A Late Beginner

“When love of God deteriorates into lust, it is very difficult to return to the normal condition. Nonetheless, Krishna consciousness is so powerful that even a late beginner can become a lover of God by following the regulative principles of devotional service.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 3.41 Purport)

You show up to the class late. Everyone else already heard the instruction for the day. Teams have broken out to work on the exercises assigned, so you really have no idea what is going on. You approach the teacher to see if you can join in, but they tell you that it’s too late. “You should have been here on time. I don’t even know what team to place you in. You’ll be lost. You’ll be as valuable to any team by just sitting on the sidelines and watching what they are doing.” The critical components necessary for carrying forward in a particular discipline indicate that the education must start from a beginning point. In the human being’s progression in consciousness, the proper restraints in the beginning of life are necessary; otherwise the tendency towards activities driven by illusion will strengthen. Nevertheless, the constitutional engagement is so strong that the latecomers can still save themselves, learning what they need to in order to find the right condition.

Is there something specific to be learned for the constitutional engagement to be successfully found? The Bhagavad-gita sums up the basic plight of the living entity. Through some sort of delusion the mature human mind thinks that one particular loss will greatly affect them when it actually won’t. From that fear there is hesitation over the proper course, a nagging itch to deviate from the righteous path in hopes that the future outcome can be affected. Of course there is nothing wrong with trying to find a positive condition, but when one knows what they have to do and then doesn’t do it based on the thought that they can control events that are out of their control, they fall from the righteous path.

What is the big deal in falling off of the train of righteousness? Piety exists for a reason. Honesty, cleanliness, austerity and mercy provide benefits to the living entity who practices them. Typically, we’d view these characteristics as benefitting others. If we are truthful in our dealings, others can rely on us. If we are clean both inside and out, others will want to associate with us. Through austerity, others can have ample resources to use to sustain the vital force within their body. Through mercy, we offer compassion to our fellow man, forgiving his mistakes and at the same time protecting his right to live.

But these principles are more helpful to the individual who practices them. They are the beginning steps in the purification of consciousness, which is the birthright of every living entity. The human species is the most auspicious because it carries the highest potential for achieving that goal. In a purified consciousness you can get through pretty much any situation. A righteously situated consciousness is similar to having no feelings at all through numbness, except the immunity is real and beneficial versus fake and harmful.

As an example, an alcoholic gets drunk to temporarily escape the influence of the senses. In the inebriated state, one is less likely to suppress their emotions. A negative reaction, either physical or emotional, may not have an immediate effect either. On the surface this appears to be a good thing. “Get drunk so that you won’t feel the pain, so that you can survive through a tough situation.” But in reality, the inebriation only presents a false sense of escape, as the crash back down to reality will be hard. Moreover, the next time there is a reach towards intoxication, the effect won’t be as strong, and you’ll need more consumption to find a state devoid of feeling.

With a properly situated consciousness, you get the benefit of immunity from the reactions to work along with the added bonus of knowing how to act righteously. If you have the choice to act in the right way or the wrong way, and you don’t really care either way because your mind is fixed on the Absolute Truth, the better option is to act the right way. With this path, at least others get an example to follow, and at the same time the responsibility for the results gets shifted to someone else.

The lessons of the Bhagavad-gita prove this fact. The hesitant warrior Arjuna was taught about the meaning of life and how the soul is transcendental to matter. Reincarnation is like a machine that operates at every second, and it is especially noticed at the time of death, when the entire body is replaced in favor of another one. To lament over one’s personal bodily condition or the condition of others is not very wise. Arjuna was wrong to avoid fighting out of fear for the welfare of the fighters on the opposing side.

“The Supreme Person [Bhagavan] said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the progressive values of life. They do not lead to higher planets, but to infamy.”  (Bhagavad-gita, 2.2)

Through the discussion on Vedanta presented by Arjuna’s teacher, Lord Krishna, the warrior was able to become immune to the influence of profit and loss, victory and defeat. Did this mean that he would just give up and go home? On the contrary, as a warrior, it was Arjuna’s occupational duty to fight to protect the innocent. With a properly situated consciousness, however, the burden for the outcome rested with Krishna, who is the origin of life and matter. The Supreme Lord created righteousness for the mature human beings to follow, and one who does abide by these principles does not have to worry about the outcome to events. If, on the other hand, you take matters into your own hands, you become responsible for whatever comes next. The human being, who is limited in abilities, is not capable of handling this responsibility because they can never mentally concoct a system of righteousness that rivals what is presented by the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India first instituted by Krishna.

The principles of religion are best learned at a young age because it is during this time that habits are formed. If you can practice austerity as a habit, you will have a much easier time coping with changes to financial conditions in adult life. If you can practice mercy by avoiding meat eating at a young age, you will not be tempted to eat animal flesh when you get older. Practicing the principles of religion from the start of life gives you a better opportunity to purify consciousness and follow the path laid down by Arjuna with full confidence.

A nice feature of the highest system of religion is that it is not exclusive to a specific type of person or age group. At the heart of the spirit soul’s qualities is a deep love and affection for the Supreme Spirit, who is the same Krishna. Love is the universal language, and it can thus be spoken by any person, regardless of their prior training or lack thereof. Surely it is more difficult to accept the need to love God when you have developed so many bad habits, but if the motivation is sincere, the ignorance strengthened through years of impiety can be dispelled in an instant.

So what is the latecomer to do? How can they catch up? What is the crash course for divine love, bhakti-yoga? The best method is to simply hear the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. To hear these sacred sounds anywhere, produce them regularly by chanting. Follow the recommendation of chanting this mantra as often as possible, keeping in mind the ideal daily routine of sixteen rounds per day on a set of japa beads. If you like, pay no concern at the beginning to right and wrong, life and death, reincarnation and heaven. Austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness are built into this sacred mantra, empowered by the most merciful preacher, Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

God consciousness is the normal condition. Every other condition represents some sort of disease, which is triggered by contact with material nature. The all-devouring enemy of the person lacking God consciousness is lust, which drives them to covet things that won’t provide any lasting happiness. The cure for lust is a purification of desire. Use the same spirit of competition and desire for victory to try to please the Supreme Lord Krishna in every way possible. Use whatever tools you have at your disposal, whatever natural talents you possess, to offer service to the smiling youth of Vrindavana, who holds a flute in His hands and wears a peacock feather in His hair. This spirit benefitted the powerful warrior Arjuna and it can save the latecomer to devotional service as well.

In Closing:

In old age to find salvation you’re in a hurry,

Latecomer to devotional service is no worry.

 

Show up late to class and lesson you’ll miss,

Have to sit in ignorance until class dismissed.

 

But unmotivated love for God at the soul’s core,

Ecstasy in divine love destiny is your.

 

To get up to speed fast you need to hear,

Chant the holy names always without fear.

 

Like Arjuna become immune to ups and downs,

With Krishna’s company pure consciousness found.

Accepting The Offer

“There is no need of material qualifications for making progress on the path of spiritual realization. In the material world, when one accepts some particular type of service, he is required to possess some particular type of qualification also. Without this one is unfit for such service. But in the devotional service of the Lord the only qualification required is surrender.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.7.46 Purport)

It’s time to look for a new job. Either you’re no longer pleased at the place you currently work or necessity dictates that you must move on to somewhere else. Ah, but changing may not be so easy. You have to look for an open position and then interview for it. The employers aren’t necessarily seeking someone who is loyal, dependable, and can learn new things quickly. They’d rather have someone who is supremely skilled in the area of interest, someone who can take the ball and run with it on day one. Because of this requirement, they will grill prospective candidates, eliminating them based on any perceived flaw. Thus the positions sometimes remain unfilled due to the requirements. A lack of qualified candidates will be the reason given by the employers for the persistent vacancy, while the workers are left to keep looking in hopes of finding that perfect slot.

In devotional life, which features the purified version of everything, including work, there is one position that is always open. For each individual this spot is available, and just because one person takes it up doesn’t mean that others are eliminated from candidacy. If there is a single pizza pie laying on the kitchen table, should someone eat the entire thing, nothing will be left for anyone else. In the realm governed by the creator of spirit and matter, there are no such hard and fast rules. One minus one can equal three when it comes to His rules, and so a singular position becomes multiple through His will.

Yet the issue is that no one wants to fill the position. Its qualifications aren’t too stringent either. If you’re looking for a job in technology, you will likely get a technical interview prior to being added on. The questions can range from the basics on the subject to the deepest nuances of the programming language or piece of technology you are purportedly familiar with. You may have used that technology every day for the past many years, but if you don’t know the answers to the questions asked of you, the employer will think that you are not capable.

The screening process with the position offered by the wealthiest person in the world is not so stringent. He simply asks that you have a desire to offer time, to lend an ear to transcendental topics in a submissive mood. Who isn’t qualified for this? A child lends time to hearing by watching children’s television series like Sesame Street and Barney. The retired person also spends much time in front of the television, watching and hearing. Why then shouldn’t they take a position that pays the most in return, that allows you to work from home, in the car, on the road, or at the office? Why wouldn’t you want to take this wonderful job that is unbelievably rewarding at the same time?

So why does no one accept this position? The issue boils down to ownership. The living being would rather falsely think they are the owners of everything, including their fate. Though the flaw of this reasoning is exposed in every step in life, still the belief is there that through just enough manipulation of matter the proper conditions can be found. “Let me work for x number of years so that I can sit down and retire after that. Let me earn some more money so that I won’t have to worry about anything ever again.”

Yet to pursue those goals one must work for a living, which involves serving a higher entity. The person may not be any better than you are, but in the realm of business they are in the superior position and you are in the inferior one. Even the owner of the company has to provide service to the customers, be they people in a store or a large business interested in purchasing the product or service offered. Thus there is no question of full autonomy. Rather, there is complete reliance on the efforts of others. Through the illusion fostered by material nature, the living being doesn’t recognize this fact, that they are forced to accommodate the direction of other people who may or may not have their best interests at heart.

Taking the position with the highest living being is also difficult because not much is known about Him, at least in the beginning. There are competing and sometimes contradicting visions of the Supreme Lord, and they don’t all portray Him to be nice. Sometimes He is depicted as angry and vengeful, while other times His personality is denied. “If you do worship a God, perhaps you should dedicate your life to praying for things. Instead of relying on your bosses and customers to give you happiness, run to the house of worship and pray as sincerely as you can.”

