The Delight of Vrindavana

“Thus the inhabitants of Vrindavana do not care who is God, and who is not. They love Krishna, that's all. Those who think of first analyzing Krishna to determine whether He is God are not first-class devotees. The first-class devotees are those who have spontaneous love for Krishna.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Teachings of Queen Kunti, Ch 14)

The darling child runs around Vrindavana, playing with His friends and delighting all the elders. Whether He is tending cows, stealing the supply of yogurt and butter from the neighbors, or showering a fruit vendor with heaps of jewelry and gold, the feelings of the residents remain the same. They are totally enamored by the joy of their life, the small child of Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yashoda who has a bodily hue similar to that of a tamala tree or dark raincloud, for whom they have a spontaneous and unalloyed loving attachment. The rain gives sustenance to the hard ground and allows food and other flowers to grow. In this way the rain is the sustainer of life, and to the residents of Vrindavana, the little child Krishna is the true essence of life, making their days filled with joy and worth living at every moment. Whether they know the true nature of the boy is not important, for they understand that the bliss they derive from His pastimes cannot be found in any other realm or through the association of any other person.

As upstanding citizens of the community wholly adherent to the orders of their varna, or caste, the citizens of Vrajabhumi are cowherds by trade, so they take special care to ensure that the cows are protected and happy. In this wonderful town no animal is ever killed unnecessarily, and due to the purity of thought enveloping everyone’s consciousness, even the accidental deaths of the insects caused by walking on the bare ground are mourned, for the kind-hearted citizens understand the essence of life and the fragile nature of everything in the world around them. The men and women of Vrindavana are the epitomes of virtue, and they staunchly abide by the traditions passed down to them, law codes, rituals and regulations that have as their origin the spoken word of the original form of Godhead, the supreme object of all religious practice.

Ever since the young Krishna arrived with His elder brother Balarama, who is equally as beautiful and enchanting, the Vedic rituals and worship of heavenly figures have become secondary in importance, as they are functions performed out of obligation more than anything else. The real source of pleasure is Krishna. But He is no ordinary child. One after another, demons seemingly incomparable in strength keep making their way into Vrindavana looking to kill Krishna. Yet the small child - whose features are beautiful and delicate in every way, who is so innocent that He carries around a flute, wears jewels around His wrists and ankles, and dons a peacock feather in His hair - is somehow managing to survive these deadly attacks, all the while seeing to it that the demons don’t survive and thus never kill again.

There was the female demon Putana, who though possessing a hideous form, came to Vrajabhumi in the guise of a nurse ready to administer poison to young Krishna. Despite her motive, the sweet Shyamasundara kindly accepted her breast and then proceeded to suck the very life breath out of her. When she fell to the ground after assuming her massive size and hideous form, the beloved child of Yashoda simply played on her lap as if her body were a playground. Then another demon came and took the form of a whirlwind, carrying baby Krishna high into the sky. Again, the beautiful son of Nanda Maharaja not only survived the attack, but also managed to take the life breath out of the demon. Countless more times similar miracles seem to be occurring, such as when the innocent cowherd boys, many of whom are senior to Krishna in age, were saved from a raging forest fire set by another killer in disguise sent from the neighboring town of Mathura.

In each and every case, no matter how intense the attack or how formidable the evil force, Krishna saves His friends and relatives, all the while remaining beautiful and not breaking a sweat. Even when Mother Yashoda reluctantly binds Him to a mortar as punishment for breaking a pot of yogurt, the young boy is able to break free, managing to knock down a pair of trees from which two beautiful celestial figures emerged. Witnessing so many miracles, the residents are beginning to realize that their Krishna is no ordinary figure. That He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original form of the same Lord that most of us look to in times of trouble, they don’t realize, nor did they care to. At best, Nanda Maharaja and the elderly members of the community think that maybe Krishna is a demigod, one of the saints in heaven responsible for managing the different departments of the material creation.

It is the opinion of Lord Chaitanya, the very same Krishna appearing on earth some five hundred years ago in the guise of a brahmana, that the behavior of the residents of Vrindavana, those beautiful and pious individuals who had the direct association of the darling Krishna some five thousand years ago, represents first class devotion to God and the summit of religious practice. Ironically enough, though they are today considered the model for behavior, worshipable objects in their own right, the residents of Vrindavana didn’t even know that Krishna was God, nor were they really interested in testing out His divine capabilities. This mindset can be greatly appreciated and also learned from. The heart is meant to be enchanted, as pleasure is the objective of all activity, even those endeavors that aren’t enjoyed. School is certainly not enjoyable for the young students, but the ideal end-result is a pleasurable condition. The same holds true for going to work, for there is every hope that one day enough money will be saved to allow for retirement, a period of time when work is no longer required.

But what happens when everything is finished? What is the result of all our practices completing to fruition? Does activity stop? The same Lord Krishna describes in the Bhagavad-gita, His famous song sung on the battlefield of Kurukshetra to His dear cousin and disciple Arjuna, that generally four kinds of pious men approach Him. One who is inquisitive, one who wants to know the nature of the Truth, one who is looking for alleviation from distress, and one who is looking for wealth initially approach Krishna in a mood of devotion. But the residents of Vrindavana did not fall into any of these categories. They had no desire but to enjoy Krishna’s association. Moreover, they didn’t even care who the Lord was or what His capabilities were as far as granting benedictions, teaching them the highest truths of life, responding to their inquiries, and removing their distresses. If they ever did feel any pain, it was when Krishna was not directly in their association. But even the pain of separation from Krishna is one that “hurts so good”. The cowherd girls of Vrindavana, the gopis, were especially immersed in affectionate feelings for the Lord, and they used to worship Him almost exclusively through separation, wherein they would keep their thoughts and memories fixed on His transcendental form and activities throughout the day while performing household duties and tending to family business.

As Lord Chaitanya so nicely points out, the residents of Vrindavana are the purest of the pure, and of the pure residents, the gopis represent the pinnacle of spiritual enlightenment, for they swim in the ocean of nectarean bliss that is Krishna-bhakti. More than any other factor, consciousness is what determines our state of being, whether or not we are happy. Let’s say for instance that we enjoy watching movies and television shows. Since life involves much struggle and work simply to maintain the body, leisure time is greatly anticipated. The arduous worker wants to make the best use of their free time, so watching television and listening to music are considered relaxing exercises.

Since the universe of music and movies available for enjoying is seemingly endless, a nice way to amass a large collection is to convert all such media into digital format and store them on hardware. For this project, much time and effort is expended. A hardware device with a high storage capacity is required, such as a file server or portable hard drive. Then the drive itself must be accessible to a viewing or output source, such as a large screen television or a home theater system. After the infrastructure is set up, the most difficult part remains, that of filling up the library, actually acquiring all the music and movies and converting them into the proper digital format to be stored on the server.

We started with a simple desire to relax, and we ended up with an endless engagement, a project that pretty much has no state of completion, as the mind is tempted to acquire more and more media to add to the collection. Every item added is akin to another brick being erected in the fortress of protection. Yet by using a little intelligence, we see that the archiving and storing activity itself has a great effect on consciousness, keeping the passionate aspect of the internal spark of life alive, maintaining a steady working engagement even during time off from work. The real benefit to such activity is not the archiving or even the viewing, but the active engagement of consciousness. Indeed, when all is said and done, the time spent amassing the collection will surely far surpass the amount of time spent relaxing and enjoying the media that was so difficult to acquire and set up in the first place.

