The Next Generation

“One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 5.5.18)

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One of many notable truths descending from the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the ripened fruit of Vedic wisdom tasted by the parrot-like Shukadeva Gosvami, is that one should not take up one of the traditional leadership positions unless they can deliver their dependents from the cycle of birth and death. Husband and guru are some of the more obvious ones, and included in the list is father. From this one truth alone we get an idea of how to view the next generation and where to direct their interests.

Imagine this situation of two friends talking.

…

I have some good news to share with you.

What’s that?

I finally became a grandfather for the first time.

Oh, that’s wonderful. Congratulations.

Thank you, thank you. I tell you, looking into that kid’s eyes, holding it for the first time, I was reminded of why we care about the direction of the country.

I hear you.

Lately I’ve been real down. Things aren’t going so well. This younger generation has no hope. They have no opportunities.

And it seems to only be getting worse.

Exactly. And see how educated they are.

I know. It’s astounding. People from our generation weren’t this educated at their age. We didn’t all go to college.

What are those degrees doing for them? They can’t make it on their own. They have to live at home with their parents.

It’s all due to the policies of the government. They’ve ruined everything.

Exactly. That’s why I care. It’s for my grandchildren. I want to make sure they have a better life.

It’s the timeless desire, is it not? Parents always want their children to have a better life; to improve upon the standard of living. Right now things are going backwards.

…

Indeed, it is natural for the parent to desire better for their children. They wish that the same mistakes from their own lives aren’t repeated. Upon an accurate critical analysis, though, what exactly needs to be improved upon? If the previous generation made it through life just fine, being able to eat and have a place to stay, is the younger generation successful if they make more money? Taking situations that contrast more, if one generation lived on a farm and the other lives in a suburban house with electricity, appliances, television, smartphones, and fancy cars, has anything actually improved?

Those who are aware of the spiritual science understand that the only way to improve upon the previous generation is to reach full enlightenment. There is potential for the human being in this regard. If this weren’t the case, there would be no such thing as adulthood. The child would remain a child forever. They would remain innocent and fun-loving, not having a care in the world. They would never consider austerity, truthfulness, cleanliness, or compassion. Adulthood is the gift from the higher nature precisely to facilitate realization of the Absolute Truth.

The guardian who can shepherd the dependent into that maturest stage of understanding has truly done their job. So what is required for that understanding? Surely the body must be maintained. As the famous Poor Richard once said in his yearly Almanac, it’s difficult for an empty sack to stand up straight. If you’re starving, you won’t have the energy to think properly. If you’re always worried about where to sleep for the night, you won’t have time to understand the difference between matter and spirit. If you’re attacked by a disease, how will you keep the mind right for concentrating on the origin of all things?

“This human form of life is meant for austerity, and austerity means controlling sex, food intake, etc. In this way time can be saved for spiritual activity, and one can purify himself both externally and internally. Thus both body and mind can be cleansed.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.28.35-36 Purport)

So how is the person in authority supposed to get the dependent to reach the goal of life? Obviously austerity is the first step. It is said that the human life is especially meant for austerity. In times past, the advanced thinkers would leave home and take up permanent residence in the forest. Such escape is hardly possible today, but there are still ways to impose limits. After all, the good parent wishing material success for their children erects boundaries to behavior. So with the goal of God realization, the same limits can be imposed.

But there is a secret weapon that helps to cure even the most spoiled child. That secret is the holy name. It has so much potency that nothing can be used to measure it. The Supreme Lord is described as aprameya, which means that no instrument is available to measure His potencies. So that attribute gets passed on to the name used to address Him. There are many names, but the most potent according to the Vedic tradition is Krishna, which means “all-attractive.” Rama is the next most potent, and together with a call to the energy of God, these names are found in the sacred formula known as the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

If a representative of the principles of the Shrimad Bhagavatam were to enter the previously referenced conversation he could offer the following:

“Just say the holy name to your grandchild. Whisper ‘Krishna’ into their ear as much as possible. Sing the maha-mantra to them while they are falling asleep in your arms. Look into their eyes and hope that one day they will vigorously take up bhakti-yoga, which is the true mission of life. That service will make them happiest, since it is endless love. Through constantly glorifying the author of everything good in this world, they will maintain their childlike enthusiasm throughout life. This is something so many wish for but hardly anyone gets. And you, as their grandparent, will earn so much credit. Your deeds will match your selfless desire to give them a better life.”

In Closing:

Lack of hope in them you detect,

Not much improvement they expect.

 

For next generation wishing so much,

How to improve your guiding touch?

 

Bhagavatam simple principles for guidance giving,

Rescue dependents, no more in rebirth living.

 

Unmatched potency in holy name’s sound,

Give it to children, hope for bliss abound.

Honor Thy Mother and Father

“How can we worship our deities, who are not manifest before us, if we neglect the worship of our parents, who stand right before our very eyes?” (Lord Rama speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, Sec 30)

Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the Vedas, expanded Himself in human form as Lord Rama many thousands of years ago in the town of Ayodhya in India. Born into the very noble Ikshvaku family, the Lord was raised as a pious prince, strictly dedicated to the rules of dharma, or religiosity.