Yet the true position of the Supreme Personality has no relation to these things. The job He has open is not for securing the necessities of life which are already provided to the lower species like the animals. The living entities are naturally prone to working. There is a vibrant spirit within each entity for a reason. With that active spirit comes a potential for action, which produces fruits. Instead of toiling to get temporary rewards that are short-lived in the happiness they provide, why not take to a lifetime engagement that you are already qualified for?

That full-time role is known as servant of God. One accepts the position by first hearing about it. Lend an ear to transcendental discourses about Bhagavan, whose original form is so attractive that He is addressed as Krishna. Krishna is the origin of life and matter, the supreme enjoyer, and the best friend of the living entities. Working with your friends is not always the best idea, as they can take advantage of your relationship, using it as an excuse to put in a lackluster effort. They might also get offended if you correct their mistakes using a stern tone.

Working for Krishna does not have these issues. In fact, the more you work for Him, the more your friendship with Him strengthens. In the highest state of service, the worshiper cannot be stopped from offering their love. Should Krishna desire you to cease and desist, you will continue anyway, in spite of what He says. The gopis of Vrindavana loved Krishna in this way, and He was forced to admit that there was no way for Him, the all-powerful Supreme Lord, to repay their kindness.

Hearing about Krishna plants the seed of devotion, which is then watered through actual practice of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. This is the work portion of the position. You get hired simply by hearing, and you maintain your status as an employed worker by regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The hours of operation are flexible, but the recommendation of the hiring manager is that you chant this mantra at least sixteen rounds a day on a set of japa beads. You pick when you want to chant, but you should nevertheless make sure that the rounds are completed each day.

During the training period, perhaps you can’t do sixteen rounds a day, but you should at least do one or two, successively adding rounds to the routine as you progress. There are also some workplace rules that you should abide by. In the office establishment perhaps you’re not allowed to go on the internet or take breaks that are too long. This is to ensure optimal working conditions, where your productivity will not be hindered. Along similar lines, to get the true effect from chanting, one should refrain from meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex.

Let’s say that you reach the threshold of sixteen rounds of chanting each day. Then what? Can you get promoted? Where do you go from there? Is there another job that you jump to? Actually, the more one practices bhakti the more they enjoy it. The more one gives service to Krishna, the more their love for Him grows. Isn’t that how an ideal job should operate? Shouldn’t you love going to work every day and miss it when you have a day off?

Shri Krishna keeps the position open, just waiting for you to fill it. A deluded consciousness stuck in an endless pit of sense gratification and fear over the temporary nature of things precludes one from voluntarily taking up service to Krishna, but at any time the necessary change in attitude can come. Therefore the exalted Vaishnava acharyas take up the difficult job of actively recruiting new employees, knowing full well that every person really wants to serve God, but they just may not be aware of it. Through the sound of the holy name, hearing about the Supreme Lord, the spark of devotion can be ignited, and an army of transcendentalists can soon take up their real occupational duty: devotional service.

In Closing:

To land a new job you may be hoping,

Have to then search for one that is open.

 

Candidate must be qualified for the position,

Thus grilled with questions like an inquisition.

 

To give right answers your hopes depend upon,

If you fail the test, chance for new job gone.

 

Shri Krishna keeps best job open for you,

Only requirement is hearing in right mood.

 

Though it’s open to all, no one seems to want it,

But take it when you’re ready, you won’t regret it.

An Artist’s Inspiration

“Spiritual inspiration comes from within the heart, wherein the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His Paramatma feature, is always sitting with all His devotees and associates.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Concluding Words)

“If I can draw it, it’s not art. The piece should be something that exhibits talent; otherwise what is so special about it?” These sentiments point to how art is often recognized. Make something extraordinary, something creative. Your finished work should be something that no one had previously thought up, or if they did they at least didn’t think it would be easy to reproduce. Whether they’re making music, paintings, drawings, sculptures, or screenplays, the artist has the talent to produce work that others enjoy consuming. Ah, but the drawback with the reliance on the artist for artistic masterpieces is that they require inspiration. The artist can’t just sit down every day and produce wonderful imagery on the fly. They need to be inspired. Without the motivation to be creative, they can’t come up with what we consider to be so beautiful. In one area of endeavor, however, the rules are different. You follow routine work, almost like a member of an assembly line, and since the beneficiary is pure and the work itself the most fulfilling, inspiration comes naturally. Just producing anything with sincerity for the beneficiary’s pleasure makes the process pleasing to the producer.

Someone who is not an artist may not understand the need for inspiration in art. Ironically enough, artistic works can be used to illustrate the need for motivation within artists. The classic American television sitcom, Family Ties, had an episode that nicely painted the dichotomy among viewpoints. In this episode, the boyfriend of a leading female character on the show created a sculpture/work that sold for a good amount of money. The female’s older brother couldn’t help but laugh at the finished piece. To him it looked like a piece of junk. Indeed, it wasn’t a classic piece; more of the eclectic type. What astounded the older brother, who was more knowledgeable about finance than he was about art, was the fact that such an apparently simple piece could be sold for a handsome profit.

A light bulb went off in his head. What if the artist, whose character was named Nick, produced the exact same piece in mass? This way he could sell the items for a larger overall profit. Of course the older brother, Alex, would get a percentage of the profit, for it was his idea to turn the artistic talent into a business. The two would set up a shop where Nick could make many copies of the same artistic piece that he originally devoted so much time to. As a true artist, Nick was hesitant to go down this route, but since he was also desirous of saving up some money, he reluctantly agreed.

As the episode was from a comedy show, the end result wasn’t what was intended by the parties. Pretty soon customers started asking for customizations, different colors and variations to the finished sculpture. This, of course, ruined the uniqueness of the original piece, in the process squelching the motivation of the artist. If they are not motivated to work, what will their work mean to them? They pour heart and soul into their finished product, and if it is reproduced in mass quantities, it loses its uniqueness. Thus the episode showed that an artist needs inspiration to work. Without a fire to create, they cannot be creative; it goes against their nature. The assembly line model is not appropriate for art.

In the highest discipline for mankind, however, the routine work itself provides the motivation. In life there are variations of work and different corresponding disciplines based on the outcomes one hopes to achieve. If your desire is to earn money, you enter the realm of fruitive activity, which plays by the rules of competition. If you want higher knowledge, you get educated on certain topics. If you’re sick of it all and just want to have some peace, you accept the path of renunciation.

Holding these objectives together is the desire for ananda, or bliss. As everyone is looking for happiness, why not target the reservoir of pleasure directly? This is one way in which the Supreme Lord is described in the Vedas. He is the storehouse of virtues, and He gives pleasure to those who interact with Him in the proper mood. Because of these features He is known as Rama. Since He is the most attractive, He is also addressed as Krishna. As He has an accompanying energy that is separate from Him but at the same time fully engaged in His service, one way to call out the combination of the energy and the energetic is to say, “Hare Krishna”. Put all the names together and you get the maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

Chanting this mantra regularly is part of the bhakti-yoga discipline. Bhakti is above fruitive activity, mental speculation, mystic perfection, and renunciation because it automatically incorporates the component objectives. The person struggling hard with material existence is really just looking for happiness, as is the person desirous of a mystic ability. Why not connect with Krishna and be in the company of the most fortunate person? He creates this and every other land, so He is automatically the wealthiest person. That creative power also makes Him the greatest mystic. As He is the most beautiful, His vision gives the eyes the visual nectar they deserve.

But what if we are feverishly pursuing other objectives? What if we have no motivation to hear about Krishna? For these reasons a gradual approach is initially recommended. The instructions are offered by the spiritual master, or guru. The primary recommendation of the guru is that one chant the aforementioned mantra for at least sixteen rounds a day on a set of japa beads. Back in the days of attending grade school, perhaps we had to write a note of contrition over and over again on a blackboard as our punishment for having done something wrong. The idea is that by taking the time to write why we are sorry, the words will eventually sink in. This way, hopefully we won’t repeat the same transgression in the future.

Chanting Krishna’s names over and over again looks like a similar style of punishment, but it has a different effect. Coupled with the chanting routine is the abstention from meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex. These restrictions are important because they help to fructify the chanting routine. You’re trying to make your favorite dish but you can’t seem to get rid of certain contaminants. With the foreign ingredients present, the dish will never taste just right. In a similar manner, if your chanting is distracted by the seeds of sinful activity within your mind, you won’t get the full benefit of Krishna’s association.

If there is no motivation to practice bhakti, one should still follow it. The reason is that through enough practice, motivation and inspiration will come on their own. You don’t know what you’re missing until you try it. You’ll never know what it’s like to be completely dependent on Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, unless you take His holy name to be your life and soul, the reason for living.

What results from chanting? What type of inspiration comes? So many historical examples show the endless possibilities for production from the devotees, but the life of Maharishi Valmiki is one of the more noteworthy examples. He was previously a highway robber, but he had the good fortune of one day trying to steal from Narada Muni, a favorite servant of God. Narada instructed the dacoit to sit down and just chant the name of Rama over and over again. The thief couldn’t do it, so Narada told him to chant the reverse word, “mara”, instead. By repeatedly saying this word fast enough, the same sound of “Rama” would be produced.

After chanting for so many years, eventually an anthill formed around the dacoit. Returning to the scene and seeing the transformation, Narada named the reformed man Valmiki, which means one who comes from an anthill. But chanting did more than just give birth to a sage named Valmiki. Through that routine work, exclusive chanting and hearing of the holy name, Valmiki got the inspiration to compose the Ramayana, a now sacred work describing the life and activities of the Supreme Lord during His descent to earth as Lord Rama, the jewel of the Raghu dynasty.

So many Vaishnavas of the past have been inspired to create wonderful poems, books, songs, paintings, and dramas relating to the Supreme Lord, sometimes through initially producing such works out of some type of feeling of obligation. A Vaishnava is a devotee of Krishna, and they are unique because they don’t have any desire in life except to follow bhakti. They didn’t follow bhakti initially because of an impulse or a sudden wave of inspiration. Rather, through good fortune and the grace of the spiritual master, they followed the instructions passed on since the beginning of time on how to practice devotion. Through their sincere efforts the consciousness was automatically cleansed, which opened the door to so many opportunities for service.

