Unshakeable

“The example is given that small lamps may become agitated by a little breeze, but the greatest lamp or the greatest illuminating source, the sun, is never moved, even by the greatest hurricane. One’s greatness has to be estimated by one’s ability to tolerate provoking situations.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 34)

The sages hearing the report from Bhrigu Muni were astonished to learn that Lord Vishnu couldn’t be angered by what seemed to be the greatest offense committed against His transcendental body. The anger aroused in Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva resulting from similar unkind behavior shown them was certainly understandable; such information wasn’t shocking in the least bit to the sages discussing Vedic philosophy. Indeed, who among us wouldn’t become agitated upon being offended, especially if our position was that of an object of worship? Based on the reactions of Brahma and Mahesha, Vishnu’s behavior firmly established His superior position as the almighty spiritual sun, the one entity incapable of being supplanted or removed from His position. Due to His causeless mercy, the same unwavering determination is bestowed upon His greatest lovers, those who know no other business in life except bhakti.

The Vedic tradition identifies Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu as the three presiding deities of the material universe, figures who are essentially the face of Hinduism. Just as we see different species in this world who each behave differently, the activities of the human being can take on various degrees, or modes. We can think of the three modes of nature as classes of activity: first class, second class and third class. Since every life form is equal on a constitutional level, the distinctions between modes relate to the temporary and destructible outer coverings assumed. First class activity is that which leads to higher knowledge, second class activity leads to a neutral state after much endeavor and third class engagements result in further ignorance and misery.

“From the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of passion, greed develops; and from the mode of ignorance develop foolishness, madness and illusion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.17)

The human being is unique in its ability to choose which mode to enter. The animal species is completely in the third class category; their potential for intelligence is zero. A fish doesn’t even know that it is wet, and a pig is satisfied rolling around in its own stool. Though the human being generally takes part in the second class mode, it can jump from one mode to the other. Since there is an opportunity of advancement for the members of the different classes within one lifetime, or even many lifetimes, there are different deities, or spiritual objects of worship, tailored to each class of human being. For those in the third class, the mode of ignorance, the worshipable figure is Lord Shiva. Known as Mahadeva, Lord Shiva takes on a strange appearance, wearing ashes on his body and hanging around crematoriums. He is also known as the destroyer, for the end of creation is ignited by his efforts.

Though Mahadeva is the deity for the man stuck in third class behavior, he is not tainted by any of the flaws found in the mode of ignorance. In fact, he always worships the deity of the mode of goodness, Lord Vishnu. Nevertheless, Lord Shiva is also known as Rudra, so he has a penchant for anger and agitation. He doesn’t bother anyone, but others are always asking him for benedictions. Since he only wants to meditate on Vishnu’s lotus feet, he quickly grants whatever boons an individual asks for, provided that the gifts relate to material nature. Because of the speed in which he delivers rewards, Shiva is known as ashutosha, or easily pleased.

Lord Brahma is in charge of second class activity, the mode of passion. Most of us live in the mode of passion, so it is the easiest to understand. We take to some activity with a desired benefit in mind. The common trait of passionate activity is that the desires relate to the outer covering of the soul, the temporary and perishable body. The mode of passion is compared to activities which bear fruit, actions which are akin to planting a seed for the purpose of enjoying the plant and its flowers. Passionate behavior is considered second class because the individual is ultimately left in the same position after all the work is performed. For example, say that we spend hours preparing an elaborate meal in the kitchen. Much effort is taken to find the necessary ingredients and cook them in just the right way. But once we finish eating the meal, we’re essentially right back where we started from. The stomach was satisfied and our time was spent in constructive activity, but the end result is a position of neutrality.

“My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with lotuses.” (Queen Kunti speaking to Lord Krishna, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.8.22)

Lord Brahma is known as Svayambhuh, or the self-born. He took birth from the stem of the lotus-like navel of Lord Vishnu. From him the entire world was created, including all the creatures. Hence Brahma can be known as the great father, the grandsire of humanity. Since sex life, which leads to reproduction, is the quintessential act of the mode of passion, Lord Brahma is the perfect person to manage this mode. He too is a great devotee of Vishnu, for he has on many occasions offered very kind prayers to the Lord. Those in the mode of passion worship Brahma for various boons, and depending on the nature of the reward sought, Brahma will grant it. Since he is involved in creating life and giving benedictions, Brahma still sometimes can get shaken from his firm position as servant of the Lord.

Lord Vishnu is considered above Brahma and Shiva because He is a non-different form of the original Personality of Godhead. There are in fact many different Vishnu forms, each responsible for a different aspect of the spiritual and material worlds. Lord Vishnu is in pure goodness, so He is incapable of mixing with the material world, which represents a manifestation of the Supreme Spirit’s external energy. Vishnu’s position of managing the mode of goodness, first class activity, is aimed at elevating the worshiper to the highest platform of understanding, the position where they comprehend that they are constitutionally spirit souls meant to be in the loving company of the original, personal spiritual entity.

Though Vishnu’s supremacy is mentioned in many Vedic texts, including the Ramayana – a poem which highlights the exploits of one of Vishnu’s most famous incarnations to appear on earth, Lord Rama – sages will still hold debates as to which deity is superior. Such was the case a long time ago when a collection of brahmanas gathered around and discussed how to properly decipher which of the three presiding deities was the most pure. They decided that whoever would tolerate the greatest offense without becoming agitated would indeed be the deity most fixed in goodness. Bhrigu Muni, one of Lord Brahma’s sons, decided to administer the tests by approaching each of the three deities. Though it may seem like these experiments were tightly controlled, they actually weren’t. The levels of offense weren’t equal, as Vishnu was offered the greatest offense, one committed by the body. Bhrigu Muni failed to offer his respects upon meeting Brahma, and he verbally insulted Lord Shiva, but when he met Vishnu, he kicked the Lord in the chest.

Brahma and Shiva were angered by Bhrigu Muni’s behavior, but Vishnu was not in the least bit. He apologized to Bhrigu for possibly hurting his foot, as Vishnu’s chest is very hard and powerful and the muni’s foot must have been very soft. The Shrimad Bhagavatam, the crown jewel of Vedic literature, in describing this incident points to the example of how a small lamp can be faded out by a strong wind, but the powerful sun can never be bothered by anything. In the same way, Vishnu, as the Personality of Godhead, can’t be agitated by anyone, especially a brahmana, one who is devoted to Him in thought, word and deed. A brahmana engages exclusively in first class activity, wherein they study the Vedas, teach Vedic wisdom to others, perform sacrifices, teach others how to perform sacrifices, and accept charity.

More than just an order supplier and source of pleasure, God’s position is that of best friend of every living entity. He is incapable of being angered, offended, hurt, punished, etc. His position is fixed forever; there is no shaking Him. Whether we love Him or not, His promise of providing shelter to the surrendered souls never expires. Whether Vishnu is insulted or praised, His deep love for His devotees never wanes. From this information we can understand that the only worthwhile spiritual activity is to lovingly engage in the service of such a sweet and caring Person. All other manifestations of spirituality, be they of the formal religious variety or something as simple as meditation, are meant to elevate one to the stage of pure loving service, which is known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. If Vishnu’s position never changes, then the ideal yogi’s position will be similarly as sturdy. Therefore it is not surprising to see that the greatest lovers of God can never be cajoled into renouncing their vow of performing divine service to the exclusion of all other engagements.

The gopis of Vrindavana, the female cowherd residents of the sacred town, embodied and exemplified the highest form of spiritual practice this earth has ever seen. Around five thousand years ago, Lord Vishnu, in His original form of Shri Krishna, descended to earth to enact wonderful pastimes. Vishnu has four hands and is opulently dressed, so He is the ideal object of worship for those in the mode of goodness seeking to connect with God. Krishna is all-attractive, so He is perfectly suited for those bhaktas desiring transcendental sweetness in their spiritual activities. The gopis, though “uneducated” women who essentially worked for a living, loved Krishna with all their hearts. Just as the sun is never agitated by a hurricane, the gopis could never be swayed from the mood of bhakti, even when urged to do so by Krishna Himself.

“I cannot repay your continual love for Me, even throughout the lifetimes of the demigods in the heavenly planets. It is impossible to repay you or show gratitude for your love; therefore please be satisfied by your own pious activities. You have displayed exemplary attraction for Me, overcoming the greatest difficulties arising from family connections. Please be satisfied with your highly exemplary character, for it is not possible for Me to repay your debt.” (Lord Krishna speaking to the gopis, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 31)

On a few occasions, Krishna asked the gopis to stop loving Him. Most of them were young married girls, so their intimate connection with Krishna was against the established codes of conduct. Plus, Krishna did not want them to love Him so much if He was unable to return the favor. So what did the gopis do? Did they stop loving Krishna? Did they devote themselves to dharma, or established religiosity, in lieu of bhakti? The gopis love for Krishna is so strong that not even Krishna can take it away from them. Ordinarily, when the object of our affection starts to behave in ways that are unpleasant to us, our love gets severely tested. Indeed, if we loved our spouse very much and they one day decided to leave us for another partner, our love would gradually diminish. After all, the object of our affection has committed a great offense and proved that they no longer love us.

In pure bhakti, there is absolutely zero expectation of reciprocation. Lord Chaitanya, the beautiful, kind, supremely knowledgeable and most merciful preacher incarnation of Godhead, prayed that Krishna could do whatever He wanted to Him, but that He would never stop loving Krishna. Indeed, this was the method of worship subscribed to by the gopis. This level of devotion is very nicely explained by Goswami Tulsidas, a favorite Vaishnava and exalted poet. In his Dohavali, Tulsidas describes his devotion to Lord Rama, another incarnation of Vishnu, by pointing to the behavior exhibited by the Chatak bird towards its beloved raincloud. The Chatak only drinks rainwater, so it constantly stares at the sky, with its eyes and beak pointing directly at the dark blue raincloud, which has a complexion identical to the bodily hue of Shri Rama, and Krishna and Vishnu too for that matter. Tulsidas says that the Chatak’s love for the raincloud cannot be accurately measured because the Chatak completely ignores any and all faults of the raincloud. Continuing with the comparison, the celebrated poet says that for the Chatak, or pure devotee, it is actually better if it doesn’t rain too often, for then the transcendental lover might become spoiled and feel that the raincloud is offering its rain in reciprocation of the attention shown it.

The Vishnu-bhaktas on the highest level of consciousness always love the Lord no matter what. Whether Krishna provides immense riches or leaves the attentive onlooker standing poor, the level of affection shown does not decrease. It is for this reason that the association of the Vaishnavas is considered the greatest possible benediction one can receive in their lifetime. The sun is all-powerful and the giver of life, and similarly, the Vaishnava is the empowered servant of the Lord and the giver of eternal spiritual life, a system of worship which reawakens the sublime consciousness that is currently lying dormant within the heart and just waiting to be made active and set free. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden sun for the people of this age, inaugurated the sankirtana movement and specifically empowered one prayer to grant supreme bliss and ecstasy to anyone wise enough to memorize and recite it. Whether one is engaged in third, second, or first class activity, by chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, the spiritually enriched life experienced by Tulsidas, the gopis of Vrindavana, and countless other Vaishnavas can be quickly had. The fixed position of Vishnu and His bhaktas is the beacon of light for the fallen souls of the mundane world.

Within Earshot

“If you sway from the mission, Lakshmana’s exceedingly violent, vehement, ghastly and sharp arrows, travelling very fast and being difficult to even look at, will make you their target for destruction.” (Hanuman speaking to Angada, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 54.19)

ati ugra vegā niśitā ghorā lakṣmaṇa sāyakāḥ |

apavṛttam jighāṃsanto mahāvegā durāsadāḥ

This is Shri Hanuman’s last attempt at getting the monkeys to remain steadfast on their assigned mission, that of finding an abducted princess. The task presented was difficult enough, as it had a time limit for completion attached, but now the monkeys were at a crossroad, facing the greatest obstacle towards success: lack of resolve. The time allotted for their mission having elapsed, the warriors in the lead party decided to either sit down and starve to death or take shelter in a beautiful cave. With both options, they would seemingly be protected from the wrath of their master, Sugriva, the Vanara king. Hanuman, by accurately pointing out the insurmountable fighting power of Shri Lakshmana, the younger brother of Lord Rama, hoped to get the monkeys to change their mind, but his efforts did not work. On top of trying to instill fear in the monkeys by reminding them that they wouldn’t be safe if they quit, Hanuman also tried to convince Angada, the leader of the monkey party, that Sugriva wouldn’t punish them should they return unsuccessful. But sadly, this tactic didn’t change anyone’s mind either, as Angada decided on the option of starving to death and the monkeys then followed his lead. Ironically enough, they were eventually saved by their inability to think of anyone else except Shri Rama, even while remaining in a somewhat peaceful condition.  Always keeping God on their minds, they could do nothing but talk of Rama’s exploits and discuss past events pertaining to His life. This remembrance of the Supreme Lord during the most difficult of times would end up saving them, allowing their mission to continue to its fruition.

Many thousands of years ago, during the Treta Yuga, the Supreme Lord descended to earth in human form as a prince named Rama. While residing in the forest of Dandaka, His beautiful and kind wife Sita Devi was kidnapped from the couple’s cottage. Not knowing her whereabouts, Shri Rama roamed the forests along with Lakshmana to look for the beautiful princess. Coming upon a forest called Kishkindha, which was inhabited by a race of human-like monkeys known as Vanaras, Rama forged an alliance with their leader, Sugriva, who had set up camp on the mountain called Rishyamukha. The now famous alliance was forged through the help of Sugriva’s chief minister and lead warrior, Lord Hanuman. After an agreement was reached as to what would be required from each side, Lord Rama went about helping Sugriva regain his kingdom from the powerful monkey Vali, who happened to also be Sugriva’s brother.

Rama having performed His part, it was now Sugriva’s turn to meet his obligation. He then dispatched his massive monkey army around the world to look for Sita. Though there were numerous search parties, only one group was deemed to have any chance at success. Not surprisingly, this group included Hanuman and Angada, who was Vali’s son and thus Sugriva’s nephew. Yet when the term for their mission expired, the monkeys became fearful of returning to Sugriva having been unsuccessful in locating Sita. Angada wanted to sit down quietly on the seashore and simply starve to death. This option would spare the monkeys the wrath which would surely come from Sugriva. Angada also thought the suicide option was the kinder one, as it would save Sugriva the potential sin of having to kill his dependents. Another monkey suggested that the group take refuge in a beautiful cave that was nearby. The monkeys as a whole asked Angada to come up with an option that would spare them punishment. But in any case, the decision to quit was already made.

