Premanjana

“Everyone is seeing God in His different aspects; the only difference is that the theist sees God as the Supreme Personality, the most beloved, Krishna, and the atheist sees the Absolute Truth as ultimate death.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 32)

“Have you seen God? Can you show Him to me?” These are some of the challenging questions often directed at those who are religiously inclined and those who are actively preaching the message of love and respect for the Lord found in India’s most famous religious text, the succinct and complete treatise on Vedic philosophy known as the Bhagavad-gita. Any time a preacher takes to kindly passing on information pertaining to spirituality, there will surely be skeptics, uninterested observers, and those who are not willing to listen. When engaged in ordinary conversation, wherein points and counterpoints are exchanged, generally no conclusion is reached in the end. Therefore in order to learn properly, one must take instruction from someone who has weight, a guru, or spiritual master, one who knows the truth as explained to them by previous authority figures. Yet even when hearing from a guru there is a natural urge to see proof, tangible evidence that God indeed exists. The devotees, those whose eyes have been anointed with transcendental love, see the influence of the Lord everywhere. Yet even the atheists, those who are staunchly against religious principles, are forced to see the influence of the same loveable Divine Entity at every turn, especially at the time that matters most: death.

“The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.10)

Just as the time of birth represents the beginning of our pursuits for excellence and enjoyment in the current life, the time of death is similarly as important. At this most critical of junctures, the events of one’s life flash before their very eyes, and the desires and reactions to work are aggregated. Upon review by higher authorities, those in charge of the workings of nature, a new body is given, one commensurate with the desires and work of the eternal and minutely autonomous spiritual entity. Therefore the time of death can be considered the most important time in one’s life, a judgment day if you will. For one who is in knowledge - one who understands the workings of nature, the influences of karma, and the eternality of the soul - there is no fear of quitting the body. Rather, the source of all fear is removed by the knowledge that someone is in charge of distributing the results of action. Surely individuals have free will in their choice of engagement, but the results of action cannot be received without the hand of someone more powerful, someone capable of equally and fairly distributing fruits and doling out punishments.

Is there a difference in outcomes for the person who, as a result of the highest knowledge acquired, does not live in fear even at the time of death, compared to one who remains in complete ignorance up until the end of life? To find the answer, let’s see what happens with the same two individuals during the course of their lifetimes prior to death. In any scope of activity, in any endeavor, there are certain rules and regulations, a right way to do something. Adhering to the restrictions and performing prescribed activities ensures a successful outcome, an ideal future condition, one that is deemed favorable by the worker inspired to take action. Neglecting prescribed duties equates to acting in ignorance, a strict defiance of the established codes of conduct. Not surprisingly, taking this route usually leads to an unfavorable condition, one where the ultimate goal is not met. The specific nature of the activity doesn’t really matter, for the dichotomy of outcomes is seen in virtually any engagement. Something as simple as driving illustrates these principles quite clearly. Operating an automobile requires great attention and alertness. Therefore the need for the sobriety of the driver is a given, a necessary requirement to operate a vehicle properly. One who takes to driving while inebriated surely is going against established codes of conduct. A drunk driver is not only a hazard to themselves, but to other innocent civilians and drivers on the road as well.

An interesting point to note is that the motive behind the deviation from established codes of conduct does not cause a difference in outcomes. For instance, one may not know that driving drunk is a bad thing. Maybe they are used to being intoxicated all the time so they were never properly educated on what should be done and what shouldn’t. Will this lack of information make any difference? Is there a difference between a drunk driver who knows that what they are doing is bad versus one who doesn’t? Do the laws of gravity behave differently for one who accidentally falls from a high perch as opposed to one who purposely jumps?

The answers to these questions are quite obvious. The laws of gravity are absolute; they apply to everyone equally. Similarly, ignorance and deviation from righteousness have the same effect on activity for every person, irrespective of the motive for action. The Bhagavad-gita, the Song of God spoken by Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, provides a brief rundown of the workings of nature, the purpose of human life, and the ultimate aim for the individual. When we speak of individuals, the reference is to anything that has a spirit soul inside of it, anything that is considered life. Though we generally associate religion with human society, the workings of nature and the potency of spirit apply to all forms of life. The human species is unique because only in this form can the spirit soul take the necessary steps to turn away from the darkness of ignorance and progress towards the light of knowledge. As we have seen from the examples already mentioned, ignorance does not lead to any favorable condition in any endeavor of importance. In a similar manner, the ultimate objective of the spirit soul - that of finding true pleasure and happiness, the type that never dries out - can only be realized, understood, and acted upon by one who is in knowledge.

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

Shri Krishna informs us in the Gita that He is the taste of water. Indeed, His influence is everywhere, for He is responsible for the creation, maintenance, and destruction of nature. The spirit soul is aloof from all visible and invisible elements of nature, but due to its association with a temporary and destructible body, the conditioned soul takes on a false identification. Ignorance thus starts at the time of birth; it is the default condition. If one is not educated on the workings of nature, the transmigration of the soul, and the only source of real pleasure, they will remain in ignorance throughout their lifetime. Those who are fortunate enough to take to sincerely learning about Krishna, who is no different than any other person’s God, will surely be able to see the influence of the Lord everywhere. Though there is a tendency to speak in terms of “My God” and “My religion”, there can be no such things. A religion may be concocted by a particular group of individuals, but the workings of spirit and nature are completely scientific. The only difference between spiritual science and material science is that the spiritual discipline emanating from the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in existence, acknowledges the origin of all matter and spirit. Material science acknowledges many different workings of nature, but ultimately the original cause is taken to be chemicals; random elements that just happened to combine on a whim to create life.

Since the information presented to them lacks any authority, those who take shelter of the mentally concocted theories of material science will remain forever in the dark as to the presence of the Lord. Though nature is quite complicated and considered incomprehensible without years and years of scientific study, the origin of all matter and spirit is not very difficult to perceive of or see. The origin of all life is the Supreme Lord, the only God for all of mankind. One who gradually comes to the light of knowledge will be able to see the Divine Entity’s influence everywhere. One who is in knowledge of God and who uses the acquired information to change their way of life is known as a bhakta, or devotee. Knowledge alone does not lead to a proper vision. For instance, one may have a law degree from a prestigious college, but they will not be considered a lawyer unless and until they take to practicing. In the same way, one may know that the spirit soul within the body is the source of identity and that the Supersoul, the expansion of the Supreme Lord residing within the heart, is the most powerful entity, but if they don’t make any tangible use of this information, their knowledge goes to waste.

What is the behavior of a devotee? How do they see God? The ability of man and the taste of water alone provide enough evidence of God’s existence. Just as a famous philosopher once said, “I think therefore I am”, the ability to think and to know one’s existence are evidence enough of God’s supreme nature. “I am” is taken to be proof of one’s existence, but it’s more important to actually know who we are. In the ignorant state, a person isn’t even aware that they are a human being. A fish doesn’t know that it’s wet, nor does it know when to stop eating. Without sufficient education, the human being is no different than the animal. The higher potential for intelligence available to the human being is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth, athato-brahma-jijnasa. When the human being reaches the mature stage, it takes to asking about the Absolute Truth, that one entity who is beyond duality, success and failure, and pain and pleasure. There is only one person that meets this criteria: Lord Krishna.