These Vaishnavas could have rescued the entire population of the world and written more books than you could consume in a lifetime, but they purposefully left their work incomplete. This way future generations could find their own inspiration through regular chanting, hearing and expressing. The factory model works in bhakti-yoga because it liberates one from the clutches of fearing and angst over the loss of temporary possessions. What need for worry is there for someone who knows that Krishna is kind enough to remain in their lives through the holy name? With the comfort of knowing that He is always by their side, the devotee finds renewed inspiration with each successive day, resulting in a fire of devotion that can never be extinguished.

In Closing:

When to create artist can’t pick and choose,

Only when inspired will they produce.

 

Follow a forced model of continuation,

And even most talented lose inspiration.

 

With bhakti, the factory model works,

Seed of devotion in heart it inserts.

 

Chant holy names even if there is no interest,

By routine, with inspiration be blessed.

 

Vaishnavas like Valmiki show us the way,

They glorify their beloved every day.

Spiritual Instincts

“Advancement of civilization is estimated not on the growth of mills and factories to deteriorate the finer instincts of the human being, but on developing the potent spiritual instincts of human beings and giving them a chance to go back to Godhead.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.11.12 Purport)

It’s strange to think that the advancement we’re so desperately seeking will actually not do much for us. For instance, take the scenario of the first member of the family to attend college. Perhaps previous generations were relegated to life on a farm, where there wasn’t much of a chance for rapid economic development. You worked to eat, and you didn’t have to work that hard. Perhaps a few months out of the year to tend to the crops, and the rest of the time you had to yourself. At the same time, the drawback was that others who were involved in industry had more disposable income, which afforded them the ability to travel far and wide. But does such a lifestyle represent advancement? To find the answer, the key components of the competing worldviews need to be analyzed and assessed in relation to the effect they have on consciousness.

Yes, it is consciousness and not the amount of money in the bank that determines your wellbeing. The disposition of the mind, whether or not it is peacefully situated, trickles down into all other activities. A peaceful person will not fight with others and they will not be so easily distressed at the first sign of trouble. And who wouldn’t want to possess these attributes? Would we rather be miserable all the time, envious of our fellow man, and unable to tolerate the sudden rise in temperature or the inclement weather that appears on a particular day, at just the wrong time?

“O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.14)

In the famous Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna says that one must learn to tolerate the sudden shifts in fortune, for they come and go like the seasons. It would be silly to complain about the summer because it will arrive no matter what we do. Nothing can be done to change the temperature of the earth, though foolish philosophers who have no understanding of the forces of nature and how powerful they are will think otherwise. If nothing can be done to redress temporary ailments and prevent them from reappearing in the future, what is the use then in overly lamenting bad times?

By the same token, what goes up must fall down. If I am on top of a particular industry today, it should be remembered that previously I wasn’t holding the top post. As my upward mobility indicated a shift in possession of the leadership position, I should remain aware that the same shift can occur again in the future. This is already visibly identifiable with the process of death, but alas the ignorant human being mired in a cycle of acceptance and rejection tries to forget the eventual end of life as much as possible. You can defer the payments you owe on a specific loan if the entity lending the money allows you to do so, but eventually you’ll have to pay the money back. In the game of life, we may put off thinking about death, but nevertheless the forced exit from the body must occur.

If we are compelled to leave the form that we call home for so many years, why should there be any attachment to happiness and sadness that come with temporary success and failure? Only through illusion is a temporary ascendency towards a higher position taken to be the ultimate objective in life. Look at the world’s wealthiest individuals. Are they satisfied with just one million dollars or starting a single profitable venture? With each new success comes a desire to inch towards more advancement, leading the passionate individual to work harder and fear even more about future outcomes.

Throughout all the changes that occur around us consciousness remains our best friend. It can also be our worst enemy, but this only happens if there is an improper identification. Unfortunately, the flawed identification is the one we accept at the time of birth. Taking a collection of material elements that constantly change to be our identity, we assume that anything that provides satisfaction to that collection will lead to our personal satisfaction as well. The consciousness, however, is not solely hinged upon physical strength, dexterity, association with other living entities, or one’s personal net worth.

Consciousness is shaped through experiences, and it reveals what the living being thinks of most. Consciousness also indicates the presence of life, for once consciousness dissipates the living being is no longer considered alive. The soul is the carrier of the consciousness, and it travels from form to form in the process known as reincarnation. These facts are nicely revealed in the Vedas, whose most famous work is the Bhagavad-gita. Through the lessons of the Gita, which are provided by Shri Krishna, the fountainhead of knowledge and the object of sacrifice, man can learn to purify consciousness.

If it is consciousness that remains with us, why shouldn’t we make its purification our top priority? But how would that work exactly? If I want to purify my consciousness, what do I need to do differently? What am I doing now that I should give up and what should I take on in the future? Though the explanation of the shift can be quite lengthy, using a simple example can help to illustrate the foundational principle. Revisiting the family farm example, in a simple life the mind has much less to worry about. Though the subsistence farmer is considered poor in the standard estimation, they actually get all of their necessities in life supplied without too much of a problem. Is it poor to not have to worry about food? Are you in poverty if you’re not constantly worried about having a job in the future?

The competing lifestyle hinged on progress provides a nice contrast. In a world filled with mills and factories, the precious value of the human life is traded for hard work to earn a paltry living. The aggregate earnings are considered paltry because in menial work the result should be the ability to eat and sleep peacefully. Moreover, the work shouldn’t be that difficult and it shouldn’t last that long. In the end, we just need some basic food to consume and a sturdy shelter to put over our heads. I can use my God given abilities to plant crops, tend to them, harvest them, and live in a simple housing structure.

With a mill or factory the labor is quite intensive, and it repeats for long periods of time each week. The worker is so tired at the end of the day that they are happy if they can just sit on the couch at home and do nothing. Perhaps kick back and drink alcohol and forget about the fact that you have to go back out to the mill the next day. The person working in the office may have less intense labor to complete and better working conditions, but the cycle of action and rest is the same.

The biggest difference between the two lifestyles is the effect on consciousness. In the simple life, there is less competition and thus a lower occurrence of strife and envy. If I am a farmer and my neighbor is a farmer, both working to eat food, what need is there for competition? Rather, since we are in the same boat, we will likely help each other out. In the close-knit community the neighbors are like extended family members, who provide nice companionship and help to raise the children.

The properly situated consciousness has more time to contemplate the meaning of life and why birth and death occur. The sober truths of the Vedas are meant for uplifting the human spirit towards true enlightenment. Mired in an endless game that provides paltry rewards, the members of the so-called advanced civilization don’t have the time to see things properly. Should I really spend the majority of my time on this earth engaged in fruitive activity that leaves me so tired and disgusted that I don’t want to do anything else in my little free time?

“Okay, so the simple lifestyle of a farm community is more ideal, but what am I supposed to do today? What if I can’t just give up everything and buy land and go live on it? I still need to eat, and with the way civilization is structured today that requires getting a college education and working hard in an office. Do I thus have no opportunity for spiritual realization?“

The modern conditions show the presence of the Kali Yuga, the dark age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Maya, or material nature, has a strong influence during this time period, illustrated by the fact that the majority of society considers the modern way of life to be superior. We have cell phones and the internet now, so why should we return to the primitive days of the farms? Maya makes sure that the past work applied to get paltry rewards is quickly forgotten. Only with forgetfulness will a person try the same activity repeatedly and hope to get a different outcome.

The holy name is the strongest weapon to curtail Kali Yuga’s power. The holy name represents the Supreme Lord, the savior of the fallen souls. The consciousness can be purified only when it learns to focus on that sweetheart, whose original form shows a beautiful youth with a blackish complexion holding a flute in His hands and wearing a peacock feather in His hair. If you are not keen on accepting this vision of the Supreme Lord, chant the holy names anyway. Through a positive activity not related to fruitive gain, personal sense enjoyment, or the elimination of temporary ailments, the consciousness can learn to focus on pure spirit.

If the consciousness is accustomed to hearing the sacred sound vibrations of, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, there is no question of worrying over the issue of advanced versus primitive. A properly situated consciousness can keep the individual peaceful and calm during both the most intense storm and the peaceful and soothing presence of the springtime sun. The source of this consciousness and its resulting strength is the person addressed through the holy name. The features of that person are revealed through the removal of the veil of ignorance. He is always present before us and also inside of us as the Supersoul, but He must be accessed through the consciousness. The principles of bhakti-yoga, the discipline to bring about true spiritual freedom, give the conditioned living being the tools to have their consciousness always fixed on God. Connection with Him is always beneficial, so in whatever situation we find ourselves, if a desire to associate with Him is present, favorable circumstances will automatically follow.

In Closing:

In mills and factories work hard with pain,

So that in the end to enjoy a paltry gain.

 

The subsequent day difficult cycle repeat,

Too tired at end of day, on couch take a seat.

 

This is not how precious human life to be spent,

To understand Supreme Lord our existence meant.

 

Know that connection with Him pleasure will bring,

That is why Vedas, Puranas, and saints His glories sing.

 

Primitive versus modern, debate to continue on and on,

In whatever condition, holy name of Krishna rely upon.

Hail To The Chief

“While the Lord was departing from the palace of Hastinapura, different types of drums – like the mrdanga, dhola, nagra, dhundhuri and dundubhi – and flutes of different types, the vina, gomukha and bheri, all sounded together to show Him honor.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.10.15)

It’s a magical moment. You’ve been searching your whole life for that one thing to make you happy, something which sparks an interest upon first contact. For many, the first moment when they hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Krishna is remembered forever. The reservoir of beauty, the most attractive entity in the world, the origin of knowledge, the cause of the creation and its subsequent dissolution, and the protector of the surrendered souls makes an immediate impression on those who are looking for a higher taste, one which transcends the dualities present in the material realm. At the same time, once that transcendental taste is relished, the desire is to acquire it again. Should the source of that delight suddenly depart, their absence causes much distress. This was the case with the departure of Shri Krishna from the kingdom of Hastinapura.

If God is the reservoir of all good things, how can He cause pain to someone? In the Ramacharitamanasa of Tulsidas, it is wisely pointed out that both the saint and the miscreant cause pain. The cause of distress coming from the nefarious character is easy to decipher. They steal from us, lie to us, inflict pain upon our body and mind, and leave us generally unsure of the future. Without a feeling of security, how can there be peace? And without peace, how can there be happiness?