Since consciousness serves as the key determining factor in mental outlook and happiness, if it has something tangible to focus on, that one object or person that brings about the highest pleasure, the stream of pure thoughts will never end. Indeed, Maharishi Valmiki, the celebrated Vedic poet and eternal servant of Lord Rama, another form of Krishna, describes that for those who are focused on the lotus feet of Shri Rama through love and devotion, stories describing His pastimes are akin to endless waves of rivers flowing into a massive ocean. Since the rushing rivers represent transcendental subject matter, those topics describing the exploits of the Supreme Spirit and His closest associates, the ocean which is the mind can never overflow; the reservoir of pleasure resulting from hearing the nectar that is Krishna and those things directly relating to Him can never be completely filled.

When consciousness is purified through divine contact, all ancillary issues pertaining to spirituality and religion are forgotten. The concerns over whether the object in question is God, what the prescriptions for salvation are, and whether or not the target individual is progressing in their spiritual practices are removed. The residents of Vrindavana never thought about performing bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. They didn’t run self-assessments to see if they were progressing in the purification of their consciousness. They didn’t even care about God, for Krishna was everything to them. Understanding Krishna’s divine nature is meant for enhancing the level of appreciation felt by those who are not yet on the highest level of consciousness. Many great sages and saints marvel at the ability of the Supreme Absolute Truth to descend to earth and roam around in what appears to be the form of an ordinary human being. This appreciation further attaches them to Krishna and devotion to Him.

Does this mean that the intelligent shouldn’t analyze Krishna? Should we not describe Him as God? Since our consciousness has been fixed on so many things not personally related to Krishna for so long, any knowledge pertaining to His qualities, features, pastimes and desires is very helpful. The residents of Vrindavana can be worshiped, but there is no need to imitate their behavior without properly conditioning ourselves through steady spiritual practice. Just as Mother Yashoda would derive great pleasure by singing about the pastimes of her dear son throughout the day while working, if we simply chant, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, during our time on earth, even if we are at work or engaged in some activity that doesn’t seem to be religious, our consciousness will slowly and steadily be purified.

No one can truly understand God, but the more information that is learned about His beautiful form and nature, the greater the opportunity for ascending to the level of consciousness that remains forever fixed on the Supreme Shelter. Unlike the happiness that results from the ceasing of all activity through dry meditation, Krishna consciousness keeps the internal flame of divine love forever lit, carrying the pure individual from one sublime activity to another. Only when the object of affection is pure can the resulting conditions be considered superior. Whether or not one knows that Krishna is God, since all of the Lord’s activities and descriptions of His forms are purely transcendental, the benefit to the attached sincere soul is all the same.

Within and Without

“Having made up his mind thus, that heroic monkey, Hanuman, eager to see Vaidehi, wished for the sun to set.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 2.48)

iti saṃcintya hanumān sūryasyāstamayaṃ kapiḥ |

ācakāṃkśe tato vīro vaidehyā draśanotusakaḥ

Shri Hanuman, the faithful servant of Lord Rama and a stalwart of the practice of devotional service, herein reveals his eagerness to see the Mother of the Universe, Sita Devi, who also happens to be Rama’s wife. Ironically enough, at this point in time Hanuman had never met Sita and neither had he any interaction with her. Yet he was so eager to see the kind princess that he was anxiously awaiting the sun to set to allow him to enter the enemy territory of Lanka in the dark of night. Sita had been taken there by a powerful Rakshasa king who had filled his city with beautiful opulence consisting of ornaments, tall arches, gem-studded palaces, and gold. Hanuman was not eager to see any of this, though he certainly appreciated the beauty of the city. The real jewel inside of Lanka was the one woman who was being maltreated and held against her will. Due to the ill-treatment shown this most deserving of worshipable objects, Lanka would soon be shorn of her beauty, as the fiery Hanuman, both literally and figuratively, would burn the entire city, dealing a warning blow to the residents for what was to come.

These events transpired in the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation. The Supreme Absolute Truth is meditated upon by yogis and discussed by scholars of transcendentalism looking to negate the various illusory aspects of the phenomenal world. But despite how this original Divine Being is approached, His position as the supreme object of worship remains unchanged. Irrespective of how one views God or addresses Him, His actual position is forever fixed. And what exactly is this position? There are three aspects to the Supreme Energetic Personality in the spiritual sky that are helpful for the conditioned entity looking for respite from their toils in the temporary world full of misery and heartache to know. The first property is self-evident: God is the original proprietor of everything. We may purchase a piece of land from someone else or settle upon an area of earth and proclaim it to be ours, but all objects of matter have an original creator. As man is incapable of creating life without the hand of spirit, the proof of ownership of the entire creation naturally falls into the Lord’s hands.

The second key property of the Supreme Lord is often overlooked. God is the ultimate enjoyer; i.e. His pleasure is more important than our own. From the third primary property of the Lord, that of being the best friend of every living entity, the enjoyment aspect can be understood properly. The Supreme Lord, as the ultimate enjoyer, can be pleased by utilizing the property around us, which originally belongs to Him anyway, for His happiness. Subsequently, since God is the best friend and well-wisher of every single form of life on earth, the pleasure resulting from the service offered to Him automatically brings transcendental bliss to the person offering the service.

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

In the Vedic tradition, the Supreme Lord is known by thousands of names, the most complete, concise, and pleasurable to recite of which is Krishna, a Sanskrit word which means all-attractive. Not only is Krishna’s position fixed in the spiritual world, the realm situated far above our current abode, but His residence within our hearts is also permanent. There is not a single form of life that does not have this divine expansion residing within them. Since this form of the Lord, which is known as the Paramatma, or Supersoul, is not visually manifest to the conditioned eye, it can be addressed as the nirguna form, or the form of the Truth that is without attributes. The nirguna aspect is also sometimes described as alakshya, or invisible.  These descriptions are entirely from the perspective of one who doesn’t have the vision to see the Lord. Just as sometimes we’ll say that the sun is not out today, Krishna, as remaining firmly locked inside of our hearts, can be considered to not be manifest before us in a form that has identifiable attributes. But just as the sun’s position remains completely unchanged irrespective of how we describe it, the Supreme Lord forever retains a transcendental body which is full of form, bliss and knowledge.

To aid the living entity dealt a contaminated vision at the time of birth in identifying the nature of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Krishna periodically descends to earth and takes on visible forms, those which are described as saguna. This isn’t to say that He ever associates with matter, as such a defect is only found in the conditioned entities, those tiny fragmental spiritual sparks emanating from the gigantic fire of energy known as God. In the Treta Yuga, the Supreme Lord, in His visually manifest form possessing transcendental attributes known as Lord Rama, roamed the earth for a considerable period of time. Not only is Rama, who took on the role of a prince and expert bow warrior, worshipable in His direct form, but He is equally as worthy of worship in the deity representations crafted by the devotees for their own pleasure. We may keep a picture of one of our loved ones on hand so that we can remember them, but by looking at this picture we can’t directly talk to the person, nor can we offer them our obeisances. With the Supreme Lord, this limitation is absent. His deity representation, by being empowered by the devotees who create it and duly initiate the worship of it, can be offered worship that directly gets relayed to the Lord Himself. In fact, during Lord Rama’s time there was one specific brahmana living in His kingdom who made a vow to not eat unless he had seen Rama that day. Sometimes when Rama had to leave the kingdom to tend to administrative affairs this brahmana would forgo eating. Not liking the fact that His dear devotee was suffering, Rama had a deity of Himself installed in the brahmana’s home. This way the humble devotee could have darshana of Rama every single day and eat without a problem.