Shri Hanuman did not like what he was hearing at all. He wanted to continue with the search or at the very least, return to Sugriva and let him know what had happened. Hanuman was not concerned about his own welfare, but only Sita’s and Rama’s. Even if the monkeys were not able to find Sita, they should at least tell Rama so that He would know what had happened. He could then make an informed decision as to what to do next.

Since Hanuman’s task of convincing all the monkeys to continue their efforts was quite difficult, the highly intelligent Vanara decided to employ the age-old tactic of dissension, something which is taught to aspiring leaders in the Vedic tradition. Along with pacification, donation of gifts and high posts, and punishment, bheda, or divide-and-conquer, is a legitimate and effective way of dealing with a detractor or an enemy. The key to dissension is doubt, especially when dealing with a large group. Hanuman planted the seeds of doubt by first praising Angada’s extraordinary strength, but then reminding all the monkeys of the immense power of Rama’s younger brother Lakshmana. In addition, Hanuman reminded Angada of the fickle-mindedness of monkeys, especially when they are separated from their loved ones. Since the monkeys would miss their wives and children, Angada should not expect any loyalty from them once the situation became dire. Just as blood is thicker than water, the attachment to family and home is much stronger than the will to starve oneself to death, especially when the species involved is naturally prone to sense gratification.

In the above referenced quote, Hanuman is accurately pointing out Lakshmana’s terrific fighting abilities. This statement is the conclusion of a nice hypothetical situation played out by Hanuman, wherein all the monkeys have abandoned Angada due to anxiety caused by separation from their loved ones. At the bottom of this slippery slope, after all preceding events have fired as planned, Angada would be so afraid and on edge that he would become scared at even the sound of the grass moving, thinking that it was Sugriva or Rama coming to attack him. Hanuman is increasing the anxiety of the scene by pointing out that Lakshmana’s arrows are powerful, swift and never miss their mark, so whoever is in their path will not be spared punishment. Simply by hearing of the decision to spurn Sugriva, Lakshmana would be forced to attack Angada.

Eventually, things would work out for the monkeys, due in no small part to Hanuman’s efforts. Yet, immediately following Hanuman’s attempt at dissension, Angada remained firm to his position, fearing the worst from Sugriva. Rather than return to Sugriva and deal with the consequences, Angada felt the better option was to sit down and quit. Though Angada told the monkeys to go back to Kishkindha, they all agreed to follow his lead. Touching water, the monkeys all sat down on the sacred grass, waiting for death to come. Just then, a powerful, elderly bird named Sampati came flying by. Seeing the monkeys sitting on the grass, the bird became overjoyed, as he had plans to eat them all.

While the monkeys were huddled up, they saw the bird coming their way. Thinking that death had come to take them, they couldn’t help but speak of Lord Rama and His activities. Angada, though he was frightened of the future situation, nevertheless spoke to Hanuman about Rama’s activities, the incidents that led to the Lord’s roaming of the forests, and the bravery shown by the bird Jatayu. When Sita was taken by the demon Ravana from her cottage in Rama and Lakshmana’s absence, a bird named Jatayu tried his best to stop the demon’s path. A terrible fight ensued in the air, with the bird eventually being mortally wounded by Ravana’s sword. Later on, Shri Rama happened to find Jatayu on the ground just before he quit his body.

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

Angada was especially appreciative of Jatayu’s bravery and the fact that he attained the supreme destination after death. According to Vedic information, the person we refer to as “God” has an eternal, transcendental form which resides in the spiritual world. If one is able to concentrate the mind on this form at the time of death, they will be granted liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Any other consciousness while quitting the body leads to rebirth, a continuation of reincarnation. The effects of nature on the conditioned souls speak to the importance of the desires of the living entities; we always get what we want. If we want material enjoyment, wherein we make adjustments to the nature around us in hopes of sense gratification, we are allowed to remain in the material world.

Those who desire association with God are given spiritual bodies in the next life. Jatayu not only thought about God at the time of death, but he got to stare directly into His eyes as his life breath was leaving him. Overhearing the monkeys speaking of Jatayu, Sampati immediately changed his course. Jatayu was a hero and Sampati’s brother. Since he heard others speaking this way about his departed brother, Sampati decided to find out more information before making any attack.

As a result of their God consciousness, the monkeys were not only saved from being eaten, but they formed a friendship with Sampati, who subsequently gave them information about Sita’s whereabouts. Through the help offered by Sampati, the monkeys were able to learn that Sita was staying on the island kingdom of Lanka and their time was running short. Sampati remarked that since vultures like himself can fly at the highest altitudes, he was able to see all that was going on in Lanka. Due to his old age and injuries to his wings, he was unable to attack Ravana himself. Therefore he gave his blessings to the monkeys to go after Ravana and rescue Sita. Eventually, Shri Hanuman would be the only monkey able to leap across the ocean and reach the city. The rest was, as they say, history. Hanuman would find Sita, tell his monkey friends what he saw, and relay the information of Sita’s location back to Sugriva and Rama.  Then a massive fight ensued, and Sita would be safely rescued after Ravana’s defeat and death at the hands of Rama and the monkeys.

Though from this incident it appears that Angada was a bad character, he certainly was not. Just as Arjuna’s kind-heartedness caused him to temporarily deviate from the path of righteousness prior to the great Bharata War, Angada’s disappointment and lamentation led him to temporarily abandon the mission. Maya, the illusory energy pervading the phenomenal world, attacks every person, regardless of their physical and mental strength. What saved Angada and the monkeys was their total attachment and love for Rama and His associates. Though his unnecessary concern over trying to spare Sugriva the sin of punishing the monkeys caused a deviation from the righteous path, Angada, who was set on quitting his body through starvation, couldn’t help but talk about Sita, Jatayu and other people and events pertaining to Rama’s time on earth. The surrounding monkeys were not only benefitted in consciousness by hearing such transcendental talks, but the discourse also enabled them to achieve success in the mission. The monkeys struggle through adversity shows that talking about the Lord’s pastimes will always be beneficial. Even if we discuss the same transcendental topics over and over again, there are still new revelations to be discovered and fresh enjoyment to be found.

In this day and age, even if we can’t rattle off the Lord’s limitless activities, qualities and teachings, we can still talk about Him by regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, the lion guru and famous Vaishnava saint, said that even if a person is alone in a room, they should still chant this mantra regularly and loudly, for even the walls would benefit. The Lord’s name is completely transcendental, so naturally anyone who hears it will acquire pious credits, sukriti, in some way or another. Hanuman, the ever well-wisher of Shri Rama and His family, never talks of anything unrelated to God’s interests. His devotional attitude exhibited in the presence of the monkeys was infectious, and it soon permeated the entire army. Thus it is not surprising to see that they ended up successful in performing devotional service to the Lord.

Brahmanya-devaya

“My dear father, O great sage, I know that your feet are very soft, like a lotus flower, and that My chest is as hard as a thunderbolt. I am therefore afraid that you may have felt some pain by touching My chest with your feet. Let Me therefore touch your feet to relieve the pain you have suffered.” (Lord Vishnu speaking to Bhrigu Muni, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 34)

It’s natural to view religion as having a serious aura, a protective shield that requires visitors to check their jokes and kidding at the door. Spirituality is the real deal after all, as it touches on issues of life, death and the temporary nature of happiness and distress. But as the opening verse of the Shrimad Bhagavatam so nicely reveals, God is the source of everything in this world, janmady asya yatah, so even humor comes from Him. Therefore, in stories that describe Krishna’s activities and pastimes, along with teachings carrying tremendous import, there is also great humor to be found. And since everything related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in pure goodness, even the humorous stories can teach us valuable lessons.

Tucked away in the sacred verses of the Brahma-samhita, Brahmavaivarta Purana and Shrimad Bhagavatam is authoritative information declaring Shri Krishna to be the original form of Godhead. Indeed, His status as the supreme and original person is further supported by His all-attractiveness. Man can travel far and wide, even at the speed of light through space, and never find any entity who is more beautiful, attractive and ever-youthful than Krishna. Surely, Krishna doesn’t limit Himself to one form, just as we don’t limit our behavior to one activity or interest. Every individual, being a spirit soul, is unique in their tendencies, likes and dislikes. As the well-wishing friend of every form of life – each of which descends from the original, inconceivably brilliant and large transcendental body of the Supreme Person – Krishna makes sure to have enough forms to match the innumerable varieties of penchants for worship. Heck, there is even a formless aspect of the Absolute Truth tailored to those transcendentalists who feel they are too good to lower themselves to the level of the plebs and commoners who take to outward worship through visiting temples and performing religious functions.

While Shri Krishna is the most attractive form of pure spirit because He appeals to the most individuals, His expansion of Lord Vishnu is equally as potent, though He takes on a different form. Vishnu-worship, prayers and chants offered to Krishna or one of His non-different expansions, is the most unique system of spirituality in the world, one reserved exclusively for those who are interested in bhakti, or transcendental love. Bhakti is the pinnacle of religious practice, as all other systems of worship are ideally meant to lead to the stage where all actions are performed in concert with the Lord’s desires, where the sincere servants take direction from the kindest and sweetest of puppet masters, the Supreme Lord. Bhakti, or pure love, is meant only for Vishnu and His different forms and no other spiritual entity. All other forms of worship, including one where allegiance is professed to a generic individual referred to as “God”, are on the lower stages because the pure bliss evoked through bhakti is absent. Krishna has many forms, but only His Vishnu expansions are personal and thus capable of providing direct interaction to the jiva soul, which is naturally geared towards expressing individuality and free activity.

That Vishnu-worship is unique and supreme is not merely the opinion of the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, but rather a fact substantiated by the methods of worship commonly employed and their inferior results. In poll after poll of public opinion, the number of believers in God outweighs the non-believers by a large margin. Yet in order to be considered a worshiper of something, one must make the satisfaction of their object of interest paramount in importance. For example, if we say that we love our spouse, we’ll make their interests more important than our own. Hence we move to different locations if the spouse gets shifted in their job, we go on vacation in areas that we may not like, and we pretend to get along with the in-laws during Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is all done to prove our love, to show that our words of affection aren’t empty.

Yet in the arena of spirituality, the resulting behavioral patterns don’t always match up with the original professions of faith. Worshiping God for any other purpose than love cannot be classified as pure; hence the distinction between Vishnu-worship, or bhakti, and any other style of spirituality. The most common form of religious practice is the asking for benedictions. “God, please help me out. I’m in trouble. I’m suffering so much; I really need You to come through for me.” An individual certainly shouldn’t be criticized for such behavior. At least they have the knowledge to understand that things are out of their control. Yet, we offer similar types of service to other entities. We pay the utility companies so that we have electricity and water. We pay the cable provider so that our favorite channels come on television. We pay the grocer so that we can put food on the table. Worshiping God for the express purpose of receiving benefits, be they material objects or the alleviation of distress, is really no different than offering service to other entities. The method of paying tribute may be different, i.e. instead of writing a check we kneel down in a house of worship, but the end-result, the goal in mind, is the same.

Worship of Supreme Spirit in a personal form, when taken to the highest level, bears no similarity to any other type of service. Therefore, for those who are seriously interested in substantiating their claims of spirituality, ascension to this topmost platform of service is required. Even many followers of the Vedic tradition fail to ascend to the higher standard of Vishnu-bhakti, for it is very difficult to break free of the fears and demands of material life. Who among us wants to live in poverty? Who wants to be in pain all the time? It’s quite understandable then that the distressed and the worried would look to the greatest order supplier, the eternal leader in the sky, to come through. But when armed with real intelligence, information that allows the individual to understand their constitutional position as loving friend of the Supreme Lord who maintains an unbreakable link to Him that is kept in an active state through a mood of transcendental servitude, there is no need to ask for rewards that act as insulation from pain and misery.

Does this mean that Vishnu worshipers don’t ask God for anything? To nicely illustrate the difference between transcendentalists dedicated to bhakti and those hovering below the surface, we can study an analogy described by Goswami Tulsidas, the kind, humble and sweet Vaishnava poet and devotee of Lord Rama. Just as Krishna is considered to be the same as Vishnu, Shri Rama, the warrior prince incarnation of the Lord who appeared on earth during the Treta Yuga, is also the same Lord Vishnu but in a slightly different form. Rama is wholly dedicated to dharma, so He attracts those who take virtue, chivalry, kindness, shyness and other subdued features to be of utmost importance. Tulsidas, in his Dohavali, writes that through his worship of Rama he has essentially turned into a Chatak, a bird which only drinks rainwater. The analogy is very nice because the Chatak is very picky in its style of worship. Not only will it not drink anything except rainwater, but it will never divert its attention from the raincloud, which has the same complexion as Lord Rama, Vishnu and Krishna.

Tulsidas devotes several verses to this analogy with the Chatak, with each one beautifully explaining the difference between loving God in a pure way and worshiping the Lord for some benefit. Tulsidas states that some other birds also only drink rainwater, which comes at the holy time of the year during the monsoon season. Yet the Chatak is always superior because it points its beak at the Lord, represented by the raincloud, even when there is no chance of rain. Such a beautiful comparison can be studied every single day and remembered at every moment and still not properly recognized for its brilliance. The other birds are similarly renounced, for they have decided that they will only eat what the raincloud, or God, gives them. Who can argue with the exalted position of such worshipers? They don’t even ask for benedictions from the Lord, so surely they can’t be grouped in with those who simply look to God as an order supplier.

Yet the Chatak, or pure devotee, is always superior because it devotes itself to the Lord every single day, even though it has no desire for rainwater. This represents pure love, the highest level of devotion. The worship of Vishnu in pure bhakti is done for Vishnu’s benefit, and not for any other reason. Whether the raincloud brings water or not is of no importance to the Chatak. If the pure devotee gets tremendous riches or is constantly thrown into trouble, the dedication to worship doesn’t wane. Because of this unflinching vow, Vishnu Himself becomes wholly endeared to the pure devotees, taking them to be His best friends. One can spend an entire lifetime trying to measure the limits of Vishnu’s mercy reserved for His devotees, but the end would never be reached.

A glimpse of Vishnu’s merciful nature was on full display a long time ago during a funny incident involving Bhrigu Muni. A group of sages had gathered around after the completion of a sacrifice to discuss spiritual matters. According to Vedic information, the three presiding deities of the material world are Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. There are actually several different Vishnu forms that descend from the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, with every form considered as non-different from the Lord and in pure goodness. We can think of goodness, passion and ignorance as different levels of intelligence, or grades of activities and qualities. One in the mode of goodness is always superior, for they know the subtleties of nature and what should be done and what shouldn’t. The other two modes are mixed, so the influence of goodness isn’t always present. Vishnu is the deity of the mode of goodness, but since these sages were discussing amongst each other in a friendly manner, they failed to reach an ultimate conclusion as to which of the three deities possessed the mode of goodness to the fullest degree.

