Laying The Groundwork

“If the common people are not receptive, it is very difficult to impress upon them the necessity of spiritual enlightenment. Austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness, the basic principles of religion, prepare the ground for the reception of advancement in spiritual knowledge, and Maharaja Parikshit made this favorable condition possible.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.17.45 Purport)

No matter how hard you try, how persuasive you may be, sometimes if the recipient is not receptive, they will not follow through on the instructions you give to them in the utmost kindness. Imagine telling a child who is completely immersed in a video game to go clean their room or do their homework. Their mind is elsewhere at the moment, so they likely aren’t even hearing what you are saying. But if the game should be shut off, the same words, echoed from the same distance away, will resonate and be acted upon. For the benefit of society at large, laying the proper groundwork through the efforts of the higher authorities proves to be beneficial in enabling as many as possible to march towards the destination of spiritual emancipation, where the inhibiting forces of material nature no longer pose a threat.

Spiritual freedom is more important than any concocted system of liberty in a place marked by birth and death. Liberty is itself a vague concept; hence we see documents and movements that restrict the actions of government. The despised tyranny of the governments leads to a charter of negative liberties, which leaves man to his own devices, to figure out for himself what he should do and what he shouldn’t. In this arena, piety becomes a relative concept, wherein one person’s definition of sin differs from another’s.

If there is no guiding principle for action, the natural course of following the dictates of the senses is allowed to take hold. With the satisfaction of the senses, one person’s pursuit is as justifiable as another’s. If one person chooses to earn their living honestly, following kindness and respect for others, are they any better than the person who begs, borrows and steals to get ahead? You can’t look to the government to arbitrate because they are hamstrung by restrictions imposed in the founding document. Therefore they alone cannot make any moral judgments; they must base their actions off the will of the majority of the people.

If both the impious and the pious can get wealthy, what is the point to codes of conduct? Personal liberty is therefore the ultimate determining factor, and whichever way that liberty can be maintained becomes the pious route for the individual. Thus the rules of propriety will differ from person to person and what you’re left with is constant strife and turmoil. One person is stealing from someone else, so others can take that as a license for theft. “Get yours before others take it.”

This predicament makes it difficult to teach the real principles of religion, as they are laid out in the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India. In those sacred texts there is no mention of liberty or government tyranny. Rather, there is dharma, or occupational duty. Every living being has the same original dharma, or defining characteristic, and since it never changes, it is known as sanatana, or without beginning and without end.

The intelligentsia and the administrators are to teach about and institute principles conducive to the practice of dharma in society at large. It is not expected that everyone will be receptive to religious principles right away, for willful forgetfulness of the nature of spirit is the cause for the initial descent into the material world. By constitution the spirit soul is knowledgeable, blissful and eternal. In that wonderful ideal state there is a corresponding entity of interaction. He is most often referred to as God, but since He has countless glorious features and attributes, in the Vedas He is addressed by many names. Krishna speaks to His all-attractiveness and Bhagavan references His possession of beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge and renunciation to the fullest degree.

When there is forgetfulness of the constitutional position or a desire to imitate Krishna’s superiority, there is a fall to a temporary world, sort of like sending children into a playroom to host tea parties and mock adult functions. The problem is that the playroom isn’t real; it is only temporarily manifest. In addition, there can be clashes, as sometimes a new person wants to run things or the other people in the room may not like the outcomes to action. There is every chance of constant strife and turmoil, all rooted in forgetfulness of the fact that the adults are superior.

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

When real knowledge of God is distributed to the citizens, the foundation is laid for the path back home, back to Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gita, it is said by Lord Krishna that one who knows the nature of His appearances and disappearances doesn’t have to return to the cycle of birth and death. That is they don’t have to remain in a lower realm where ignorance pervades. Knowing Krishna’s nature is to know that He never accepts a material body. He never takes birth nor dies and He does everything at His own sweet will, as He is the Supreme Controller.

One who knows these facts will follow dedicated service. That service will ideally please Krishna, and to make sure there are no doubts on the matter the service takes place under the guidance of a spiritual master, a teacher who follows in a chain of disciplic succession that originates with Krishna. The primary recommendation for the wayward soul is to regularly chant the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, follow regulative principles, and in this way always stay connected in consciousness with the Supreme Lord.

But what if people aren’t receptive to hearing these truths? Certainly the statements of the Bhagavad-gita are profound and can change someone’s life in an instant, but if there are mental distractions borne of habits formed through the many days spent in the material land, how will anyone properly receive the message of divine love so nicely given by Shri Krishna and His devotees?

There are always higher authorities in life, people who wield control over large groups of people. In times past they were kings, and in modern times they are local administrators who are typically elected to their posts. By instilling four principles within society, an atmosphere can be created which is conducive to the reception of the real principle of religion, namely devotion to God. Austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness are not sectarian principles, so they can be taught to any person, even if they are not religiously inclined.

Austerity is already important in so many areas of life. The person trying to lose weight will automatically impose austerity, limiting their daily caloric intake. This is an austerity measure because the previous inclination was to eat more, to consume more calories. The student refrains from behavior that will damage their chances to do well in school, and the worker makes sure not to do anything that will hinder their performance at work.

Cleanliness is equally as important, as without a clean body we will not be presentable to others. In addition, if the mind is polluted with dirty thoughts, behavior towards others will be negatively impacted. An impure consciousness is at the root of all strife and anger in society. Conflicts occur when the otherwise sober man is taken over by lust, anger and greed.

Mercy shows that you have compassion. When you are compassionate towards others, they will be more apt to be kind to you. On the other hand, if we think we can just kill other creatures when no one is looking and get away with it, eventually that same violence will be inflicted upon us. The laws of nature are quite fair in this regard, so by showing mercy, it is easier to realize that every other living entity is in the same boat that we are. They are also struggling with the material nature to find happiness.

Truthfulness helps to advance along the proper path. If you are not honest in your dealings, you will hurt others. Imagine if we get on an airplane slated for a particular destination and the pilot suddenly changes course for no reason. What if we give money to a cashier and they don’t give us our item in return? Thus truthfulness is a bedrock of voluntary transactions and the interaction with our fellow man. When there is rampant dishonesty, there is no chance for anyone to live peacefully.