“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 saint also causes pain, though. Their association is so wonderful that when they should happen to leave us, as is bound to happen in a world that is temporary, the pain that results is very strong. The saint doesn’t intend to cause this suffering, but with their wonderful qualities they just can’t help but create a situation where so much happiness is seen that is otherwise absent from the affected parties’ lives.

The saints get their divine qualities from their intimate connection with the Supreme Lord. Therefore we can deduce that separation from God causes the most acute pain. Indeed, that separation is the genesis of the material creation and its subsequent unpleasant conditions. How can we say with ontological certitude that the material realm is miserable? Isn’t that too broad a generalization? For starters, we know that the land we live in is temporary. If it weren’t, there would be no need to trace out history and discuss theories of origin. Whether one is a theist, an atheist, a believer in a big bang as a source, or doesn’t care at all, the creation still manifested at some point. What goes up must come down, so whatever is created must eventually be destroyed.

The illusion of the temporary realm is so strong that even things we don’t derive much value from are missed when they are gone. Think of a job that you’ve worked at for many years. Perhaps you don’t like many of the days that you have to go into the office and all the politics between the employees and the constant uncertainty over the company’s future. Yet if you should happen to lose your job there, you will feel a little sad. Through the many days of working an attachment gets formed, even though that same time could have been used to form an attachment to something more worthwhile. This also explains why despots and cruel dictators are missed and cried over when they pass on. Despite their tyrannical rule, these leaders were able to create some sort of an attachment from the citizens.

Since God’s company is the best, any time you separate from Him you head for a condition of misery. The nature of the material land supports this fact. In Krishna’s company there is no such thing as time and space as we know them. The passage of time still occurs in God’s presence, but it doesn’t have a debilitating effect. Space is still boundless, but there is no negative influence upon the temporary body. Rather, the spirit soul fully energized with devotion to God has a spiritual body, a form that is permanent in its manifestation.

If the spirit souls in God’s company are eternal and non-different from their bodies, how does anyone ever come to the material world? There is always a choice in association. Should a child desire to disobey the father, the father may try to persuade them otherwise, but the desires of the child can eventually win over. If there is forced suppression, the child will still have the seed of desire. The spirit souls desirous of lording over nature are granted residence in a temporary realm, where pain is caused by the association of thieves and the absence of saints.

Fortunately, even in the temporary realm the presence of the divine master can be had. In special circumstances, He personally appears, in a form that is both visible and spiritual. Typically there is a difference between body and soul. The body is temporary after all, constantly changing and marked for destruction at a future moment in time. With Krishna’s descents, this pattern appears to hold true, but in reality the spiritual form is identical to the owner, the individual within that form.

To see proof of this, we can look to the incident of Krishna leaving the kingdom of Hastinapura. In His adult aged years, Krishna spent a lot of time with a group of five brothers who were known as the Pandavas. They were of the royal order and had the rightful claim to the throne in the city of elephants. Yet through the nefarious attempts of a rival cousin and his family, the brothers faced hardship after hardship. Many attempts were made on their lives, but somehow they managed to survive through them all. Eventually, they were able to win the war of wars and regain their kingdom.

The brothers were not mystics adept in magic nor were they so powerful that they could do all of this on their own. Rather, their only wealth was the kind support of Shri Krishna, who was especially fond of Arjuna, the best bow warrior of the group. After the dust settled, Krishna stayed in Hastinapura as the exalted guest of the eldest Pandava brother, King Yudhishthira. Everyone enjoyed the Lord’s company so much, including the mother of the Pandavas, Kunti Devi. Draupadi, the wife of the five brothers, also remembered Krishna fondly and cherished His personal presence in the town.

Alas, the Lord finally had to leave for His kingdom in Dvaraka. As He was set to embark, He received a royal treatment, with much fanfare, sort of like how the President of the United States hears Hail to the Chief wherever he goes. The pomp of the egress could not dampen the sorrow of the residents, who were feeling the separation from their beloved Krishna.

Under normal circumstances, once a person leaves our company, they are not with us. That is what it means to be separated, after all. The soul is capable of residing anywhere, but within a material form its influence is limited to the direct sphere, the area where the eyes, ears, nose, hands and legs can take action. For the residents in Hastinapura, Krishna’s separation should have meant that they no longer could be with Him. Ah, but in fact the Lord never left them; He never abandons the devotees who always think of Him.

As the Supreme Absolute Truth, Krishna’s name is identical with Krishna the person. Thoughts of His pastimes and the mental picture of His adorable form, holding the flute and wearing a peacock feather in the hair, bring the same association, as if Krishna were standing right before the individual. Proof of this fact is given in the behavior of the residents in Hastinapura that day and also in the devotional activities of the countless generations of mankind subsequent to that time. The fact that Krishna is still talked about, honored, and glorified to this day shows that His spirit is not different from His body.

That same quality of oneness can be achieved by the surrendered souls. Once they quit their body, they attain a nature similar to Krishna’s, that is they get a spiritual body that is not different from the soul. This particular body has the notable distinction of being able to directly carry out service to Shri Krishna without exhaustion. A taste of that service is granted in the material world through regular chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, and it continues onwards to wherever fate may lead the individual.

Question: If everyone is so sad when Krishna leaves, why doesn’t He just stay with us all the time?

The Lord actually never separates from the individual. What causes the distinction between material and spiritual life is the forgetfulness of that link on the part of the individual. That forgetfulness is totally desired, for it is said in the Bhagavad-gita that Shri Krishna is the remembrance and forgetfulness of man.

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.”  (Lord Krishna, Bg. 15.15)

The individual wanting to imitate God desires that temporary lack of knowledge, though they may not remember making that decision. The purpose of chanting and hearing about Krishna’s pastimes is to reawaken that remembrance, to let the individual know that Krishna has never left them. The manifested form before the eyes only reminds everyone of who is already pervading the entire space. The unmanifested form is very difficult to realize, as it is not immediately attractive, nor does it provide a pleasurable interaction. The unmanifested form is like the beam of light coming off of the sun. The sun is always more splendorous, so the Personality of Godhead Himself is the reservoir of pleasure, the entity who is fit to accept an endless amount of service from all the people of the world simultaneously.

As soon as the predominant desire is to have Krishna in your life all the time, the wish is granted. The Pandavas didn’t necessarily stay by the Lord’s side all the time, but never could they forget Him. Even during times of turmoil and despair, such as when Arjuna would later realize that his fighting powers had vanished, the remembrance of the Lord and His influence was still there. That heightened level of thinking is known as Krishna consciousness, and its fruitful growth indicates that the auspicious human birth was taken full advantage of.

In Closing:

Obeisances offered for Krishna love shows,

Drums and horns make sounds wherever He goes.

 

Finally had to leave the city of elephants,

To Pandava family brief was Krishna’s stint.

 

Upon His departure Kunti and family in pain,

Their loss would soon be Dvaraka’s gain.

 

Even when not in presence God you can still see,

No difference between body and spirit, everywhere is He.

 

Never forgot Krishna though all were certainly sad,

Memory of Shyamasundara and His presence they had.

Forms of Address

“There are thousands and millions of names of Lord Krishna — Vishnu-sahasra-nama — and all of them are given to Him because of His transcendental qualities.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 14)

With a deep understanding of the human psyche, including the many ways that the mind challenges pieces of information purported to come from authority and the way it tries to understand higher concepts, the Vedas present the science of self-realization from all angles. The paths to knowing the Supreme Absolute Truth are not singular, though the destination is. Based on the variety in tendencies found within the living spirit, there may be one aspect of the Truth that is more appealing than another. Perhaps one person’s childhood environment completely differs from another’s, thereby leading to a different perspective on the world. Not to fear though, as the many names of address provide limitless ways to both understand and worship that Supreme Person.

Right away we see a way to understand this higher entity. By indicating that He is a person who is supreme we compare Him to an entity type with which we are familiar: people. Also, by using masculine pronouns, we compare the Supreme Absolute Truth to a male, or a member of the more dominant species. The female is the fairer sex, while the male generally has more physical strength. The male is the enjoyer and the female is the enjoyed. The male plants the seed and the female nurtures it until maturation so that it can become a living entity that can independently move about.

“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.4)

The same parallels can be used to describe God. In the Bhagavad-gita, the Supreme Person’s original form of Shri Krishna explains that it is He who impregnates the total material substance and makes possible the births of the living entities. Therefore God is the father and nature the mother. God is the real enjoyer, or purusha, and the living entities are the enjoyed, or prakriti. At the local level, the individual spirit soul is the purusha and its body and field of activities the prakriti.

Since Krishna is the Supreme Person, or Supreme Enjoyer, He is sometimes addressed as parama-purusha or maha-purusha. This type of address is both satisfying and helpful in terms of enlightenment. The spirit soul, the essence of identity, is naturally prone to service. Whether someone wants to accept this fact or not is irrelevant, for the penchant for service will be acted upon regardless. Just look around you and observe people’s behavior. Everyone would rather praise someone else than be praised. They would rather try to put a smile on someone else’s face than make themselves happy. Even the most selfish people in the world eventually get so miserable that they try to help others.

Addressing the Lord with names recognizing His superior standing with respect to dominating nature allows the soul to feel the pleasure from divine service. At the same time, the name brings a better understanding of the Absolute Truth’s position. Think of the small child and how they try to understand the parents. The children only know about playing all day and perhaps going to school. The adults are superior because they don’t have to go to school. They also get to do things that kids can’t. Therefore the definition of “adult” to the child incorporates these smaller concepts, whereas for the adult the definition of maturation is much more comprehensive.

The living entity doesn’t remember its many previous lives. Think of a past life as a past day, for the soul does not change in properties with the passage of time. The same soul that resides within the individual now existed within the womb of the mother, so just the outer covering changes. We wouldn’t consider a few weeks ago a past life, but it actually was. The future turns into the past very quickly, so the many previous lives we spent roaming the material land were at one time future lives.

The individual soul is known as the atma, or jivatma. The soul is blissful, knowledgeable and eternal, yet from travels through temporary bodies in a land governed by prakriti, forgetfulness gains strength. This means that the living entity has difficulty remembering things from one day or week ago. Thus when learning about the Supreme Absolute Truth, the living being must use known reference tools to try to make assessments. By addressing God as the Supreme Person, the individual takes their own acquired definition of a “person” and uses it as the basis for their initial assessment of God.