By taking to bhakti-yoga, a discipline which can involve reading, hearing, worshiping, surrendering, and many other activities, one gradually sees the presence of the Lord everywhere. God certainly does have a form; otherwise He would not be able to speak, give instruction and provide salvation. Void and nothingness are incapable of action; only with a form can an entity produce any tangible results. The Supreme Lord’s form is described in great detail in the classic Vedic texts like the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Ramayana, Bhagavad-gita and Puranas. If we simply take stock of the statements found within these sacred texts, we will be able to get a good idea of what Krishna and His various non-different forms look like. By knowing Krishna’s appearance, we can always remember Him within our hearts and minds.

Goswami Tulsidas, the exalted Vaishnava poet and devotee of Lord Rama, Krishna’s incarnation as a pious prince, through his behavior exemplified the differences between a devotee and a non-devotee very nicely. At the height of his devotional ecstasy, Tulsidas likened himself to a Chatak bird which couldn’t keep its eye off of a raincloud. Lord Rama’s body is of a blue color, similar to that of a dark raincloud. The same hue is present in Lord Vishnu’s and Krishna’s bodies. The Chatak bird is known for only drinking rainwater; hence it is always staring at the cloud that is about to pour rain. Tulsidas uses this analogy to show that a pure devotee doesn’t want anything from anyone else. It only wants to see God at all times. Even if the original form is not there, just the similarity in hue is good enough to constantly remind one of God. The Chatak bird doesn’t need rain to be satisfied, for simply being allowed to practice devotional service is enough to provide pleasure. In fact, the cloud can completely scorn its lover, but as a devoted soul, the Chatak will never stop loving its beloved cloud. Even though the Chatak only eats when there is rain, it nevertheless gazes at its beloved at all times. The devotee, who mimics the Chatak’s behavior, always worships the Lord and sees His influence everywhere, even if there is no perceived return on that investment.

The aim of life is to reach the same level of devotion as the Chatak, wherein one worships the Lord with all their heart in an unmotivated and uninterrupted manner. Lest anyone think this level of affection is impossible to acquire, the spirit soul is already inclined towards such service. The spirit soul, by constitution, is blissful, knowledgeable and eternal. The source of bliss is its natural loving propensity, its inherent desire to associate with the Supreme Spirit, Shri Krishna. In the conditioned state, when one is mired in varying degrees of ignorance, the loving propensity is redirected towards other objects and entities. Even hatred is a product of the misdirection; it is simply the inverse of natural love. Only through devotional service can the loving propensity reach its full potential, a state where love is never interrupted or diminished. The Chatak, which represents the behavior of devotees like Tulsidas and the gopis of Vrindavana, exemplifies the highest level of devotional practice perfectly. In the most purified state, not even the object of affection, the loveable Supreme Lord, is capable of deterring the devotee in its practice of bhakti. Only in the pure loving relationship can the beloved lose its influence over the affectionate behavior of the lover.

“I am the only enjoyer and the only object of sacrifice. Those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 9.24)

Obviously the atheists and non-devotees will remain far away from even understanding the heightened level of affection shown by divine lovers. Through skepticism and strong attachment to matter and sense gratification, the atheist will stubbornly deny the existence of God. Even amongst religionists, there are those who take themselves to be equal to God. Such a notion obviously seems silly, but if one believes that their personal aims and objectives are of paramount importance, the resulting mindset is no different than taking oneself to be equal to the Lord. God’s position is not determined simply on the ability to provide at the highest level. The Supreme Lord is certainly the original proprietor of everything, but this ownership has a deeper meaning. Since Krishna owns everything in this world, the intended use of these objects is for His satisfaction. From this we see that Krishna is also the ultimate enjoyer, the singular beneficiary of sacrifice and religious practice.

Krishna’s fixed position as the friend of every living entity forms the third aspect of the Supreme Spirit, one that ties the other two pieces together. Krishna’s universal and unending candidacy for friendship informs the sincere soul that God’s endless property, which is visible throughout this world, is meant to be used for His satisfaction through a loving relationship, one that provides pleasure to not only the Ultimate Enjoyer, but also to those He enjoys with: the devotees. Rather than wait for the time of death to see God, by taking to bhakti right now we can see God’s presence everywhere. The divine vision brings supreme bliss and pleasure and allows an individual to remain firmly fixed in their mood of devotion. Those whose eyes have been smeared with the ointment of transcendental love, premanjana, see the influence of their paramour at every step and every corner. By taking to devotional service through regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, we’ll be able to see Krishna at every step we take and with every move we make.

From Weakness to Strength

“Certainly the monkeys are always restless in mind, O best of the monkeys. Being without their sons and wives, they will not abide by your orders.” (Hanuman speaking to Angada, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 54.9)

nityam asthira cittā hi kapayo hari puṅgava |

na ājñāpyam viṣahiṣyanti putra dārān vinā tvayā

Shri Hanuman is here continuing his psychological game with Angada, the de facto leader of the band of monkeys who had to choose between fighting on and giving up. Hanuman never employs any diplomatic tactic or elaborate scheme to get some personal benefit. The group in question was tasked with a most daunting mission of searching for a princess who was nowhere to be found. After explicit instructions were given regarding the time frame for success, those responsible for carrying out the mission became fearful of the repercussions awaiting them on account of failure. Thinking that success was impossible and that returning back to the commander without any good news was also out of the question, a suicide pact or enjoyment in illusory surroundings seemed more appealing. Hanuman, the faithful servant of the Supreme Lord and the most pious individual, didn’t entertain the thought of quitting for even a moment. Knowing the difficulty of getting others to come over to his point of view, the great devotee employed psychological tactics aimed at creating dissension amongst the individual members of the group. Though the tactic wouldn’t work out as planned immediately, the glorious nature of Hanuman shone through nonetheless.

Since the events in question took place during the Treta Yuga, which occurred many thousands of years ago, many of the races on earth were more advanced than they are today. The monkeys looking for Sita Devi, the wife of Lord Rama, were known as Vanaras, which is a Sanskrit word meaning “of the forest”. Though they can walk, talk, and speak, Vanaras are usually described as monkeys because of their predominant outward features. Monkeys are certainly a strange choice to lead a reconnaissance mission, but the circumstances were anything but ordinary.

During the specific time period, the Treta Yuga, the Supreme Absolute Truth, the person we all know as God, descended to earth in a spiritual form which appeared to the ordinary person to be a human being. The Absolute Truth in the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, is often described as being both nirguna and saguna. Guna refers to material qualities which bind one to the cycle of birth and death. We all possess gunas, for that is part of the makeup of the living entity residing in the material world. Our identity comes from the atma, or spirit soul, residing within the heart, but the spiritual spark is not visible. Rather, it is covered up by material qualities, or gunas. Since these qualities are temporary and eventually destined for destruction, they have no bearing or influence on the identifiable aspect, the soul.

The Supreme Lord, being the creator of matter and gunas, can never assume a material body. The nirguna description serves as a reminder that His hands, legs, face, etc. aren’t limited in the way that an ordinary living entity’s are. The Supreme Truth possesses a spiritual body, something which is not conceivable to the conditioned living entities. Nirguna can also refer to the expansion of the Lord that resides within the heart of every living entity. Just as the atma forms the basis of our identity, the Paramatma, or Supersoul, represents God’s expansion resting within everyone’s heart. As such, every living entity has God inside. Since the nirguna form is neither visible nor perceptible to the conditioned eye, the Supreme Lord periodically descends to earth in the form of an avatara. The avatara, and their complementary deity representations, are known as saguna, or with attributes. This doesn’t mean that the avatara possesses a material body. It has qualities and attributes which are visible to the eyes of the individuals residing in the material world. There is no difference between the nirguna and saguna forms since they both represent the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has an ever-existing spiritual form. The difference lies completely with the angle of vision of the conditionally situated subordinate entities.