The dry renunciate, he who has yet to understand the personal nature of the Supreme Absolute Truth, will only take to worshiping the Lord’s unmanifest form. Not understanding that Krishna possesses a transcendental body, the yogi inclined towards meditation will at best be able to contemplate on the exterior effulgence beamed off the Lord’s immeasurably large transcendental body. Since this jyoti, or light, is full of Truth, it is also considered a representation of Krishna, an energy known as Brahman. For one who exclusively worships Brahman, which itself is formless and thus not a candidate for being considered an object, the renounced order of life, or sannyasa, is a requirement. It is for this reason that parents of children who take an interest in the spiritual traditions of the Vedas often get frightened that their beloved offspring will abandon worldly life at an early age and take to begging and destitution. From studying the example of Shri Hanuman, who wasn’t a formally acknowledged sannyasi but still exhibited all the qualities of one, we see that the renounced order of life, when taken to properly, actually has nothing to do with giving up passion. Since the Lord’s personal form is the reservoir of all pleasure, simply meditating on His associated effulgence has no possibility of bringing lasting happiness. One who directly worships Krishna or one of His non-different personal expansions always keeps the flame of devotional service alight. In such a state, there is always eagerness to serve the fountainhead of both the manifested and the unmanifested forms. Indeed, the pure devotee understands the true nature of the expansion of Krishna residing within the heart; thus the worship they perform through remembrance and contemplation on the nirguna form is just as potent and pleasure-giving as their outward worship.

Rama, as a visually manifest incarnation of the Supreme Absolute Truth, dispelled many of the myths and rumors about God’s nature. Goswami Tulsidas nicely explains that the unmanifest form of the Lord is akin to the numeral written on a bank transaction, or check. The visually manifest form, the incarnation or deity that is worshiped, is like the written-word version of the same numeral. Both versions are equivalent, as they both represent Bhagavan, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the numeral representation can be easily misunderstood, misidentified, or worse, purposely altered by those wishing to cheat the innocent public. The written-out form of the same number is less prone to error resulting from misperception, as it is a more complete description provided to the conditioned eye, who has the potential to be victimized by illusion, their imperfect senses, their propensity to cheat, and their penchant for committing mistakes. Rama’s appearance on earth dispelled the theory that God is formless and that He is not a personality.

Regardless, the purpose of the Lord’s incarnation is much more intricate than that of saving people from the perils of impersonalism. Indeed, as the supreme object of pleasure, Bhagavan creates situations that allow others to offer their kind service to Him, a practice that every individual, as a spirit soul, is naturally inclined to perform. Divine love, or bhakti, is a characteristic of spirit that can never be removed. In the conditioned state, this loving propensity can be clouded or misdirected to other areas. Even hatred is a product of the bhakti mindset, as it is simply the inversion of the divine loving propensity.

Rama not only allowed others to serve Him by granting them His divine vision, but He also created situations where others could volunteer efforts that best suited their current body type. When Rama’s beloved wife Sita Devi was taken by the Rakshasa demon Ravana back to his kingdom of Lanka, a wonderful opportunity for service presented itself. Who were the lucky individuals tasked with finding Sita? Ironically enough, they were Vanaras, a race of monkey-like forest dwellers residing in Kishkindha. Headed by Sugriva, these monkeys were very powerful and burning with the desire to serve Rama’s interests. Of all the Vanaras, no one was more dedicated to this service than Hanuman. Not surprisingly, Hanuman was also the most capable, as he had mastered every mystic perfection, or yogic siddhi, and his knowledge on all matters material and spiritual was perfect. Hanuman was a pure lover of God, so why shouldn’t he have been the most knowledgeable and powerful entity? The Supreme Lord, as the original proprietor, is also the controller and owner of the material elements that constitute our various bodies. Therefore whatever body type we have, especially if we are in a human form, is vouchsafed to us for the purpose of pleasing Rama. Hanuman’s personal features were perfectly suited for infiltrating Lanka, finding Sita and alleviating her fears.

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 9.26)

Hanuman put his qualities to good use by leaping his way across a massive ocean and reaching the outskirts of the capital city of the most powerful ogre, Ravana. Hanuman, in addition to being tasked with finding Sita, was also asked to give her the precious ring belonging to Rama as an indication of the authenticity of his purpose. Sita was surely in a grief-stricken position, so she wouldn’t be overly trusting of anyone approaching her, let alone someone in a monkey form. Rama’s ring would serve as Hanuman’s offering to Sita. In the Vedic tradition, when there is worship of the deity or the spiritual master, there is usually some type of physical offering made, which is either a flower, fruit, or some nice food preparation. The offering itself is trivial; the emotion and the sentiment are what counts. Lord Krishna Himself declares this in the Bhagavad-gita, where He states that one can even offer Him something as simple as water and have it accepted, provided that the offering is made with love and devotion.

In the above referenced passage from the Ramayana, we see that Hanuman is preparing to enter Lanka. He has decided to enter the city at night and in a diminutive form, so as to mask his appearance. The Rakshasas would surely be on alert for enemy attack, so if they spotted Hanuman, a fight would result. Hanuman, though capable of destroying the entire city and all its inhabitants, was only tasked with meeting Sita, allaying her fears, and returning the information of her whereabouts to Rama. Settling upon entering the city at night, Hanuman is anxiously awaiting the sun to set, as he wants very badly to see Sita.

It should be noted that Sita Devi was considered the most beautiful woman to have ever roamed the earth at the time. This is what led Ravana to hatch the ill-fated plot to take her away from Rama’s side. This plot is correctly identified as ill-fated because even though he was able to successfully take Sita away while Rama was not by her side, this move would prove to be fatal to Ravana, as his opulence, position of power, and kingdom would be destroyed as a result. Even though Hanuman had never met Sita, he was still very anxious to see her. He had no desire to enjoy her beauty or take her for himself. As a pure lover of God, he naturally held great affection for any and all of Rama’s immediate family members; such is the glorious nature of Hanuman. Though he is capable of worshiping the Lord perfectly within his heart and mind, Hanuman is just as anxious, if not more, to serve the visual manifestations, the personal forms of the Lord.

His mindset shows the true benefit of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Advancement in spiritual life is not indicated by how many new things we hate or how much of the world we renounce. Surely the advanced transcendentalist will give up the most harmful of sinful activities, including meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex, but the greatest indication that one’s natural love for God has come to the forefront of the consciousness is the increased fervor and fire in the belly. The devotee will become more and more eager to engage in the outside world, as everything will be seen as part of Krishna’s grand opulence, mercy and energy. The topmost transcendentalist is known as a paramahamsa, which means a supreme swan. The swan can extract the milky portion from a mixture of milk and water; hence it is able to extract the good from something that is considered contaminated. Similarly, the pure devotee sees God’s personal influence in all areas of life; so he becomes very eager to offer services both internally and externally.