In the discussion of the soul, we have stumbled upon yet another way to both address and understand God. The individual soul has limitations, but the Supreme Soul does not. Krishna is Paramatma, or the all-pervading witness. He resides within us in this form of spirit, but unlike us, He can remember every past life. Moreover, He lives within every living being, so He is aware of the past, present and future for every single instance of spirit.

What if you don’t know God through these methods? What if you’re not interested in making comparisons based on personalities and the differences between matter and spirit? Whatever your preference, whatever your likes and interests, you can still understand God in the way that suits you best. As another example, many worshipers like to honor heavenly figures so that they will bless them with personal rewards. The worship of the abstract concept of God sometimes takes place in this way as well. “O Lord, forgive us for our sins. Please continue to give us Your blessings. Please keep us safe and allow our children to grow up to be happy and healthy. Please give us food to eat and eliminate our troubles.”

In the Vedic tradition, such pleas are typically offered to heavenly figures known as devas. The devas, or gods, are living entities like us but they live for much longer periods of time, and they can give boons to those who worship them. Yet again, the Supreme Lord can be understood through using the established practice as a frame of reference. Shri Krishna is known as the deva-vara, or the chief god. With this address, the same concept of a god is there, but the understanding of Krishna’s position as being the most powerful God or the God of the gods is introduced.

“Shri Rama’s name is greater than Brahman, and it grants boons to even those who are capable of giving boons. Lord Shiva knowingly selected it out of the one hundred crore verses describing Rama’s acts.” (Dohavali, 31)

Another way to understand the Supreme Lord’s position is to know that He grants boons to even those who grant boons. This is the point made by Goswami Tulsidas in a couplet that appears in both the Dohavali and the Ramacharitamanasa. The poet’s preferred form of Godhead is Lord Rama, the incarnation of Krishna as a warrior prince. The avataras are equal to the original personality, but the outward tendencies may vary so as to attract certain kinds of worshipers and also fit the needs of society at the time. Shri Rama is Krishna and Lord Vishnu too, both of whom are approached by the devas that others worship to get benedictions. Mahadeva, the great god, also worships Shri Rama by regularly chanting His name. Therefore even the greatest boon-donor, Lord Shiva, spends his life worshiping the Supreme Lord.

What if you are into yoga? You like to sit down in meditation and chant the sacred syllable om, which represents the impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord, that which pervades all of nature. Again, you can understand Krishna’s position without leaving your realm of activity. As Yogeshvara, Krishna is the Lord of yoga. He is the greatest mystic, expert at doing whatever the topmost yogi can do, but even better. If you’re interested in achieving the mystic perfections of becoming small or large at the drop of a hat, travelling outside of your body, getting whatever you want, controlling others, or being able to hold your breath for long periods of time, know it for a fact that Krishna can do all of these much better than any other yogi can. This higher position automatically makes Him worshipable.

Even the term “Supreme Lord” is a way to understand God. Every living entity is an ishvara, or lord of their body. We make the decision when to get up and what to do. Material nature has the effect of tricking us into thinking that we are inferior to matter, but in our constitutional state, we are always superior to the external energy. God’s position is higher though. He is Parameshvara, or the chief lord. Therefore through this nice name we can better appreciate His position, how He is fit to be worshiped.

Every living entity likes attractiveness. Search for pleasure through objects and activities that are pleasurable. The very name Krishna indicates that the Supreme Lord is the most attractive. That feature is shared with His many personal forms and names used to address them. That Krishna attracts every living entity shouldn’t surprise us, but the sweetest association, the most lasting form of happiness, comes from His personal self. The material nature is His external energy, so it lacks His personal presence. Therefore we see such things as crime, depression, anger, rage, and tremendous sadness mixed in with short bursts of happiness in the land that we currently occupy.

Through reciting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, the best names used to address the Lord are invoked, along with a call to His energy that helps the devotees find that highest pleasure. Krishna is all-inclusive, as is the name Rama, which addresses both Shri Rama and the ability of God to give transcendental pleasure to others. Whatever your state in life, chant these names with firm faith, conviction and love. In the end, you’ll know all that there is to know about God and why it is man’s primary duty to worship Him.

In Closing:

Shri Krishna, He of glorious fame,

Limitless attributes give so many names.

 

Understand Him in ways that you already know,

Through that path let devotion to Him grow.

 

As ishvara, over decisions you have control,

As Parameshvara, God has powers untold.

 

Natural beauty appreciate with eyes to see,

Krishna is all-attractive, most beautiful is He.

 

Demigods to their devotees boons grant,

Krishna is even their lord, so His name always chant.

Rescue Me

“The material relations are based on reciprocation of material enjoyment, which depends mainly on material resources. Therefore, when material resources are withdrawn by the Lord, the devotee is cent percent attracted toward the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Thus the Lord snatches the fallen soul from the mire of material existence.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.9.19 Purport)

Material nature is described as maya in Sanskrit, a word which at its root means “that which is not.” Maya casts a spell of illusion, causing the living being to accept something as part of their identity which really has no relation to their true qualities. The illusion extends to relationships as well, for otherwise man would never feel sadness over the loss of an inanimate object like an expensive shirt or car. For those who turn their back on maya, following the right steps along the spiritual path, a good portion of that illusion is removed personally by the master of maya. Bereft of material enjoyment with which to reciprocate, the material relation disintegrates, leaving the individual helpless in their desire to accept illusion. In that condition, they are better suited towards worship of the Supreme Lord, which is man’s primary occupation to begin with.

Reciprocation of material enjoyment is the essential ingredient in the relationship with illusion. Without that reciprocation, the return on the investment of action, the relationship wouldn’t last very long. For instance, if I work for an employer and provide him a good or service of value, I expect to be paid fairly. “Fair” in this regard refers to just compensation for the work provided. Fair has nothing to do with what other people in the company are making or what my financial situation is. For all the employer knows, I could be coming home every night and throwing my earned money into the river.

What keeps the relationship going is the return of material enjoyment. When the employer stops paying a wage or fair salary altogether, the work offered by the employee will eventually stop as well. In this sense, the loss of a material enjoyment leads to a type of renunciation. With working, however, such a stoppage of payment doesn’t mean that the worker will give up employment altogether. Rather, they will just look for another job, where ideally the level of reciprocation is higher than it was previously.

The same principles apply to every type of interaction with material nature. Every material relation is based on this reciprocal enjoyment, and once that enjoyment is cut off, the relationship dissipates. For the spiritualist sincerely interested in transcending the effects of maya, the direct method of achieving success is known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Within bhakti there is no question of maya. At the same time, however, there is vibrancy in activity. The yogi following love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead will use whatever is at their disposal to please their beloved Bhagavan, a word which describes the Supreme Lord’s superior position as possessing opulences in the greatest abundance.

In the grand scheme, the living being is practically helpless in determining their living conditions. I may be very intelligent and capable of doing complex mathematics, but I can’t control the weather. I can’t control what happens to other people as well. Their behavior is determined by their desires, so there is no way for me to enter into their minds and tell them to desire something different. With respect to bhakti-yoga, the foremost activity is the chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Recitation of these holy names keeps the mind thinking about God. More importantly, hearing takes place at the same time. The gateway to the soul is the ear, and if the proper message is transmitted through that channel, it can penetrate through the wall of nescience and cause a resurgence in the active principle of divine love, which is currently dormant.

While the sincere spiritualist is chanting the holy names regularly, if they are still bound by the spell of illusion, their progression will be slowed. Think of it like driving to work and then hitting traffic that temporarily halts your progress. The traffic for the devotee is the bevy of material relations. As mentioned before, these are kept alive through material enjoyment that goes back and forth. Therefore, to help the humble soul looking to connect with Him, the Supreme Lord personally intervenes, breaking away from His position of neutrality, and takes away one’s material enjoyment.

“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.29)

In the Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavan in His original form of Lord Krishna states that He is not partial to anyone. At the same time, if one is devoted to Him, He takes a special interest. We can think of it like utilizing the sun’s power for a higher purpose. The sun’s rays shine down on everyone; thus the sun is not partial. At the same time, someone who knows how to use the rays properly can take the highest benefit. In a similar manner, one who knows how to use Krishna’s energy can find enlightenment and a steady determination in following the path that leads to the highest destination.

The added bonus with Krishna is that He will directly offer assistance to those who are desirous of it. The surrendered soul is protected like a helpless child that doesn’t know what is best. The independent, self-sufficient child may leave home in adulthood and go on to follow their passions in life, but the pet child is protected throughout by the parents. The devotees are Krishna’s favorite children, so He never lets go of them, even if they should try to get away.

The Supreme Lord shows favoritism to His devotees by sometimes taking away material enjoyment. What room is there for illusion in the life of one who is in constant contact with the real thing, the Supreme Lord? Spirit is immutable, unchangeable and primeval, and since Krishna is the Supreme Lord, even His body has the same properties as spirit. Regular matter, on the other hand, is temporary, changing and not vibrant. Attachment to matter can only take place when one is not fixed in devotional consciousness.

Sometimes Krishna’s personal intervention in this area is not immediately appreciated, though it always proves to be helpful. A famous example of this intervention took place with the venerable Narada Muni. Think of the greatest reformer you know and their resume would still pale in comparison to Narada’s. The former son of a maidservant is a special space-travelling saint who has the ability to impart supreme wisdom to those who are deserving of it. His disciples fill up the who’s who of famous acharyas of the Vedic tradition.

Despite his status as an intimate friend and servant of Lord Vishnu, another form of Krishna, or God, Narada once fell victim to maya’s influence. It should be noted that for the devotees the temporary bouts of illusion come from yogamaya, which is directly controlled by God. Mahamaya, on the other hand, is not directly supervised by the Lord. Under yogamaya the illusion actually ends up benefitting the devotee, strengthening their resolve in devotional life.

Narada’s humbling occurred when he saw a beautiful princess that he wanted to marry. The material relation would be created through a reciprocation of material enjoyment. That enjoyment could only occur if Narada would marry the princess. Her father was holding a svayamvara, or self-choice ceremony, to determine her marriage. The princess would get to pick her husband from a lineup of princes. Narada, who had previously boasted about having conquered the influence of the senses, prayed to Vishnu to be able to get the princess as a wife. “Please let her pick me”, was his prayer.