Shri Rama enacted wonderful pastimes and set the standard for dharma, or religiosity. Through His behavior He allowed others to get an idea of what God looks like, what His nature is, and what makes Him happy. The Lord also allowed a select few individuals, who now hold an exalted status, to serve Him personally. The Vedas enumerate the inherent qualities of the spirit soul, the foremost of which is an affinity to the Supreme Soul. The Supreme Lord is meant to be served, and the individual soul is meant to perform that service. Working for the pleasure of Supreme Spirit is not the kind of service we are accustomed to. Transcendental service, in its most pure form, is performed voluntarily and without motivation or interruption. When an individual living in the material world becomes aware of the need for this service and subsequently takes to performing it properly, they become liberated from the cycle of birth and death, never having to associate with gunas again.

To allow others the chance to serve Him, Lord Rama had to create situations where it appeared that He required help. What does this mean exactly? As the original Supreme Lord who is nirguna, Rama can never be baffled, distracted, or put into any distress. All the defects of the phenomenal world only affect those who are enamored by its most powerful governing agent, the master of illusion, maya. Shri Rama is the creator of maya, as the illusory energy works at His pleasure. The individual souls at some time in the past wanted to be deluded into thinking that they could imitate Divine power, similar to how the alcoholic wants to enjoy the temporary and illusory happiness of being drunk. Since the desire to compete with God cannot be facilitated in the flawless spiritual realm, Bhagavan created a world where gunas reign supreme. To keep the effects of gunas at full strength, an illusory agent was required; a position maya fit into very nicely.

Since maya is God’s servant, the Lord can never be deluded by her. Nevertheless, Rama created various situations where it appeared that He needed help. One such predicament involved the rescue of His beautiful and chaste wife, Sita Devi, from the forest of Dandaka. As a faithful and pious individual, Shri Rama always abided by the orders of His father, King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. On a previous occasion, Dasharatha had ordered Rama to exit the kingdom and not return for fourteen years. More than just an exercise in austerity, Rama had to relinquish all ties to the kingdom. He was set on travelling alone, but His wife and His younger brother Lakshmana refused to allow Him to suffer in solitude. They insisted on accompanying Him, demanding to offer service to their beloved Lord.

While in the forest of Dandaka, Sita would be kidnapped by a Rakshasa demon named Ravana. Not knowing where she was, Rama made His way to the Kishkindha forest along with Lakshmana. The two brothers forged an alliance with the Vanara king Sugriva, who agreed to help Rama find Sita. When the time came to make good on his promise, Sugriva dispatched his giant monkey army to comb the entire earth. The most powerful soldier in the army, and Sugriva’s trusted aide, was Shri Hanuman. Hanuman is no ordinary figure. He is a divine incarnation of the wind-god Vayu and Lord Shiva, the most exalted Vaishnava and eternal servant of Shri Rama. As such, from birth Hanuman was endowed with godly qualities and inclined towards service to the Supreme Lord.

Prior to the egress of the monkey search parties, Sugriva especially took confidence in Hanuman. The most powerful monkeys, including Angada, who was Sugriva’s nephew, were sent with Hanuman’s group. After a month had passed, the monkeys were still unsuccessful in finding Sita. Sugriva had explicitly told his monkeys that they should not bother returning without successfully finding Sita. Indeed, they would be punished severely if they came back with no information. Since the time allotted for their mission had elapsed, two options were presented before the monkeys.  Angada recommended fasting until death, while one of the leading commanders advised that the monkeys stay in a guarded cave by the sea shore and simply enjoy the nice surroundings previously created there by a demon named Maya.

Hanuman, not happy with the sudden divergence in plans, then stepped in to change the course of action. Angada had essentially become the leader of the pack, so Hanuman focused his psychological efforts directly at him. Since the word Veda means “knowledge”, the Vedic scriptures contain information on all different facets of life, including how to properly govern a kingdom. In the sections describing good governance and diplomacy, one of the areas of interest relates to how to get what you want from a hostile party. There are different methods that can be employed, with one of them being dissension, which was the route Hanuman chose. First he praised Angada for being very powerful and capable of fighting off anyone. Then he stated that the monkeys were very fickle in nature and that since they were without their family members and wives, they wouldn’t listen to Angada’s words for very long. Though Angada thought the monkeys would be better off starving to death or hiding in the beautiful cave, Hanuman essentially said just the opposite, that Angada wouldn’t be safe hiding out from Sugriva because the monkeys would eventually turn on him.

Aside from being cleverly crafted and aimed at fomenting dissent, Hanuman’s words were full of fact and completely based in reality. A monkey behaves similar to a human being, for even many scientists have erroneously mentally speculated that man evolved from the ape. Yet the monkey is considered inferior to the human being because of the intelligence factor. A monkey is more inclined towards animalistic activities, which focus primarily on eating, sleeping, mating and defending. The influence of these activities causes their minds to be very fickle, and when their cherished activities are interrupted, they lose all sense of rationality and good judgment. Thus Hanuman invoked a common stereotype about monkeys to reach his desired outcome of continuing the search for Sita.

Since as human beings we are similar to the animal species, we too are, by default, fickle-minded. Sex life serves as the strongest attachment, to which spouses and children are closely related. Therefore the greatest cause of distress and loss of rationality comes from the disturbance in family life, the breaking of the bonds formed with our loved ones. Yet as mentioned before, the only way to become nirguna, or free of material qualities, is to take to service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we take to devotional service, which can involve one or a variety of distinct processes, the primary of which is the chanting of the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, we can hopefully achieve liberation by the end of life.

The problem we may encounter, however, is that devotional efforts, when undertaken alone, can cause disruptions in family life. Since human beings are also fickle-minded like the monkeys, distresses caused by tension in family life will likely take one off the straightened path of devotional service. Refraining from intoxication, eating meat, gambling, and illicit sex is not easy to do when one is constantly under duress and pressure. To remedy the situation, we should use whatever attachments we have and whatever deficiencies in terms of weaknesses we possess to our advantage. What does this mean exactly? If we are attached to family, we should perform our devotional service with them. Obviously this isn’t always possible, but if it is, we should most certainly take advantage. Through adding God to the activities we are accustomed to engaging in, we can turn our weaknesses into strengths.

Success in spiritual life results in the purification of consciousness. The pure mindset is not dependent on any factor except the sincere desire of the aspiring transcendentalist. Unlike other spiritual disciplines which may require strict rules and regulations, the only abiding principle in devotional service is that one should employ whatever practical means are available to them that can effectively change their consciousness. This was the method employed by Hanuman, even though his consciousness never needs purifying. Though he is well-versed in the military arts and the ins and outs of diplomacy, Hanuman has no attachment to any mundane knowledge. Nevertheless, when the time came to serve Rama, he tapped into his storehouse of material wisdom to help further the cause. Hanuman’s only desire was to serve Rama and to find Sita. His psychological tricks would prove to be most wonderful, for even though Angada would initially settle on starving to death, the monkeys would eventually end up trusting Hanuman fully with the most difficult task of crossing over the ocean that stood in between them and the shores of Lanka, where Sita had been taken. Not surprisingly, due to Hanuman’s heroic efforts and his ability to rally the monkey forces, Sita would eventually be found and all would end well.

