and circumstances which weren’t necessarily pleasurable while they were occurring. It is the nature of the soul to be blissful and knowledgeable, but with the uncertainty of the outcome of future events, it is nice to periodically step into the past and fondly reminisce about events whose conclusions are known. It’s ironic that man tends to only remember the good moments, extracting the nectar from otherwise tumultuous situations. The workings of nostalgia provide deep insight into the nature of individual spirit and what the spark of life requires to find lasting happiness. If remembering events which weren’t even that pleasurable can bring about feelings of bliss, just imagine what can happen when the mind is focused on that one individual who provides happiness to every single person the universe over.

Due to the fluctuating nature of life and the unpredictability in outcome of present events, our future fortunes and misfortunes always remain uncertain. Therefore we don’t really take comfort from our current predicaments or ponder over them in a pleasant way. Surprisingly enough, if we were to fast forward maybe one week, a month, or even a year, we’d look back on the current circumstances with some fondness. “Oh I remember that time in my life, where I was with such and such person and working at such and such job. Those were simpler times; I wish I could go back to that.” It’s ironic to see these sentiments because the events we are remembering aren’t any different than those we are currently experiencing. Something as simple and uneventful as sitting in a classroom can be remembered years later with great fondness.

Certainty and predictability of outcome are the pillars of nostalgia. There is safety in the past. Stability and knowledge of future outcomes are always welcome in life, especially when it pertains to money, holding down a steady job and health. In the daily grind, there is worry at every second, fear that we will lose everything. This is part of the natural instincts of the animal, along with eating, sleeping and mating. Certainty is especially appreciated in the economics field. For a farmer, knowing that they will have a bountiful harvest at the end of the season is very comforting. For a business, knowing that there will be customers lining up to buy their products and workers willing to put in the time to produce such goods brings stability to the shareholders and company owners. Businesses work off of quarterly and yearly projections, so the larger the scope of these forecasts the less trepidation and anxiety there will be.

How would we behave if we couldn’t be confident that we’d have a job in the near future? What would the nature of our actions be if we didn’t know that the school we were attending would be operational in the near future? Going even one step further, how would our mindset be altered if we didn’t know if we would be alive in a week, month or year? Obviously any of these conditions can apply to us because uncertainty is the nature of the world. Hence it is not surprising to see that experiences of the past are remembered fondly, with the pleasurable moments extracted from the otherwise tumultuous and uneventful ones.

Feelings of nostalgia can be brought on by sound, sight and through communication with others. For instance, if we watch a movie or a television show that we saw many years prior, we would likely try to remember where we were and what our mindset was back when we first watched that particular program. Nostalgia immediately kicks in and the same feelings of bliss can be reawakened by watching the program over and over again. Similarly, visiting our old college campus and dorm room can immediately bring about strong memories. Simply by walking through the halls and the campus of the college we attended can immediately take us back in time to when we were students. For a brief moment, the mind performs the miraculous feat of going back in time.

By carefully analyzing these feelings we can decipher the key to finding lasting happiness in an otherwise chaotic condition. According to the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, the workings of this world are governed by three modes: goodness, passion and ignorance. The spirit soul, the driving force behind activity, is aloof from all these modes, but when put into contact with a material body, it becomes prone to activities belonging to material nature. Goodness is considered the best mode because it brings one closer to the finish line of mukti, or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. As long as one retains an affinity for activity in any of the three modes, the phenomenon of reincarnation, or the transmigration of the soul through various changing bodies, continues. The mode of goodness is considered superior because it allows one to reawaken their intrinsic knowledge and ignite their dormant loving passion. Once an individual acts according to their innate knowledge, they can take to constitutional activities which are free from the effects of nature.

What does this mean exactly? As we see with nostalgia, the mind can bring about blissful feelings of longing simply by remembering. Since the mind is the sole player in this case, the act of evoking nostalgia isn’t a physical one requiring any money or the performance of any work. Simply through remembering one can be brought the greatest bliss. Yet feelings of nostalgia can only bring temporary satisfaction since they focus on past events pertaining to the material body. However, if we up the ante and fondly remember activities of a divine personality, the resulting blissful feelings can last a lifetime. When the most pleasurable consciousness remains active at the time of death, the spirit soul is immediately granted mukti.