Famous kings of the past like Maharaja Parikshit imbibed these four principles into society by the actions of government. Austerity measures are easy to implement; simply refrain from harmful foods and fast on certain days for religious observance. Cleanliness is taken care of by limiting intake of alcohol; thereby avoiding intoxication. Regular bathing and other practices pertaining to hygiene also help. Mercy is fostered by giving protection to the innocent animals. The human being is the elder brother of the other species, so when the brother protects the younger siblings, there is automatic compassion created. Truthfulness is increased by limiting gambling. If there is rampant gambling, cheating will be the way to go, as the competitive fire causes one to lose sight of the larger picture.

These four principles are followed to some degree or another already. They prove to be beneficial every time they are implemented, so if they are expanded to a larger scale, then the society will be more receptive to the message of divine love, which is the elixir for the ears. Shri Krishna is the fountainhead of all knowledge, and so even the four regulative principles emanate from Him. He allows for any person, from any stage of life, to make progress along the proper path, so that one day they can find the happiness that they have long searched for.

In Closing:

Peaceful society built on foundation of trust,

So telling the truth in dealings is a must.

 

Austerity measures in the beginning do sting,

But to proper destination they eventually bring.

 

When you’re out in public by others to be seen,

Important to be presentable, for body to be clean.

 

Mercy, compassion for all creatures important too,

Be nice to others if you want kindness for you.

 

These principles to divine love are conducive,

Makes ears for Krishna’s message more receptive.

Providing Comforts

“If water is poured on the root, the leaves are enlivened perfectly and automatically, but if water is poured on the leaves only, the whole energy is spoiled. Maharaja Yudhishthira, therefore, was constantly engaged in the service of the Lord, and thus the parts and parcels of the Lord, the living beings under his careful administration, were perfectly attended with all comforts in this life and all progress in the next. That is the way of perfect management of state administration.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.12.4 Purport)

Based on the way life presently operates, the common conception is that if you want comforts in life, you have to work hard for them. The “work” in this case involves industry. Some business venture is producing a good or service and selling it to the public for a profit. There wouldn’t be much issue with this practice if there were only a few businesses and a few products. As freedom is concomitant with residence in a playing field conducive to the pursuit of sense gratification, everyone has the same chance to chase after profit. Hence there is stiff and constant competition, requiring the businesses to regularly retool and look for new ways to continue earning a profit.

Caught in the fever of this competition, the good citizen of the state thinks that to find comforts in life one has to either start their own business and enter the competitive field directly or at least offer service to an existing company, acting as an integral member of a production unit. In reality, however, the comforts of life are provided by nature. That nature is not partial to anyone, as who can say that the nearby lake exists exclusively for their benefit? Is the sunshine only meant for me? Do not the countless trees and plants around the world derive nourishment from the splendorous sun?

Recognizing nature’s superiority is difficult when the necessities of life are currently acquired through purchases at a local market. The money used in those purchases is earned through work in industry; hence the obvious chain of causation. “If I don’t work at a business, how am I going to earn money to put food on the table?” In times past, more of the workforce was involved in agriculture, so they were directly responsible for producing the items that they would consume to keep life going.

Yet even in agriculture there must be conditions conducive to fertility. The soil must be right, there must be a certain climate, and there needs to be ample amounts of water. These factors cannot be controlled by the human being, no matter what they may falsely think. The inquisitive mind, reaching the conclusion that nature is ultimately responsible for the living being’s sustenance, can delve further into the matter. Where does nature come from? Who gives the clouds the water they need for rain? Who controls the heat?

“O Arjuna, I control heat, the rain and the drought. I am immortality, and I am also death personified. Both being and nonbeing are in Me.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.19)

In the Bhagavad-gita, a sacred text of the Vedic tradition, it is said by Lord Krishna that He is the controller of heat and the rain. Krishna is purported to be God. Followers of the Vedic tradition know that God is not a sectarian figure. The Supreme Absolute Truth is beyond duality, so He is not favorable or applicable to only a certain set of people. There may be different viewpoints, varying levels of clarity in the vision of the Absolute Truth, but His fixed position as the savior of all surrendered souls never changes.

In the Vedas, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as all-attractive. To attract in such a way, there must exist a form, and if that form is real, it must have features which are somewhat identifiable. Depending on your angle of vision and your mood of worship, the features you are attracted to will be different. Looking at God in a mood of reverential worship, you may only know of Him in His form of Vishnu, which has four hands and is opulently adorned. If you are attracted by protection of the most innocent, who have to unjustly absorb the attacks of superiors, you might be attracted by the half-man/half-lion form of the Lord known as Narasimhadeva.

The Bhagavad-gita is spoken by Krishna, Bhagavan in His ultimate feature. Krishna’s activities and transcendental qualities are attractive in so many ways. The Gita contains His direct instructions, so anyone interested in high philosophy and rational thought can worship and honor Krishna as the smartest person in the world. If you’re attracted to sweetness in vision, then the same Krishna as a child roaming the sacred land of Vrindavana will be your preferred deity. There is also Krishna the transcendental lover and Krishna the protector of the cows and the devotees. In this way, through so many of His opulences, one can be attracted to God and learn their true position as His servant.

Through the realization of God in His personal form one can take up bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. A benefit of this highest engagement is that it automatically takes care of other responsibilities. I offer service to the proprietor of the business and I may earn a good living as a result. At the same time, I am dependent on entities that are not all-controlling. Your boss cannot guarantee that you will always have a job because you can’t be assured that his business will always be profitable.

Relying on the field to grow food is the next-best option, but again the conditions are controlled by higher authorities, namely nature and its component elements. If you worship inanimate nature, you’re not guaranteed of anything good happening. Torrential downpours, earthquakes, tornadoes and the like can strike at any moment. And since nature has no way of responding directly to your pleas, acknowledging your allegiance, for you that worship will be difficult to continue.

On the other hand, with worship of Krishna, not only are your prayers heard and acknowledged, but the benefactor in this case can make the conditions auspicious for both you and your dependents. A great example of this fact was seen with Maharaja Yudhishthira. Krishna had directly intervened on the good leader’s behalf to ensure that he would be successful in a great war. As the victor, Yudhishthira regained the throne of Hastinapura that rightfully belonged to he and his brothers. If not for their devotion to Krishna, the brothers would not have survived the many prior attacks from their enemies.

Yudhishthira provided all the comforts in life for his citizens not by promoting industry or setting up fiercely competitive ventures. Rather, simply through his direct devotion to Krishna, nature made sure to supply enough comforts so that everyone was satisfied. Whether you had a little or a lot, you could get whatever you needed from the water, minerals, grains and fruits that abounded in Yudhishthira’s kingdom. From those commodities the cows were pleased, which in turn allowed for society to flourish.