“Prescribed duties should never be renounced. If, by illusion, one gives up his prescribed duties, such renunciation is said to be in the mode of ignorance.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.7)

For those already married and with children, the ideal option is to remain in family life and continue performing prescribed duties. There is no need to renounce anything artificially. We carefully should weigh every option against its effect on the final outcome. We should reject anything which is unfavorable towards the execution of devotional service and accept anything which is favorable. If we turn our attachments into favorable conditions, we can turn our material qualities into spiritual ones. The liberated souls such as Shri Hanuman always possess spiritual bodies. By kindly invoking their names and remembering their wonderful and heroic feats, we can one day hope to have the association of the original Personality of Godhead, the Lord who always possesses a sweet, blissful, and transcendental form.

The Best Around

“When the gopis saw little Krishna fearlessly playing on Putana's lap, they very quickly came and picked Him up. Mother Yashoda, Rohini, and other elderly gopis immediately performed the auspicious rituals by taking the tail of a cow and circumambulating His body.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 6)

An interesting behavior characteristic of the most exalted associates of the Supreme Being, the true saints of the world, is that they don’t seek any honor for themselves. Rather, they take the greatest pleasure in seeing and hearing about the triumphs and victories of their loveable objects, be it fellow devotees or the Supreme Source of Pleasure in the spiritual sky, Shri Krishna. The undying divine lovers never try to usurp the position of the superior entity; instead they derive the greatest pleasure simply by knowing that He is great. If they make any effort at all towards the attainment of a specific goal, it is to further increase the glory of the One who has already achieved every success, won every battle, and owned everything that can be acquired. From the sterling behavior of the saintly class, the secret to achieving a peaceful and blissful state of mind is revealed.

Upon assuming a dress composed of the various elements of nature, the resulting living being, known as a jiva in Sanskrit, takes to activities which have commensurate positive and negative results. Activities falling under this scope are known as karma, and usually just the possible favorable outcomes are pondered over. Surely there are negative side effects, or pollution, to any fruitive activity, but the unpalatable conditions are discarded or at least minimized in the hopes of achieving that wished-for end. For example, driving an automobile involves a desired goal, that of reaching the intended destination. At the same time, there are negative aspects to operating a motor vehicle, such as air pollution, having to purchase gasoline, owning automobile insurance, and having to maintain the car so that it functions properly. To the objective observer, the negative aspects may even outweigh the positives, but to the pleasure-seeker, the unfavorable elements of driving are discarded, or at least not considered. The desired aim is deemed favorable enough to tolerate whatever unfavorable aspects come along.

Driving is just one small example, but depending on the individual and what stage of life they are in, the goals and objectives can be much larger. For instance, a startup business owner is looking to make it by expanding their production capabilities and hopefully attracting investors who will pour money into the operation. The goal is to one day have a company that produces profits at such a high rate that working is no longer required. Let’s say that such an ambitious individual succeeds in their venture. After years and years of hard work, the company expands to the point that the owner can retire and live happily at home. Now let’s say we have another person who didn’t start their own business, but worked at a simple job for just as long a period of time. Towards the end of the road, the retirement years, the quality of life for the common laborer may not be all that different. The retired successful business owner may reside in a palatial mansion, while the ordinary worker remains in a small apartment, but the absence of the requirement to work is present in both situations.

One can argue that the biggest difference would be in terms of the satisfaction of the mind. The successful business owner can look back on his working years fondly and take great pleasure in his triumphs. He started out with a dream, and through hard work, he achieved everything he wanted. The ordinary worker may not have had such obstacles to overcome, or even goals to shoot for, so he will have less triumphs to ponder over in the latter stages of life. Based on this comparison, we see that the only difference between the two retired workers is consciousness, the thought processes of the mind. As human beings inhabiting a vast land mass known as the earth, there is ample supply of food, clothing and shelter available. One certainly doesn’t need to successfully start and run a large business in order to meet the demands of the body. After all, even the animal species have all of their needs provided by nature. The tiger doesn’t even eat every day, yet it still gets enough food in the form of other animals periodically.

So the real effects of fruitive activity are seen in the formation of one’s thought processes. Yet even with a one hundred percent success rate in karmic engagements, we know that no one can be the most successful or the richest person in any venture. For example, one basketball star may hold many all-time records, but there will surely be other players who surpass them in specific categories of achievement. One man may have billions of dollars in the bank, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t other wealthy men in the world. Fruitive activity, even when executed to completion of the desired goal, doesn’t necessarily do anything for one’s stature. Based on the impossibility of achieving pure supremacy in any meaningful venture, the bliss that is derived from personal accomplishments can be considered limited.

The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, accurately assert that there exists one entity who is the richest, most knowledgeable, strongest, most renounced, most beautiful and most famous. Not surprisingly, that person is God, whose original form is that of Lord Krishna. Though Krishna is generally associated with Hindus, He is God for everyone. One who is fortunate enough to realize that Krishna is indeed their God will slowly but surely reach a level of mental satisfaction far greater than that of any karmi, or one who takes to fruitive activity.

The key to ascending to the highest state of mental felicity is realizing and believing in the supremacy of God, something which is easier said than done. Cynicism towards the importance of statements describing the Supreme Lord’s superlative attributes is only natural. “Of course God is the greatest. That doesn’t surprise me. But how does that information help me? How does it improve my current circumstance?” As mentioned before, the most tangible effect of success in fruitive activity is a change in consciousness. Though so many polluting elements must be encountered during one’s rise to the top, the bounty received seems to make it all worth it. But what if we just pretended that we were successful without ever having taken any effort? After all, we see that the most important effect of success is the changing of one’s mindset, so why can’t we just pretend in our minds that we succeeded in whatever fruitive activity interests us?

Living vicariously through someone else involves fixing one’s thoughts and desires on another person’s struggles and plight through specific activities in life. Usually those who live vicariously attach themselves to someone who is pursuing grand success, an individual who has a chance at achieving big things. Sports fanaticism is built around this practice. When a particular sports figure or team wins the championship, fans rejoice, even though they don’t know the players personally. Yet through a link in consciousness, by focusing the mind on the plight of the players involved, the fans feel as if they are going through the trials and tribulations themselves. Thus when there is success for the players, the fans feel that they have succeeded as well.

It’s interesting to see that the bliss felt by the fans after a team’s victory often far exceeds the elation felt by the players themselves. This certainly makes sense, as our parents derive greater joy from our successes than we do. If we graduate high school or college, we may not think of it as a big deal, but our parents surely will. The commencement ceremonies are really for the benefit of the parents more than anyone else. Through the bond of love, which is tightly held by a link in consciousness, the loving party, the one that provides support to the worker in their task, feels tremendous satisfaction and bliss upon seeing the success of their loved one.

A similar practice is followed by devotees, those who have turned over their consciousness to the Supreme Lord and His exploits. Though God resides in the spiritual sky, He never remains alone. Indeed, He is a person, full of form and figure, but one who is far superior to anyone else. Since He is the owner of everything, all perceptible successes can be attributed to Him. Moreover, due to His causeless mercy, He kindly appears on this earth from time to time in various forms to enact pastimes. The names and features of these forms are described in sacred texts like the Ramayana and Shrimad Bhagavatam.