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

What does mukti entail? Who is the singular personality that we should focus our attention on? When one is released from the cycle of birth and death, they cease to possess a body composed of the material elements. At the same time, the soul must retain some sort of body. Yet this outer covering doesn’t necessarily have to be made up of elements belonging to the goodness, passion or ignorance categories. Mukti leads to the acquisition of a spiritual body. The spiritual outer covering is composed of elements with the same qualitative makeup as the soul; hence the differences between body and spirit are eliminated. In the spiritual world, there is no such thing as an outer covering separate from the individual, as the soul assumes a blissful and knowledgeable body that is never subject to destruction.

Since mukti can be of different varieties, there are different types of spiritual bodies one can acquire, but the one awarded to those who focus the mind on loving feelings of attachment directed to the most sublime divine personality allows the individual to forever associate with such a loveable object. Not surprisingly, this divine personality is God, who is known as Lord Krishna in the Vedic tradition. It is not that the Vedas give a particular name for God that only applies to people of a certain faith or region. Krishna is a Sanskrit word that means “all-attractive”, so the appellation speaks to the truth of God’s original form being one that appeals to all of humanity.

So how do we remember Krishna? How do we know what He looks like? How can we look back fondly on experiences pertaining to Krishna if we don’t remember having ever met Him? Luckily for us, the Supreme Lord has appeared on earth many times in the past in non-different, completely spiritual bodies. The modes of nature only operate on the conditioned living entity. In the mode of ignorance, one becomes immune to the pain brought on by conditional activities. The difference between material activities and spiritual activities is that material engagements lead to bondage, while activities on the spiritual plane lead to liberation. We can think of it in this way: Say we have two students who are in the second grade of elementary school. One student does their homework on time, studies for exams and pays attention in class. The other student goofs off all the time, doesn’t do their homework and doesn’t pay any attention to what the teacher says during classroom hours. The steady and faithful student can be said to be on the path of liberation, one which leads to promotion to the third grade at the end of the year. The other student is wholly dedicated to the path of bondage, wherein they will have to repeat the second grade in the subsequent year.

Our activities in the material world can be thought of in the same light. Activities in goodness bring one closer to the next platform of understanding, with the hope that one day, either in this life or in a future one, the individual soul will realize that its true home is in the spiritual world with Krishna. Activities in ignorance not only lead to bondage, but they keep one from realizing the folly of their ways. Revisiting the second grade example, the student on the wrong path will get many chances to rectify their behavior during the course of the year. These opportunities will manifest in the form of negative reactions; bad grades, scolding from the teacher and meetings with the parents. In a similar manner, those who are on the path of bondage in the phenomenal world are given many opportunities to straighten themselves out. These chances manifest in the forms of bad fortune, disease, old age, death and overall pain. When one is in the mode of ignorance – when they take to excessive intoxication, extreme laziness and overall bad behavior – they become immune to the resulting severe negative consequences. Therefore the mode of ignorance is deemed the most damaging because it keeps one from even realizing that what they are doing is harmful to their future well-being.

The mode of passion, which is represented by fruitive activity, similarly leads to bondage, but in the mind the negative effects are essentially cancelled out by the temporary rewards achieved through such strenuous endeavor. For example, an athlete who trains to run a marathon goes through so many negative experiences which are deemed worthwhile once the actual marathon is completed. Yet under the intelligent viewpoint, the entire training process is one that leads to a neutral state, for once a person finishes the marathon, they are essentially right back where they started from. The mode of passion, however, is superior to ignorance because at least the individual is conscious of their negative experiences.