Bhrigu Muni, as the son of Lord Brahma, decided to test the three worshipable figures and report back his findings to the sages. He first went to Brahma’s realm and purposely refused to offer obeisances upon meeting his father. Even in the least cultured society, there is some greeting that is offered upon initial contact with a close relative; there is either a hug or at least a handshake. In the Vedic tradition the custom is to offer one’s obeisances in the proper manner, showing the highest level of respect. An elder or a spiritually important figure should be respected by falling at their feet. Even today this tradition is alive amongst Hindus when they meet their parents or elders. The child will touch the parents’ feet at the times of greeting and departing. Since his son refused to offer obeisances, Brahma was quite offended. Being in charge of the mode of passion, he was fortunately able to control his anger. Bhrigu Muni was his son after all, so out of affection Brahma decided not to act on his anger.

Bhrigu next went to visit Lord Shiva. This time, Mahadeva got up to receive the brahmana, but the muni not only refused to embrace Lord Shiva, but he openly insulted him, telling the husband of Mother Parvati not to touch him due to his impure nature. As a recurring humorous theme in Vedic literature, Mahadeva is often made fun of for his unorthodox outward dress. As the presiding deity of the mode of ignorance, Lord Shiva assumes a strange outward appearance, one involving skulls and ashes. He also spends a lot of time around crematoriums and places related to death. Therefore, when someone wants to insult Mahadeva or disrespect him, they immediately point to these uncommon features. Lord Shiva, being the all-powerful destroyer and a great devotee of Lord Vishnu, certainly should never be insulted, but it’s indeed humorous to see the nature of the criticism that others take to. Lord Shiva, being insulted in this way, was ready to punish Bhrigu Muni immediately. Fortunately, Parvatiji was able to pacify his anger and prevent him from harming a brahmana, a member of the priestly class.

Thus far Bhrigu Muni had committed offenses by his mind and speech. Offenses of the body are far worse, so Bhrigu reserved this for Lord Vishnu. Reaching the Lord’s abode, the muni found Lakshmi Devi kindly massaging her husband’s feet. This time, Bhrigu decided to kick Lord Vishnu in the chest. In Lord Brahma’s case, there was anger that resulted from the insult, but there was nothing said or done about it. In Shiva’s case, the anger was also there and it almost manifested in violence. In Vishnu’s case, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of agitation. Lord Vishnu kindly arose and welcomed Bhrigu Muni as His most exalted guest. In fact, Lord Vishnu even apologized for having maybe caused harm to the brahmana’s foot due to His all-powerful chest. Bhrigu was certainly astonished. He had just committed the greatest offense, yet the Lord was treating him like a first-class citizen. Since that time, Vishnu keeps the imprint of Bhrigu’s foot on His chest as a sign of the meeting with His beloved devotee.

It should be noted that Vishnu doesn’t behave this way with just anyone. Many a time a demon has attacked the Lord or one of His associates, and the response was anything but favorable to the culprit. But in Bhrigu’s case, the so-called offense was made by a brahmana, one who was humble and dedicated to virtue. Bhrigu Muni not only had an exalted birth, but he exuded the qualities of a brahmana and took part in the activities belonging to his class. Such individuals are always dear to Vishnu, as the Lord is their only deva, or god.  Indeed, Vishnu is referred to as brahmanya-devaya, meaning the chief worshipable object of the brahmanas.

“My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world.” (Vishnu Purana, 1.19.65)

The brahmana’s footprint on His chest proves without a doubt that Vishnu is the most merciful of all the forms of Godhead presiding over this and innumerable other planets. If there is sincerity in the mood of worship, the Lord’s mercy will always be there. Through this humorous incident with Bhrigu Muni, we learn that Vishnu has not a trace of any material mode of nature in Him; He is always in pure goodness. There is no offense that can cause Him agitation or deviation from His vow to always protect the saints. Therefore the path in life becomes quite obvious: become a devotee of the Lord and always enjoy His association and the umbrella of safety that it brings.

Sleep With One Eye Open

“Bereft of your friends, well-wishers and relatives, you will be terribly afraid at even the movement of a blade of grass.” (Hanuman speaking to Angada, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 54.18)

sa tvam hīnaḥ suhṛdbhiḥ ca hita kāmaiḥ ca bandhubhiḥ |

tṛṇāt api bhṛśa udvignaḥ spandamānāt bhaviṣyasi

Though this kind warning offered by Hanuman is aimed at changing an opinion, it also brings a smile to the faces of those who love the dear servant of Shri Rama. Religious life, including the attached scriptures, rules and regulations, are typically taken very seriously. This is justifiable because spirituality deals with the highest truths, issues pertaining to life and death and the future well-being of the soul. Yet there are also many humorous incidents described in the Vedic texts, with this interaction between Hanuman and Angada being one of them.

Hanuman’s statement illustrates his uncanny ability to pin his debate opponent into a logical corner. By presenting statements derived from accepted truths in such a perfect way, Angada really had no other option but to rethink his stated objective. The context of Hanuman’s statement is his attempt to raise dissension in a particular battalion of warriors who were tasked with finding the whereabouts of a missing princess. Many thousands of years ago, the goddess of fortune, the mother of the universe, appeared on earth in human form as a beautiful princess named Sita. When she reached an appropriate age, she was married, not surprisingly, to Lord Rama, an incarnation of the original Personality of Godhead.

“God” is too generic a term to sufficiently describe the Supreme Divine Entity who possesses a transcendental form that is eternally full of bliss and knowledge. To provide more information and enjoyment to the attentive listener, the same supreme entity can be referred to as Bhagavan, which means one who possesses every fortune, or estimable attribute. Since the size and scope of His presence are not limited, He kindly appears on earth at different times of His choosing. One such descent took place during the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation. A yuga is a measurement of time representing a division of the entire span of creation. The earth is not created just once; it goes through cycles of creation and destruction. As time and space are infinite, so is the number of life cycles of the innumerable universes and their many planets.

In the Treta Yuga, an epoch where man was still generally pious, the Lord appeared as a handsome and pious prince named Rama. For the title of king to have meaning, there must be a kingdom to rule over. In a similar manner, a divine prince must have an accompanying princess to enjoy life with. Thus Rama was married to none other than Sita, His life partner both on earth and in the imperishable sky. The two enjoyed married life for a long time, but they had to face separation on a few occasions. The nefarious activities of a very powerful demon named Ravana caused the most troublesome and fearful time of separation from Rama for Sita. This lusty individual, who was accustomed to eating animal flesh and drinking wine, created a ruse which allowed him to take Sita away from Rama behind the Lord’s back.

In His subsequent search for Sita, Rama, accompanied by His younger brother Lakshmana, made His way to the forest of Kishkindha, which was inhabited at the time by a race of monkeys known as Vanaras. A Vanara is usually taken to be a monkey, but we can think of them more as a simian species possessing human-like characteristics. They were forest dwellers, so they had a monkey form and animalistic tendencies, but they could still talk and behave in a somewhat civilized manner.

The leader of the monkeys was Sugriva, who forged an alliance with Rama through the help of Hanuman. Shri Hanuman is a celebrated figure in the Vedic tradition, and his worshipable status came into being with his initial meeting with Rama and Lakshmana. Through Hanuman’s efforts, Sugriva was able to befriend Rama and subsequently regain his kingdom from his brother Vali. In return for Rama’s help, Sugriva agreed to help find Sita. The monkey-king dispatched his massive army across the globe to look for the beautiful princess. Though many search parties were sent out, Hanuman’s group was understood to be the most capable, and thus all hopes for success were invested in them.

After a month, Hanuman’s party, which was led by Angada, Sugriva’s nephew, had yet to make any progress. Fearing the wrath of Sugriva, Angada decided to abandon the mission and starve to death. Angada, as a sweet and kind-hearted servant, thought it would be better to spare Sugriva the potential sin of having to severely punish the monkeys for failing in the mission. Yet another commander named Tara thought maybe the monkeys should take refuge in a beautiful cave that was adjacent to the seashore the monkeys found themselves on. Faced with all these options, the monkey host asked Angada for a solution to be crafted where they could remain alive. The logic behind the quitting option presented by the monkeys seemed pretty sound. “If we go back to Sugriva, he will surely be angry with us for not having found Sita. Plus Rama and Lakshmana surely won’t be happy either. Thus it is better to live out our days in this beautiful cave crafted by the demon Maya. Here no one will find us, so we will be able to live in peace.”

Hanuman did not like this new course of action at all. To him, personal comfort was not of any concern. Shri Rama was back at the camp waiting for information about Sita. If the monkeys were to give up and not tell anyone about it, Rama would be left waiting indefinitely. The longer He would have to wait, the more the chances of rescuing Sita would diminish. Even if Sugriva and Rama were to get angry, Hanuman wasn’t afraid to take the punishment, for then at least Rama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, would be informed of the present situation.

So what was Hanuman to do? According to Vedic tenets, teachings which originate from the Lord and have been passed down from the beginning of time, there are three ways for an administrator to deal with opposing elements. One option is to take to flattery, i.e. compliment the enemy and offer gifts. Another option is brute force; take to fighting the enemy directly to compel them to adhere to the dictates of the state. Shri Hanuman chose the third option, that of fomenting dissension.

Being privy to Hanuman’s thought process and knowing which tactic he was employing, studying the subsequent words he directed at Angada surely can evoke laughter. Hanuman addressed Angada in front of all the monkeys to make sure they heard everything he was saying. First, he praised Angada for his great fighting ability and strength. But then Hanuman also praised the other monkeys and said that they wouldn’t be able to stand separation from their loved ones for very long. Monkeys are naturally fickle-minded, as is common for any animal lacking real intelligence. Hanuman also accurately pointed out that Lakshmana, Rama’s younger brother, would be able to rip apart their sanctuary cave by firing a single arrow from his bow. These arrows, which Lakshmana had a numerous supply of and were made of iron, would be so powerful that they would tear apart the cave like a leaf that is cut off from its bed by a sword. On top of the potential destruction, the monkeys would also remember the association of their wives and family members. Missing their company, the monkeys would indeed be prone to abandoning Angada’s course of action.

In the above referenced statement, Hanuman is warning Angada of what would happen once the monkeys would leave. Hanuman predicts that Angada, by living alone, would be so worried about outside attack that he would have to essentially sleep with one eye open. When a person knows they have done something wrong, they are usually quite fearful of getting caught. An innocent person has no reason to be afraid or nervous around people of authority, but a criminal has every reason to be. Since Angada knew he was doing something wrong by abandoning the mission, he would surely spend every minute of every day in trepidation.

Through his diplomatic presentation, Hanuman carefully worked his way through a hypothetical situation that resulted in the worst possible predicament for Angada. Once the monkeys would abandon him, they would surely return to Sugriva and inform him of what happened. Sugriva, Rama and Lakshmana would then search out Angada to punish him. They would know where he was because the other monkeys would reveal the location of the secret hideaway. Angada would thus have to be on the lookout for attackers coming to punish him for his transgression.

Hanuman tells Angada that he will be so afraid that even the movement of a blade of grass will scare him. Aside from those with allergies, grass is relatively harmless to all forms of life. Due to its humble position on the floor of the earth, it sways constantly from the blowing of the wind and the actions of others. Angada would be so nervous that the harmless movement of the grass would cause him great fear. In this way Hanuman has totally broken apart Angada’s stated objective of finding peace through renunciation. The premise of the courses of action presented by Angada and the monkeys was that no one would be able to find them in the cave or on the seashore. By informing Angada that the monkeys would eventually turn on him and reveal his location to Sugriva, the original premise was invalidated, thus also nullifying the conclusion of a peaceful condition.

“Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty; for by working without attachment, one attains the Supreme.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.19)

Devotional service, or following the interests of the Supreme Lord, is always the better option. Upon hitting a fork in the road, the path which has the potential to lead to God’s satisfaction should be taken. When activities are adopted that strictly lead to personal interest, trouble lurks around every corner. Whatever pleasant condition one thinks they have accounted for can be picked apart in an instant, as it was with the monkeys in Angada’s party. The devotional path is always safer because it is directly tied to the Supreme Lord. He is the creator of every circumstance in this world, so if one takes to pleasing Him, Bhagavan will most certainly look out for the devotee.

More than just a lofty promise, the vow of Divine protection has played out time and time again. Angada and the other monkeys, after initially deciding upon the starvation option, would eventually continue their search for Sita. Yet their path was not easy in the least bit, with Hanuman meeting many obstacles along the way. But the Lord, as the supreme arranger, seeing that the monkeys were sincere in their service to Him, guaranteed their success. Even Sita Devi, the person whom the monkeys were searching for, granted benedictions to Hanuman after she met him in Lanka. The Lord is never alone; His wonderful and kind spiritual family is always there to offer a helping hand to the sincere soul.

The most important mission in life, the best way to satisfy the Supreme Lord, is to take the necessary steps to join Him in the spiritual world, a reunion which can only materialize through steady practice of devotional service, or bhakti-yoga. The quintessential act of bhakti is the chanting of the Lord’s names. No sequence of words better incorporates Bhagavan’s names, potencies and kind nature than does the sacred maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Shri Hanuman, after serving Rama to the best of his abilities, received the benediction of remaining on earth for as long as the Lord’s story continued to be told. Thus Hanuman spends every minute of every day thinking about Rama, Sita and Lakshmana and chanting their holy names. He sleeps in peace because he knows that God is always with him. Following any course of action divorced of a relationship to the personal form of Supreme Spirit will lead to constant angst, where one must remain on the lookout at all times. But in spiritual life, the tables turn. When following the path of bhakti, instead of the individual always being on alert for potential enemy attack, it is the Supreme Lord who remains ever vigilant in His defense of His sincere devotee. As such, the latter option, the path of bhakti, is always superior.