Hanuman’s eagerness would pay off, as he would meet Sita and give her Rama’s ring. To this day, Hanuman is one of the most celebrated figures of the Vedic tradition, as his worship is directly authorized, empowered and recommended by both Sita and Rama. He is never out of their good graces for even a moment, and he never spends a single second not thinking of how to please them. Though he can practice meditation perfectly, he is equally as anxious to serve the Lord personally. Not only does the eternal flame of devotion burning inside lead him to anxiously perform service, but it also makes him very eager to see the Lord and hear about His glories.

We should all take full advantage of both inward worship through meditation and chanting and outward worship through seeing the deity in the temple. The best way to keep an attachment to both manifestations of the Lord is to regularly chant His names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The name, being the most powerful representation of the Lord, automatically brings the associated forms, pastimes and qualities. The name is the jewel secured within the box. Just as Hanuman was anxious to see Sita and provide her a kind offering, we would be forever benefitted to be equally as anxious to see, hear, and think about Shri Hanuman and offer him our kind prayers and obeisances. Any day where Hanuman’s name is recited and his qualities contemplated on is surely a good one.

No Pain No Gain

“The living entities are foreign to matter, and thus they cannot be happy unless they are situated in the same spiritual life as the Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.5.26 Purport)

Life is full of pains and frustrations. Any mature human being will agree with this, as we could take the most successful individual, one who seemingly has everything at their fingertips, and find that they are frustrated in their attempts every so often, that they too feel the sting of defeat and the heartache arising from separation. Death, which is the name ascribed to God by those who refuse to acknowledge the Supreme Lord’s existence, itself represents the greatest limiting factor. All successes and gains will ultimately be wiped out at the end of life, irrespective of whatever plans are made. Those who roam the world in ignorance try to run away from the most powerful natural force throughout their lifetime, thereby encountering pains and miseries and not knowing what to make of them until ultimately everything becomes finished. The wise, however, understand that due to the flawed nature of the realm currently inhabited, pain and misery are two wonderful features that serve to remind the pure soul of where its true engagements lie. In the absence of pain, the highest gain, the reward that is the comfort and solace of the association of that one individual who is everyone’s friend for all of eternity, could never be found.

Frustration and pain work in strange ways. For instance, to some people, just earning a paltry living is a form of hardship. “If I had millions of dollars, I wouldn’t complain about anything. When you are wealthy, you can just buy whatever you want without anyone there to stop you.” So let’s run with this example of going from rags to riches, becoming a rich millionaire, someone who has maybe run a lucrative business or been successful in the arena of sports, and see if it brings a panacea of happiness and joy. The way the mind works is that desires constantly flow inwards, like rivers pouring into an ocean. The ocean of the mind’s satisfaction never fills to the brim regardless of how strong the incoming waves are. As such, desires can never be truly satisfied. One who is a millionaire will indeed meet much frustration because desires do not cease once a certain income level is reached. Even if a successful business brings a high net worth, the same establishments still require maintenance. Most profitable businesses are looking to expand, so with each new branch opened and every new product offered come the chances of failure. The same situation is present with the star athlete, who may have won several coveted titles but is still subject to eventually suffering defeat in some form or another.

“This body, O son of Kunti, is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.2)

The pain and misery experienced are rooted in the nature of the playing field. In the manifested world, there are different machines known as bodies. The dwelling our soul currently occupies is known as a perishable body, one that takes birth, develops for some time and then eventually gets discarded. The world we live in, including the numerous bodies, can be thought of as the playing field. The soul residing within is the knower, as it is directing the workings of the machine. Without knowing the nature of the field, the knower takes to activities which are deemed conditioned. They are described as such because they have no direct relation to the knower.

What does this mean exactly? If we eat something, is not the knower, the impetus for action, the soul, being satisfied? If we go to work every day to support ourselves and our families, is not the knower benefitted? The soul’s ultimate aim is not related to the body at all, as any object composed of matter is dull, lifeless and full of ignorance. Matter represents an external manifestation of the Supreme Spirit’s limitless energies. Material nature is governed by Goddess Durga, whose very name means “difficult to overcome”. The knower is deluded into a false identification and ergo a flawed guiding force for activity as soon as it is placed inside the localized instance of the playing field known as the body.

“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)

The simplest way to understand matter is to know that it is not God. The Supreme Lord in the Vedic tradition is described by many names which speak to His personal forms, with the original being Krishna, who is all-attractive. But at the same time there are other words which describe His transcendental features in a more neutral way, one that satisfies those who refuse to acknowledge, worship or understand the original personal aspect of the Supreme Spirit. The syllable om, which is popular with yogis and Vedantists and forms the starting point for all important Vedic mantras, is an impersonal way to address the same Personality of Godhead. Brahman, or Parabrahman, is the description of spirit that points to its ever-blissful nature, a position that can never be diluted. The innumerable individual spiritual fragments residing in the different playing fields are also Brahman, but they are in a marginal position. Matter is maya, or not Brahman, and Brahman is Truth. The spirit souls, the jivas, are marginal because they can choose between maya and Brahman. Naturally, since Brahman is tied directly to God, association with it will lead to pleasure, bliss and the relief of all miseries. Those who are in tune with Brahman only take to constitutional activities.

Maya, on the other hand, being not Brahman, brings just the opposite conditions. The pure knower of the field of activities, when deluded by maya, takes to conditioned activities, which by definition must yield pain. Certainly unhappiness and unpleasant conditions aren’t met with smiling faces and open arms, yet the pain that results from maya’s association can actually be quite beneficial. Since everyone meets with frustration and defeat in their endeavor to lord over material nature, there are typically two options that the bewildered soul can take to remedy the unwanted situations. The first option is the one chosen by most of us throughout the majority of our many lifetimes on earth. The spirit soul, as part and parcel of Brahman, exists eternally. When the body dies, the soul does not. The spiritual spark is simply placed into another playing field at a certain point in time in the future. The event of placing the soul within the field is known as birth, and the exit of the same knower is known as death. Hence the duration of time spent within each field of activity is deemed a life or lifetime.

Faced with frustration, the typical response is to make adjustments that will alleviate the distress felt. Despite the remedial measures adopted, as long as the deluded consciousness continues, pain and misery will never be rooted out completely. The glaring examples of this fact are the predicaments faced by the wealthy and the hugely successful. Multi-billionaires have very successful businesses, loads of money in the bank, and beautiful women hanging around them, but seemingly nothing to do. Hence they take to charity, philanthropy, training at and playing golf, travelling around the world, and all sorts of other activities to try to fill up their time. Anyone who does not know their true identity will remain perpetually lost, irrespective of how materially successful they are.

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 7.16)

On the other hand, when defeat ignites the inquisitive nature of the mind and causes a hankering to know the Truth, a desire to transcend the temporary ups and downs that are part and parcel of life on the playing field, the highest gain can be achieved. Under this model, the pain and frustration of material life turn into the greatest blessings. Let’s think of it in this way: When we place our hand into a fire, the skin will obviously burn. A burn brings such intense pain that even after only a second of putting the hand into the flame the hand will immediately move away from the fire. This rapid drawback is actually an involuntary motion, something we don’t have to explicitly tell the hand to do. The contact with fire results in such an acute and intense pain that the field of activity automatically alerts the knower to shy away from it.