When the Lord takes part in pastimes, His most trusted aides, those devotees who consider God to be their closest family member, lend a helping hand. Yet these sublime servants never try to surpass the master. They derive the greatest pleasure from seeing God emerge victorious in whatever battle He is taking part in; hence there is no desire to imitate the Supreme Lord. Due to their dedicated service, the servants actually surpass the master in stature, as was the case with Shri Hanuman, the faithful servant of Lord Rama, an incarnation of Krishna who appeared on this earth many thousands of years ago. Rama was a famous bow warrior, and His greatest battle took place on the island of Lanka against a demon named Ravana. Rama, in the form of a human being, walked across a bridge made of stones to Lanka, while Hanuman had previously leapt his way across the same giant ocean. Goswami Tulsidas, a celebrated Vaishnava poet, accurately notes that Hanuman was given this perk because he served Rama so perfectly.

Hanuman, however, never derived pleasure from his own triumphs; his only business was to serve Rama. Indeed, after Rama successfully defeated Ravana and rescued His kidnapped wife, Sita Devi, Hanuman was granted the boon of remaining on the earth for as long as Rama’s story continued to be told and celebrated. Hanuman is much more powerful than any ordinary entity. Though assuming the form of a Vanara, or human-like monkey, he possesses every yogic siddhi, or mystic perfection. He can do whatever he pleases, be it defeat an enemy in battle or perform some heroic feat of strength. Yet his greatest pleasure comes from hearing about God’s glories found in the Ramayana. Hanuman essentially takes Rama’s triumphs to be his own. He views Rama as his God.

“O Lakshmana, do you rule this earth with Me. You are like My second self, so this glorious opportunity has been presented to you as well. O Saumitra, do you enjoy all the pleasures you desire and the fruits of the regal life. My life and this kingdom I covet for your sake alone.” (Lord Rama speaking to Lakshmana, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, 4.43-44)

Sita and Lakshmana, Rama’s younger brother, also take great pleasure in Rama’s victories. Rama on several occasions mentioned that all His activities were dedicated to Lakshmana, yet Lakshmana never tried to usurp Rama’s power or take away from any of His victories. Lakshmana had no need to strive for personal benefit or fame because his brother was already the most famous person in the world. If God is the most successful person, what need is there for us to tirelessly seek fame? By attaching ourselves to His lotus feet through a tight bond of love, we can bask in all His glory and fame. Since every living entity is His child, we can all look to the Lord as our God.

Sita Devi, as the devoted wife of Rama, shares in all His pious credits. For the Supreme Lord, there is no such thing as piety or sin, for He is the object of all religious practice. But in the material sense, a religiously wedded wife, one following dharma, is allowed to share in her husband’s spiritual merits. Transcending the influences of the visible world, Sita is always with Rama, for even in the spiritual sky the two are always together as Lakshmi-Narayana and Radha-Krishna. Sita can also be considered Rama’s finance manager, the person in charge of keeping stock of the Lord’s limitless wealth and fortunes. In her role as the goddess of fortune, Sita provides benedictions to those sincere souls who aim to please God. In fact, Hanuman’s needs on earth are taken care of directly by Sita. As such, Hanuman has no need to endeavor for material acquisitions, as he is given all he needs to perform his regular devotional duties, activities which include reading from the Ramayana and singing the most beautiful devotional songs in praise of Sita, Rama and Lakshmana.

Not only is Lord Rama ever triumphant, but so are all the other expansions of Godhead, including the original form of Krishna. If we are ever feeling down in the dumps or saddened over personal failures, we can always remember the victorious efforts of Krishna, such as the time He sucked the life out of the female demon Putana who had hopelessly come to kill the infant Krishna living in the peaceful and beautiful land of Vrindavana. Krishna’s victories are our triumphs after all, for the Lord resides within each of us as the Paramatma, the Supersoul. Unlike with ordinary individuals who can have their behavior altered for the worse by too much success, Krishna knows exactly how to handle His supreme stature. He is more than capable of dealing with the millions of adoring eyes and ears that remain focused on Him. Success in life can be found very quickly by always remaining with God in the same way that Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman do. They never try to surpass Rama in anything, but rather they take His successes and glories to be their greatest source of pleasure. Assuming a fixed position at the Lord’s side, we too can always bask in the glory of victory, the transcendental pleasure of knowing that the most sublime, kind, sweet and compassionate person in all the universes serves as its creator, maintainer, destroyer and pleasure-giver. Thankfully that person is Shri Krishna, and His love is available for everyone to keep and hold on to as their most valued possession.

Divide and Conquer

“O son of Tara, in fighting you are more capable than your uncle, and you are certainly able to control the monkey kingdom as firmly as your father.” (Hanuman speaking to Angada, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 54.8)

tvam samartha taraḥ pitrā yuddhe tāreya vai dhruvam ।

dṛḍham dhārayitum śaktaḥ kapi rājyam yathā pitā

Life is about overcoming obstacles and persevering through struggles. Our personal battles are difficult enough to handle on our own, but when the struggles affect a large group of individuals, people with whom we are meant to cooperate, they become almost impossible to overcome. In this regard, no one has a tougher task than a king or a government leader since he must marshal many forces together and keep them committed to the protection of justice and the adherence to the rules of propriety. When faced with a difficult situation in his kingdom, a king can employ several tactics to effectively maintain order, with one of them being dissension.

When encountering opposing forces, there are different ways to still get what we want, but each method has consequences. For example, if we want someone to perform a particular task, we can use brute force to physically compel them to take action. The downside to such a tactic is that the induced worker may not be very motivated, nor will they have much desire. In addition, the person inflicting the force must have superior strength. If the enforcer is weaker than the enforced, there will be no chance for success in the endeavor. For there to be law, order and peace in society, a strong government is required, one that is able to successfully use force, or at least the threat of it, to stop deviant behavior.

There are other tactics that don’t require force, but which can be equally as effective. In America, the CIA and FBI employ psychological tricks to get their prisoners and detainees to spill the beans on future attacks. The idea is to gain the trust of the person being detained, enticing them with rewards and promises of leniency in future judicial action. Dangling carrots will hopefully coax them into giving up vital information about their cohorts and co-conspirators.

The manipulative psychological tactics are certainly effective in the material affairs of running a government, but they can also be employed in spiritual life. In fact, the great saintly kings of the past were all taught these different tactics as part of their studies pertaining to their occupational duties in the varnashrama-dharma system. The Vedas are the ancient scriptures of India, and as they represent complete knowledge, they don’t fail to cover the critical components of a good government. Bhakta Prahlada, the great devotee of Lord Vishnu, was taught lessons on government and politics when he was in school as a young child. His father was a very powerful king, so it was hoped that Prahlada would one day be equally as powerful and capable a ruler, succeeding his father on the throne.