Heads I Win, Tails You Lose

“But if you have faith still in the words of Lord Shiva, my dear king of the demons, then why don’t you make an experiment by putting your hand on your head? If the benediction proves false, then you can immediately kill this liar, Lord Shiva, so that in the future he will not dare to give out false benedictions.” (Lord Narayana in the guise of a mendicant speaking to Vrikasura, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 33)

“Heads I win, tails you lose” is the classic trick played on those who are temporarily out of sorts, youngsters, and those whose intelligence levels have yet to fully develop. The result of a coin toss is that the coin lands either on the heads side or on the tails side. When at a stalemate in negotiations, when no other option is available to settle the dispute, a coin toss is often reverted to since it is simply a game of chance; something which doesn’t inherently favor any party. The first party will choose one side of the coin and the other will choose the other side; thus the winner is determined by whichever side the coin lands on. By saying, “I will win if the coin lands on heads and the opponent will lose if it lands on tails”, a tautology is created; a situation where I win no matter what because the same rule was presented in both sections of the statement, but just in different words. Anyone who is thinking clearly will spot the trick right away and object to the statement, but one whose intelligence has been clouded by attachment to external objects will not notice the deceit. Such was the case with a famous demon a long time ago. He had a tremendous and potentially dangerous power available to him, but through the crafty words of Lord Narayana, crisis was averted.

For a young child to be fooled by the “heads I win” trick is not surprising at all. Yet adults not only get tricked by such word jugglery in a coin toss but also in the basic arena of gambling. That excessive gambling causes a loss of rationale and unfavorable future results is a fact known to most sober individuals. When betting on a sporting event or playing a card game at a casino, the odds are always in favor of the house, regardless of what one may think. If this weren’t the case, the bookies and casinos would all be out of business. The bookmakers rely on the influences of the external sense objects to keep their business going. Only one who has completely taken shelter of the potential for quick rewards in gambling will continue to throw their money away in hopes of acquiring the fast buck.

The futility of excessive gambling is revealed in the gambler’s behavior itself. For instance, if winning a game of roulette or blackjack is worth the effort, why the need for further gambling? If I win a few hands at the card table, should not that victory bring me some satisfaction? Obviously the pleasure is short-lived; otherwise everyone would stop playing after a few winning hands. The senses, which are attached to the outer covering of the soul, bewilder the individual into taking to passionate activity without any regulation. In any field of endeavor, if there is no attention to detail and a lack of regulation, unfavorable results will ensue. In order to become a certified doctor, one must go through years of schooling and training and then pass a series of examinations. In order to fly an airplane, one must be certified to have completed a set number of hours practicing flying an aircraft. In every venture, even those bringing about tremendous sense gratification such as rock and roll and acting, if there isn’t some regulation and dedication to practice, success will not be found.

Similarly, success in the ultimate mission in life requires self-imposed regulation, or tapasya, from the very beginning. Those children who are spoiled in their youth will grow up to be malcontents and dependent on the government and other entities for their sustenance in their adult years. It is one thing to hit on some hard times and be forced to rely on others for assistance, but it is another to feel that you are entitled to the fruits of someone else’s labor. One who is taught discipline, regulation, and the value of money in their youth will likely grow up to have respect for other individuals and their property. Similarly, those who are taught to regulate the demands of their senses in their childhood years will also be able to cope with the waves of sense demands that continuously pound the shores of the mind.

“O son of Bharata, as the sun alone illuminates all this universe, so does the living entity, one within the body, illuminate the entire body by consciousness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.34)

The spirit soul is the impetus for action; it is the sun in the otherwise dark realm known as the material covering, a shell which is temporary, ever-changing and ultimately destined for destruction. The soul’s natural home is in a realm where there is only spirit, a place that is self-illuminating. Can such a land exist? The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, has such a beautiful, powerful and inconceivably potent body that His home doesn’t require a sun. Indeed, He is the source of all light and knowledge. In the realm we currently occupy, Bhagavan’s influence is felt in an impersonal manner through the workings of nature. His energies also personally manifest through the workings of the Supersoul, the powerful spiritual entity residing adjacent to the individual soul within the heart. Though blessed with the presence of Supreme Spirit within a close proximity, if the jiva, the individual spiritual spark, neglects the presence of the Supersoul, only misery, sprinkled with a few pinches of short-term happiness, will be tasted.

External objects constitute the Lord’s separated energy. Not surprisingly, association with this aspect leads to increased ignorance, wherein the soul drifts further and further away from understanding the influence of the Supersoul and the existence of the spiritual realm, where there is no such thing as a separated energy. Realizing the presence of the soul is very difficult; it requires steadfast practice of yoga, the first step of which involves regulation of sense demands. One who is serious about removing distresses and calming the mind should first of all take to mantra meditation, wherein the sacred formula of “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare” is recited regularly. If one is able to chant this mantra for a good portion of each day, the opportunities for attack by the external objects and the material senses will be greatly diminished. This mantra is the greatest protective shield, so it should be chanted as often as possible, with a minimum of sixteen rounds daily recitation on a set of japa beads providing adequate insulation from foreign attack.

The acharya of the holy name, Shrila Haridasa Thakura, simply chanted the Hare Krishna mantra all the time and was thus always free from even the most powerful influence of beautiful women. He has kindly informed us that this name is the most important aspect of God because it automatically includes the Lord’s forms, pastimes and attributes. For an entity to be considered an object, it must have these three aspects plus a name. In Krishna’s case, the name is so powerful that it automatically secures the other three aspects. Goswami Tulsidas, the celebrated Vaishnava poet, remarks that the form of the Lord within the heart and the form of the Lord worshiped outwardly, such as the deity or the incarnation, are like the top and bottom sides of a golden box, with the name of the Lord being the actual jewel. The name is Krishna; so it is actually the most precious commodity for those who are firmly attached to the Lord in consciousness.

“Suta Gosvami said: Maharaja Parikshit, thus being petitioned by the personality of Kali, gave him permission to reside in places where gambling, drinking, prostitution and animal slaughter were performed.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.17.38)

Mantra meditation, coupled with sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the same holy names of the Lord, is enough to defeat the influences of the senses which lure one away from God. But to provide even further insulation from the potential clouding of intelligence, one is advised to refrain from four particular activities: meat eating, gambling, illicit sex and intoxication. By staying as far away as possible from these activities, the mind can remain in a sober state, or dhira, thus increasing the odds of remaining fixed in yoga. Only when these four activities are prevalent can ignorance reign supreme, as the personality of Kali, the force of darkness, resides wherever these sinful engagements are patronized. Not surprisingly, the four pillars of sinful life are the best friends of the non-devotees, those who have no interest in performing yoga. If connecting with the Supersoul brings about the highest benefit, who would be against it? The material world exists precisely to facilitate the desires of those who want to imitate God or usurp His authority. Since these objectives can never be successfully met, a temporary realm is required to act as a playing field, a mock playground so to speak. Those who are the lowest among mankind, the dushkritinas, are slaves to the influences of the senses and the sinful activities that are recommended by such contaminated objects of acquisition. Therefore those who are in the lowest stage of understanding, a level of intelligence akin to that of an animal, will not be able to think clearly and realize that they are destroying themselves.

To illustrate the wonderfully stupefying effects of the conditioned senses, we can look to the example of the demon Vrikasura. A long time ago, this nefarious character took to worshiping Lord Shiva, a celebrated guna-avatara of Bhagavan. Vrikasura underwent extreme austerities and penances not recommended in the shastras to please Mahadeva, the great divine figure. Lord Shiva is Vishnu’s staunchest devotee; he spends all his time meditating on the Lord’s lotus feet. According to the most confidential and sublime Vedic information, Lord Krishna is the original form of Godhead; He is all-attractive and the provider of transcendental sweetness to those whose eyes have been anointed with pure love, premanjana. Lord Vishnu, who is also known as Narayana, is Krishna’s four-handed form that appears more opulently adorned than does Krishna. For all intents and purposes, Krishna and Vishnu are the same, though there are always arguments amongst transcendentalists as to which form is the original. In either case, exalted celestial figures like Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva always serve Vishnu as their most dear object of worship.

“O son of Bharata, the mode of ignorance causes the delusion of all living entities. The result of this mode is madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 14.8)

Lord Shiva is in charge of the mode of ignorance; the field of activity that brings further delusion and madness to the bewildered soul. He is given this task so as to allow even the lowest among men to gradually ascend the chain of spiritual knowledge, ideally culminating with worship of Vishnu. Those in the mode of ignorance don’t know what they want, or at least they don’t know what is good for them. Vrikasura was one such fool, as he was ready to sacrifice his own head in a fire for the pleasure of Mahadeva.

Vrikasura was searching for a benediction from the demigods and upon meeting Narada Muni, he asked the kind sage which entity he should worship. The demon wanted to know which figure would provide him a benediction in the shortest amount of time. This behavior is similar to shopping around various auto repair facilities and asking which store will provide the quickest turnaround time for an oil change. Vrikasura was interested in a business transaction, one with the guaranteed shortest wait time. Narada Muni advised the demon to worship Lord Shiva, for Mahadeva is known as ashutosha, which means “easily pleased”.

Satisfied with the recommendation, the demon went to work on his sacrifice, steadfastly engaging in worship for several consecutive days. Seeing that Mahadeva hadn’t approached him, the demon was ready to cut off his head and offer it in the fire. Observing the extreme level of dedication to the sacrifice, Mahadeva finally arrived and saved the demon from committing suicide. Pleased with his austerities, Lord Shiva told Vrikasura to ask for a benediction. From his inquiry of Narada Muni, we know that Vrikasura didn’t want to wait long to receive his benediction, but he also had no idea what type of reward to ask for. Lord Shiva’s wife is Goddess Parvati, the beautiful and chaste lady in charge of the material creation. Seeing that Lord Shiva was pleased with him, the demon figured if he could get a powerful enough boon, he would be able to take away Mother Parvati. Vrikasura thus asked for the benediction of being able to kill any person simply by placing his hand on their head. With the boon granted, Vrikasura immediately went chasing after Lord Shiva, wanting to touch his head in order to kill him and take away his wife.

Lord Shiva fled to Vaikuntha where Lord Narayana resides. Understanding the situation, Lord Vishnu assumed the guise of a brahmachari, or celibate student of Vedic philosophy, and humbly approached the demon. Pretending not to know what was going on, the brahmachari asked the demon what the trouble was. After hearing the issue, Narayana sort of laughed it off, making a few humorous references to Lord Shiva’s ghoulish appearance. These funny statements appear quite often in Vedic literature, as they reference the fact that those who are unaware of Mahadeva’s great powers don’t understand why he wears ashes on his body and why he hangs around cremation grounds. In fact, prior to her marriage, Goddess Parvati’s female associates were terrified at the thought of their friend having to marry Lord Shiva. They couldn’t understand why Parvatiji wanted to marry someone who had such a strange appearance.

Lord Narayana, in the form of a mendicant, then invoked a trick similar to the “heads I win” scam to fix the situation. The Lord very convincingly said that he couldn’t believe that the boon granted by Lord Shiva could work. In fact, if it didn’t work, the demon had full license to go after Lord Shiva and kill him. Narayana asked the demon to first test the boon by placing his hand on his own head. Since he was enveloped in the mode of ignorance, the demon gave no thought to the other potential outcome, that of the boon actually working. Rather, he was convinced by Narayana’s slick words that Lord Shiva was a liar and deserving of immediate punishment. Frothing at the mouth over the prospect of punishing Mahadeva and having Parvati for himself, not thinking rationally, the demon followed Narayana’s advice and placed his hand on his own head. Since Lord Shiva doesn’t give out false boons, the demon’s head immediately cracked, and he died as a result.

Any benediction offered by any entity, divine or otherwise, that doesn’t lead to pure love for God, or bhakti, is not useful in the least bit. Surely the higher authorities can grant any material boons to anyone who pleases them properly, but the greatest benediction of all, undying love for the Supreme Lord, can only be granted by Vishnu Himself. Therefore it is always wiser to directly worship Vishnu, or one of His non-different forms, in lieu of making business transactions with other authority figures. Vishnu will always weigh the benefits of the desired reward against the effects it will have on the petitioner. Vishnu is not so easily pleased, so if we ask for something that will only cause destruction to ourselves and to others, the Lord will certainly not meet our request. At the same time, we never end up losers by approaching Bhagavan because we at least connect with the right person. Eventually, through enough contact, we will be able to see the Supreme Lord for who He is: the ultimate reservoir of pleasure. Those whose link to the spiritual world always remains active through firm adherence to bhakti never have to worry about the influence of the senses or being tricked by the gambler’s fallacy. The holy name of the Lord is so powerful that by chanting it regularly, we always end up winners in the game of life, regardless of on which side the coin lands.

Are You Better Off

“Remembering their sons and wives, always being hungry and in anxiety, lamenting their painful situation these monkeys will turn their backs on you.” (Hanuman speaking to Angada, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 54.17)

smarantaḥ putra dārāṇām nitya udvignā bubhukṣitāḥ |

kheditā duḥkha śayyābhiḥ tvām kariṣyanti pṛṣṭhataḥ

Originating from Ronald Reagan’s famous debate with Jimmy Carter in 1980, “Are you better off today than you were before?” is now likely the most common question posed to voters by challengers looking to unseat incumbent politicians. More than any other barometer, the simple comparison of one’s life conditions between two periods of time can be enough to determine who will be supported in the upcoming election. Though civics can involve many levels of administration and decision-making and thus be difficult to comprehend, the voting public will ignore all the details and focus directly on the current situation at hand. If they are in a better predicament after having followed a particular leader’s implemented plan of action, they will likely approve of the incumbent’s remaining in office. On the other hand, if things turn sour, voters will turn their backs immediately on the existing leadership, choosing a different course of action. Indeed, a challenger often doesn’t even have to present anything substantive to the voters as far as policy goes. They can simply call for change, without actually defining what they will do differently, and still end up winning office. Shri Hanuman, the faithful servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was well aware of how constituents assess their leaders, and he used this knowledge to advance the interests of his beloved friend, master and worshipable object.

In a democratically elected and run government, passing legislation is not easy. Though presidents and prime ministers get the royal treatment upon assuming office and are viewed as ultimate authority figures, their powers are quite limited. In America for example, the head of the executive branch really can’t do much. At most the president can sign and veto legislation, appoint members to the Cabinet and judiciary, and decide where and when the armed forces go into battle. Even the power to make appointments to the Cabinet and federal judgeships is checked. A president may nominate a person for the Supreme Court, but the candidate must be approved by the Senate, which is the upper house of the legislature. All spending bills must originate in the House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Due to these limitations, a president shouldn’t be given full credit or blame for legislation that deals with taxation and spending.

The executive takes on his true power when he speaks. The president, or leader of a nation, is deemed to have the “bully pulpit”, which means that the executive branch has a large platform from which it can attempt to persuade the minds of the members of Congress and the voting public. When the president speaks, people listen. Because of the large megaphone, so much power and influence is ascribed to the executive. When it comes time to vote, the current situation of the country is tagged directly to the leader. The fact that legislation can take years to really take hold is not considered during election season. Rather, the majority of voters make their decision based on the answer to the simple question of, “Am I better off today than I was when I voted for such and such officeholder in the previous election?”