The question remains: how to water the root of the tree? How do we worship Krishna in the same way that Yudhishthira did? The king had the good fortune of having Krishna by his side, but what about us? In pure devotion, the desire is to simply connect with Krishna. That is actually the tie that holds everything else together. What this means is that if your sincere wish is to think of God, be by His side mentally, and never forget Him, the person being worshiped will make sure that the conditions around you will always remain conducive to that remembrance.

This doesn’t necessarily equate to a one hundred percent success rate in fruitive ventures. If you get distracted through the pursuit of profit, perhaps the Lord will purposefully make you unsuccessful to keep you on the straightened path, which in the end is the best thing for you. So many devotees of the past have been favored in this way, and there is no blame to be put on Krishna for this. His rescuing the bhaktas from a hellish life they mistakenly took to be heavenly is equally as kind as His delivering good fortune to the materially struggling devotee.

Whether in Krishna’s presence or not, chanting His names always keeps Him within the heart. Reciting the sacred formula of, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, is the way to create a miniature replica of the famous Hastinapura within our immediate surroundings. Krishna is the root of the tree of material existence, so by watering the root the living being can start to relish fruits that no longer cloud but instead further purify consciousness. By knowing Krishna and His position, one acquires the greatest comfort in life in being able to always find the Lord by their side.

In Closing:

Bow to the feverish competition of industry,

Then worry constantly about money and property.

 

But know that on nature’s gifts we depend,

On sun, crops, and rain that the clouds send.

 

These elements have a higher controller,

Of every opulence He is the exclusive holder.

 

Shri Krishna, the Supreme Lord of all,

Worship Him through holy name’s call.

 

King Yudhishthira protected by Krishna’s grace,

Follow bhakti and avoid illusion’s chase.

Scarcity

“By proper utilization of thoughtfulness, one comes to the stage of thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one becomes free from the contamination of the faulty association of the material world, and thus one becomes peaceful. The world is in a disturbed condition because of a scarcity of such peaceful devotees in human society.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 34)

Aid to struggling African nations seems to always find itself among the top causes adopted by the well-wishers of humanity. The kind gestures offered to the down-trodden are certainly noble and worthwhile, as the inhabitants of poverty ridden areas lack basic necessities such as drinking water and shelter. While providing remedial measures to areas which have a scarcity of necessary resources is a worthwhile activity, a better solution would be to tackle the root of the problem. Why are these sections of society disadvantaged to begin with? The dedicated welfare worker may retort with, “Well, I’m not concerned with that. These people need help right now. Who cares how they got to where they are?” Actually, finding out the source of the problem is far more important than offering temporary solutions, especially when playing in the field of material activity, where bodies and situations constantly go through cycles of creation and destruction. Indeed, you can feed a man for a day by providing him a hot meal, but by giving him the necessary tools to provide for himself, he can have food for the rest of his life.

Some will say the root cause of scarcity is greed. “Too many have nots and too few haves. The greedy take to hoarding all the resources for themselves, thus limiting the potential for production by others.” While there is no doubt that greedy businessmen are interested in only one thing, profit, their behavior alone doesn’t explain rampant poverty. From studying the most successful businesses in the world, we see that the majority of them can source their wealth to support from the common man. For instance, computer and software companies get rich off of people buying their products and using them. Apple Computer makes millions of dollars selling music players, computers and portable entertainment devices that aren’t necessarily inexpensive. Their latest high tech product, the iPad, is overpriced in the estimation of many, yet the device still sells extremely well. The truth is that a key factor in making millions of dollars is finding a product that appeals to the common man, producing it at a low cost, and then selling it at a price that will garner a profit. So in this sense, the greedy businessman has nothing to gain by forcing his customers into poverty. He is not benefitted by mass starvation and famine.

The other credited source for poverty is tyranny. This idea certainly has more validity, but again, there is a root cause for the iron-fisted behavior of a ruling tyrant. In a system of totalitarianism, land and property are confiscated by a higher authority, one that assumes absolute power. The producers are punished for no other reason than their success. With an overarching government, the rulers view the wealthy citizens as their enemies, for they are providing for the common man better than the government ever could. As an example, giant superstore chains in America are often hated by government officials and their attached lobbying groups. The purported justifications for this hatred range from the companies not offering sufficient health benefits to the fact that the laborers at such stores are not unionized, but the real reason for the gripe is that the common man, the average citizen, is hugely benefitted from patronizing such institutions. For those who take government officials to be God, or the ultimate order supplier, other free individuals cannot exist who supply the majority of the needs to the ordinary man. Being soundly defeated by their competitors in the private sector, the government officials vying for supremacy are left with no other option but to confiscate property and land. They are able to get away with their unseemly behavior by invoking class envy. Indeed, this is the major cause of poverty in the suffering African nations, where private property rights are nonexistent due to government intervention.

Is the cure for scarcity the removal of tyrannical regimes? After all, an area where goods are freely produced and traded will surely see an economic boom. This was indeed the source of the first great harvest seen in the New World by the Pilgrims. After implementing a new competition driven economic system, the Pilgrims’ harvest was so bountiful that they decided to hold a grand feast and give thanks to God. This feast subsequently became the annual tradition known as Thanksgiving. Yet simply removing tyranny is not the answer, as even the unpleasant, oppressive behavior of powerful governing bodies has a root cause. Simply instituting a competitive system driven by private property rights will not do the trick, because there is every chance for greed and corruption leading to the increase in power of the almighty government in the future. Those who are successful in a free market system are often its greatest enemies. The successful capitalist will have no qualms about lobbying government to grant favors to their specific industry, thereby crumbling the very system that allowed for prosperity.

The solution to the scarcity issue can be found from studying the very nature of freedom. Throughout the course of history, there have always been struggles between liberty and tyranny. Who wouldn’t agree that being free is better than being oppressed? Yet the history of the world is that of oppression, showing that people have chosen to be put under the control of governments that weren’t concerned with their interests. The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, clue us in as to why such behavior takes place in spite of the natural preference of man for uninhibited movement. The spirit soul, the individual autonomous spark within each life form, is the basis of identity. Though the soul is imperceptible to the human eye, it can be recognized through outward symptoms, namely, the movements of the body. We know that a soul is inside of a particular form if the body is moving, breathing, or talking. When these functions cease, we know that the soul has left the body.