If the material enjoyment had been granted to Narada, the illusion would have continued longer. On the other hand, if the enjoyment was ripped away in a tragic manner, the relation would dissipate immediately. Vishnu cleverly answered Narada’s request by saying that He would do what was best for the sage. Lo and behold, when the time for the svayamvara came, the princess looked at the princes assembled, and when she looked at Narada’s face, she saw a monkey. Detested by the image, she did not pick him for a husband.

Narada was quite angry over what had happened. He was so mad that Vishnu betrayed him. Nevertheless, the personal intervention ended up saving the muni. He was not destined to be married, especially if his relation with his wife were based on material enjoyment. In bhakti, it doesn’t matter whether one is young or old, single or married, working or renounced. The only requirement is a sincerity of purpose in connecting with God.

In other types of yoga or spiritual life the direct intervention of Bhagavan is absent. This means that one must fend off the advances of maya on their own. As even an exalted personality like Narada can temporarily be drawn in by the allures of material beauty, the paths not involving bhakti are very difficult, and may take many lifetimes to complete. Shri Krishna is the Supreme Controller, so when He helps someone, there is no question of failure. His beloved Narada still sings His glories to this day, and though he was angered by the Lord’s actions that one time, in the end the supervision proved to be the best thing for him.

There are countless other historical examples of where Krishna rescued a sincere soul from the clutches of material existence. The rescuer is atmarama, or self-satisfied, so He doesn’t need anything for Himself. He does not remove the source of the material relations to punish or to teach lessons. Rather, He knows what is best for everyone, and those who are prone to accepting the right path in life come under His protection, whether they like it or not. Bhakti-yoga is non-different from Krishna, and one who adopts it as a way of life through making chanting and hearing the holy names their primary engagement gets rescued by the one person capable of remedying any situation.

In Closing:

From the clutches of maya set me free,

Please will someone come and rescue me.

 

For attachment enjoyment must reciprocate,

Only then will one link appreciate.

 

This fact Supreme Lord certainly knows,

Therefore towards struggling devotee He goes.

 

Away from objects of illusion He does tear,

Whether they like the intervention He does not care.

 

In end receive benefit from Krishna’s personal touch,

Tough love because the devotees He cares for so much.

Stop Embarrassing Me

“It is a natural psychology in every individual case that a person likes to hear and enjoy his personal glories enumerated by others. That is a natural instinct, and the Lord, being also an individual personality like others, is not an exception to this psychology because psychological characteristics visible in the individual souls are but reflections of the same psychology in the Absolute Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.6.33 Purport)

When someone tells you that they don’t like to be praised, know that it’s not the truth. Surely there is embarrassment over hearing someone else extol your virtues, telling you how much you mean to them and just how capable you are in a particular area, but this doesn’t mean that you dislike the praise. Would you rather have it the other way around, where others mock and make fun of your most valuable assets? The inclination towards deriving pleasure from accepting praise extends from the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As we are but parts and parcels of His grand effulgence, His immeasurable storehouse of spiritual energy, we inherit some of His tendencies. As much as it exists in us, that tendency towards feeling pleasure from praise exists in full in the Personality of Godhead, a fact which subtly reveals the secret to finding lasting felicity.

Why the secret? Why shouldn’t the one engagement that gives us the most happiness be known to everyone? The nature of the operating playing field is such that ignorance helps to enhance the experience. Just as when we watch a movie or television program we don’t like to think of it as a scripted production, if we knew the real purpose behind the material creation, the initial desire for fleeting enjoyment would be gone. In a movie, we know that the actors are just acting and that the story is scripted, but we willingly forget these facts during the time of the performance. Only through this method can we get into the story and have an emotional response from the experience.

The purpose of the creation at large is to pursue false enjoyment. The enjoyment is considered false because it is short-lived and based on ignorance. A dog is happy to get a few morsels of food from a dumpster, but a human being would consider the same fare to be repugnant. The only difference in the two cases is the level of intelligence. Ignorance is bliss in a situation where the better taste remains unknown. In the larger picture, if we were to know the real path to follow, then starting from the time of birth we would find life to be uncomfortable, with the predicament similar to being stuck in a prison.

Through uncovering the true meaning of life, however, we can more confidently accept the ultimate conclusion, that we are part and parcel of God meant to act in His service at all times. We can take the circuitous route to this end by studying so many different aspects of nature, including both matter and spirit, the influence of time and space, the infinite natures of both of these amazing aspects of creation, and the equality shared between all life forms. On the other hand, we could take the direct route, connecting with the fountainhead of both matter and spirit right away and deriving the necessary knowledge from there.

The latter option is preferable because it is more practical. It is difficult to accept so many different pieces of information and know what to do with them. Moreover, along the more deliberate path there are more opportunities for distraction, with the wayward spirit soul considering other engagements to be more delightful, more worthy of time. Should even all of the relevant information be processed and accepted, there is no guarantee that the proper engagement will be taken up. I may know all there is to know about math and science, but unless I apply the principles to find a better condition, the knowledge is really of no value.

When following the proper engagement from the beginning, despite a lack of knowledge of the component concepts, whatever knowledge and renunciation are required to continue that service will eventually arrive automatically. Therefore the Vedic seers recommend only one method of salvation for the sincere spiritualists of the modern age. That method is the constant chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Recite this mantra with firm faith and attention and make it your life’s occupation.

Why is this mantra and its recitation recommended over other methods such as the study of the Vedas, strict austerity measures, attending sacrifices, travelling to pilgrimage destinations, and following the principles of piety? The Hare Krishna mantra is a plea to be allowed to engage in the Lord’s service. The energy of the Lord known as Hara is also addressed. As she acts according to her constitutional position at all times, she is the best role model one could ask for. Requesting the energy to show us the way, to give us the strength to love God purely, without any motive for fruitive gain, the alleviation of distress, the advancement in knowledge, or the answers to life’s most difficult questions, represents the best prayer.

The name of Krishna is all-inclusive, for it directly addresses the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-attractive. Chanting the name of Krishna through the maha-mantra praises the Lord at the same time, something which He loves. From this praise the living entity finds an easy way to take up service. If someone were to tell you to love God and to dedicate your life to serving Him, how would you go about doing that?

“If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 12.11)

A possible solution might be to serve man through giving up the fruits of your work. “I will help the poor. I will help those who are less fortunate. The poor are God’s children after all, so the Lord will certainly be pleased by this effort.” Indeed, Lord Krishna does recommend the renunciation of the results of work in the famous discourse He gave to a hesitant warrior on a battlefield five thousand years ago. It should be remembered, however, that the giving up of the fruits of work option wasn’t the first one recommended by Krishna. Rather, it was the last option, when one couldn’t work directly for Krishna, follow the principles of bhakti-yoga, or always think of the Lord.

This means that the best way to serve Krishna is to directly engage in thinking of Him. It’s easier to think about someone if they have extraordinary qualities, features that are of importance to us. The celebrities earn their fame through their features, for if they were ordinary why would we care about them? From the attention paid to famous movie stars, athletes and politicians, we see that man already has the tendency to praise others and derive pleasure from that offering.

With the Supreme Lord, the ideal target of that praise is met. Shri Krishna is the most attractive, which means that every one of His personal aspects is worth contemplating. Krishna is the most beautiful. He has a blackish complexion and wears a peacock feather in His hair. His youthful visage is so amazing that it defeats the pride of thousands of cupids. Krishna is also the wealthiest and the strongest. Power brings attention, and Shri Krishna is the most powerful, so He garners the most attention from everyone.

The Lord is also the most knowledgeable, for His doctrine of spirituality helps every single person, regardless of their position in life and their level of intelligence. The same can’t be said of any other doctrine. Renunciation applies only to those who are too attached to the senses. It doesn’t help those who are already renounced and looking for supreme pleasure. The acquisition of knowledge can apply to those who have a high capacity for intelligence, but what if someone isn’t inclined towards philosophy and rational thought? Should they be shut out from God’ service?

Chanting the holy names, which is the best way to praise Krishna, is available to every person, across all age groups. Through chanting the mind stays connected with Krishna, which is the number one recommendation for attaining salvation. Krishna may get embarrassed by hearing such praise, but this doesn’t mean that He doesn’t enjoy it. The more the loving emotions rise to the forefront of consciousness, the more one becomes firmly convinced of the benefits of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, whose cornerstone practice is the chanting of the holy names.

Based on the rules that Krishna has Himself laid down, the bhakta who wants to continually praise the Lord is given the opportunity to do so. If we want to spend every day engaged in describing the glories of Krishna and His associates, the divine forces will act to create endless opportunities. The same can’t be said of any other endeavor, for in fruitive activity we are competing with our fellow man for supremacy in a particular field. As each person has a right to manipulate the material elements to their liking, no one can be successful eternally, nor can they completely fend off the competing forces.

In bhakti, even the competitive attitude turns out to be beneficial for all the parties involved. If I spend my time praising Krishna, addressing Him with the choicest verses, uttama-shlokas, others may see the behavior and want to imitate it. As Krishna’s glories are inexhaustible, the new competition entering the arena doesn’t do anything to dampen the spirits of the original glorifier. The more people in the field of bhakti the better, for Krishna’s glories continue to get told in new ways. With more glorifiers, there are more opportunities for others to hear about the sublime life that only comes from connecting with God.

If you already like to honor someone, why not honor the most honorable? He is willing to accept this praise at any time, and it’s such a fulfilling activity that you will never tire of it. In the rare occurrence that no one else is pleased by your effort, just knowing that Shri Krishna is happy will be enough to keep you going. Whether He gets embarrassed or not, Shyamasundara will never deny the outpouring of affection flowing His way.

In Closing:

Happy do you feel from words of praise,

Your ego to higher place it does raise.

Embarrassed by the words some will always say,

But are we not pleased if others compliments pay?

Through your words the highest person please,

Whose vision pain of suffering does ease.

Chant the holy names, for there is no cost,

In service to man there is guaranteed loss.

With bhakti your knowledge only to increase,

Spinning in wheel of suffering to finally cease.

The Right Use of Energy

“The expert electrician can utilize the electrical energy for both heating and cooling by adjustment only. Similarly, the external energy, which now bewilders the living being into continuation of birth and death, is turned into internal potency by the will of the Lord to lead the living being to eternal life.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.3.34 Purport)

Energy is in full force throughout the environment. More than just the electrical socket capable of powering appliances and electronic gadgets, the powerful energy pervading every inch of space can be put to use to further many specific ends. The individual objects of this energy include the very bodily coverings of the jivas, the spirit souls wandering through a cycle of birth and death that perpetually spins. Those who know how to make proper use of the energy receive the full benefits that an existence has to offer. Through proper utilization, the same energy that was previously inhibiting becomes enlightening by the grace of the person from whom it came.