At the heart of material life, or fruitive activity, is the family. Man usually can tolerate personal insults and hardships, but when the same are directed at wives, husbands, parents, or children, the harsh treatment becomes intolerable. For example, in the sport of professional baseball, it is not uncommon for batters to get hit by pitches. The pitcher is trying to get the batter out, and since this involves throwing the ball at varying speeds to different locations unknown to the batter, sometimes the pitcher will make a mistake with their pitch and accidentally hit the batter. Getting hit by a baseball travelling at one hundred miles per hour is not a pleasant experience, and the immediate pain that results can cause irritation that boils up to the point of rage. The batter is already angry at being hit, but by maintaining a rational mindset, they can understand that perhaps the pitcher made a mistake.

Yet self-control and rationality go right out the window if the batter gets hit in the head by the ball. Then the errant pitch is deemed a personal attack. “This pitcher is throwing at my head. He is trying to end my career, which will result in my family losing their source of income. Since the pitcher is attacking my family, I must retaliate.” The immediately available option of retaliation is violence. As such, the angered batter then charges the mound and takes swings at the pitcher. The impetus for this violence is the perceived attack on the family members. This speaks to the truth that the family represents the most potent form of material strength, comfort, attachment and affection. If ever a person wants to influence another’s behavior, they simply have to bring up issues of family and the effect a particular action will have on them.

The strong attachment man has to his family was well known to Shri Hanuman, a divine figure and object of worship who performed many wonderful pastimes many thousands of years ago on this earth. In fact, Hanuman lives for as long as the story of his supreme object of affection continues to be recited, honored and learned from. Who is Hanuman’s favorite person? Who is that one entity who gives Hanuman so much bliss that he refuses to quit his body for fear of being separated from the name, form and pastimes related to his object of worship? This entity is none other than the Supreme Lord Himself in His form of Lord Rama.

Rama may be considered a sectarian figure, a god of the Hindus, but there is no such thing as a god for one group of individuals and a separate primary deity for another. The Supreme Lord is a universal figure, the person to whom we are all attached based on our constitutional makeup. As individual spirit souls, our nature is to love, affection of the transcendental variety that is directed at one entity, the Supreme Soul. Upon taking birth in a perishable realm, the natural loving propensity gets redirected at other objects and entities. Every intense emotion of this world, even hatred, is related to the natural yearning to serve Supreme Spirit.

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.14)

The purified souls, those who have transcended the three modes of material nature, can correctly identify the ultimate object of pleasure and worship. The modes of nature, which consist of goodness, passion and ignorance, are difficult to overcome due to their binding effect. Guna is a Sanskrit word that means “quality”, but it can also be translated to mean a rope. A rope keeps the enveloped object bound up in a particular condition. Freeing oneself of the bonds of a rope is not easy; it requires intelligence, strength, perseverance and help from others. Therefore, to become liberated from the effects of material nature, the strongest of which cause the redirection of the loving propensity, can take many successive lifetimes on earth.

Yet some notable personalities, such as Lord Hanuman, a kind-hearted individual beaming with divine energy who assumes the outward dress of a Vanara [advanced monkey], are eternally liberated. Man’s imagination and mental speculation has led to the making of classic adventure movies depicting a world run by apes and also theories that mankind has descended from the simian. But the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, not only give us concrete information about the soul but also of the types of body it can acquire while residing in the material world. The three aforementioned modes of nature can be combined into many different proportions. The result of this most intelligent of scientific experiments is the creation of 8,400,000 different species. Therefore it is not surprising at all to hear that there was once a time when human-like monkeys roamed the earth, as was the case during the Treta Yuga, the second time period [epoch] of creation.

The Treta Yuga is notable for the high level of piety present amongst members of society, and also for the Supreme Absolute Truth, the universal Lord, the non-sectarian Divine Figure, having descended to earth in the guise of a warrior prince named Rama during its time. As part of His glorious pastimes, Rama befriended a group of Vanaras living in the Kishkindha forest. Divine mercy is not the exclusive property of any religious sect or country, and it is also not reserved solely for the human beings. A soul is a soul, so any form of life is considered to be part and parcel of God. Just because one person is very intelligent and another is not does not mean that God only gives attention and protection to the more intelligent. The only difference between an animal and a human being is the potential for intelligence. A human being has a greater potential for knowledge acquisition and the ability to subsequently act off of that higher standard of information, but otherwise the basic nature of activities is the same as it is for animals.

The Lord befriended the Vanaras because He wanted help finding His missing wife, Sita Devi. Rama never requires any external information, wisdom, or effort, but since it is the natural tendency of the soul to love, Bhagavan facilitates the exchange of that pure service by creating situations where transcendental activities are required. In the absence of such situations, the purified soul would be prone to misdirecting its love towards things which are not personally God, or maya. The Vanaras living in Kishkindha were actually all celestial figures who had descended from the spiritual world. Indeed, Hanuman was the son of the wind-god, Vayu. Sugriva, a son of the sun-god, Surya, was the leader of the monkey kingdom in Kishkindha and Hanuman was his chief aide.

Following Sugriva’s orders, the monkeys divided up into groups and scoured the earth looking for Sita. Hanuman’s group had the most powerful monkeys in it, including Angada, Sugriva’s nephew. After searching for over a month, the monkeys grew weary. They came up on a beautiful looking cave which had many appealing aspects to it. The allure had no relation to the mission at hand and everything to do with the easy life, i.e. giving up or retirement. Angada convinced the other monkeys to abandon the mission and either take refuge in the cave or simply starve to death on the shore of the nearby ocean.

Hanuman did not like these new options. He thought that, at the very least, they should return to Sugriva and tell him that they had failed in the mission. The cave was appealing to those who wanted to quit because it appeared to be impenetrable and full of material delights. In fact, the hidden dwelling had been created by the demon Maya in days past. Hanuman, knowing that the chosen course of action was incorrect, went to work creating dissension amongst the members of the group. Bheda, or divide-and-conquer, is an age-old tactic taught to aspiring rulers in the Vedic tradition. Governments shouldn’t solely rely on public polling and the pulse of the electorate to make decisions; they should also employ trusted techniques aimed at maintaining peace in the land, methods that deal directly with enemies. While options such as punishment and pacification certainly prove effective, dissension is also a great way of dealing with an opposing element because it picks away at the enemy’s strength from within. Angada’s power came from the support he received from the other monkeys. Therefore Hanuman chose to create doubt in the minds of these monkeys while they were in Angada’s presence.

In the above referenced statement, we see Hanuman accurately pointing out that the monkeys would not remain supportive of Angada for long, especially once they started missing their wives and children. Angada, in this instance, was akin to a political leader who was about to choose a distinct course of action. In due time, however, the voters, represented by the members of the monkey army, would have to decide whether or not to reelect Angada. The appeal of Angada’s potential choice related to the sense pleasures available in the cave and to the lack of punishment from Sugriva. The king of the monkeys had given the soldiers one month to find Sita, otherwise they would face severe punishment. The option of starving to death on the seashore seemed more appealing than dealing with Sugriva’s wrath. But if either of Angada’s options were adopted, after a short while the monkeys would inevitably ask themselves the question, “Am I better off today than I was before?” Since their friends and family would not be around, surely the answer to this question would be “No.” Once this conclusion would be reached, Angada would be dethroned, the monkeys would return to Kishkindha, and all who had abandoned the mission would be punished.

What’s amazing is that Hanumanji realized this future sequence of events within minutes. Hanuman’s wisdom, quick-wittedness and ability to think on his feet are the result of acting in pure devotion, or God consciousness. Hanuman had no particular interest in politics or psychology, but he was more than willing to use whatever tools he had at his disposal to further Rama’s interests. His only concern was completing the mission given to him by Rama. Whatever he could do to achieve success for Rama is the course of action he would take.

The point of human life is to act in God’s interests, which are clearly laid out in the Vedas. The animal has no ability to even understand the presence of the soul, let alone take the necessary steps to free itself from the clutches of material nature that squeeze the life out of the senses at every second. Every person has certain qualities and work prescribed to them, so these duties should be performed with detachment and dedication. The highest duty of all is that of returning back to the spiritual world, where the natural loving propensity can be practiced in a pure way. In order to achieve success in the mission assigned to us, we have to be convinced of its validity. If we ask ourselves the question, “Are we better off today than we were at the time of our birth?”, the answer will surely be “No” if we are not God conscious. After all, at the time of birth, we had no attachments to anyone or anything. We didn’t even have any worries relating to work, school, or family. If our tremendous potential for divine love remains untapped all the way up until the time of death, the soul again gets placed in the material ocean, having to learn how to swim all over again.

Progress is not found in technological advancements or supposedly new theories that describe man as the ultimate enjoyer. When one gets closer and closer to reaching the spiritual kingdom, they have made the most permanent and irrevocable progress. The path that leads to the spiritual world is devotional service, a discipline that is open to every single person, regardless of their material qualities and prescribed duties. Any person can chant, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, and worship the Lord at all times. The resulting condition known as Krishna consciousness manifests in activities, as was seen with Hanuman’s behavior. As a reward for his dedication to the Lord, Hanuman would end up successfully finding Sita and returning the information of her whereabouts to Rama. The jewel of the Raghu dynasty, Shri Rama, would march to the island kingdom of Lanka, defeat Sita’s captor and rescue the divine princess. At the end of the day, everyone, including Angada and the Vanaras, would be better off as a result of their perseverance in executing the sublime mission assigned to them. If we follow the example set by the great Vanaras, we too can surely find the best situation in the future.

Vishnu Worship

“Whenever a devotee wants something from Lord Vishnu, Lord Vishnu first of all considers whether such a benediction will ultimately be good for the devotee. Lord Vishnu never bestows any benediction which will ultimately prove disastrous to the devotee, He is, by His transcendental nature, always merciful; therefore, before giving any benediction, He considers whether it will prove beneficial for the devotee.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 33)

Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesha are the three most notable figures of the Hindu faith, the Vedic tradition that has stood the test of time. Though these deities are the face of the most prominent spiritual tradition of India, they each take on vastly different roles. Moreover, their existence doesn’t make the final Vedic scriptural conclusion one of polytheism. Rather, the many deities speak to the varying degrees of activity, desire and reward. Yet of all the notable divine figures, only Vishnu and His non-different expansions stand out due to the nature of the benedictions they offer their sincere adherents. These rewards not only relate directly to the true meaning of life, but they substantiate the supreme role and position assumed by the original Person, that entity we know and address as God.

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.27)

In many social circles, the very mention of God or religion will cause heads to turn and eyes to roll. The flagrant reactions are understandable as God is most often invoked in the context of fruitive activity. As an example, a player may perform very well in a particular sport and then thank God for his victory. Obviously the sentiment is grounded in innocence and kind faith, for the behavior is indicative of a mindset lacking a direct, puffed up ego. Under the influence of false ego, or ahankara, which is a subtle material element, the individual thinks himself to be the doer and the ultimate controller of all outcomes. Yet these claims cannot be considered valid, as none of us are able to escape death. We can try to eat the right foods and abide by all the recommended health guidelines, but we can’t control the actions of others or of nature as a whole. Due to the limited influence we have on external forces, there is virtually no control over the outcomes of action. Only the higher authorities, the divine figures in charge of managing the results of fruitive activity, or karma, know how the future will play out.

In the arena of fruitive activity, it is silly to think that any single individual is more deserving of benefits than another. Hence those who scoff at the mention of God are certainly justified in their initial skepticism and angst. “How is God favoring you? Who are you to say what God thinks and what God wants?” These sentiments indicate at least a subconscious awareness of the limits of fruitive activity and the rewards they provide. The Vedas, the oldest scriptures in existence, fill in the missing details. The world we live in is a temporary place, a shadow copy of a more purified realm. Why the dichotomy in makeup? In one place, every individual is completely purified and working to fulfill the interests of the Supreme Friend. In the shadow realm, everyone is competing with each other to become that Supreme Individual. In the purified land, the roles never change, as it is impossible for the most powerful entity to ever lose His post. In fact, He never had to ascend to His lofty perch, for He is always the Supreme Person. In the temporary realm, there may be ascensions and falls of notable personalities every now and then, but no one is capable of remaining the most powerful person in a particular area of interest for any extended period of time. All-devouring death makes sure of that.

If efforts in the perishable realm are ill-fated, why the creation of the land in the first place? The answer is that those souls who want to imitate the behavior of the Supreme Person in the spiritual sky are not allowed to do so in the permanent realm. Instead, they need a playing field, a sort of giant room where they can pretend to be God. After checking in, the conditioned souls deluded by unattainable desires can check out at any time, provided they want to leave. Here, through a few simple steps, we have arrived at the meaning of life and the purpose to our existence. A shift in desire is all that is required, a changing of consciousness, to fulfill life’s mission. When the individual spirit souls, who though uniform in makeup still come in all shapes and sizes in the material world, want to return to the spiritual land and reassume their natural position as eternal servitors of the Lord, they are immediately granted liberation.

Why would we want to serve God? Why is He deserving of our efforts over anyone else? These questions actually further substantiate the aforementioned information provided by the Vedas as to the universe’s genesis. God’s qualities and attributes never change. Since He is eternally locked into His position, He has always been the original proprietor, supreme enjoyer and best friend of the living entities. Taking these three features together, we can deduce that the natural activity for any life form is to use whatever property they have for God’s pleasure. Since the Supreme Lord is the best friend, naturally His happiness will also equate to the benefit of His friends, i.e. every one of us. Proof of these concepts is seen on a smaller scale in the contaminated loving affairs of the material world. Every individual is offering some type of service, even if they are unaware of it. One person loves his senses by eating rich foods and drinking alcohol, while another serves his dog by taking it for walks and cleaning up after it. A woman serves her husband, the husband his parents, the soldier the nation, the elected official the constituents, etc. There is not a single individual who is not engaged in someone or something’s service.