The mode of goodness leads to knowledge and the understanding of the differences between spirit and matter. Yet even gradually ascending the chain of empirical knowledge and education is not enough to bring about the highest form of mukti. Success in spiritual life can involve retraction, but bliss must be represented as well. It is the nature of the soul to be happy and blissful, so in addition to gradually acquiring knowledge and refraining from harmful activities, one must also be given the greatest form of pleasure through acts of the spiritual nature. In fact, one who practices these positive, bliss-giving activities perfectly has no need for retraction or any of the prescribed rules and regulations. Simply by remembering Krishna and the activities He performed on earth one can purify their consciousness.

So this seems all well and good in theory, but how do we know that remembering Krishna actually works at purifying consciousness? For starters, those who are doubtful can at least give the practice a try. Not only has God, in His original form of Krishna, come to earth many times in the past, but so have many of His non-different incarnations known as avataras. The innumerable transcendental activities performed by the Personality of Godhead and the lessons derived from them makes the whole of Vedic literature the largest and most comprehensive set of scriptures known the world over. Not only can we learn about Krishna and fondly remember His activities, but we can also study how others always remained in Krishna consciousness and kept themselves in a blissful state of mind.

During the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation, Krishna descended to earth as a warrior prince named Rama. At the occasion of a grand sacrifice held by the King of Mithila, Maharaja Janaka, Lord Rama was awarded Janaka’s daughter Sita as His wife. Later on, however, Sita would be separated from Rama and put into a very distressful condition. Remaining a prisoner in an ashoka garden in the kingdom of Lanka, Sita was never sure if she would see her dear husband again. Though she was in a fearful condition with an uncertain future, she remained alive by keeping her mind steadily fixed on the glories of her husband and the great activities He performed in the past. She had lived with Rama for many years, so she had many experiences to fondly look back on.

Sita Devi is the mother of the universe, the eternal consort of Lord Rama, so obviously she is the most exalted of devotees. But just because she is a supremely elegant divine figure, one worthy of eternal love and adoration, it doesn’t mean that we can’t follow her lead and try to fix our minds on the activities of the Lord. Just as reminiscing about our own past experiences can bring us blissful feelings of longing, remembering the sweet, transcendental pastimes of Lord Krishna, Radharani, Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman, Narasimhadeva, Prahlada, Balarama, Vamanadeva, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and so many others can bring us such great happiness that we will feel as if we have been transferred directly to the spiritual world. Just as there is safety in the past, there is eternal comfort and security that comes from warmly embracing the transcendental activities of the Supreme Lord and His associates.

Mega Memory

“Formerly, before Vyasadeva, say, five thousand years ago, before that time there was no need of written literature. People were so sharp in their memory that whatever they would hear from the spiritual master they would remember for life. The memory was so sharp. But in this age—it is called Kali Yuga—we are reducing our bodily strength, our memory…” (Shrila Prabhupada, Lecture, 790902.VP.NV)

According to the shastras, or Vedic scriptures, the earth doesn’t come into being just once, but rather is created and destroyed in repeating cycles. Each creation exists for a fixed time period, which is divided into four ages known as Yugas. The four Yugas are Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali.

Satya Yuga is the first time period beginning at creation. Satya means “truth” so the people living in this age are known for being strictly dedicated to dharma. Dharma means occupational duty or religion, and people abide by it at almost a one hundred percent level in the Satya Yuga. Which each successive Yuga, dharma diminishes in strength by one quarter, thus causing a rise in irreligion. We are currently living in the last Yuga, known as Kali. Kali Yuga is famous for the widespread presence of adharma, or activity which is against the scriptural injunctions. Dharma exists only at one fourth its original strength in the Kali Yuga.

In the classic Vedic system, society is to be managed according to varnashrama dharma. There are four varnas, or societal divisions based on a people’s qualities. The brahmanas are the religious class of people, who are viewed as the highest class members of society. Kshatriyas serve as the warriors and administrators, providing protection to the other three classes of society. Vaishyas are the merchants and businessmen who are entrusted with cow protection, farming, and general economic development. The shudras are the last group, and since they receive no formal training from a spiritual master, their duty is to serve the other three varnas. Shudras are traditionally those of the laborer class. Just as there are four varnas, there are also four ashramas, or stages in one’s life. The first ashrama is known as brahmacharya and it is the time period when one is living a life of complete celibacy and taking instruction from a spiritual master. After completing one’s training under a guru, one then enters the grihastha ashrama, which is married householder life. Then after twenty five years, one retires from family life and enters the vanaprastha ashrama. Finally, the last stage of life is known as sannyasa, where one completely renounces all family attachments and material possessions and lives completely at the mercy of God.