Birth and death really take place at every second? Think of your hair and nails growing and then getting cut off. Think of the dead skin cells that the body sheds every single day. Think of how your body is different now from the way it was just the day before. Through preoccupation with other tasks, these subtle changes go unnoticed, but to someone who doesn’t see you every day, the shifts are noticeable the next time they take a look at you. On a larger scale, the daytime gradually shifts into nighttime, but this change isn’t noticed as easily if we are staring at the sky the entire day. As the expression goes, “like watching paint dry”, the gross material elements take a while to morph and form new shapes, but through the effects of time and the operation of the superior energy, these shifts take place nonetheless.

“Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.5)

Spirit is the superior energy. Matter is incapable of autonomous movement. Without a vital force within the body, the previously utilized hands, legs and feet start to rot and decay. Just any old collection of matter doesn’t grow into a viable living entity. There must first be a spiritual injection. Even the larger collections of matter, such as the mountains, rivers and clouds, are beholden to the wind and the nature that controls it. There is spirit inside each of these bodies instigating their movements; therefore the spiritual energy is considered superior.

Just how to make proper use of the external energy is what bewilders the innumerable sparks belonging to the superior energy. If an energetic force is superior then how can it be bewildered? The susceptibility to bewilderment explains the marginal position of the jiva with respect to the different energies coming from the Supreme Lord, who is known as Shri Krishna in the Vedic tradition. Not that Krishna is a mythological character or a folk hero of the Hindus; He is the very same Supreme Lord for all of humanity but with His features more clearly defined. The Vedas are so nice that they don’t just espouse a sectarian belief, with others compelled to convert to their way based on dogmatic insistence. The Vedas are the supreme science, as in the mundane scientific world there is politics and even consensus, as has been recently introduced with specific theories that others are reluctant to subscribe to.

Religion in the Vedas is presented as the science of self-realization, something that operates on every living entity, not just the human being. One person may identify themselves as Christian, another as Jewish, and another as Hindu, but one who actually studies self-realization identifies as spirit soul, aham brahmasmi. The spirit soul is superior to matter, and it is trapped in a cycle of reincarnation for a reason. There is a superior spirit soul, a singular entity from whom the different sparks emanated. Think of a giant fire that gives off sparks but at the same time doesn’t lose any of its intensity. The only thing we know that bears this property is the sun, which continuously beams off heat and light and yet doesn’t require an external fuel source. As part of the material creation, the sun had an inception date and thus will also have a date of destruction. Krishna is the supreme spiritual sun, so He is never bereft of His qualities. He transcends the bounds of time and space, a feature incomprehensible to the human being limited by their material brainpower.

If Krishna is beyond our thinking, why the need for self-realization? Why even discuss the different energies? Why not just live? The path of least resistance is taken by default, but the living entity still has something driving their behavior. In addition to the presence of instigation, there are multiple avenues taken; the activities aren’t always the same. As the search for ananda, or bliss, is the common catalyst, the discipline of self-realization is provided to allow for everyone to find that ananda. If we are more familiar with our properties and our position in the grand scheme of things, we will be better able to attain real bliss, without wasting time in fruitless ventures.

The pursuits of the spirit souls wandering through the material world without any guidance in spiritual matters can be compared to the animal rummaging the forest looking for food. One animal looks in one direction, while another takes their own route. Some eat more than others, while some decide to kill other animals for food. Irrespective of the avenue taken, the search for food will continue, as the enjoyment from eating is short-lived. The self-realized soul is one who finds their enjoyment both internally and externally, an art form they learned from following a bona fide discipline of spirituality, one which addresses the different energies, its source, and how to connect with it. The fountainhead of bliss and knowledge gives the proper information to those who wish to connect with Him in a mood of love.

What is at the core of this discipline? For starters, when the proper identification as spirit soul is there, the world can be viewed correctly instead of incorrectly. Immediately, sectarian, racial, national, gender, and even species boundaries are eliminated. The humble soul learning self-realization understands that there is no difference between a cat, dog, monkey, human being, ant, man, and woman. Every form of life is equal at the constitutional level, though we may show different outward treatment. Not everyone will be self-realized. A tiger doesn’t even know that it’s a tiger, so how can we expect it to treat us peacefully or under rational thought?

“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste] .” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 5.18)

The equal vision of the spiritualist is there initially for their own benefit. Knowing that we are spirit helps us understand that the matter around us is not meant for our association. Does this mean that we should give up all sensual pursuits, disengage from the senses? If I know that my car is not part of my identity, do I just abandon it? Do I sell the car immediately and never drive it again? This path of self-realization seems tempting, and it does have the benefit of bringing less entanglement in daily affairs, but there are some flaws.

The material energy is there for a reason. It is harmful when it is used for identification purposes, but it can prove beneficial for one who finds the proper engagement in life. Glorification of the Supreme Lord under the yoga discipline of bhakti is the constitutional occupation of the spirit soul, who is similar in quality to Krishna but vastly inferior in quantitative possession of divine attributes. Krishna is meant to be served and the spirit souls are meant to do the serving. Whether we like this fact or not is irrelevant; it is the natural order of things. The brilliance of the natural order is that anyone who follows it finds supreme pleasure, so much so that Krishna Himself is unable to stop their outpouring of emotion. In no other endeavor is this kind of love established, as the material world checks everyone’s service through the influence of time and space.

Devotional service in its highest form continues unmotivated and uninterrupted, life after life, in whatever body type the living entity may find. Reincarnation is already there with our present birth; we just have a little difficulty accepting the fact that it will continue into the afterlife. The transmigration of the soul shouldn’t be so difficult to understand, as there was spiritual action that caused our present birth. We also know that spiritual action continues after someone dies, so why should we deny that there is both a past and future life?

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.6)

Reincarnation flows in the direction of the consciousness of the living entity. The jiva is in the marginal position, so he can choose in favor of Krishna’s association or surrender to maya, the material energy. Association with maya brings temporary ups and downs that fluctuate like the stock market. At the time of death, one body type is renounced in favor of another, with the cycle of birth to death then repeated. This continues for as long as the material nature is used improperly. As soon as there is a proper identification of the different energies and its original source, bhakti-yoga can be adopted with the utmost sincerity.

Under bhakti, the same material energy that was previously inhibiting becomes the source of enlightenment, pleasure, anticipation, and unending opportunities for service. The example often cited by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the greatest champion and exponent of devotional service in modern times, was to the electricity that is available in a house. The same electricity can be used for both heating and cooling, which means that the electricity is not partial. In the same way, the material energy doesn’t have to be inhibiting. It doesn’t have to be the cause of perpetual bondage in a land divorced of God’s personal presence.

If someone were to hand us a laptop computer, the person identifying with matter and its objects may become ecstatic and use the machine for their own sense gratification. Surf the internet, listen to music, chat with their friends, basically do anything that is considered “fun”. The person who has renounced material interaction will be disappointed in receiving the same gift. To them the laptop is a brick that is heavy and causes an unnecessary burden to the person carrying it around. The owner also needs to learn how to use it, make sure that it is maintained, and pay for the electricity that goes into its operation.

The bhakta, however, neither identifies with the laptop nor despises it. Rather, every aspect of the material energy is used for connecting with Krishna. Even if something is renounced, that object becomes purified because at least it was used in an evaluation that eventually conjured up the image of Shyamasundara within the mind. Any time the consciousness can evoke Krishna’s image – where He is holding His flute, wearing a peacock feather in His hair, smiling so sweetly, enticing the spirit soul to come back to His spiritual home of Goloka Vrindavana – there is progress made towards finding lasting ananda.

If the devotee can, they will use the laptop to store pictures of Krishna and His many expansions. They will get the many books authored by the Vaishnava saints and place them on the device to read. They will use the keyboard and word processing programs to daily glorify their beloved Krishna and explain the flawless science of self-realization to others. In this way, both the materialist and dry renouncer missed out on a wonderful opportunity with the gift of the laptop.

The gross collection of material elements affords every single one of us the same opportunities. A sparse place lacking an influx of people and modern amenities can be enjoyed by those looking for peace and simultaneously despised by those looking for many activities involving material interaction. But if the same area has temples dedicated to the Lord, where His glories are constantly sung, such as through the sacred sound vibration of the maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, then saintly people will congregate there. With the presence of the saints the place turns into a pilgrimage site, an area where self-realization flourishes through both the existence of spiritual houses of worship and the association of devoted men.

The aim in this life is to use everything around us for kirtana, or glorification of the Supreme Lord, the person who provides happiness to anyone who connects with Him in a mood of love and devotion. The search for ananda will continue despite one’s awareness of the self, but only in the discipline of bhakti can the sweetest tasting fruit to our existence be found. The quality of the benefit is what determines the worthiness of the activity. As Krishna’s association is the unmatched jewel of a reward, the ancient art of bhakti, or divine love, becomes the only worthy engagement in life.

In Closing:

Electricity runs through the house,

Gives heat for both children and spouse.

Same force that is responsible for heating,

In summer operates machines for cooling.

Material nature also in neutrality,

Provides items to maintain being’s vitality.

Use nature the wrong way and you’ll be bound,

To cycle of birth and death, no bliss found.

But if you use matter to connect with Krishna,

You’ll taste sweet fruit of life, endless ananda.

Running Free

“The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited sphere of material bondage and fulfill his desire for complete freedom. He wants to get out of the covered walls of the greater universe. He wants to see the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he meets the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.8 Purport)

Like a lion chasing after an elephant, the cows are quickly running after their caretaker, their very life breath, the soul of their fortunes, the keeper of their heart, the beloved child of Mother Yashoda and Nanda Maharaja. Whereas the lion looks to pounce, these cows simply crave association, another glance at the beauty of Shyamasundara, the enchanting youth with a blackish complexion who holds a flute in His hands and wears a peacock feather in His hair. The cows, deer, butterflies, and every other living resident cannot get enough of this vision. Every time the young child looks at them, their attachment increases even more. What then to speak of when He plays His flute? The sound is so intoxicating that the barriers imposed by the body become too inhibiting, for how could any form ever contain the loving feelings waiting to burst out from the liberated spirit soul? The only proper release for this love is through continuous running on the wonderful field, soaking up the beautiful vision and sweet sounds that belong to Shri Krishna, the most intimate friend of the spirit soul.