“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, Bg. 15.7)

These service dealings are deemed impure because the objects of pleasure aren’t as potent as the Supreme Lord. Due to this deficiency, the pleasure derived from mundane service is always lacking; hence the constant sprouting of seeds of desire to shift from one venture to another. The living entity knows that it wants to serve; it just doesn’t know who is the most deserving of their love. God, as the Supreme Object of pleasure, is known by different names in the Vedic tradition and also around the world, but His original and most complete appellation is Krishna. This wonderful Sanskrit word speaks to the Supreme Lord’s all-attractive nature in His original form. That Supreme Spirit would be the most attractive entity should make sense, as there would be no point in taking to the service of an entity who wasn’t appealing in every respect. Yet Krishna is not God’s only form; He is kind enough to expand into other non-different spiritual bodies conducive to the particular mood of worship of the individual. The word “individual” speaks to the unique makeup of every spirit soul. Constitutionally everyone is equal, for there is no quantitative comparison between different fragmental sparks of the original spiritual energy. Yet just as no two snowflakes are alike, no two individual spirit souls have the exact same loving propensity towards the Supreme Lord. Some want to engage in loving affairs with God, some want to serve as His friend, while others even want to become His parent. All such transcendental mellows, or rasas, manifest through the personal interactions with Krishna and His different forms.

Since material life is governed by an illusory agent known as maya, realizing God’s true position is difficult. Hence the preponderance of flawed spiritual information that equates God with a measly order supplier, a person who only grants prayer requests for alleviation from distresses and the obtainment of various material rewards and does nothing else. Surely the Supreme Lord, as the original proprietor of matter, can supply anything to anyone. He even takes care of the food demands of the numerous species lower than the human being. If a tiger, an animal that lives off the flesh of other animals, is supplied enough food to eat, why wouldn’t a human? Since the necessities of the body are automatically supplied through divine forces, the human form of body is meant for a higher type of transcendental service, one involving an exchange of love. Since not every person will ascend to this highest platform of worship immediately, there are different divine agents, heavenly figures if you will, who serve as objects of service in the gradual progression towards the adoption of a permanent God consciousness, a mindset which, when stable enough, will take the individual soul back to the spiritual realm after the current life is over.

“Material nature consists of the three modes-goodness, passion and ignorance. When the living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes conditioned by these modes.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 14.5)

Activities not related to transcendental love can be classified into three different modes: goodness, passion and ignorance. Since activities in goodness lead to the acquisition of knowledge, they are considered pious. Fruitive activities, those acts which lead to temporary gains at the expense of much time and effort, are considered passionate. Ignorant activities are those performed without any regard for future gain or scriptural injunction. Ignorant behavior doesn’t help anyone; the mode of ignorance is what we normally refer to as “stupid behavior.” Not surprisingly, it is advised that we at least rise to the mode of goodness so that our knowledge base will steadily increase. By taking in Vedic wisdom, teaching it to others, performing sacrifices, and giving charity to worthy recipients, our tendency towards competition with God will gradually diminish. The mode of passion is what most human beings take to by default. These are the general activities of karma, wherein one takes to a certain set of actions for the purpose of a material reward. The sublime engagement of divine love is known as bhakti, and it is strikingly similar to karma. The difference between bhakti and karma is the beneficiary of action. Under the mode of passion, karmic activities secure rewards of the material variety meant to be enjoyed by the individual performing them. In the paradigm of bhakti, similar activities may be adopted, but since the rewards are used solely for the benefit of the Supreme Lord, both the performer and the rewards themselves become purified.

Lord Krishna, through His expansion as Vedic wisdom, is so nice that He allows for people in any mode of life to have some connection to spirituality. Even those mired in the darkness of ignorance are allowed a chance at spiritual upliftment. For such individuals, Lord Shiva, also known as Mahadeva, is the object of worship. Lord Shiva is described as ashutosha, which means “easily pleased”. As an exalted devotee of God, Lord Shiva just wants to spend all his time meditating on the lotus feet belonging to the eternal, blissful and transcendental body of the Supreme Lord. Since his devotees are constantly asking for this and that material benediction, Mahadeva kindly grants it to them without hassle so that they will leave him alone. Moreover, Mahadeva typically remains renounced and without much opulence. As Goswami Tulsidas so accurately notes, in this life those things which are the most needed and valuable, such as simple food grains and water, are readily available and inexpensive. Those items which we don’t really need, such as opulent jewelry and extravagant riches, are very expensive. Tulsidas says that this natural situation gives further evidence of God’s existence and His benevolence. Mahadeva, because of his complete dedication to bhakti, proves the poet’s brilliant observation to be true, as he is in need of nothing too extravagant. Lord Shiva simply requires a calm and peaceful setting and a mat on which to sit while meditating. His devotees, on the other hand, often ask for all sorts of opulences and powers, some of which are used for nefarious purposes. Indeed, these abilities aren’t required in the least bit, but due to their ignorance, these devotees constantly bother Lord Shiva. Nevertheless, anyone who at least approaches Shankara Bhagavan can gain some spiritual benefit that is not available to those on the animalistic platform of consciousness.

Lord Brahma, the first created living entity, is responsible for the mode of passion. Sex life is the best example of passionate activity, for it results in the continuation of life on earth. Those who are very passionate about receiving material rewards such as victory, money, power, etc. often worship Lord Brahma. Indeed, there are many other demigods, or devas, who deliver such rewards to their devotees. It should be noted that these devas are highly exalted living entities who are not tinged by the modes of nature they are in charge of. Rather, they are simply acting at the behest of the Supreme Lord. Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva are very dear to Lord Vishnu, who is in charge of goodness.

Lord Vishnu, though considered a presiding deity of material nature, is different from Brahma and Shiva in that He is a direct expansion of an even more powerful Vishnu of the spiritual world. That Vishnu is Himself an expansion of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Vishnu is generally more opulently adorned than is Krishna, for that is the wish of the devotees. Unlike those in the modes of passion and ignorance, those in the mode of goodness generally understand the differences between matter and spirit and the temporary nature of material life. Therefore when they worship Lord Vishnu, they offer nice items for His satisfaction. Vishnu is adorned with beautiful ornaments because that is how the devotees want Him to appear. “My dear Lord, please accept these offerings from me. You are the original owner of everything, so I am simply giving back to You whatever You have kindly lent me. I am in no need of material opulence, mystic power, or supreme knowledge. All I want is for You and Your eternal associates to be satisfied and for me to always be able to think of You.” In this way, those in the modes of goodness and pure goodness worship in a completely unique and superior way.

Yet the effects of material nature are quite strong, so even the Vishnu worshipers will fall down every now and then from the righteous path. But since Vishnu is non-different from the original Lord, worship of Him never goes in vain nor does it lead to the destruction of the worshiper. A great example of this was seen with the famous Narada Muni, an exalted sage and son of Lord Brahma. Narada is known for travelling from planet to planet through the aerial path and always chanting the name of Narayana, which is another name for Vishnu. One time, however, he became enchanted by a beautiful princess and wanted to marry her. She was so much loved by her father that she was allowed to choose her own husband. Narada, not even considering any other deva, immediately petitioned Lord Vishnu to help him. “Please let this beautiful princess choose me in the marriage ceremony”, is what Narada asked of Vishnu. Though Mahadeva, Brahma, and other demigods are beholden to the requests of their sincere devotees, Vishnu is not. This is the difference between worshiping God directly and taking the indirect route through seeking the shelter of other divine figures because of the temporary rewards they can provide. Vishnu thought the matter over and agreed to Narada’s request…sort of.

Vishnu never gives a devotee anything that will harm them. Narada had temporarily fallen down from his perch of elevated consciousness by seeing a beautiful woman. As a sannyasi he had no reason to get married, so the Lord instead decided to make Narada’s face appear like a monkey’s in front of the princess. Thus she didn’t end up choosing Narada, and he in turn became very angry at Vishnu. This shows yet another benefit of worshiping Vishnu. The devotee can get as angry as they want to at Vishnu, but there is nothing that will break their relationship of love. Narada angrily cursed Vishnu to come to earth in human form and be separated from His beloved wife. God can’t be cursed, but since He loves Narada so much, He agreed to the demand, coming to earth as the valiant warrior prince named Rama.

Subsequently, during one time in the forest Lord Rama was visited by Narada. The muni wanted to know why Vishnu had denied his request previously. Lord Rama kindly informed him that He takes special care of His devotees. Those who want to challenge God or forget Him believe they have full independence; thus they ignore the shelter of the lotus feet of Supreme Spirit kindly offered to them. But since the devotees worship in goodness, there is no underlying desire to challenge. Therefore the Supreme Lord always takes into consideration whether the benedictions they ask for will be beneficial or not. Vishnu, as the greatest parent, never stops loving His devotee, no matter how advanced they may become.

Through this kind oversight, the supremacy of Vishnu worship is firmly established. It is not surprising, therefore, to see that dedicated worship of Krishna, Vishnu, Rama, Narasimha, and other non-different Vishnu forms is not as popular as the worship of other divine figures or even worship of a God who is without a form. One who exclusively worships Vishnu is certainly the most intelligent, for they know that the Lord will not grant every single one of their wishes. Other demigods may be easily pleased to grant material benedictions, but not the Supreme Lord. Thus any person, regardless of which mode of material nature they find themselves in, is advised to worship Vishnu [Krishna] in all sincerity, as they will come out a winner in any scenario. If they ask Vishnu for something and get it, they will realize that the Supreme Lord is responsible for securing their possessions. If they don’t get what they want, they will either get angry at Vishnu or realize that what they wanted wasn’t necessary. In either case, there is association with Supreme Spirit, a connection which can only lead to a higher position in the future. Those who regularly associate with Vishnu are experts in the ancient art of divine love known as bhakti-yoga. In this day and age, the easiest method of Vishnu worship is the constant chanting of the holy names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Even when chanted with contaminated motives, this mantra is so powerful that it will gradually cleanse the mirror of the heart, ultimately leading to the most favorable of circumstances, that of an unbreakable bond with the original Personality of Godhead in the spiritual sky.

Then It All Crashes Down

“O chastiser of the enemy, as soon as you settle upon this, all the monkeys will decide to abandon you with fixed determination.” (Hanuman speaking to Angada, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 54.16)

avasthāne yadā eva tvam āsiṣyasi parantapa |

tadā eva harayaḥ sarve tyakṣyanti kṛta niścayāḥ

The workings of life are certainly a great mystery. Just when you think everything is finally settled and all obstacles in the way of the stated objective have been removed, everything just gets swept right from underneath you. As soon as power is consolidated through great effort, it all crashes down in an instant. What causes the constant toggling of gain and loss? Why can’t life be peaceful, especially for those who are providing protection for others? These constant changes in fortune are rooted in desire and fickleness of mind. One notable warrior and historical personality was fully cognizant of these features of the uncontrolled mind, and he used this knowledge to his advantage. Understanding full well the dangers of complacency formed in response to being given important tasks, this dedicated warrior and servant of the jewel of the Raghu dynasty voiced words of reason to those who were doubtful of the proposed plan of action. The statements emanating from the lotus mouth of Sugriva’s famed emissary were presented with a purpose, that of achieving success in one of the most difficult and important missions ever presented to a faithful servant.

Though not directly perceptible to the naked eye, life around us is changing at every second. The earth is constantly moving, so the exact positioning of the sun in relation to the earth is never steady. The growth of the outer body of the numerous life forms inhabiting the world also occurs subtly, so it is not easy to tell when someone has gained weight, lost hair, or grown in height. Usually when seeing someone after a long time, these changes are distinct in their appearance, but for those who are around the same person every day, the gradual changes go unnoticed. Of all the shifts that constantly take place, the most rapid and unpredictable are those pertaining to the mind. It is the nature of the individual spiritual spark to crave activity. Even sleep, which is seemingly the antithesis of fruitive work, involves activity. In fact, a sudden spike in brain activity is precisely what precedes the sleeping state. It is not until the mind starts racing from one thought to another that the fatigued individual lying in bed finally falls asleep.

“One who is not in transcendental consciousness can have neither a controlled mind nor steady intelligence, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace?” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.66)

The desires of the mind prove to be peace’s greatest enemy. Who in this world isn’t looking for peace? Fruitive workers spend long hours at the office for the purpose of coming home to a happy condition, one where no deadlines have to be met and no pressures are present. The stressed out worker desperately seeks this condition because as soon as the next day starts, the pressures of occupation come to bear once again. It is not uncommon for the worker disturbed by an overburden of responsibility and the fear of failure to dream of retirement, a time when they can live in peace without anyone around to bother them. This very temptation once tugged at the mind of a noble and powerful warrior named Angada. Though he was initially unable to resist the allurement of sudden renouncement, the urge to abandon his prescribed duties, through the help of one of his associates, he was eventually able to realign himself with the proper course of action.

Many thousands of years ago, the prince of Ayodhya, Lord Rama, graced this earth with the impression of His soft lotus feet and the vision of His divine form. As He was so ordered by His father, Maharaja Dasharatha, Rama roamed the forests of India for fourteen years. Since His beautiful wife, Sita Devi, was with Him, there was special attention given for her protection. Unfortunately, Rama was unable to keep her from being taken away by a Rakshasa demon named Ravana. When Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana subsequently went looking for her, they made their way to a forest named Kishkindha. At the time Kishkindha was inhabited by forest-dwellers known as Vanaras. These inhabitants were monkeys in appearance, but they were also very human-like. Their leader was Sugriva, and he immediately forged an alliance with Rama, crafting a sort of “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” compact.

Rama met His end of the deal by getting Sugriva his kingdom back. Sugriva returned the favor by dispatching his massive monkey army around the world to look for Sita. The strongest party included Angada, Sugriva’s nephew, and Hanuman, Sugriva’s chief minister and most trusted aide. Indeed, it was Hanuman who had brokered the deal between Sugriva and Rama. Shri Hanuman is the most capable fighter, scholar, teacher, servant and adherent to the dictates of the Supreme Lord. Upon their initial meeting, he correctly identified Rama for who He was, an incarnation of the original Personality of Godhead residing in the spiritual sky. Therefore Hanuman took Sugriva’s mission as his life and soul, for he knew the task presented was really for Rama’s benefit.

Unfortunately, the monkeys found the mission to be very difficult. Angada at one point decided to give up and either take refuge in a beautiful cave by the seashore or simply sit and starve to death. Hanuman did not like the change in plans. If the monkeys were going to abandon the mission, they should at least return to Kishkindha and let Sugriva and Rama know what happened. Angada, as the de facto leader of the group, had tremendous pull with the other monkeys. Therefore his decision to quit would influence the other monkeys into renouncing the mission as well. Angada figured the monkeys would be safer staying away from Sugriva and living out their remaining days on earth without conflict.

In the above referenced statement, Hanuman is accurately pointing out the dangers of such a tactic. In actuality, Hanuman was playing a psychological game, trying to create dissension amongst the ranks. If he could raise doubts in the minds of the monkeys and in Angada, the chances of abandoning the decided faulty course of action would increase. Angada was thinking his life would be peaceful and secure by remaining in the cave along with his monkeys or by simply sitting quietly and waiting for death to come. With the cave option, Angada would essentially become the king of a new land. Yet Hanuman points out that the monkeys would surely abandon Angada very quickly, for their wives and relatives were all back home.