In the Kali Yuga, this system is virtually nonexistent. Shudras are praised and held in high regard, while brahmanas are vilified. The most sinful among us serve as our exalted leaders, preaching irreligion as a way of life. We see evidence of this everywhere today, especially with the widespread practices of animal slaughter and abortion. One of the most harmful side effects of Kali Yuga is the overall loss of intelligence and brain power in people. Though we may think that the overall life expectancy is rising, in actuality in previous Yugas the average duration of life was much greater than it is today. This is all a result of overindulgence in sense gratification. When one is constantly hankering after satisfying the needs of the stomach and the genitals, intelligence will be clouded. One is left no time to contemplate the real problems of life, which are birth, old age, disease, and death. When people’s lives revolve around eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, then naturally their intelligence will suffer.

One need only look to the advent of the teleprompter to see a glaring example of how the brainpower of man has rapidly declined. Used by everyone from politicians to television reporters, the teleprompter is a device that provides an electronic visual of the text of a speech given by a speaker. With a teleprompter, one isn’t required to commit a speech to memory. One need only focus their attention on the device while making a speech, for the prompter will scroll through the text at the speaker’s pace, guaranteeing that the speaker will never forget what to say next. Teleprompters are positioned in such a way that the audience usually can’t tell that the speaker is using it. For speeches that are delivered to television audiences, the prompter is usually aligned with the television camera, so the speaker can read the text of the speech while pretending to look directly at the audience watching on their televisions at home.

There is nothing necessarily wrong with teleprompters, since they allow for the smooth delivery of speeches. However, what has happened is that speakers have become lazy as a result of using them. One doesn’t even have to be familiar with the subjects they are talking about since they can just read whatever is put in front of them. As recently as twenty years ago, speakers at least had to memorize the speeches they gave, thus allowing the subject matter to be retained in their minds where it could be processed and pondered over. Today, many speakers, including the President of the United States, have committed embarrassing blunders such as reading the wrong speech or talking out of order due to malfunctions with the teleprompters. There are many world leaders who are great at delivering speeches, but when asked questions on policy in interviews, they stutter and stammer due to lack of knowledge on the subjects they are being questioned on.

In previous Yugas, people’s brains were so sharp that they could memorize millions of Sanskrit verses after only hearing them once. The great Maharishi Valmiki committed the entire Ramayana to memory and would recite it perfectly to others. He even taught it to Lord Rama’s two sons, Lava and Kusha, who would regularly recite it in front of gathered assemblies in their father’s kingdom. Vyasadeva, Lord Krishna’s literary incarnation, authored eighteen Puranas, the Vedanta-sutras, and the Mahabharata all from memory. The Mahabharata itself is probably the longest book ever written so it is amazing to think that one man could commit that entire work to memory. But it wasn’t only Vyasadeva, for he had many disciples who also became expert orators. The Shrimad Bhagavatam, also known as the Bhagavata Purana, was recited by Shukadeva Goswami, Vyasadeva’s son. These people were all exalted brahmanas, who had dedicated their lives to serving Krishna, or God. Their intelligence was top notch as a result. These sages didn’t limit themselves to just memorization, for they had a deep understanding of the topics and stories they would recite.

There is no denying that Kali Yuga is in full force, with its effects seen everywhere. Obviously it is not possible for people to commit such great works to memory anymore. Luckily for us, all hope is not lost. In this age, all the wisdom of the Vedas has been summarized into one short phrase, the maha-mantra:

“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”

Krishna and Rama are names of God, and Hare is His energy. There is no knowledge or truth higher than God. Committing this mantra to memory and regularly reciting it in the presence of others will make us the greatest of orators.