“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)

These perceptions indicate that the soul is very powerful, but where did it come from? Where does the spiritual spark go upon exiting the body? What are its properties? At the core, the soul has an affinity for God. Divine love is built into the spirit’s makeup; it is a property that cannot be removed. In fact, the desires to affectionately embrace the Supreme Soul and seek out its pleasure are the most dominant features of the individual soul, even trumping its properties of full knowledge and eternality. Just as fire is known by its heat and light properties, the soul is known by its pure loving propensity manifested through the service attitude. In order for there to be love, there has to be a beneficiary, an entity to whom affection can be directed. Since the soul is always in a state of existence, the ideal recipient of its service must bear the same property. Not surprisingly, that ultimate reservoir of pleasure is Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just as the soul wants to act upon its transcendental affection at all times, its loveable object must be capable of accepting service and subsequently providing the greatest pleasure. It is in this area that Krishna stands out amongst all other benevolent masters and objects of interest. The name Krishna is Sanskrit for “all-attractive”, so it serves as a much better appellation for the original Divine Being than does the word “God.” Krishna is the original Godhead, the same person everyone in the world worships, despises, adores, or fails to acknowledge.

Though everyone, including the atheist, believes in God, they may not know who He is, what He looks like, or what their relationship to Him is. How can the atheists, who outwardly deny the existence of a Supreme Being, who despise every aspect of divine love and the worship of any entity aside from matter, be servants of the Supreme Lord? When the intrinsic loving property pushes activity towards Krishna, the soul remains in a purified state. Due to the resulting connection, which is known as yoga, all knowledge and proper behavioral characteristics are acquired. It is said that the soul is like a self-illuminating lamp of knowledge; therefore it never has to actually acquire any information. The education that individuals are subjected to in terms of schooling and instruction from higher authorities merely serves to remove the covering of nescience that envelops the spiritual fragment, which is resting comfortably within the heart.

Birth is a time of great importance because this is when the covering of ignorance surrounds the soul. When trying to see through the dense fog of illusion, not only is the eternal knowledge clouded, but the aim of activity goes off center as well, causing the natural loving propensity to miss its target. Not surprisingly, the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in existence, refer to the living entity faced with this predicament as conditioned. The conditioned living entity, a pure spirit soul residing in a temporary covering composed of material elements which are deemed inhibiting, redirects its loving propensity towards worldly objects and temporary relationships that fall short of providing happiness in every way. The atheist is simply a lover of God who has directed their natural affection towards objects of matter, including the senses. The fruitive worker, who is a bit more advanced than the staunch atheist, directs their service mentality towards acquiring and enjoying the fruits of their labor, such as the home, car, family, children, etc., through regulated activities based on some system of piety. One step above the fruitive worker is he who loves saintly people, the poor. and the exalted living entities in charge of the material creation. Such individuals attempt to help the disadvantaged and the victims of scarcity.

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.16)

Only when the burning desire to perform service is directed at the Supreme Object of Pleasure can the right system of knowledge be revealed. One may question that since everything is created by God, what is wrong with worshiping matter or other temporary objects. The answer is that the Lord’s influence is certainly seen in everything, but direct service, one that leads to perfect yoga, can only be offered to His personal self or one of His representatives. The feet, hands and legs are different parts of the human body, but if we want to feed ourselves, we have to go through the mouth and eventually reach the stomach. If we offer food to our foot, nothing will come of such service, regardless of how devoted we are. Indeed, such a method of worship is rooted completely in ignorance. In the same way, serving matter, which is Krishna’s external energy, does nothing to further our knowledge, enhance our bliss, or purify our behavior.

When the penchant for loving service misses its intended target, what results? Revisiting the issue of liberty, tyranny is nothing more than the misuse of freedom. You cannot have tyranny without liberty; therefore the primary objective is not to simply root out oppressive behavior, but rather, to find a proper use for liberty. If we have freedom and don’t know what to do with it, we will naturally offer our service to worldly objects, those things which are temporary and bear no direct relation to Supreme Spirit. The resulting service, since it is neither natural nor authorized, will eventually lead to tyranny, even if there was a peaceful condition to begin with. For example, the greed exhibited by politicians is simply an outgrowth of the staunch devotion to matter. A businessman has a strong affinity for money, so he’ll do whatever he can to acquire as much of it as possible. If he sees the opportunity for increased profits through partnership with government officials, he will most certainly take hold of the chance. The politician who is after fame and worship from the common man will then violate the laws of nature by confiscating the property of others.

This output of effort is actually a waste of time, as the Supreme Lord is capable of providing for simple acquisitions of matter and much more. History has shown Bhagavan to be the greatest benefactor, bestowing kingdoms upon the most downtrodden who had the good sense to chant His name regularly. Yet when one ignores Krishna’s helping hand and instead worships matter, they are essentially searching for tiny food grains within heaps of garbage. A grain is typically an abundant commodity, so it is not very valuable. Searching amidst rubbish for something as ordinary as a food grain isn’t a very wise use of time, but when deluded by ignorance, the conditioned entity takes the grain to be more valuable than the eternal kingdom capable of being bestowed by the ruler of all worlds material and spiritual.

When the service mentality is directed at Krishna, the opposite behavior is seen, i.e. instead of trying to hoard material resources, the predominant desire is to increase everyone else’s happiness. The pure lover of God is known as a bhakta, or devotee. Through engaging exclusively in acts of chanting, hearing, remembering, worshiping, offering prayers and the like, the devotee remains in constant contact with Krishna. Behavior following bhakti automatically solves the scarcity problem because it leads to the highest form of knowledge. Goswami Tulsidas, a celebrated Vaishnava and devotee of Lord Rama, remarks that evidence of God’s existence can be seen in the price of worldly objects. Those things which we actually need, like food grains and water, are readily available and inexpensive. Those things that we don’t need, such as valuable jewels, palatial mansions and fancy cars, are expensive. Understanding this dichotomy and the purpose behind it, the devotee automatically avoids the greedy mentality, voluntarily adopting a meager lifestyle and taking only what is required to continue their standard of devotional excellence. Only through a purified vision acquired through divine love can the uncontrolled competition that results in lying, cheating, stealing and lobbying the government for favors be eliminated.