“After some time, the teachers Shanda and Amarka thought that Prahlada Maharaja was sufficiently educated in the diplomatic affairs of pacifying public leaders, appeasing them by giving them lucrative posts, dividing and ruling over them [bheda], and punishing them in cases of disobedience. Then, one day, after Prahlada's mother had personally washed the boy and dressed him nicely with sufficient ornaments, they presented him before his father.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.19)

Though Prahlada was not interested in anything pertaining to diplomacy or ruling over a kingdom, he certainly took in the information taught to him and retained it. The highest theoretical and practical discipline in life, spiritual or otherwise, is bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Sometimes those who are unaware of the inner workings of divine love scoff at the bhakti cult for being tailored for the less intelligent. The elitist class of transcendentalists known as Vedantists also often charge the bhakti movement with being responsible for the dumbing down of spirituality. In the absence of pure love for God, an elevated transcendentalist is left to take knowledge, renunciation and the practice of austerities to be the ultimate activities in life, those practices which will bring about emancipation of the soul. The Vedas certainly subscribe to the idea of reincarnation, or the transmigration of the soul. The changing of bodies for the soul can only cease once the embodied living entity [dehinam] no longer desires to possess a material body. In order to be rid of the desire to enjoy a particular outward dress, one must be free of desires for material enjoyment, i.e. sense gratification. Renunciation and detachment, two wholly recommended practices of the Vedic tradition, surely can help a sincere soul achieve the aim of being materially desireless at the time of death. Transcendental knowledge also helps one remain committed to their renunciation and austerity practices.

But the bhakti cult, the system that champions divine attachment, is not deficient in any way. Rather, it is the only discipline which addresses the constitutional position of the soul. At its core, individual spirit is a lover of Supreme Spirit, or God. The practice of bhakti takes directly to serving the Supreme Spirit in lieu of the gradual progression through dry renunciation and the acquisition of knowledge. In fact, bhakti really can’t be tied down to any particular activity, though it is generally associated with the chanting of the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Bhakti means pure love, so it involves any activity that aims to please the Supreme Lord. Depending on the desired aim, the acquisition of knowledge, the performance of penance and austerity, and detachment from material affairs can certainly constitute devotional acts, but pure love for God is not dependent on anything except the individual’s sentiments.

“Actually, the cultivation of knowledge or renunciation, which are favorable for achieving a footing in Krishna consciousness, may be accepted in the beginning, but ultimately they may also come to be rejected, for devotional service is dependent on nothing other than the sentiment or desire for such service.” (Shrila Prabhupada, The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 14)

A devotee will adopt any practice that can help them serve the Supreme Lord. By taking to dry renunciation and the study of Vedanta in the absence of attachment to the original compiler of all Vedic wisdom, Shri Krishna, the focus of the transcendentalist remains on the personal self, with the Superself being neglected. The dry renunciate, who is known as a jnani, is desperately seeking liberation from the mire of material existence. There is certainly nothing faulty with this pursuit or the intended goal, but devotees perform devotional service in an uninterrupted and unmotivated manner. Pure love doesn’t seek anything in return. As Goswami Tulsidas so eloquently reminds us, the Chatak bird simply stares at its beloved raincloud without any desire for water. If the cloud remains in the sky for days and days without pouring any rain, the Chatak’s devotion doesn’t wane a bit. Even if there is a downpour of rain and thus a sufficient supply of food for the hungry onlooker, the Chatak will still remain firmly fixed on the dark blue raincloud. The devotional practices of pure bhaktas operate in a similar manner, thus making the Chatak the ideal emblem for devotion, as the bodily hue of the Personality of Godhead is the same as the color of the dark raincloud. Pure love means not expecting or desiring any reciprocation.

While the dry renunciates and the impersonalist philosophers will shun material life and embrace any knowledge that helps them achieve liberation, the devotee will accept anything, even a practice that is usually associated with material life, that further advances the interests of the Supreme Lord. A particular incident from the famous Ramayana poem compiled by Maharishi Valmiki very nicely illustrates both the intention and the use of such a practice. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one, but due to His kind mercy He appears on earth every now and then to give the bhaktas a taste of His transcendental sweetness. One such appearance took place many thousands of years ago when Bhagavan came as Prince Rama, the eldest son of the King of Ayodhya. Due to a seemingly unfortunate sequence of events, Rama’s beautiful wife Sita Devi was kidnapped from the forest of Dandaka. Enlisting the help of a band of Vanaras [human-like monkeys], the wheels were set in motion for Sita’s rescue.

The Vanaras who allied with Rama lived in the forest of Kishkindha and were ruled by their king Sugriva. He divided up his monkey forces and sent them to the corners of the world to search for Sita. The princess had been taken to an island kingdom of Lanka by a demon named Ravana. No one knew where she was, but it was understood she must have been taken to a remote location. Therefore Sugriva especially entrusted his chief warrior, Shri Hanuman, with the task of finding Sita. Hanuman embarked on the journey with a group of other powerful monkeys which included Angada, Sugriva’s nephew.

As a powerful king, Sugriva gave explicit orders that none of the monkeys should come back without news of Sita’s whereabouts. If they were unable to find her, they would be punished severely. Hanuman’s party eventually made their way into a cave full of material beauty that was created by the demon Maya. Escaping from the cave, the travels of the monkeys finally halted when they reached the shores of a massive ocean. The time allotted for their task had expired, so the monkeys were fearful of returning to the kingdom where they would surely meet chastisement at the hands of Sugriva. At this time, one of the monkey commanders was able to convince Angada that the group should give up and simply enjoy life in the cave they had previously escaped from. Since they couldn’t find Sita, Sugriva and Rama would not be happy with them, so there was no point in returning. It would be better to remain shielded in the cave area which was very difficult to penetrate. The appeal of this option was that no one would be able to find the monkeys in the cave and thus no one would be able to punish them for not carrying out Sugriva’s orders.

Hearing this, Shri Hanuman, the faithful and dear servant of Lord Rama, became quite upset. Hanuman possesses every beneficial quality imaginable, but he is best known for his love and devotion to Rama. The total number of qualities we possess and the degree to which we hold certain attributes is not as important as how we make use of our abilities and the causes we employ them in. Devotion to God is not dependent on physical strength, dexterity, or any other human effort. After all, in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna states that as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the ability of man, or paurusham. None of us can be considered superior to anyone else since all of our abilities are on loan from the Supreme Lord.

Not only does Hanuman possess great abilities, but he uses them for the right purpose. At the critical moment of deciding what to do next, fight or flight, Hanuman had a tough decision to make. Obviously he didn’t want to abandon the search for Sita. Sugriva and Rama had entrusted this most important task to the monkeys. Giving up was not an option. It would be better to forge ahead and fail then it would be to sit back and give up. There would be no loss in failing nobly, but there would be everything to lose by giving way to Maya’s allurements. But Hanuman had a problem. He was accompanied by a band of monkeys, many of whom were powerful. Angada, being the son of Sugriva’s late brother Vali, was especially capable in fight. Hanuman couldn’t just convince one person of fighting on and then hope the others would listen; nor could he use brute force to impel the others to get up and give an effort.

Hanuman chose the divide-and-conquer method, the option where one sows dissension amongst the ranks. Ever the wise diplomat, Hanuman took direct aim at Angada, the monkey deemed the most powerful of the group. In the above referenced statement, Hanuman is beginning his psychological warfare by praising Angada’s abilities. Vali, Angada’s father, was well known for his fighting ability, for even Ravana, the king of demons, couldn’t defeat him in battle. Sugriva was driven out of his kingdom by Vali after the two got into a disagreement. It wasn’t until Lord Rama killed Vali with an arrow that the great monkey was tamed. Hanuman very keenly reminds Angada that he is just as capable as Vali of maintaining a monkey host. Hanuman also starts out by saying that Angada is even a better fighter than his uncle Sugriva, whose wrath the monkeys were all afraid of. The Sanskrit word “pitra” can also mean “father”, but in this context, it likely means “uncle” because Hanuman uses the word “pita” later on to make the comparison to Angada’s father Vali and his ability to control a monkey kingdom.