As the eldest son of the king, Lord Rama was next in line to succeed His father, Maharaja Dashratha. When Rama reached the appropriate age, all the plans were put in place for His coronation. As it so happened, events took a different twist, with Dashratha choosing Bharata as the new king instead. Bharata was Lord Rama’s younger brother and son of Kaikeyi, Dashratha’s youngest wife. Making matters worse, Rama was also ordered by His father to spend fourteen years living in the forest as an exile. These requests were actually made by Kaikeyi, but Dashratha was forced to agree to them due to promises he had previously made to her. The Lord, being magnanimous and ever devoted to His father’s interests, gladly accepted such a punishment. Prior to leaving for the forest, Rama had to tell His wife Sita Devi the bad news. In opposition to her husband’s desires, she insisted on coming along to the forest. After she had delivered a heartfelt plea, the Lord agreed to her coming along.

Lord Rama, in allowing Sita to accompany Him to the forest, wanted to make sure she knew that He hadn’t changed His mind about following Dashratha’s orders. Though she may have convinced Him to change His mind regarding her going to the forest, she had not changed His mind regarding His desire to follow His parents’ orders and to leave the kingdom. In the above referenced statement, the Lord is describing the importance of worshipping and respecting one’s parents, even more so than respecting the deity of the Lord.

In the Vedic tradition, one of the central components of religious life is the process of archanam, or deity worship. The deity is the physical representation of Krishna, God Himself. Though many mistake it for mundane idol worship, worshiping and respecting a deity is an authorized process. God isn’t always physically present before us. However, due to His causeless mercy, He is kind enough to appear in front of us in His deity form. Usually a statue or a picture, the deity is to be treated in the same way as one would treat God Himself. Lord Krishna in fact laid out the processes for archanam to His dear friend Uddhava just prior to returning to the spiritual world some five thousand years ago.

A deity is worshiped by caring for it, similar to how one would care for one’s child. It is bathed regularly, in what is known as an abhishek. It is also dressed daily. Most important of all, the deity gives us an opportunity to offer prayers and obeisances directly to God. We tend to think of God when we are in trouble or if we want something, but in actuality, we should think of Him out of pure love. The deity allows us to see God, thus we automatically can think of Him in a loving way.

The process of deity worship may seem very difficult to some, since the statue or picture is inanimate by itself. One not accustomed to such a process will find it very difficult to perform proper worship in the beginning stages. This is the exact point made by Lord Rama in the above referenced statement. It’s not so easy to develop an attachment to something simply by looking at it. Lord Rama advises us to worship our parents, who are physically present before us.

The Vedas, like most other religions, enjoin that one should worship and honor one’s parents. They are our first spiritual masters. A newborn child is completely helpless and cannot survive on its own. It needs the protection and guidance of its parents. For this reason alone, parents are worthy of our reverence. They serve as our first teachers, guiding us along the rocky road of life, teaching us right and wrong and steering us away from things that are bad for us. Respecting our parents shouldn’t be a strange concept since most of us instinctively love them.

The Vedas declare that after our parents give us our initial guidance, the spiritual master is the next person from whom we should take instruction. The spiritual master, or guru, is Lord Krishna’s direct representative on earth. He is to be treated as good as God, and his instructions are to be followed without question. Through this system of respect, one gradually becomes detached from sense gratification, making them fit for fulfilling the real mission in life, that of connecting with God.

Our parents and the elderly sometimes may go astray, but the laws of dharma tell us that we should still respect them. A great example in this regard can be found in the Mahabharata. The Bharata war involved two families, who were related as cousins, fighting over a kingdom. The Pandava brothers, the rightful heirs to the kingdom, were headed by Maharaja Yudhishthira, who was very pious. The other side, known as the Kauravas, was headed by Duryodhana, whose father was Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra knew very well that the Pandavas were the rightful heirs to the kingdom since they were the sons of his late brother Pandu. However, Dhritarashtra turned a blind eye to the unlawful usurpation of their kingdom by his sons, headed by Duryodhana. The Pandavas ended up winning the war, breaking the heart of Dhritarashtra. Yudhishthira, as the new king, still gave Dhritarashtra all the respect in the world. Yudhishthira respected him as if he were his own father, giving Dhritarashtra an exalted status in the new kingdom. Thus, he was setting the example for future generations to come.

If Yudhishthira could offer respect to someone as deplorable as Dhritarashtra, what does say about how we should treat our elderly family members? In today’s society, since people are too caught up in karmic activity, they send their parents off to nursing homes rather than taking responsibility themselves. As Lord Rama says, we should relish the opportunity to serve our parents, for it serves as a means of purifying our souls. By learning to respect those worthy of respect, we get practice in serving and respecting the Supreme Person, God. This is the ultimate aim of life, the reason for our being on earth. Sense gratification has limits, and it can never fulfill all our desires. Only through devotional service and surrender to the Lord can we be truly happy. Krishna is our Supreme Father, and if we learn to respect Him, then our lives will be perfect.