What about the food problem? How does worshiping God remove the fears pertaining to putting food on the table? In the conditioned state, man lives to eat, sleep, drink and be merry. On the other hand, the purified devotee lives only to perform bhakti. Hence they automatically acquire the knowledge necessary to provide for their sustenance. Whatever food is procured in the home is prepared and offered to Krishna first, with the results turning into prasadam, or the Lord’s mercy. Lord Chaitanya, the greatest preacher and most merciful saint the world has ever seen, kindly informed one of His disciples one time that the devotee’s body belongs to God. Therefore the bhakta takes special care to maintain the body for Krishna’s service. Where there is worship of the Supreme Lord in pure goodness, without any impure motives, there is always an abundance of life’s necessities. Water, food grains, milk and other bare essentials are always available.

The devotees can solve their food problems, but how does that help others who are suffering right now? Not only do the bhaktas reveal the potential for happiness brought on by utilizing the loving propensity properly, but they are also kind enough to teach others how to evoke their natural love for Supreme Spirit. In addition to showing love to everyone equally, a saint is someone who is able to evoke the highest loving sentiments in any type of person, irrespective of their religious affiliation or standing in society. By helping others arouse their natural love for God, all the problems in the world get solved. Good behavior, the proper use of liberty and the reduction in conflict are all measly, insignificant byproducts of bhakti-yoga. Rewards pertaining to comfortable outward conditions are considered paltry in comparison to the loving emotions exchanged between the individual and the Lord of their life, Shri Krishna. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that the only scarcity in this world is that of Krishna consciousness. The more bhaktas there are in the world distributing the mercy of the Lord, the less problems there will be.

What is the quintessential act of bhakti? What is the one activity we can take up that will aim our natural loving propensity at the right target? Which engagement will help us make the best use of our God-given freedom? Shri Gaurahari, Lord Chaitanya, inaugurated the sankirtana movement, the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord, to save the fallen conditioned souls of this age. God is the same for everyone, but explicitly reciting His names found in the maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, proves most effective at evoking transcendental, loving sentiments both in the chanter and in the hearts of those who are within audible range of the transcendental sound vibrations emitted. The sound of Krishna’s name is so powerful that it immediately creates the greatest motivation to maintain life. When there is motivation, a fire in the belly, there is no scarcity in production. The most abundantly produced products are the ones that sell very well, so when introduced into the marketplace of ideas and philosophies, the ancient art of bhakti immediately becomes the most demanded commodity. The more people that chant the Lord’s names, the more devotees there will be. The more bhaktas there are, the greater the influence of bhakti in the arenas of philosophy and metaphysics will be. When the natural loving sentiment towards God takes hold of society at large, the only remaining scarcity will be ignorance, a shortage we can all live with.

Getting Along

“One who sees the Supersoul in every living being and equal everywhere does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he approaches the transcendental destination.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.29)

Regardless of the specific period of time, squabbles over government and its lack of efficiency will always be present. No matter who is in power or who has just won a big election, the age old questions are sure to arise. “When will the bickering stop? When will the people in government get along and do some good for the people?” The problems, however, stem from government outlays, their intended beneficiaries and the victims who fund such benevolence. Since the modern day democratic style of government involves popular elections, every issue eventually comes down to a popularity contest, wherein one group vies with another for government funds. Since a government is meant to serve an entire class of people, they must view everyone equally. As soon as the impartial viewpoint breaks down, the system starts to crumble, and you are left with agony, angst, disappointment and resentment.

At the lowest level, a government is simply in charge of a certain section of land inhabited by a group of citizens. To understand the need and purpose of a higher governing authority, we can study the workings of government on a smaller scale than that of a large nation, or even expand the scope out to the largest scale possible. The entire creation, which is the most abstract concept understood by the individual, is managed by a superintendent deity. In the Vedic tradition, the chief is addressed as Krishna, who is the original, all-attractive form of the Lord. In other theistic traditions, the Supreme Being is known as God, but the name is not that important for the purposes of this discussion. Regardless of the name for the original Divine Being, His functions are still the same. He creates everything in this world, including the trees, plants, mountains, oceans, and more importantly, all the people who live here. Therefore He automatically becomes the original father, a person that everyone has a natural connection with at the time of birth.

A good father is one who treats all his sons and daughters equally. This isn’t to say that he behaves in the exact same way with each child, but rather the ultimate aim of the interactions is the same. Let’s think of it this way: Say that we have multiple brothers and sisters. We may be closer with some, while we have enmity with others. But does this mean that we love any one of our brothers or sisters more than the others? For most people, this is not the case, as the love is shown equally to everyone. The same principle applies with our parents. Can we really say that we love our mother more than our father, or vice versa? The answer is usually ‘no’.

“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)

With Krishna, an equal amount of love is shown to everyone. There can be no other way for the Lord to act, for as the creator, everyone is tied to Him. It is similar to how the sun shines equally everywhere, without any partiality, yet due to the workings of man and his specific needs, he may or may not utilize the sunrays for his benefit. The question may arise as to why, with Krishna being equal to everyone, some people are born into favorable circumstances, while others are not. Some people live an easy life, while others are constantly struggling. Krishna’s equality manifests in the conditions of the playing field and the rules governing the actions undertaken on it. According to Vedic information, the field of activity known as the material world exists for as long as there is a desire to imitate the father on the part of the limitless children. The Supreme Lord certainly shows an equal amount of affection to everyone, but there is no favoritism shown in the execution of the flawed desire to imitate.

The minute by minute happenings of the material world are governed by elevated personalities known as devas, or demigods. These exalted beings function in a manner similar to those of government ministers, i.e. they act at the pleasure of the supreme commander. When the living entities, the children of God, take to playing on the field, the results of their actions are distributed by the demigods, who work under the system of karma. In English, karma is translated to mean “fruitive activity”. The act of planting a crop, tending to it and ultimately enjoying the resulting fruit is the best way to describe the activities of the living entities. The results of karma are even referred to as phala, which means fruits.

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

Fruitive activity has no direct relation to Krishna. Just as the farmer thinks he is responsible for the bountiful harvest seen at the end of the season, the living entities who have become averse to divine service believe they are responsible for the fruits of their actions, the results to their karmic activity. The individuals are spirit at their core, so they have tremendous leeway in the areas of freedom and free-will, but visible results can never be traced back to the actions of any conditioned living entity. For example, we may work hard at planting seeds on fertile soil and then watch them grow, but such growth could never occur were it not for the material elements of earth, water and sunlight. Nature’s elements were never created by the living entity, nor can they be controlled by him.