A king can rule for only as long as his subjects are happy. Moreover, as soon as the subjects flee, the king loses his authority and his position. In order to be considered a ruler, there must be subjects to control. Hanuman warns that as soon as Angada’s powerful position would be established through abandoning Sugriva’s mission, the new kingdom would immediately come crashing down due to the fickle-mindedness of the monkeys. Not only would the monkeys abandon Angada, but they would be fixed in their determination to leave him. They may have been on the fence about quitting and siding with Angada, but as soon as the path of renouncement would prove to be futile, their dedication to the new path of leaving Angada behind would be even stronger.

This pattern of behavior predicted by Hanuman shows that in order for one to be happy, their desires must be satisfied. In order for desires to be fulfilled, the activities adopted must provide happiness and satisfaction to the soul. Giving up surely wasn’t going to secure any real happiness. In this instance, quitting was simply a way to avoid a negative condition, punishment from Sugriva. The monkey-king gave them one month to find Sita, and since that time period had elapsed, they would surely face his wrath upon returning without any information of the princess’ whereabouts. Yet even with the supposed absence of distress that comes with quitting, the mind will still wander towards those engagements that aim to fulfill new desires, hopes of maybe finding a greater happiness elsewhere.

The monkeys had two other choices that didn’t seem so palatable. They could continue with their mission and try to find Sita, or they could return to Sugriva and tell him what had happened. Of these two options, the former was actually better because it involved devotional service to the Lord. As mentioned before, the mind always desires something, a penchant derived from the natural loving propensity of the soul. Individual spirit, being part and parcel of God, is always blissful, knowledgeable and full of love. In the uncontaminated state, love is directed at the soul’s life partner, the Supreme Soul. In the conditioned state, love turns towards friends, family, community, nation and even enemies. Hate is simply the complete reversal of the loving propensity.

When love is directed at God, the activities that result are of the topmost variety. Yet dedication to these activities is difficult to maintain. The world we live in is full of material allurements, objects which are competing for the love we want to give. In Angada’s case, his inclination towards service was misdirected towards sensual enjoyments that would come from taking refuge in a cave that was crafted by the demon Maya or by simply sitting quietly and abandoning assertive action related to the mission. The word “maya” means that which is not, or something illusory. Hanuman is exposing this illusion by letting Angada know that the monkeys wouldn’t remain his subjects forever. The monkeys, though kindly engaged in the mission given to them by Sugriva, had a natural bond of affection for their family members back home. Since in this instance, the king, Angada, was serving his senses, service to the king would only be facilitating illusion. When the soul’s love is offered to something transient, the resulting happiness is short-lived and destined to fizzle out.

Hanuman’s words were guided by his pure desire to only offer his service to Rama, the Supreme Lord. The wonderful opportunity to personally serve Bhagavan was available to the other monkeys as well, but through hesitancy, fear and the perceived safety of complacency they weren’t taking advantage of their tremendous fortune. Through the help of Hanuman and the subsequent meeting with the bird Sampati, the monkeys would end up successfully finding Sita and returning to Sugriva and Rama with the good news. For those of us who find ourselves in a predicament similar to Angada’s, we can heed Hanuman’s advice and be saved from potential disaster in the future. In the manifested world, around every corner there are the allures of maya, those things which are not personally Bhagavan, quietly whispering in our ear to abandon righteousness, piety and the proper course of action in favor of a condition deemed more peaceful. But maya’s advances can never eliminate the natural inclinations of the mind towards loving service, as was correctly pointed out by Hanuman when he told Angada that the monkeys wouldn’t remain satisfied for long by deviating from the divine engagement handed to them.

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 18.66)

Just as the monkeys eventually took to devotional service, we too can carry out the Lord’s orders by regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Since this sacred formula carries the holy names of the Lord, it acts as a torchlight resting on the tongue, illuminating both the inside and outside of the body. As the doorway to the heart, which carefully protects the individual soul, the tongue that regularly recites the non-different names of the Absolute Truth directly responds to Krishna’s call in the Bhagavad-gita that one should surrender unto Him and be delivered from all sinful reaction. The desire to separate from God represents the original sin and most grievous transgression, a poisonous gift that keeps on giving by leading to the worst of negative conditions, continued separation from the Lord. Giving up the will to fight is what constitutes real surrender. When attached to spiritual life, surrender equates to abandoning the hope of being a greater enjoyer than God.

Taking to devotional service by adhering to regular practices like chanting and worshiping is the easiest way to surrender because the sincere step towards the unrelenting spiritual light represents a true waving of the white flag. More than just professing an allegiance, those faithfully engaged in Krishna’s service back up their claims of religiousness and piety. Whether one starts out religious or not, the chanting process will be successful in quelling harmful desires. There is no difference between the Lord and His name, so even if one is inclined towards sensual enjoyment and the illusory happiness it brings, constant recitation of the holy name will be effective nonetheless.

The greatest servant is one who serves the master without motivation and without interruption. When actions are continually performed under this mindset, without any concern for success or failure, the servant actually surpasses the master in stature, as was the case with Shri Hanuman, who became so endeared to Rama, Lakshmana and Sita that he is worshiped today by millions. Wherever there is Hanuman, there is love, dedication and perseverance leading to the param gatim, or highest destination. Since Hanuman was with them, Angada and the other monkeys were never in any danger of failing.

An Eternal Flame

“My devotee is not deterred by any adverse conditions of life; he always remains firm and steady. Therefore I give Myself to him, and I favor him so he can achieve the highest success in life.” (Lord Krishna speaking to King Yudhishthira, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 33)

The promise of protection offered by the Supreme Lord is not empty in the slightest. One who takes to the sublime engagement of divine love is not only guaranteed of aid from the Supreme Person Himself, but the emotional fortification that results is so strong that the lover remains fixed in determination to execute their service, irrespective of the ensuing conditions, favorable or otherwise. Only in this highest engagement, which can be described as bhakti-yoga, bhagavata-dharma, or devotional service, is the property of perseverance coupled with lack of expectation of reciprocal benefit present. In every other sphere of activity, spiritual or otherwise, there comes a fizzling point, a moment when the driving force behind activity either burns out or fades away. Such is not the case with the soul’s natural activity, loving service to God.

Divine love in the mature stage can be likened to a fire that never stops burning. Based on observation, the only object we know that bears such properties is the sun, the greatest astral body which is so powerful that it grants heat and light to millions of individuals spread across thousands of miles in distance. Due to this benevolence and steady nature, it is not surprising to see the sun worshiped in many religious circles, including in the Vedic tradition. The original scriptures of India, the Vedas, serve as the foundation for religious practice, the highest system of knowledge reserved for those who ponder the meaning behind the temporary gains and setbacks that result from association with matter, the Lord’s temporary energy manifestation. Irrespective of gender, nation, ethnicity, time, or circumstance, the Supreme Lord’s position remains steady just like the sun. Though scientists have studied the blazing fire in the sky since the beginning of time, they have yet to even come close to understanding it. From where does the sun get its power? How is it able to constantly burn without any external fuel source?

“Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of lights I am the radiant sun, I am Marichi of the Maruts, and among the stars I am the moon.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.21)

For those who are spiritually inclined and fortunate enough to take information from the right authorities, the fairly obvious answers to these questions are kindly revealed. As the longtime servant of the original divine being, the sun is simply acting according to the duty that it has so kindly been bestowed. The sun has no other engagement except to meet the demands of the original creator of this and every other universe. The sun doesn’t burn out because, as a faithful servant, it is aided in its tasks by the Supreme Lord Himself. Why would the sun and other such objects receive the direct favor of Bhagavan, the most fortunate of all persons? The answer can be found in the workings of the loving relationship. If a son wants to make something for their parents or maybe even get them a Christmas gift, if the sentiments that go into the thoughtful act are genuine enough, the parents will actually help the child along. The parents have no desire for any gift from the child, for the children don’t work for a living, so they don’t have any money to buy any object of tangible value. Yet the parents are so endeared to the child’s motivation and pure sentiments that they actively take part in helping the child execute their service.

When the loving sentiment is strong and not tainted by any external motivation, the perseverance shown by the lover increases to the highest level. In independent dealings between men and women, it is often seen that upon initial meeting the man will flick on the charm switch and really try to woo the woman. If he is successful in his attempts, some sort of short-term relationship will result. But as soon as the man gets what he wants, it’s not uncommon to see him renounce the same woman immediately afterwards, moving on to the next sexual adventure. Such dealings cannot be considered pure love, for there was a desired end-goal in mind tied directly to sense gratification. In addition, once the desired stimulation was experienced, all motivation for future service went away.

Basically all subordinate activity, i.e. anything not performed for the direct pleasure of the Supreme Lord, follows the same pattern. As spirit souls, our constitutional makeup is that of lovers of God. The natural affection harbored for God found within the recesses of the heart is of the purest variety; hence it is known as prema in Sanskrit. Prema fructifies from bhava, or pure nature, which comes from complete surrender, or sharanagati. This surrender doesn’t culminate in giving up all activity and sitting around like a log. Renouncement leading to bhava initially aims to quell the hot pursuit of sense gratification, which is a chase that takes the form of competition with our fellow man. One person is trying to become the richest, while another is after fame and beauty. Yet another person tries to become the most intelligent, while another makes a show of being the most renounced. One who is armed with intelligence, however, realizes that such pursuits are futile because of the inferior nature of the results. The Sanskrit word “Bhagavan”, the sublime name given to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, speaks to the Lord’s possession of every single beneficial attribute to the fullest degree and at the same time.

If we can’t become Bhagavan or equal to Him in attributes, what is the purpose to our existence? What are we supposed to do with our time? The precious moments spent on earth in a human form of body are meant to be used to perform activities in line with our constitutional makeup. Chasing after God’s opulences and competing with Him for supremacy are deemed conditioned activities, for not only are these engagements destined for failure, but they also go against the original nature of the soul. As mentioned before, the soul, or individual spirit, at its core is a pure lover of God. For this assertion to be true, the purported properties of the jiva must manifest in practical life. Theoretical statements are nice, but they aren’t accepted without perceptible evidence, instantiations of the different postulates. The fact that we go to such great lengths to serve our senses and our fellow man is proof positive of the natural loving propensity. When the inclinations borne of the spiritual makeup are shifted in the right direction, the result is the emergence of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service to Bhagavan.

Working hard to get a promotion at work or studying rigorously to pass a certain exam in a class certainly has the service mentality built into it. But at the same time, once the desired objective is attained, the motivation for service dwindles, thus further substantiating the claim that acts devoid of God’s association are conditioned. When one takes to devotional service, however, the primary driving force is the natural loving propensity of the soul in a purified form. Therefore, only in the sublime engagement of divine love does the spark for action never fizzle out. Moreover, the Supreme Lord personally takes an interest in such activities, as He is the intended beneficiary to constitutional behavior. Due to His direct intervention, not only does the devotee never waver in their dedication, but their ultimate success in whatever specific venture they adopt is very easily achieved.

These truths seem logical enough to accept, but there are also countless historical examples that very nicely illustrate the undying nature of the flame of divine love. Prahlada Maharaja was a son of a demon king many millions of years ago. There were two sisters, Diti and Aditi, and their sons took diverging courses in life. Aditi’s sons grew up to be devotees, and Diti’s sons were all demons. Prahlada was an exception to this, for though he appeared in the ancestral line of demons, he was a devotee from the time of his birth. The demon king Hiranyakashipu was very powerful and wreaking havoc throughout the world. When his wife became pregnant, the venerable Narada Muni came and instructed her on spiritual matters. While in the womb of his mother, Prahlada heard all of Narada’s instructions. At the time of birth, Prahlada was able to recall these sublime teachings through the help of the divine consciousness. Indeed, he grew up to be a child prodigy of sorts, able to recount the most important Vedic teachings and impart the same instructions to his classmates.

“Narada Muni delivered his instructions both to me, who was within the womb, and to my mother, who was engaged in rendering him service. Because he is naturally extremely kind to the fallen souls, being in a transcendental position, he gave instructions on religion and transcendental knowledge. These instructions were free from all material contamination.” (Prahlada Maharaja, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.7.15)

Hiranyakashipu didn’t like that his son was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, the four-handed all-pervading, opulent form of the Supreme Lord. Hiranyakashipu, as a demon, was a devout devotee of matter and took himself to be the most powerful person in the world. Yet even in the face of the greatest opposition, Prahlada, though only five years old, never wavered in his devotion. He tried his hardest to convince his father of Vishnu’s pleasure-giving nature and His omnipresent position as the Supersoul residing within the heart of every living entity. Hiranyakashipu, for his part, tried every which way to kill his son, but none of them worked. Since Prahlada survived placement in a burning fire, being dropped off of a cliff, and being attacked with deadly weapons, the king thought that maybe his son had mastered some mystic power or was getting help from some outside entity. He finally questioned the boy as to where his power was coming from. Prahlada replied that the source of his strength was the same as his father’s: God.

“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)

Prahlada’s assertion was completely true, and even on more than one level. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, states that He is the ability in man, or paurusham. As spirit souls, we have independence in how we choose to interact with nature, but the exercise of our abilities and the fortunes that result are due solely to Krishna’s grace. We may be the doer in the sense that we take the impetus for action, but the results of all work are out of our hands. In Prahlada’s case, his staunch devotion to Vishnu guaranteed him protection at every turn. As a reward for the child’s steadfast practice of bhakti-yoga under the most adverse of conditions, the Lord directly intervened to save the child each time he was placed into distress, finally culminating with His personal appearance as a half-man/half-lion known as Narasimhadeva. This most unique and beautiful form of Vishnu ferociously did away with Hiranyakashipu once and for all, allowing Prahlada to live peacefully in the devotional attitude for the rest of his life.

Many thousands of years later, another famous devotee faced his own obstacles. Charged with the task of finding the whereabouts of a kidnapped princess, Shri Hanuman braved his way onto the enemy grounds of the island of Lanka. Ravana, a demon similar in character to Hiranyakashipu, had taken Mother Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, and tried his best to win her over. Yet Rama was another incarnation of Vishnu, and Sita an expansion of Goddess Lakshmi, therefore it was impossible for Ravana to even gain an ounce of favor from Sita. Hanuman, though in the form of a Vanara, or monkey, courageously leapt his way across an expansive ocean to reach the shore of Lanka. Even while exhibiting herculean feats of strength and bravery, Hanuman’s mind never wavered from his main point of focus, that of pleasing Rama by finding His wife.