Yet Hanuman was just setting the table. After praising Angada’s strength, Hanuman would go on to remind him of the fickle nature of monkeys and how the other members of the party would not be so dedicated to serving him. Lakshmana would also easily destroy whatever hiding place they would seek out. Lakshmana was Rama’s brother and an extremely powerful bow warrior. Rama and Lakshmana had together roamed the forests and formed an alliance with Sugriva. Thus after acknowledging Angada’s great strength, Hanuman immediately diminished it by saying that Lakshmana was much more powerful.

Hanuman’s carefully crafted words were uttered in the presence of the other monkeys, so as to let them know that Angada would not be able to protect them, as powerful as he was. Hanuman perfectly illustrated how the tactic of divide-and-conquer can be employed to sow dissension amongst the ranks. This was all done to further the interest of Shri Rama, who wanted to see the eventual rescue of Sita. Indeed, it would be Hanuman who would go on to leap his way to Lanka, find Sita and return the information of her whereabouts to Sugriva and Rama.

Maya, or the illusory energy governing the material world, is certainly a formidable force, but we should fight off her advances to the best of our abilities. Quitting is always the easiest option, but rarely does it do any good. In the pursuit of spiritual perfection, quitting is not an option. We should continue with our devotional efforts, regardless the impediments. Life is full of ups and downs and events that will dishearten us, such is the power of maya. She wants to test us to see how committed we are to returning to the spiritual sky in the afterlife. Shri Hanuman is glorious for his dedication, intellect and ability to use whatever he has at his disposal to serve the Lord. We can follow his example by always remaining dedicated to bhakti and using whatever knowledge or powers we have to further the primary interest of the Supreme Person, that of reclaiming the lost souls wandering the material world.

We’ll Be Together

“The yogi who knows that I and the Supersoul within all creatures are one worships Me and remains always in Me in all circumstances.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.31)

From the time of birth, love is considered the highest emotion, the most important aspect of life on earth. Though finding the right person to direct our love to is difficult enough, what sort of behavior is exhibited by those who are already in a loving relationship? Certainly harboring affection for someone or something else is not difficult, for the Vedas inform us that love is the natural propensity of the individual spirit soul, but how should that affection manifest? What is the behavior of one who has found an outlet for their undying affection? Is there a set behavior, or should we just go off of our emotions? Upon careful analysis, it is seen that all lovers share a common trait, one that, when remembered, can help us understand the real purpose in life.

The speech given by the best man in a modern day marriage ceremony is a difficult one to compose. The best man is usually the closest friend of the groom-to-be, so they are asked to give a speech in honor of the new couple. Since marriage involves romantic love, it is not uncommon to see the best man turn to reading poetry and giving various definitions of romance during the speech. Our humble self, in fact, once attended a wedding where a very nervous best man started his speech with the age old question, “What is love?” Different poets have ascribed different meanings to this most potent of emotions, but a standard definition that most can agree on is that loving someone means wanting more for them than you want for yourself.

In the human society, operating off of base animal instincts equates to selfishness. After all, the animal has no understanding of future loss and gain or the effect that a particular activity will have on the mind. If an animal is hungry, it will eat. If it is tired, it will sleep, and so on. Harboring loving affection for another is considered praiseworthy because it breaks the individual guided by animal instincts away from the mindset of self-interest. Certainly acting in one’s own interests can’t be the source for blame since we have to live with ourselves and our actions at the end of each day. But working in the interests of others not only brings pleasure to the object of service, but to the individual engaged in the unselfish behavior as well. Love in the mundane sense represents the upper limit to unselfishness, the full transfer of emotion and interest to another. When there is pure love, the person offering the love has no personal interest whatsoever.

The untainted unselfish attitude may define how love should feel, but how does one go about showing their affection? Say that we put another entity’s interests ahead of our own, how do we go about offering service? In a business scenario, the exchange of dedicated action is quite straightforward. The business owner has some objective that needs to be met, so the employees take to meeting that goal, all the while expecting remuneration. Love is a little trickier, as there is no set objective. Moreover, how should behavior be altered when the other person loves us just as much? When requited love is present, the object of our affection views our interests as superior to their own. Hence what results is a clash of sentiments, a competition of sorts.

The specific nature of the loving sentiment adds another variable to the equation. For instance, conjugal love is only one variety of pure emotion in service. We love our parents, brothers, sisters, children and friends very much, but these types of affection each has a unique nature. The service we offer to our parents and children is quite different from the service offered to our paramour. With a parent, love takes the form of caretaking and providing for basic necessities, especially when the parents are elderly. There is also filial piety, love in a reverential attitude.

Friendship, on the other hand, is completely different. Among men especially, friendship involves constant ribbing and joke making. You know that someone is your friend if you can make fun of them without feeling bad about it. Certainly such behavior wouldn’t be ideal in a relationship with parents. With brothers and sisters, love is shown through caretaking and the sharing of experiences. Brothers and sisters are also ideal companions for discussing and complaining about the behavior of parents. If you complain about your parents to your friends, they are likely to say something negative. Though we may be making fun of our parents, if someone outside the family should do so, it is taken as a great offense. This limitation of the friendly relationship is absent with brothers and sisters, for our parents are their parents as well.

With children, the caretaking can go to new levels. The mother, for example, kindly offers her breast milk to her children in their infancy. Though the child can mature and eventually learn to feed itself, the love shown by the mother never diminishes. The father is tasked with providing protection and instruction. Such behavior certainly wouldn’t apply to the relationship with parents, for it is actually inappropriate to give instruction to our elders. They took care of us when we were infants, so what knowledge could we ever provide them? Even if we feel we are advanced in terms of understanding, it is still proper etiquette to present oneself as humble and subservient in front of superiors.

Based on this review of the many types of loving relationships, we see that there are different ways to love. In this sense, there is no proper answer to the question of how to love. But there is, however, one common property found in all of these relationships. Though the nature of the interactions may vary, we see that in each case the most important ingredient, the one element that defines the relationship, is the time spent with the object of affection. The mother who loves her child will always spend time with it. Friends make sure to set aside time to hang out, be it for watching a baseball game, going out to a restaurant, or playing a sport. In conjugal love affairs, the time spent together takes on the greatest importance. If a wife has not seen her husband in a long time, she will start to worry, as will the husband. If brothers and sisters spend too much time apart, their emotional closeness can start to dwindle.

Since in a pure loving relationship both parties love each other equally, the actual activities engaged in are minimal in importance. For instance, if I put the interests of my lover ahead of my own, I’ll decide to engage in whatever activity they like. But if the object of my affection feels the same way about me, they’ll want to do whatever I want. Hence we get the classic, “What do you want to do tonight…I don’t know, whatever you want to do…No, I’ll do whatever you want to do…you pick”, exchange. At the end of the day, the time spent in each other’s company is what counts, be it with personal association or at least in thought. The human being is not wholly dedicated to any particular activity, for the greatest pleasure comes from loving service; so if the specific exhibition of love involves a conjugal relationship, going out to a movie, sitting on a couch, or eating out at a restaurant, the most important element is the presence of the object of affection.