The impartial behavior of God towards His children illustrates the ideal practices of good government on the largest scale. On the smallest scale, we can study a typical family, which is headed by the mother and father. Parents love their children so much that there is the urge to spoil them in their youth. Yet good parents will avoid the urge to spoil and instead make their children persevere through some trials and tribulations in the form of austerities. When the child is taken to the supermarket and sees various toys on the shelves, a parent will not buy whatever toy the child asks for. Otherwise the child would become spoiled and not learn the value of money when they get older.

Taking into account the maturation of the child is the key aspect to good parenting. Since the parents are older than the child, they know they likely won’t be around long after the child turns into an adult. As such, eventually the child will have to go from being a dependent to a provider. The aim of the parent is to try to raise the child to become self-sufficient in their adulthood. To this end, the child must be educated and taught the value of hard work and money. In addition, they must understand what it takes to raise their own children. More than anything else, the child must know the true mission in life, that of shedding the desire to imitate God. Since the aversion to devotional service to the Lord has gradually increased since the beginning of time, it is very difficult for the living entity to shed the “I am God” mindset. Some religious leaders even fall victim to this ridiculous line of thinking by openly preaching to others that they are God.

Steady, effective and peaceful spiritual enlightenment can best be accomplished within the bounds of family life, especially early on in life. If a householder regularly practices worship of the Supreme Lord by chanting His names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, the cloud of nescience that envelops the pure soul will gradually part. The principles of self-sufficiency and education can be taught side-by-side with adherence to religious life, for there is no reason to give up maintenance of the body. When the parents create a spiritual environment in the home, the tradition of devotional life will continue in the family for generations upon generations. Goswami Tulsidas, the great Vaishnava saint and devotee of Lord Rama, wrote beautiful poetry and composed wonderful songs in praise of the Lord. Though his writings are popular with religious scholars and devotees worldwide, he made his most lasting impression with housewives. For centuries, women of the Vedic tradition have chanted the Lord’s holy names found in Tulsidas’ songs while performing their household duties and tending to the children. Just a simple act like singing can do wonders towards raising children properly.

So why do we have constant squabbles in government today? Why are citizens perpetually unhappy with the behavior of their elected representatives? The short answer is that there is a forgetfulness of the ultimate purpose in life. Lest anyone brush aside this reasoning as being too simplistic, we can study the outward symptoms exhibited by government leaders and their voters to give evidence of this fact. Democracy is the popular style of government today because it is deemed the most fair, a system which insulates a populace from the dictates of one bad apple, one leader who has gone astray. While the likelihood of dictatorial rule is certainly decreased, there are some major flaws with democracy, with the most obvious one being that of relative morality. In a democracy, there is no such thing as an absolute truth. In reality, there is only one Absolute Truth, God, but when it comes to government, there must be a foundation of principles upon which the actions of its representatives are based.

In a democracy, these principles can change at a whim. For example, the laws of nature say that if you kill another entity, you will yourself be killed in the future. Therefore in any civilized society, the killing of the innocent is strictly prohibited. “Thou shall not kill” is known as a commandment of the Bible, but this principle is also viewed as a basic standard of decency in any civilized society. But in a democracy, any truth or natural law can be negated by a simple vote. If the majority of the population decides that it is okay to kill an innocent cow or an unborn child in the womb, the practice will be allowed. The proponent of democracy will say, “Well, that is the fairest way. They put the issue up to a vote, and it has now been decided by the people. Would you have it any other way?” Anyone with a modicum of common sense would choose to live in a society where the innocent are protected at all times, irrespective of how the decision to protect was arrived at. After all, if the government, the only entity allowed to use force to impose the laws of the state, is unwilling to protect innocent life, who will?

Ironically enough, the primary source of angst amongst the populace doesn’t pertain to the issues of violence towards animals or fetuses. Theft is another act deemed unlawful in any civilized society. Though God is the original owner of everything due to His being the creator, the conditioned entities residing in the material world are loaned various material elements to aid them in their rekindling of Krishna consciousness. The ultimate objective in life, whether one is aware of it or not, is to become completely God conscious by the time of death. We have a choice as to how we use the material elements that we are loaned from God. We can either use them to further our nescience by taking exclusively to fruitive activity aimed at sense gratification, or we can use the elements to maintain a simple lifestyle that leaves more time for the cultivation of spiritual knowledge.

Regardless of the choice we make, the concepts of ownership and private property are well-known to all. If a person were to go up to another person and ask for their money, the other person may or may not part with it. If the person doing the asking were to then demand the money through the threat of lethal force, the other person would likely then part with it. Such an act would be deemed as theft, for there was coercion and the threat of violence involved. What the thief subsequently does with the money is not important, for the property did not belong to them in the first place. In a democracy, however, the same practice, through a majority vote in Congress or Parliament, can become the law of the land. The government is the one entity that is legally allowed to use force to perform its business. The threat of punishment by incarceration or force is what gives government its strength. In the absence of this awesome power, the government dictates would never be followed.

“When the king protects the citizens from the disturbances of mischievous ministers as well as from thieves and rogues, he can, by virtue of such pious activities, accept taxes given by his subjects. Thus a pious king can certainly enjoy himself in this world as well as in the life after death.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.14.17)

Through a simple majority vote in a government chamber, the practice of forcibly taking property from one group of individuals for the express purpose of giving it to another becomes legal. Government is surely allowed to tax its citizens, but the money must be used to fulfill the purposes of the government, that of protecting property and innocent life. Personal favoritism is not one of these purposes, nor has it ever been. The result of such a practice is constant angst and quarrel between those whose money is being taken and those who are the recipients of the perceived benevolence. Every election now boils down to a debate over who is more worthy of government funds. The treasury is seen as a giant pot that various special interest groups can dip their hands into. During a particular party’s reign, one group gets a larger portion of the pie, while in another leader’s term, another group gets their chance to enjoy the bountiful harvest that arrives during the tax season. Thus there is a constant teetering of the seesaw, or a tug-of-war, between the various voting blocks.

So what can be done to alleviate the situation? There is no one leader who can solve the problem, for another effect of democracy is that individual government officials are quite powerless on their own. Even in America, where the words and actions of the President are followed closely, the executive has very little power to do anything on his own. At most he can sign executive orders and send the military into battle. Legislation, the place wherefrom the giving and taking of tax dollars starts, is crafted by the Congress. The President can sign or veto the legislation produced, but he has very little power to determine the actual language inside.