The pain resulting from a burn is certainly considered harmful and something we would want to avoid. But what if instead of avoiding open flames altogether, we took some drug that numbed the feeling in our hand. Cortisone and other chemicals are often injected into athletes who are suffering from an injury but are desperately wanting to play in a big game or match. Let’s say we first injected a numbing agent into our hand and then went back and put the hand into the fire. This time there would be no pain and no involuntary reaction. In the absence of pain, everything would be fine, right? No more scorching pain, and thus no more fear of fire, no?

To the sober individual, one with a little intelligence, the absence of pain in this instance is actually incredibly harmful. Why is this? As soon as the numbing agent wears off, the effects of placing the hand into the fire are realized. Even though we didn’t feel anything initially, our hand started to burn as soon as it was placed into the fire. Just because we didn’t notice the reaction doesn’t mean that the burning stopped. Indeed, once the pain-killing agent subsides in effectiveness, the reality of the incredibly burnt hand is upon us. As such, the original pain that we felt and the accompanying involuntary drawback in motion that occurred when we didn’t use a painkiller turned out to be the greatest blessing, an indication from nature that we shouldn’t do this specific activity. The same principle applies in sports and other areas where painkillers are taken. Cortisone shots are deemed dangerous because in the absence of pain, the athlete might do further damage to the injured area. And they wouldn’t feel the effects of the damage until much later.

Intoxication is the most potent form of illusion that seeks to temporarily numb the pain of material life. The pressures of school, work and family can get to be so great that the suffering soul simply wants an escape, a false reality. But just as the numbing of pain proved to be harmful in the end to the individual placing their hand into the fire, the temporary effects of sensory escape brought on by drinking alcohol and taking drugs lead to the greatest detriment. The pain that we experience in the material world serves as the most glaring reminder that maya is not our best friend. The Supreme Spirit, Parabrahman, is the only entity worthy of our service and love.

So how do we shift from conditioned activities to constitutional ones? Can we just escape our current body and hope to be in God’s association at all times? This brings us to the tricky part about maya, an issue that may be difficult to grasp. Though the field of activity is one crafted solely for the purpose of associating with matter, when the same field is used for the benefit of the original Creator, the elements themselves become purified. Our eyes, ears, legs and hands were crafted out of a desire to imitate the Supreme Spirit, but when the same powerful aspects of the field of activity are used for the pleasure of the origin of all energy, to glorify His nature and His pastimes, and to regularly remain connected with Him through consciousness, then even the field of activity becomes the greatest vehicle for satisfaction and happiness.

The most blissful aspect of the Supreme Spirit is His name, as it automatically evokes memory and consciousness of His forms, pastimes and qualities. When the pain of material life leads us to regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, all our frustrations and defeats prove to have been worth the struggle. In the fields of exercise and physical fitness, if one is training to build their muscles or compete in a race, they need to inflict pain on the body through forced exertion. Eventually the pain will be more easily tolerated and the body will become stronger. In material life, no amount of tolerance and pain can lead to the purification of consciousness, a mindset where all thoughts and desires are focused on God. But when the same pain is endured in activities of the constitutional variety, such as chanting, hearing, remembering, and worshiping, the spiritual strength of the individual gradually increases.

“In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.40)

Unlike gains in material life, spiritual powers never diminish. Even a small step made in bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, never goes to waste. In the enlightened state, the natural torchlight of knowledge found within the soul starts to shine everywhere, thus guiding the knower of the body along the proper path of action at every step. Those activities which were the most inhibiting towards spiritual advancement are avoided, and those engagements which further solidify the spiritual consciousness are wholeheartedly adopted. Just as the burning sensation caused by fire turns out to be to our benefit since it loudly screams to us to avoid fire, the pain and miseries of material life are the greatest gifts from God, His indications that we are on the wrong path.

In spiritual life, the fortunes are reversed. In the heightened state of spiritual consciousness, one where the devotee feels intense pain due to separation from Krishna, even the apparent discomfort causes the greatest bliss. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the most famous exponent of bhakti-yoga in the modern age and a divine incarnation of Shri Krishna Himself, always felt tremendous pain due to separation from Krishna. Yet His pain was extremely blissful, as He was in the mood of worship followed by the damsels of Vrajabhumi, the cowherd girls of Vrindavana who always think of Krishna even when they are not in His company. Under the spell of maya, pain arises from frustration and defeat and pleasure from temporary victories. But in spiritual life, the seemingly unpleasant engagements bring great pleasure and the seemingly pleasurable activities, those based on animal instincts, are avoided since they are divorced from any relationship to God. The regular chanting of God’s names brings one to the spiritual platform, a state of mind where all thoughts are focused on Krishna. Following this ascendency, the devotee only desires to be able to continue their divine service, a wish kindly granted and then protected by the Lord Himself. If not for the pain of the mundane world, the highest bliss of loving attachment to the Supreme Spirit would forever remain far out of reach.

I Want It Now

“Having made up his mind thus, that heroic monkey, Hanuman, eager to see Vaidehi, wished for the sun to set.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 2.48)

iti saṃcintya hanumān sūryasyāstamayaṃ kapiḥ |

ācakāṃkśe tato vīro vaidehyā draśanotusakaḥ

One who knows the Truth and His nature will do anything and everything in their power to see to the successful end of a task performed for His benefit. Despite their eagerness to get started on their march towards success, they will still wait for the appropriate time and place. Such patience only further enhances the bliss that is felt upon the meeting of the objective, the accomplishment of the task kindly provided by the master of all masters, the most benevolent, munificent, sweet and pleasurable of all entities. Those who are in ignorance of the Truth, however, will not wait for the opportune moment, giving no concern to the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of the time. Driven by their insatiable appetite for sense pleasure, those not knowing the ultimate purpose in life will do whatever it takes, at any cost and at any time, to get what they want, though what they desire certainly will not benefit them in the long run. The seeker of sense gratification who casts aside the rules of morality and propriety wants every worldly possession and enjoyment right now, and they don’t care how they get them. Through their impatience and servitude towards objects of illusion, such nefarious characters seal their doom. The knower, on the other hand, earns himself eternal fame, glory, and most important of all, undying association with the Truth. Such was the case with Shri Hanuman.

The Truth we speak of is known by different names in different circles. He is described as the Absolute Truth because He is beyond duality. In the world that we live in and know, all truths are relative and subject to the vision of the performer and the scope of the actions being undertaken. For instance, kindness and politeness are considered good behavioral traits, as they are beneficial towards maintaining a peaceful and harmonious coexistence with our fellow man. Yet these two qualities are not absolute in their power; there are times when kindness not only is uncalled for, but it is actually detrimental to achieving the desired condition. Piety and sin are generally assigned from the scriptural traditions of a particular group of individuals, but they really relate to activities that lead to positive and negative future conditions. Moreover, they correspond with the scope of the activities at hand. For instance, if we are to build a house, the proper way to erect the beams and align the framework would be considered pious activity. Any planning and construction work that would go against the established guidelines, i.e. those things that would lead to a faulty and dangerous housing structure, would then be considered sinful activity.