A small child is uninhibited in their loving emotions. If they develop a particular attachment to an elder or to a friend, they will not hesitate to let their feelings be known. If travelling with a particular group or dining out at a restaurant, the child will boldly declare, “I’m sitting next to so and so. I don’t want to sit next to anyone else.” Obviously the child cannot engage in any mature relationship, be it one of friendship or direct service to a parent. But nevertheless, the key ingredient of the loving relationship is still present, that of remaining always in the association of one’s object of affection. As long as this property is observed, both parties will be pleased.

The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, tell us that the superiority of the loving sentiment is simply a byproduct of the inherent nature of the soul. Though people come in all different shapes and sizes, many of which drastically change over time, every person is equal in their constitutional makeup. This applies even to other species such as fish, reptiles, plants and mammals. Anything that we would consider to be life has a spirit soul inside. The soul, which is both knowledgeable and eternal, is also always blissful. Though it may not seem true, the soul is meant to always be in pure happiness. As we know from our own experiences, the greatest source of pleasure is the exhibition of love, so in a similar manner, the soul’s ultimate source of blissfulness is its display of transcendental affection.

Just as in our own affairs there must be a loving counterpart to give meaning to the pure relationship, the constitutionally situated soul derives its transcendental pleasure from loving that one entity who is capable of providing pleasure to every single soul imaginable. Not surprisingly, this entity is completely spiritual and free of any defects. The supremely powerful spiritual reservoir of energy, ironically enough, resides right next to the individual soul in the hearts of every living entity.

How do we know that the two souls exist adjacent to one another? Though spirit is apparently a subtle element, evidence of its existence is seen through outward symptoms. In the simplest experiment, we can study the differences between a living body and a dead one. Both bodies have similar appearances, except that the dead body is considered lifeless. It can no longer move on its own, nor can it do anything for that matter. The presence of the soul is what causes the distinction between the two body types. The spirit soul, that invisible essence of life, serves as the impetus for all action. In a similar manner, the entire creation, which includes innumerable elements and manifestations of energy, has a driving force to its activity. The giant soul, the same spirit that resides next to the individual soul in the heart, acts as the controller of every type of nature.

“Physical nature is known to be endlessly mutable. The universe is the cosmic form of the Supreme Lord, and I am that Lord represented as the Supersoul, dwelling in the heart of every embodied being.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.4)

The giant soul is known as the Paramatma, or Supersoul. It is a direct copy, or expansion, of the original powerhouse of spiritual energy: Lord Krishna. “God” is an abstract term that can cause pain or pleasure to one depending on their angle of vision, but Krishna is one who gives pleasure to all. Krishna is the same God that others call out to, worship, or denounce, except that His features, attributes and appearance are more concretely defined. Though considered a Hindu god by those not in the know, Krishna is for everyone. While it may be common to hear questions like, “In your religion, if I’m sinful and I die, I come back as a scorpion or a rat, right?”, the logic behind such a query is flawed. Spirit soul cannot be Indian, Hindu, or Eastern. Information of the soul and its properties applies to every single person. We may or may not believe in the laws of gravity, but if we drop a television set out of a window, it will surely fall to the ground. The descent of an object due to the laws of nature will occur irrespective of a person’s belief system.

In a similar manner, the soul’s natural loving propensity is present in every form of life. The intrinsic desire to serve is exhibited in every type of behavior; any loving relationship that is seen in the visible world is a derivative of the inherent loving affection the soul has for the Supersoul, or Krishna. The difference between transcendental love and mundane love is that when one is averse to loving Krishna, they remain perpetually devoid of His company.

This fact seems to raise a contradiction, as the Supersoul, Krishna’s expansion, always resides next to the soul, regardless of the specific body type of the individual. As mentioned before, there is no difference in the constitutional makeup of an animal and a human being; the only distinctions apply to outer coverings, i.e. bodies. Depending on one’s consciousness and desires at the time of death, a specific body type is carved out for the next life. An animal has a body composed mostly of ignorance, while the human being has a combination of the material qualities of goodness, passion and ignorance.

Though the Supersoul is always present within the heart of a living being, unless the individual is conscious of God’s presence, there is no benefit derived from the seemingly insignificant distance of separation. To understand the difference in results, let’s say that we have one person who lives right next door to us and one person who lives thousands of miles away. The person who lives far away is our friend, so we talk with them regularly on the phone as well as through email. The neighbor, on the other hand, is simply an acquaintance, someone we say “hello” to periodically should we run into them. Though the neighbor is always close to us in proximity, we can’t say that we have any meaningful relationship with them. Our distant friend, however, is always with us, for our consciousness is regularly connected with their interests.

In a similar manner, the Supreme Lord, as the Supersoul residing within the heart, is always with us, but if we are not actively engaged in His service, we are essentially behaving as if He didn’t exist. Therefore the key to success in spiritual life is to love the Supersoul, the Supreme Lord’s full manifestation, to our heart’s content. As we saw with the examples of mundane love, the key ingredient to a loving relationship is the time spent with the party of interest. This means that the only way to love God and the best way to give pleasure to the soul is to always spend time with the Lord.

How do we spend time with someone or something that is seemingly invisible? We can’t even see our own soul or the souls of others, so how can we see the Supersoul? The sublime engagement of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, aims to tackle this very issue. Though the Supersoul certainly resides within us, there are different ways to go about perceiving its presence. Since Krishna is the Almighty Lord, He can take to a variety of non-different forms, each of which can accept the natural loving sentiments of the individual soul. For the people of the current age, the best way to spend time with God is to regularly chant His names 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”. In addition, the divine lovers of the past, those who never separated from Krishna’s company for even a second, in many sacred texts documented their personal experiences with the Lord and their own observations pertaining to the effectiveness of bhakti. By regularly reading and hearing from the Ramayana, Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam, one can always remain connected with Krishna or one of His non-different manifestations like Lord Chaitanya, Shri Rama and Narasimhadeva.

As an added bonus, we can even associate with the Lord’s closest friends, those who love Him with all heart and soul, and be equally as benefitted. Keeping the mind attached to the wonderful pastimes and teachings of exalted personalities like Prahlada Maharaja, Shri Hanuman, Shrimati Radharani, Sita Devi and so many others, the loving propensities tucked away safely in the heart will naturally come to the forefront. There is actually no difference between God and His divine lovers. Though neither party ever assumes the position of the other, the resulting relationships are always unions of potencies; hence the oneness.

Spending time with Krishna and His associates isn’t a difficult task either. One look at the Lord’s beautiful face depicted in pictures and statues carefully crafted from the authorized statements found in Vedic texts is enough to reward the observer with lifetimes’ worth of transcendental pleasure. Hearing of the ridiculously kind activities of Shri Hanuman and other notable personalities, who would ever want to separate from the Lord’s association for even a second? The spiritual teachers, the great acharyas and poets like His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Goswami Tulsidas, Valmiki Muni and a host of others, always stayed in Krishna’s association in thought, word and deed. By wrapping our arms around these celebrated figures, the most benevolent and generous of lovers, our knowledge of Krishna and His glorious nature will only increase with each passing day. By steadily keeping the association of Sublime Spirit, our time on this earth can finish well spent.