In a democracy, the leader’s true power rests in his ability to speak to the population at large. The President is deemed to have the bully pulpit, which means that he has the opportunity to get his message across to more people than any other politician can. Due to its tremendous power and outreach capability, the bully pulpit can actually be used to secure the ultimate success in life for a large group of citizens. Just as God views all of His children equally, the exalted sage, the purified Vaishnava, views every living entity as a candidate for returning to the spiritual realm. Therefore the best way to cure angst amongst members of society is to spread the message of Divine Love espoused in the Bhagavad-gita, Shrimad Bhagavatam, Ramayana and other notable texts. Tackling issue after issue can only alleviate the concerns of certain groups of people, but when everyone is taught about the true mission in life, that of returning back to the spiritual realm where there is no squabble over private property or the protection of life, the chances of achieving peace and harmony greatly increase.

Just as no one person is worthy of government funds over another, no one person is more worthy of going back to Godhead than anyone else. Every life form is a spirit soul at the core, so even though some may be further grounded to the fatalistic viewpoint that seeks temporary sense gratification at all cost, there is still an opportunity for rescue from the ocean of nescience. The transcendental sound vibration of the holy name, which encompasses all knowledge and goodwill, is the only means of salvation in the current age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Even if we don’t have the bully pulpit of the presidency, we can still teach others simply by the example we set. By regularly chanting the Lord’s names and refraining from the most egregious of sinful acts, a high standard of behavior can be set for our dependents and those we associate with to follow. Through bhakti, everyone can become a spiritual leader; a kind, compassionate and well-wishing friend who can bring about real change.

Partisanship

“Politics will not be able to do even one part of a crore parts, in thousands of eras, of the benefit that the Vaishnavas have done to the world. We are not advising others to be such narrow sectarians as the politicians are.” (Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Shrimad Bhagavatam and the Vaishnava Cult)

In today’s world, if you want to get anything of significance done, if you want to really make a difference, you need to get into government. With democracy being the popular style of government these days, issues are won and lost at the ballot box. Those who can take over the reins of government can bend and shape the laws in their favor. It is for this express purpose that so many lobbying groups exist in America and around the world. These groups consist of average, ordinary citizens who have joined forces for a common purpose. In order to get into government and stay there, one must belong to an even larger group of individuals known as a political party. Identification with a particular party allows others to get a handle on a person’s viewpoints and their understanding of government. Members of political parties often vote the same way on issues, thus making it easier to pass legislation. But how much do these parties really help the common man? By definition, being partisan means favoring one group over another, so how can this benefit all of the people? The Vaishnavas, on the other hand, favor everyone. The teachings of the devotees of Lord Vishnu are meant to advance the plight of every living entity in this world, regardless of cast, color, creed, or nationality. In this regard, we see that the Vaishnavas are the best partisans, for they favor knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness, good over evil.

We often hear news commentators bemoan the practice of partisanship. “There is too much bickering going on, nothing is getting done. This can’t be good for the country.” Partisanship means performing activities for the benefit of a specific political party or cause. This actually isn’t so bad on the surface. After all, we all have causes that we believe in, so there is nothing wrong with fighting for these issues. If we take a stand on an issue, there are bound to be others who disagree with us. It is only natural for us to then defend our viewpoints against opposing elements. Partisanship in the political arena takes on a slightly different shape however. Since the parliamentary system of government requires majority votes for legislation to pass, the party system has become very important. People with similar viewpoints align themselves together into voting blocks.

Grouping people with similar beliefs into political parties certainly makes it easier to pass legislation, but there are drawbacks. Once an elected official is put into a position of power, they will likely do whatever they can to remain there. This means that they will take any defensive measures they feel are necessary, such as playing politics or maneuvering votes in such a way so as to remain popular with the electorate. Sometimes the mood of the constituents will go against the established principles of a specific party. In these situations, government officials will vote against their beliefs just so they can remain in power. This happens quite often in the United States. When the Congress and White House are run by the same political party, it stands to reason that legislation will get passed quite easily. Yet as a strategic ploy, the President will often decide to pick off issues of their opposing party. They’ll bring up bills that go against the party principles. Members of Congress who belong to the same party as the President won’t want to vote for these bills because they don’t believe in the merits. In these instances, Presidents will begin a massive lobbying campaign with Congress. Presidential aides will approach other members of their own party and say things like, “Come on so and so, the President really wants this. He needs this vote to keep his poll numbers up and win reelection. Don’t you want to help the party? Why would you vote against this bill then?” This sort of thing happens all the time. More often than not, the President will win the battle. Thus the same people who lauded the party system and openly declared their loyalty to a specific set of core values end up turning their back on their beliefs.

When politics is played in this partisan manner, there are certainly winners and losers in the political sense. We see that the news media often cover the happenings of government as a sort of horse race. When a major piece of legislation passes, they’ll have round-table discussions about who the winners and losers are. “What does this bill mean for so and so’s chances of winning reelection? What does this mean for the losing party? It is a major defeat for them; will they be able to recover?”

Lost in all of this is what the actual effect will be on the citizens of the country. After all, most people are not overtly partisan. They are happy living their lives and providing for their families. They expect government to protect them from thieves, cheaters, and general bad guys. They could care less about what effect legislation will have on a particular party or political figure. In this way, we see that partisanship has its limits. It may lead to heralded pieces of legislation, but these bills always favor one group over another. This goes against the very nature of good government, for every single person has an equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A good government is one that provides equal protection to every person.

Partisanship doesn’t exist just in government. We see that people band together based on race, ethnicity, gender, and nationality. People living in America worry about what happens to Americans, people living in India worry about Indians, and so on. One may not immediately see the flaw in this practice. After all, shouldn’t we care about our fellow citizen? This is certainly a valid point, but at the same time, aren’t we all the same? Is there any difference between the constitutional makeup of a person living in India and a person living in America? Is there any difference between a person who has dark skin and a person who has light skin?

“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, Bhagavad-gita, 5.18)

The Vedas tell us that we are all equal on the inside; our identities come from the atma, or soul, residing within us. We certainly do assume different material qualities at the time of birth, and therefore we see varieties in species, gender, ethnicity, etc., but at the core we are all the same. Keeping these facts in mind, wouldn’t it be better to belong to a party or group that aims to help every single living entity? If on the one side we have a party that wants to help all of its countrymen and on another side we have a group that wants to help every single person in the world, wouldn’t it be wiser to associate with the latter group?