More than just dogmatic insistence or reliance on rules and regulations of scriptures, the point to spirituality, a discipline that instills a regimen of dedicated activity, is to meet the needs of the soul. Only when one is in ignorance of these needs will they consider the postulates and truths presented by the oldest tradition of spiritual values, the Vedas, to be dogmatic, sectarian, sentimentalist, or mythological. Everything is pieced together perfectly in the Vedic texts to allow the soul to ultimately run free with transcendental love, to let its brightness of knowledge, eternality, and blissfulness shine everywhere. Those who are fortunate enough to follow the prescriptions presented by the authorized followers of the Vedas, those who are liberated from the inhibiting effects of matter, will be able to taste the fruit of their existence.

While in the premature assessment the Vedas are taken to be a set of written words, they are actually not different from the person they describe and glorify. The Vedas sing the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The songs fulfill the same purpose as the many aphorisms, stories of historical events, and poems and descriptions found in the vast literature that follows the original Vedas, a set of information passed down by the Supreme Person Himself. The glorification of God serves to give pleasure both to the hearer and to the worshiping person. This glorification lines up with the qualities of the spirit soul, the essence of identity.

Though it’s a difficult concept to grasp, we will continue to live after death. We can take this as fact because our own body has undergone constant change since as far back as we can remember. Do you know that you once survived in the tiniest of spaces within the womb of your mother? You don’t remember this experience, but you understand from the statements of your parents and the direct perception of external events that this definitely happened. How in the world did you survive? You lived in the womb for nine months, and prior to that you had to be somewhere else. From the experience in the womb you also know that just because you don’t remember something doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen.

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

What happened to that form that survived in the womb? Can we ever get it back? The Vedas shed light on these issues, with the most concise and complete explanation provided by Krishna Himself in the Bhagavad-gita, one of the widest read religious texts in history. The soul is so small that it can survive within even the form of an ant. Basically anything that we consider to be a life form has spirit inside of it. Indeed the absence of spirit, its departure from a particular form, is what causes death.

If you leave a particular room, does that mean your existence is finished? To the occupants of the room you may no longer exist, but you know that you’re only travelling somewhere else, with your identity remaining intact. Birth and death are similar travels, where the spirit soul either enters a new dwelling or gives one up in favor of a new one. The truths about the soul are presented in the beginning to the aspiring transcendentalist of the Vedic tradition because they form the knowledgebase from which one can launch into higher topics.

What higher topics could there be? Apprised of the travels of the soul, the obvious next question is why there must be birth and death in the first place. Moreover, why are there different forms? The constitutional position of the soul is what matters. The individual spirit gets placed into different bodies based on desire and work, which operate collectively under karma. The duties prescribed to a particular human being make up their karma, and the reactions that follow are referred to as karma-phala, or the fruits of action. Not all fruits taste the same, nor do they manifest at the same rate. A tomato plant may not grow as quickly as another plant, but this doesn’t mean that the reactions to the work applied during the planting stage don’t arrive.

“Krishna had actually entered the cave to deliver King Muchukunda from his austerity, but He did not first appear before him. He arranged that first Kalayavana should come before him. That is the way of the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; He does one thing in such a way that many other purposes are served. He wanted to deliver King Muchukunda, who was sleeping in the cave, and at the same time He wanted to kill Kalayavana, who had attacked Mathura City. By this action He served all purposes.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 50)

The Supreme Lord sequences everything together perfectly so that rewards arrive just when they are supposed to. The spirit soul, however, is transcendental to every reaction, for it doesn’t even remain tied to its body forever. If we live in a room for only a short time, we can’t say that anything within it forms the basis of our identity. Since God manages the laws of spirit and matter, every spiritual being is inherently tied to Him.

The link to God is a loving one. This loving propensity is the very dharma of the soul, its essential characteristic. The soul’s dharma can never be removed, but it can be masked. The various bodies assumed mask the loving propensity of the soul to one degree or another. It is seen in life that some people are violent haters while others are always peaceful and kind to the people they meet. The loving propensity is responsible for both behaviors. If not for strong attachment, there would be no chance for intense feelings of anger, betrayal, or neglect to result from the interaction with other living beings. Love is the root cause of every emotion.

In the various material bodies assumed, the loving propensity cannot be housed properly, due especially to the inhibiting nature of material elements. If we don’t know who we are supposed to love, how will we ever properly project our energy? It’s like having a fire extinguisher that points in every direction except towards the actual fire. The fire extinguisher will still work, i.e. it will still dissipate the ingredients necessary to put out a fire, but if the flow of energy is not directed in the proper area, the output goes to waste.

With the living being, the output of energy continues in a perpetual cycle until eventually the proper target is identified. This can take many lifetimes, for even a person who realizes the need for self-realization, which includes understanding the properties of spirit and the need for following a spiritual discipline, is considered fortunate. This should make sense, for how many people do we know who actually make loving God their primary business in life? They may believe in God and follow religious principles, but the primary thought processes within their mind, i.e. their consciousness, will be monopolized by pursuits for material sense gratification.

“The individual soul in the body of a baby cannot show the full power and potency of a grown man, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna, even when lying on the lap of His mother as a baby, could exhibit His full potency and power by killing Putana and other demons who tried to attack Him. Therefore the spiritual potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is said to be eka-rasa, or without change.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 32)

The body can be likened to a holding cell, a container that limits the exercise of ability of the spirit soul. Based on the variety in species, we know that the soul is capable of doing so many things. A soul can fly through the air, live within the water, do complex mathematics, sing beautifully, write wonderful poetry, live within the ground, and even stand erect for thousands of years. Yet none of these abilities extract even a smidgen of the full potential for action that exists within spirit.

How do we break free then? Think of being pumped up, extremely enthusiastic for action. Imagine never requiring sleep or being alert even while resting. This is how the liberated souls feel, for they have found the proper target for the loving emotions from within that never exhaust. The ideal beneficiary is Krishna, or God. For the loving emotions to continually flow, it would make sense that Krishna would have to be extremely attractive. If something does not elicit heartfelt emotional responses upon contact, how could service continue?

We know how liberated souls behave based on the documented historical evidence presented by Vedic literature. The qualities and activities of countless great souls, or mahajanas, are described in these wonderful works. Though Krishna is the fountainhead of all spiritual manifestations and loving Him is the constitutional position of the soul, this doesn’t mean that all liberated souls behave the same way. Rather, there are multifarious outlets for the loving propensity found within spirit. Some worship God by chanting His names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Others follow their prescribed duties and keep the Lord’s vision within their minds. Some take up direct service to Him, acting like menial servants who are entirely invested in the outcome of events so that their beloved Lord will be pleased. Some act as Krishna’s friend, while others love Him very intimately. Some derive pleasure through contact with His soft skin, while others delight in just hearing about Him.

This last method is the best way to unlock the dormant love for God that everyone has resting inside of them. The hearing process dissipates the nescience surrounding the pure soul and leads to further interaction with the Supreme Lord. Even those who have personally offered service to God delight in hearing about Him. If the Vedic literature available to them is not cutting it, if it doesn’t have enough information to satisfy them, these souls will write their own poems and songs, filling the mind with thoughts about Krishna; thereby fostering Krishna consciousness, which is the very definition of liberation.

Devotional service, or bhakti-yoga, is like playing on an open field, where there are no walls to stop the soul wanting to run to Krishna’s side. This analogy works both figuratively and literally. During Krishna’s time on earth some five thousand years ago, His closest friends would play with Him on the fields of Vrindavana. In this pristine environment, the cows and other animals were well protected. The cowherd boys had fun daily, for they were in Krishna’s company. Even the women and caretakers derived pleasure from doing their routine work, for they had Krishna by their side.

Many thousands of years prior to that, a group of extra hyper monkeys got to run free in the forests and travel to distant lands to offer service to God in His avatara as a warrior prince named Rama. These Vanaras got to scour the earth to look for Rama’s wife Sita. They built a bridge made of stones to Lanka where Sita was being held captive. They had the chance to use uprooted trees and rocks as weapons in a violent war against the Rakshasas of Lanka, who were headed by Ravana, the evil king who had tried to take Sita away for himself. The Vanaras were in the bodies of lowly monkeys, but their service was offered nonetheless. It was performed without motivation and without interruption. This means that even after Ravana was defeated, the Vanara devotees, of whom Hanuman was chief, continued to love God. Though the Lord eventually went back to the spiritual world of Vaikuntha, the same devotees continued to derive great pleasure just by hearing about Rama and His glories. The chance to hear about God is the very purpose of the Ramayana, the poem authored by Maharishi Valmiki which describes Rama’s life and pastimes.

Every living entity has a choice. Either continue the process of elimination, whereby one engagement after another is indulged in until the right target for the soul’s loving propensity is hopefully found, or take to bhakti-yoga right away. The flaw with the former option is that forgetfulness creeps in. This means that some engagement that we previously renounced due to boredom will be repeated later on once the past experiences are forgotten. It’s like chewing a stick of gum, spitting it out once the taste is gone, doing something else for a while, and then going back and picking up the same chewed gum.

With bhakti-yoga, the effects are not the same. Rather, the more one chants Krishna’s names and hears about His pastimes, the more attached they become to the process; the enjoyment they derive from thinking about God increases. The levels of transcendental ecstasy rise to the point that the liberated soul will settle for nothing less than serving their beloved throughout the day, not worrying about the limits imposed by material nature. The meeting with the Supreme Lord is destined to take place once this state of full Krishna consciousness is attained, for in the spiritual world there are no barriers. Matter, time and space do exist in Krishna’s realm, but their negative influence is absent; hence they are practically unrecognizable. The liberated spirit soul runs to where Krishna is, and once they find Him, they never let Him go. Should He run away again, they continue to follow, thus allowing their inexhaustible reservoir of love to continually pour out, keeping the soul in perpetual ecstasy.

In Closing:

The bonds of material nature constrict,

The loving nature of spirit they restrict.

Take one engagement after another,

To find a state of bliss like no other.

That can only be found in Krishna’s company,

Connect with Him through ways that are many.

Chant His names or glories do you sing,

Or offerings of prasadam to Him bring.

Whatever the method follow it with faith,

Let your soul free and arrive at heaven’s gate.