Yet there were many obstacles along the way, and a few times Hanuman appeared to lose his nerve, thinking that it would be impossible to achieve success in the face of such a massive opposing force as the army of Rakshasas in Lanka. Yet just as was done with Prahlada, the Supreme Lord came and helped Hanuman by giving him the inner strength to carry on. Hanuman certainly thought about quitting a few times, but his strong love for Rama kept him going. Eventually, Hanuman would find Sita, withstand a strong attack from Ravana and his Rakshasas, and set fire to Lanka. To this day Hanuman is considered Rama’s greatest devotee due to his unflinching faith and devotion to the divine tasks assigned to him.

Around five thousand years ago, five brothers belonging to the royal order faced tremendous hardships and torments at the hands of others. Their leader, the eldest brother, King Yudhishthira, was the rightful heir to the kingdom in Hastinapura. Yet through the nefarious tactics employed by his cousin Duryodhana, Yudhishthira and his brothers were driven out of the city of elephants. Prior to their exit many attempts were made on their lives, but each time they managed to escape. Not surprisingly, it was divine intervention that saved the day, as Yudhishthira and his brothers, including their mother Queen Kunti, were intimate associates of Lord Krishna, who had descended to earth at the time in His original form. Outwardly, Krishna was related to these brothers, known as the Pandavas, as their cousin, but inwardly He was always with them as their supreme loveable object. In the face of every disturbance, Yudhishthira and the Pandavas remained dedicated to dharma, or virtue, and thus they were able to successfully win back their kingdom and execute devotional service for the rest of their time on earth.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, at a very advanced age travelled across the ocean to America. His mission was simple: impart the essence of Vedic wisdom to the people of the Western world. Though the task was straightforward, its execution and its success were not. Yet since he was faithfully carrying out the orders of his own spiritual master, Shrila Prabhupada remained committed to his task. Due to this genuineness, Shri Krishna again personally intervened and guaranteed the swami’s success. Shortly thereafter, the Krishna consciousness movement spread across the world and is still being carried on to this day by the kind, humble, sweet and dedicated disciples of the swami and their spiritual descendants.

What’s interesting to note is that even after the Lord personally intervenes and guarantees success for the sincere individual in their tasks, the impetus for action does not fizzle out. Prahlada didn’t stop worshiping Vishnu after the impediments placed by his father were removed. Hanuman’s love for Rama only increased after Sita was rescued and Ravana defeated. Yudhishthira Maharaja and his brothers never forgot about Krishna; not even for one second. Shrila Prabhupada remained committed to preaching Krishna consciousness all the way up until the time his life air left him. In this way we see that the only engagement that further increases one’s passionate love even after encountering success after success is devotional service. With this unique property the supremacy of the sublime engagement of divine love is firmly established. What’s even more astounding is that this wonderful discipline can be very easily taken up, as the quintessential act of bhakti is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. By regularly chanting this sacred formula, which is the singular method of salvation endorsed by the highest authority figures of the Vedic tradition, and offering humble services to a spiritual master or pure Vaishnava, success in the mission of life, that of permanently altering our consciousness, will surely be achieved. The Supreme Lord guarantees that the devotees will always win in the end, securing for them achievements which subsequently keep the fire of devotion burning even stronger.

Iron Arrows

“Lakshmana has many naracha arrows [made of iron] that are just like the thunderbolt hurled by Indra and lightning in the potency of their impact, as they can even split mountains.” (Hanuman speaking to Angada, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 54.15)

lakṣmaṇasya ca nārācā bahavaḥ santi tat vidhāḥ |

vajra aśani sama sparśā girīṇām api dārakāḥ

Shri Lakshmana, the kind, compassionate, devoted and sweet younger brother of Lord Rama, is composed entirely of pure goodness. He possesses every desirable trait imaginable, and he uses all of his potencies to protect the interests of the Supreme Lord. God, as the all-powerful and omnipresent Lord, certainly doesn’t need a protector, but He derives tremendous pleasure from pure association. We too enjoy spending time with our close relatives, friends and children, so why shouldn’t the Lord have a penchant for the same activity? He is everyone’s father after all, so He is inherently tied at the hip to every single individual spanning every type of body. Yet since God is the Supreme Pure, He has a higher standard for enjoyment. As such, divine satisfaction only comes from association with those who want to be with God. Lakshmana cannot survive in Rama’s absence, a feature which makes him worthy of worship from all of mankind. Yet Lakshmana’s desire for association is not of the selfish variety. He is ready, willing and able to do whatever Rama asks of him, and even sometimes things the Lord doesn’t openly request.

What does this mean exactly? When love is very strong, the lover will take to action they deem to be beneficial for the object of their affection. Sometimes the loved will not ask for such dedication or maybe they will outwardly voice their displeasure at a particular behavior, but the lover nonetheless continues on their decided course. This is the case with Lakshmana, who as a great bow warrior, was ready to attack anyone who wronged his brother during the duo’s time spent on earth many thousands of years ago. This isn’t to say that Lakshmana was impious in any way, but since Rama, as a prince devoted to the rules of propriety and religion, was completely pure and free of sin from the perspective of ordinary piety, anyone who would wrong Him would surely be worthy of punishment. Keenly aware of this, Lakshmana always stayed by his brother’s side and was ready to attack any enemy with his arrows. This behavior was noted, appreciated and remembered by Shri Hanuman, another faithful servant of Rama’s, who kindly reminded a dear friend of Lakshmana’s nature during a particularly difficult time.

During the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation, the Supreme Absolute Truth, the one person beyond duality and illusion, appeared in this temporary and miserable world out of His own free will. The perceptible world is considered miserable because there is no single permanent condition. Therefore even a turn in fortune deemed positive and beneficial will eventually have to fizzle out. This world is not a permanent home for any person, but rather a prison house aimed at reforming those spirit souls whose desires became polluted to the point that they wanted to imitate the Supreme Absolute Truth. God is known as the only truth because there is no denying any of His potencies or attributes. Even the atheists worship God in His separated feature of matter. One may deny the Lord’s existence and refuse to say His name, but they will meet Him anyway at the time of death, for even the greatest skeptic of religion must succumb to the forces of time. We may be very wealthy, beautiful and wise, but since death is imminent, these attributes eventually disintegrate. Since God never dies, the truths which describe Him can be considered absolute. There is no logical proof or series of statements that can be taken together that will nullify the Supreme Lord’s authority.

When the wayward spirit souls become envious of God’s position or when they too would like to enjoy the benefits of being supremely powerful, a temporary realm is created for them to act out their desires. The flawed desire to imitate God cannot be acted upon in the spiritual world; therefore a temporary realm is needed. Since no one can actually become God, the temporary playing field automatically becomes a place full of miseries. Competition for supremacy in small and large scales results in cheating, lying, stealing, war, famine, pestilence, etc. When the individual residing within a specific body type runs out of ammunition, their present body is destroyed and a new one is immediately given. Hence the process of reincarnation continues until the desires of the conditioned soul completely change. When desire is purified, the soul returns to the spiritual world, where it once again enjoys God’s association, but this time for all of eternity.

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

In order to facilitate the purification of desire, the Supreme Absolute Truth descends to earth from time to time. Since He is the creator of matter, which is the predominant agent of the temporary realm, the Lord cannot be subject to its forces. There is an energy that governs this world which fools us into thinking that there is no God and that mundane enjoyment is actually of the topmost level. The influence of this energy is best seen in the activities of lower grade animals. A pig rolls around in its own stool all day. Yet the pig is not concerned at all with the uncleanliness of such a living situation, nor is it worried about what others will think of their behavior. To the intelligent human being, such a lifestyle is repugnant.

Just the ability to compare and make judgments on behavior shows that the human being has a heightened level of intelligence. The higher potential for knowledge acquisition was given to man for a reason. It was not meant to be squandered away through acts of sense gratification, which bring a level of enjoyment already available to the less intelligent animal species. Rather, the mature human being has a chance to see the temporary nature of the world and the influence of overindulgence in sense gratification. Yet even with the heightened potential for intelligence, mankind still falls victim to maya’s influences. Even those who are directly engaged in God’s service can fall off the straightened path when faced with temptation. The Vanaras of the Kishkindha forest many thousands of years ago had a brief departure from the path of dharma, but fortunately they had one of the Lord’s dearest servants with them to keep the torchlight of transcendental knowledge ablaze.

During the Treta Yuga, God appeared on earth as Lord Rama, the jewel of the Raghu dynasty. Roaming the earth alongside His wife, Sita Devi, and Lakshmana, Rama took up residence in the forest of Dandaka for some time. On one occasion, Sita would be kidnapped by a demon named Ravana. Not at the hermitage at the time, Rama and Lakshmana returned to see that she was missing. In their subsequent search for her whereabouts, the two brothers made their way to the forest of Kishkindha, which was inhabited by a group of Vanaras, an elevated race of monkeys. The ruler on Mount Rishyamukha in Kishkindha was Sugriva, and through the efforts of Hanuman, Sugriva’s chief minister, Rama and the monkey-king forged an alliance. Rama first delivered on His promises, which then left the burden up to Sugriva to come through on his. Sugriva had agreed to help Rama find Sita, so in order to achieve this end, the monkey-king dispatched his massive army around the world. The task was pretty straightforward: the monkeys had one month to find where Sita was and return that information to the camp.

Hanuman was part of the strongest group dispatched by Sugriva. Yet after a month had passed, the monkeys were unable to find the missing princess. Making their way to a beautiful cave and then to a seashore, the leader of the group, Angada, decided to abandon the mission and not return to Kishkindha. Though he was deputed by Sugriva to perform a task of devotion for Shri Rama, Angada fell victim to maya’s influence. Ironically enough, an actual demon named Maya had constructed the cave and filled it with wonderful material opulences. The comfortable lifestyle was very appealing to one of the monkeys who was advising Angada and also to the other soldiers. As such, they decided to stop the mission and either take refuge in the cave or simply starve to death on the seashore.

Hanuman did not like the decision at all. He had no desire to stop, for he is not influenced by maya in any way. In order to convince Angada and the other monkeys to continue the mission, Hanuman took to the ancient tactic of diplomacy known as division. His goal was to create dissension amongst the ranks, raise doubts about the validity of the decision to quit. In the above referenced statement, we see Hanuman correctly reminding Angada of Lakshmana’s powers. Lord Indra is the king of the heavenly realm, which, as a part of the material world, is only a land of increased enjoyment. The demigods, or suras, are always in battles with the asuras, or demons. The struggle between the pious and the impious has been going on since the beginning of time, and there is no end in sight to the hostilities. Good and evil will always clash, so in order for the good to win, they must be very strong. Indra, as the leader of the “good guys”, uses his thunderbolt to attack the demons. He had even previously attacked the same demon Maya in the cave that the monkeys were now thinking of taking refuge in. Indra was able to make a small dent in the cave, as is the case with thunder and lightning. The amazing mountain structures that we see around the world are all the result of natural forces. We could never think of making a beautiful mountain ourselves, but with the help of thunder and lightning, these structures are carved out very nicely, as their original forms split on impact.

Hanuman here states that Lakshmana’s arrows are each like thunder and lightning in impact, and since his quiver is filled with arrows made of iron, Lakshmana can hurl weapons of destruction at will. The intent of this statement is quite obvious. Lakshmana is Rama’s faithful younger brother, and should he find out that the monkeys abandoned their mission without due cause, he would most certainly be angry. In attacking the demon Maya, Indra was only able to make a small dent with his weapon of choice, the thunderbolt, in the illustrious cave. But since Lakshmana possesses even greater strength, he would most certainly destroy the entire cave and whoever was seeking refuge in it. In this way Hanuman is trying to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of the monkeys who had failed to carry out their prescribed duties. Though Angada would subsequently choose the suicide through starvation route, Hanuman’s tactic would eventually bear fruit after the monkeys got further information of Sita’s whereabouts. Not ironically, it would be Hanuman tasked with jumping across the ocean to Lanka, where Sita was. Finding her location and successfully returning to Kishkindha, Hanuman and the monkeys would end up completing their mission and satisfying Rama.

Though they were presented through a psychological tactic, Hanuman’s cogent words of advice, which were grounded in the highest truths, show that there is no safe haven in this world from tasks and responsibilities. We cannot seek refuge in one area and hope to forever be free of pressure, loss and heartache. Rather, the exact nature of the material world is one of misery and pain. Despite this gloomy outlook, the more potent positive aspect of the human form of life can be discovered from studying the behavior of the same monkeys who were ready to quit. Through Hanuman’s efforts and dedication to action, the monkeys were eventually able to see the light and continue with their prescribed duties. All of mankind shares a common occupational duty, that of returning to the spiritual land after the time on earth is finished, which trumps all other responsibilities. Maya’s influences are very strong, for she repeatedly attempts to lure us into taking to intoxication, gambling, meat eating and illicit sex life. But these activities don’t represent any real refuge. Though Lakshmana may not personally attack us for our transgressions with his iron arrows, the punishing forces of all-devouring time will knock us down from whatever lofty position we ascend to.

To fend off maya’s advances, strength of conviction that is reinforced through the association of saintly personalities like Hanuman, someone who is above the influences of duality and the allurements of the contaminated senses, is required. Therefore one of the central Vedic tenets is that we should try to associate with pure souls, those who are devoted to always serving the interests of the Supreme Lord. In this day and age the true mission of life can be accomplished by taking to positive activity, those actions which are part of the sublime engagement of pleasing Bhagavan, the most fortunate entity in all the worlds. The quintessential act of devotion is the chanting of the names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Though these names come from the Sanskrit language, the sound vibrations are open to any person to produce. The material world is not miserable only for Hindus or those born in a family with Indian traditions. The constitutional position of the soul is absolute, and so are the truths relating to the flawed material world. Therefore the incidents documented and described in the Ramayana can help all of us stay on the straightened path.

As an added bonus, if we sincerely take to devotional service, the mission entrusted to all of us, Lakshmana will use his same iron arrows to protect us. Though Hanuman correctly pointed out the potential of Lakshmana’s wrath to those transgressing the Supreme Lord’s dictates, during the subsequent battle with Ravana and his Rakshasa army, Lakshmana would use his arrows to protect the same band of monkeys. Devotional service is never overlooked by the Supreme Lord. If He sees someone sincerely trying to please Him, He will take whatever steps are required to ensure that such service continues uninterrupted. It was no accident that Hanuman was sent with the party of Angada and other strong monkeys. Hanuman is forever the Lord’s messenger, the spiritual guide that keeps maya’s influence at a distance. For this and many other reasons, Hanuman is deserving of the highest adoration, worship and love.