Kindness is typically equated with piety because of its relation to the nature of the Absolute Truth. We are all one in quality, as we are all the same, so there is no reason to be visceral in our dealings with others. If anything, we should have the highest compassion and love for our fellow man, for each of us is struggling with the same issues. Even the wealthiest of moguls, he who has every amenity available at his fingertips, must cope with the demands of the mind at every waking hour. Due to the mind’s influences, which emerge through hankering and lamenting, every individual, irrespective of their social standing and level of material opulence, has to endure trials and tribulations. In this respect, there is no justification for being unkind to others simply out of anger, jealousy or greed.

Nevertheless, in some instances kindness turns into a sin. The most obvious example relates to parents and their children. Let’s say that we see our young child opening the cabinet underneath the kitchen sink and reaching for a bottle of cleaner or some other container holding hazardous liquids. These cleaning agents are considered pious, i.e. beneficial, when used for their specific purpose. If we put cleaner on Formica or on a hardwood floor, the objective of a clean countertop or floor is eventually met. Yet just because the cleaner is beneficial in one area doesn’t mean that it becomes universally applicable. Indeed, if such toxins are ingested by the human being, the result could be sickness or even death.

If the parent watching the child were to think, “I am dedicated to kindness. I will not yell at the child or tell them that what they are doing is wrong, for this will hurt their feelings”, such a mindset would be foolish. Indeed, in this situation just the opposite of kindness is required. The parent must sternly rebuke the child for even thinking of touching such a dangerous item. The child must know beyond a shadow of a doubt that touching hazardous materials is strictly forbidden. Even some kindness mixed into the teaching won’t help. “O son or daughter, please don’t touch this poisonous material. It would not be good for you if you did.” The more the message is couched in kind words, the less effective it will be. In the business world, project managers and bosses give hard deadlines in order to motivate workers to get the job done on time. If the leaders of projects would say, “Oh, go ahead and finish that whenever you like. It’s no big deal”, no work would ever get accomplished. Kindness is beneficial in most dealings, but in the case of giving instruction and signaling emergency situations, kindness can be thrown right out the window, as it can become the most harmful of traits.

The Absolute Truth is one who is beyond duality. In Him are found all wonderful qualities to the fullest degree, characteristics which are always beneficial. Indeed, such an individual is the object of all dharma, or righteousness. Just as kindness is helpful in certain situations, if we took the sum total of all areas where pious and sinful activities have relevance, we’d see that they all exist to please this original Divine Being. Due to His status as being the object of all dharma, or religiosity, He is known as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In some circles He is described as God, an authority figure of whom the living entities inhabiting the material world have a vague understanding. According to the Vedas, the original law codes and scriptures instituted by the Truth, God has more descriptive names which speak to His innumerable auspicious features. Since His greatest attribute is that of attractiveness, His most accurate and pleasure-giving name is Krishna. Hence Lord Krishna, the original form of the Absolute Truth, who resides in the spiritual world, is taken to be the most deserving entity of worship, the Supreme Personality who is full of form.

When one dedicates their life to simply serving Krishna, or the Truth, knowledge, renunciation and the ability to act properly in all situations are automatically acquired. The discipline that seeks to keep one always connected with Krishna is known as bhagavata-dharma, or the system of religion that has as its object of pleasure Bhagavan, or the Supreme Truth who is the most fortunate due to His immeasurable and simultaneously existing qualities of beauty, wealth, strength, fame, renunciation and wisdom. Any other discipline, theistic or otherwise, that fails to please Bhagavan will be riddled with defects. The intensity of the detriments secured by such systems corresponds directly with the degree of deviation from the proper object of worship. For instance, below Krishna there are highly exalted living entities known as devatas, or demigods. They are worshiped and adored by millions around the world due to their extraordinary powers, their long durations of life, and their kind natures. Yet the demigods are not God, so the discipline that seeks to please them may be categorized as dharma, but not bhagavata-dharma, or devotional service. Since the demigods are closely associated with Krishna, as they are His dear servants responsible for distributing rewards to those deluded by material opulence, the detriments received by their worshipers aren’t as severe as they are for others.

“According to one's existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a particular kind of faith. The living being is said to be of a particular faith according to the modes he has acquired.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 17.3)

Life outside of Krishna’s association is managed by three distinct modes: goodness, passion and ignorance. Those who worship the demigods and wish for ascension to the heavenly realm in the afterlife are in the mode of goodness. Those who are simply after sense gratification secured through regulated fruitive activity are in the mode of passion. Sometimes they worship the demigods as well, or even the Supreme Lord in His formless feature, but this is only to secure objects of use in the phenomenal world. Those in the mode of ignorance are wholly unaware of the temporary nature of life and the blissful makeup of the Supreme Lord and service to Him. They take directly to sense gratification without any concern for social conventions, the rights of others, and the laws of karma. Indeed, sometimes it is seen that the ignorant take to demigod worship as well or even worship of ghosts, yet they use the rewards granted to them for nefarious purposes.

One of the most famous characters in the mode of ignorance was Ravana, the Rakshasa king of Lanka during the Treta Yuga. A Rakshasa is a human-like species that is expert at black magic and prone to meat eating, illicit sex and excessive intoxication. The Rakshasas don’t just eat any ordinary meat either; they enjoy human flesh as their first class cuisine. Ravana, though mostly in the mode of ignorance, also delved into the mode of passion from time to time. He worshiped several exalted devatas who granted him tremendous powers, such as invincibility in battle against human beings and the ability to terrorize others. But since he was a Rakshasa given to sinful behavior, Ravana used these boons to harass the innocent and put the entire world into an unending mood of fear and panic.

A good parent is one who doesn’t spoil their children. Tough love is considered beneficial behavior on the part of the guardian because by constantly allowing their child’s sense demands to be met, there will eventually come for the child an unfavorable future situation that it won’t know how to handle. Tapasya, or austerity, of any kind is required for success in every venture. Even in the world of rock and roll, which is known for its hedonism and wild partying, there is strict adherence to the austerities of sobriety and the regulation of practice and rehearsal when albums are being recorded and when live performances are made. For those living in the material world, tapasya in terms of restriction on uncontrolled sense gratification is a requirement for sobriety and clear thinking. If a parent were to give the child whatever toy they wanted every time they asked for one, the child would become spoiled. When they would get the new toy, they would toss it aside soon after and then start crying again to receive something new. Eventually, the child will have to turn into an adult, and the parents won’t be around to meet all of their sense demands. The hard reality of life is that every sense demand cannot possibly be met. For the spoiled child who turns into an adult, life becomes very painful, as money is not appreciated and frustration in endeavors becomes quite common and unmanageable.

Ravana, being ruled by his passions, suffered from many of the same problems encountered by the spoiled child turned adult. Through his boons, Ravana was able to amass a powerful army that protected an exquisitely opulent kingdom. Having defeated so many powerful kings, Ravana had hundreds of beautiful princesses serving at his will. There was no shortage of wine, women, and flesh in Ravana’s kingdom of Lanka. The atheist, or those who have no conception of an Absolute Truth deserving of worship, would have us believe that such a life is one of luxury. Every sinful activity is available without restriction, so what problems could there be?

But just as the spoiled child loses his sobriety and rational thought due to his incessant desire for objects he can’t get, Ravana made the fatal mistake of chasing after the one woman he couldn’t have. Moreover, this beautiful and chaste lady, the princess of Videha, was not possible for anyone to intimately associate with except for her dear husband, Lord Rama. Krishna is considered the best name for the Supreme Lord, but Rama is a close second, as it speaks to the Absolute Truth’s ability to provide transcendental pleasure to His sincere devotees. Rama describes the Truth’s features, and it is also a name tagged to a non-different form of the Lord who appeared on this earth in the Treta Yuga during Ravana’s time.

Ravana, knowing that Sita was off limits, had his mind set on having her regardless. He would not rest until he had Sita by his side. By the very laws governing the universe, it is impossible for Sita, who is an eternally existing figure, the goddess of fortune residing in the spiritual sky, to be with any other man except Rama, or Narayana of the spiritual world. Therefore, Ravana, though knowing he couldn’t have Sita, nevertheless threw caution to the wind and set about hatching a nefarious plot to take her. He would succeed in bringing her back to his island of Lanka, but his progress would permanently halt there. Simple brute force is not enough to win over the beloved wife of the Supreme Lord, a woman who is kind enough to grant all fortunes to those who desire to use their opulence for the pleasure of the Supreme Loveable Object.

To find Sita, Rama enlisted the help of the Vanaras, or monkeys, residing in the forest of Kishkindha. Rama, being the Supreme Lord Himself, certainly didn’t need anyone’s aid, but these Vanaras, especially Shri Hanuman, were very eager to offer their service. Just as Ravana was anxious to commit the sinful act of taking Sita, the Vanaras and Hanuman were filled with anticipation and excitement over the prospect of serving Rama to His satisfaction. Hanuman, being the most powerful and courageous of the Vanara warriors, managed to make his way to Lanka by leaping across the ocean. All by himself on enemy territory, Hanuman gave the next plan of action some careful thought. After due deliberation, he decided on assuming a diminutive form, one that would not be detected by the Rakshasas of Lanka but would still enable him to observe the insides of the various palaces. This way he could find Sita and relay information to her about Rama and His desire to rescue her.

In the above referenced passage from the Ramayana, we see just how eager Hanuman is to meet Sita. Having decided to enter Lanka at night, Hanuman is anxiously awaiting the sunset. If we juxtapose the two powerful individuals, Ravana and Hanuman, and their desires relating to Sita, we see that one entity, the sinful lord of the Rakshasas, was guided strictly off of his own ignorance as it pertains to the laws of society and what acts are considered pious and what aren’t. In this way, driven by his uncontrolled desires for sense gratification, Ravana chose the wrong time, the wrong place, and the wrong person with whom to associate. Since his desired objective was sinful, he had no patience in the matter nor any understanding of what was proper and improper. Therefore, though he was able to take Sita away, his heinous act would ultimately lead to his destruction.

Hanuman, on the other hand, was completely in line with dharma. Serving the lotus feet of Shri Rama is the greatest activity, pious or otherwise, one could ever take up. As wonderful as meeting Rama was, Hanuman was more eager to meet Sita, for she is the beloved wife of the life of Hanuman, Shri Rama. In this way Hanuman would have been justified in losing his patience and taking to some irrational activity while outside of Lanka. After all, who among us wouldn’t be eager to meet the most beautiful woman in the world, a lady who is always in line with dharma and loves the brahmanas, the priestly class of men, with all her heart and soul?

But since Hanuman was on the righteous path, he was able to think clearly and wait for the opportune moment. The eagerness was there, but that didn’t cloud his judgment or cognitive thought. Indeed, Hanuman would successfully infiltrate Lanka, find Sita, temporarily allay her fears, return to Rama in Kishkindha, and then take part in the successful defeat of Ravana and the Rakshasas of Lanka, a battle which was led by Rama, Lakshmana and the monkeys fighting on behalf of Sugriva.

Hanuman is the most glorious of devotees. There is no way to properly measure his eagerness to serve the Lord. His love for Sita, Rama and Lakshmana is so great that he must expand his personal features to accommodate these loving sentiments. Not for one second does Hanuman deviate from the practice of bhagavata-dharma. Indeed, since he is the perfect bhakta, or devotee, it can’t be said that Hanuman ever associates with any other type of activity. He is not after any alleviation from distress, material opulence, knowledge of the Absolute, or adherence to a particular faith. Rather, he is simply a lover of God, through and through. From his kind nature and knowledge of the Truth, he is able to take the appropriate actions at just the right time to see the successful completion of any task assigned him. He is never driven by lust, greed, or the desire for meeting a personal objective. Just as his eagerness to see Sita and bring her good news knows no bounds, so his glory, fame and supreme stature can never be accurately quantified nor do they ever suffer diminution. Hanuman is forever eager to serve the Supreme Lord, and God, in turn, is always eager to see to Hanuman’s welfare.

You Own It

“Real independence is to be reinstated in the service of the Lord. Anyone who goes to the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana planet is freely offering his service to the Lord. That is complete independence.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.9.35 Purport)

There is a beauty in actually owning something, especially those items procured through hard work, determination and resolve. Though a famous song says, “the best things in life are free”, when something is purchased through hard earned money, it is assigned a higher value by the owner. Those items gifted to us can be more easily discarded since there was no emotional investment or attachment to begin with. On the other hand, those objects we pay for bring a burden of responsibility, a need to at least get our money’s worth by making a proper utilization of the investment. For the individual stuck in the endless mire of material existence known as samsara, salvation can be easily granted by the Supreme Divine Being. But superior to just being given blanket rescue from all our troubles is earning our way out of misery and into the light of true freedom, for this will secure the most blissful feeling. The Supreme Lord, as the best friend of every living entity, could attempt to compel others to love Him, but in the resulting situation there would be no happiness and no claim to ownership of salvation on the jiva’s part. For these reasons the path of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, remains the only roadmap that provides a lasting benefit, one that can be wholly owned and appreciated by the person who earned it.

Let’s say that we have a book we want to sell. A physical book will cost money to produce, as printing, binding and shipping costs are incurred with each sale. For the producer and the promoter, giving the book away for free is certainly an option, one where all the costs for production are soaked up. On the other hand, the same book can be sold for a nominal fee. Under this model the distribution won’t be as high, as the introduction of price will filter out many more prospective readers. The two scenarios, one where the book is given away for free and the other where the book is sold for a price, result in a variation in cost and profit and also a difference in behavior for the recipients. The free book may sit around in the house for years and years without being opened. There was no initial investment made by the buyer; he didn’t have to work difficult hours at his job in order to afford the book, nor did he ever have to make a choice between purchasing and not purchasing. The free book was accepted because there was no covenant established between the seller and the buyer; no obligation was incurred through the exchange.

One who pays for the book, however, will be much more inclined to read it, as there was some investment made, even if the cost was nominal. Another way to understand the same point is to see what results when a particular television program or series is explicitly purchased versus it coming on television without any extra effort. The major professional sports leagues all have contracts with various networks to have the important games each season broadcast across the country on national television. In addition, each local franchise has their own agreements with specific channels in the local market. If a person living in New York is a fan of the sports franchise in Los Angeles and owns a basic television subscription package, the only way for them to see their favorite team play is if the New York team happens to play the Los Angeles team or if the Los Angeles game is televised nationally. Both cases are very rare, as east coast teams don’t play west coast teams very often, and games are seldom aired on national television for a specific team until the playoffs.

Due to advancements in modern technology and the abundance of television channels, a fan living in an out-of-market city can now watch all of their favorite team’s games by purchasing a specific sports subscription package with their cable or satellite provider. As such, instead of maybe seeing five or six regular season games with their normal programming subscription, the fan can now watch every game. What’s interesting to note is that as soon as the premium package is purchased, an immediate obligation is created. Now that money has been spent, which is no small amount either, the buyer will want to make good use of their investment by watching as many games as possible. Not only are their favorite team’s games now shown all the time, but so is every game played in the entire league of the sport in question. Before the package was purchased, maybe certain games would be glossed over and not cared about. Even if the favorite team was on television, if they weren’t having a good season or if the game didn’t matter that much, the fan wouldn’t watch it. But now in the mind of the viewer every game has to be watched in order to justify the purchase.

In the realm of spirituality, the search for salvation is likely the most common reason for people turning towards God. They want an end to the misery that is born of endless desires, feelings which constantly rush in like the waves of a river pouring into an ocean. The Supreme Lord, the only eternal entity who is never capable of falling into the pit of material existence, could easily save the fallen soul looking for rescue, but salvation in the true sense of the word is a little more complicated than simply becoming absolved of sins and being transported to a heavenly realm. The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, define each infinitesimally small spirit soul wandering through the various universes in ever-changing bodies as a jiva. The Supreme Soul, or God, is described as Brahman, or Parabrahman. The phenomenal world, or matter, is described as maya, or that which is not Brahman.

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.7)

The term “jiva” has meaning that can be properly understood once the properties of Parabrahman and His energies are considered. God’s internal energy expands into other spiritual entities, fragmental parts that are similar in quality to the original storehouse of energy. The Supreme Lord is often compared to the giant sun, with His internal energy manifestations representing different rays of the original solar powerhouse. Maya is an illusory force, one that is considered God’s separated energy. Though every force created by the Supreme Spirit is part of Him, because maya is considered separated, it is not worshipable. As a correlation, the hands and feet are part and parcel of the body, but in order to feed ourselves food must be supplied to the stomach. If we offer food to our feet, nothing will happen for the body, as the nutrients in the food will never enter the internal system of the body. In a similar manner, one can offer worship to maya all they want, but there will not be any tangible benefit derived. Everything is in God, but He is not directly inside of every object. The blade of grass is part of the definition of God, but we cannot pick up some grass and say that we hold God in our hands.

The jivas are considered the marginal energy. Qualitatively they are the same as the internal energy, but they are considered marginal because they have a choice as to which energy to associate with, internal or external. The strictly internal expansions are non-different from the Lord. Hence the various incarnations of the Supreme Spirit, such as Vishnu, Rama and Narasimha, are equally as worshipable as the original Lord, who is known as Krishna in the Vedic tradition, the all-attractive and beautiful Shyamasundara. The jivas are always marginal, as that is their makeup. If one makes the proper choice and remains forever in the company of Krishna, they can be considered eternally liberated, but the option for separation is always there even when not exercised.

A valid concern may be raised as to why the Supreme Spirit, if He is so powerful, doesn’t just keep the jivas in His company, regardless of the choices they make. Maya is transient after all, for the world we live in constantly goes through cycles of creation and destruction. One who becomes attached to something nonpermanent will surely suffer heartache and misery. Knowing this to be the case, Krishna could just keep the jivas always by His side and shield them from the misery that results from association with maya.

Yet just as Krishna is ever independent and full of energy, so the jivas have free will and independence, though in a minute quantity, in their exercise of activity. The most potent emotion in the perverted reflection that is the material world is love, or the voluntary offering of service to other entities. Similarly, in the spiritual world, Krishna-prema, or deep love and affection brought on by total surrender, or sharanagati, is the highest emotion and most potent spiritual force. For love to be considered valid, it must exist at peak levels in both parties, and the relationship that results must be voluntarily entered into. If the jivas were forced to love Krishna, the sanctity of the resulting relationship would be tainted.

Moreover, when love is forced, the receiver doesn’t properly appreciate the services rendered, similar to how the person being offered something for free later tosses the gift aside. Yet when love for God is developed through the steady practice of bhakti-yoga, whose quintessential activity is the chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, the loving service is appreciated fully on both ends. The path to salvation is kindly provided by Krishna in His wonderful discourse on philosophy, religion and the meaning of life known as the Bhagavad-gita. In this concise yet complete treatise on Vedic philosophy, Krishna states that anyone who thinks of Him at the time of death will immediately return to the spiritual land, the eternal abode of the Personality of Godhead. One who goes there never has to leave.

To guarantee that these thoughts occur at the end of life, a shift in consciousness is required. A new way to think can’t be found at the drop of a hat. Our primary thoughts and desires can only be altered through a shift in behavior. Therefore the recommended practices of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, which revolve around hearing and chanting, result in a gradual shift in consciousness, a state of mind where all thoughts during the day are focused on Krishna and His satisfaction. Such a religious practice is much more potent than a simple pledge of faith or periodic visit to a house of worship. Any tool that can help further purify consciousness should be accepted, and anything which keeps us from thinking of Krishna in a loving way should be rejected.

The spiritual masters, the acharyas who have kept the bhakti tradition alive for so many years, regularly practiced the devotional formula and saw tremendous success. One who actually makes the necessary effort will feel satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. Though Krishna resides in the spiritual world, He kindly accompanies the jiva from life to life by also residing within their heart as the Supersoul. As such, the relationship forged with the Supreme Spirit can be considered special and unique to each individual, as even the transcendental mellows, or rasas, can vary from person to person. The commonality in all the relationships with Krishna is the ownership, the purchasing of the Lord’s association and affection through selfless acts of transcendental love.

“…the word pavarga signifies our struggle for existence and our meeting with defeat, exhaustion, bondage, fearfulness and, at last, death. Apavarga means that which can nullify all of these material conditions. Krishna is said to be the giver of apavarga, the path of liberation.” (Shrila Prabhupada, The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 59)

The Vedas equate salvation to receiving apavarga, or the removal of defeat, exhaustion, fear, bondage and death. Though Krishna can specifically take away each of these unwanted elements, they are carefully rooted out one by one through steady practice of bhakti. In one sense, Krishna is the doer of all activities and the distributor of every result, but the Divine actions can’t be instigated unless and until there is a sincere desire to associate with the Lord. If we simply call out for salvation but at the same time remain wholly fixed on material association, giving our life and soul to maya’s allures, there is no purpose for Krishna’s intervention. This type of plea is similar to calling a repair man to fix a broken appliance, not paying them after the work is done, and then following the same pattern of behavior that led to the problem in the first place.

Divine love easily brings apavarga, but the pure devotees desire much more than salvation. They want Krishna’s association at all times, irrespective of circumstance and place. Maharishi Valmiki accurately notes that the devotees of Lord Rama, a personal expansion of Shri Krishna, see the Lord everywhere holding His illustrious bow and arrow. Even though the bhakta follows all the rules and regulations of spiritual life and adheres to the perfunctory rituals aimed at advancing consciousness, there is still no end-goal or desire for personal reward. Salvation is actually just the beginning, as once ownership of Krishna’s association is acquired, the joys felt from seeing His beautiful face and hearing the sound of His wonderful flute only elicit even more transcendental activity, engagements which never fail to bring tremendous pleasure.