The Vaishnavas, or devotees of Lord Vishnu, are partisan towards God; hence they are in favor of every single living entity. In the simplest definition, Vishnu is God. There is only one God for every living entity, irrespective of a person’s religious beliefs. There cannot be one God for one group of people and another God for others. For God to be God, He must be Absolute. Something can only be Absolute if it applies to all areas of life. God is one, but He gets tagged with different names based on His limitless activities, transcendental qualities, and forms. The Vedas tell us that the original name for God is Krishna. Lord Krishna’s immediate expansion is that of Lord Vishnu, so essentially there is no difference between the two.

Since Vaishnavas are devotees of Vishnu, they dedicate their lives to serving the Supreme Lord, from whom everything in this world emanates. Therefore, we can naturally conclude that through this service everything else relating to God will also be served. This represents the true potency of the Supreme Lord. We may help members of our city, state, or country, but it doesn’t mean that foreigners will be helped. God is so wonderful that simply by offering Him a little sincere service the entire world becomes satisfied and happy.

“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 10.8)

What is the nature of this service? Well, let us see how we currently offer service. When we dedicate ourselves to a particular political party, we may send them money, attend their meetings, and talk about their beliefs. When we serve our family members, we offer them protection, food, and time. When we offer service to our employer, we dedicate ourselves to working hard. When we offer service to our senses, we go to great lengths to seek the pleasures of eating, sleeping, and mating. We’ll go to fancy restaurants, cinema halls, or sporting events simply to gratify our senses.

In all these activities we see that there is association and connection. Service means to be always connected with the object we are serving. In the same regard, service to God simply requires us to always be connected with Him. Therefore, we can chant, hear, remember, offer prayers, cook food, etc., all for the satisfaction of Vishnu. This discipline is known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. God is absolute, so simply by chanting His names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, we can be in direct contact with Him. Similarly, just by looking at His picture or eating the remnants of food offered to Him [prasadam], we remain in the company of our best friend.

Now that we know the nature of the activities performed by the Vaishnavas, how does this service help others? How can chanting Hare Krishna help people around the world? The answer is that bhakti-yoga is the natural disposition of every living entity. Soul represents spirit, which is always superior to matter. The soul represents our true identity, but through association with matter we have forgotten our original nature. The soul’s natural home is in the spiritual world where God resides. God is also spirit, but of a different variety. He is superior to us; it is our nature to be His servant. True eternal bliss can only be found through spiritual activities, i.e. connecting with God. Therefore, Vaishnavas are so kind and benevolent that they not only take to devotional service themselves, but they try to induce as many other people as possible to take up the sublime engagement of bhakti-yoga.

“The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.1.6)

What is the result of performing bhakti-yoga? Lord Krishna tells us that if we think of Him at the time of death, we immediately return to His spiritual realm, where we assume a spiritual body which is eternally blissful and full of knowledge. And why wouldn’t our spiritual body be blissful? Anyone who lives with Krishna can never be miserable. They can never suffer from poverty, famine, heartache, etc.

So we see that devotional service gives us bliss in the afterlife, but how does this solve the problems of today? How can Vaishnavas solve the age-old problems of poverty and war? To answer this question, one must know the root cause of these problems. The Vedas tell us that since matter is inferior to spirit, anyone who becomes a servant of matter will always be miserable. Matter is considered inferior because it is an expansion of God’s external energy. We spirit souls are part of God’s internal energy, therefore we are superior to matter. Spirit can only be happy when associating with spirit. If we make the aim of our life the acquisition of material wealth, fame, beauty, etc., of course we will end up miserable. It is this flawed pursuit which leads to all of the problems of the world.

Let us give a more concrete example of how devotional service solves things like poverty and war. Poverty is a material designation used to describe the condition of a person who has trouble meeting the basic demands of the body. We see that the animal community doesn’t have this problem. Fish, lions, tigers, etc. aren’t managed by a Federal Reserve Bank, a Treasury Secretary, or an IRS, yet they do just fine when it comes to eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. We human beings are much smarter than these animals, so how can we have any problems in these areas? By taking up devotional service, one aims to please God, who is the supplier of all our food. Anyone who becomes a sincere devotee will never have to worry about dying of hunger or any other basic necessity. Vaishnavas believe in simple living and high thinking. Earn an honest living and acquire the bare minimum number of possessions required to maintain one’s life.

War is a result of material designations and nothing else. One group thinks they are superior and that they have claim to a certain piece of land. The opposing side believes that the land belongs to them. Arguments ensue and war breaks out. Only through realizing that we are all spirit souls, aham brahmasmi, can we even start to think about stopping war. War can never be completely eradicated, for every person has different material qualities. Not everyone will take to spiritual life, but regardless, war can be greatly reduced through spreading the glories of Krishna to others.

Since devotional service means connecting with God, devotees quickly acquire all the necessary knowledge to manage material affairs. This doesn’t happen through magic either. If someone knows God, they view everything in terms of its relation to the Lord. A person who always keeps Krishna’s interests in mind will know how to do everything the right way, including how to run a government, manage a family, and even care for the poor.

Being a Republican or Democrat means being a loyal member of the caucus and following the party lead. Vaishnavas are the best Republicans and Democrats because they are loyal to every single person in the world. They have everyone’s best interests at heart. The Vaishnavas simply ask everyone to take up devotional service and become relieved of the suffering that results from repeated births and deaths. Vaishnavas believe that every person is endowed with the right to pursue the highest type of happiness, that of going back home, back to Godhead. In this regard, the Vaishnavas are the greatest welfare workers the world has ever seen.

Liberty and Tyranny

“The actual translation of the word yoga is ‘plus.’ At the present moment we are minus God, or minus the Supreme. But when we make ourselves plus—connected—then our human form of life is perfect.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Easy Journey to Other Planets, Ch 2)

Social commentators and philosophers often seek to establish the moral superiority of liberty over tyranny. This may seem like a strange issue to take up because who would actually believe that tyranny is a good thing? Yet from studying human history over the past five thousand years, we see that mankind has mostly lived under tyranny. Some of these regimes were worse than others, but man was more or less held under the tight control of government. They were told where to live, where to work, and who to worship. It is for this reason that people fight very hard for liberty, and once it is achieved, they work even harder to keep it. Yet if liberty is enjoyed by so many people, how do we ever end up with tyranny?

It is the natural yearning of the spirit soul to be free and unfettered. No one likes being told what to do. Starting from the time of our birth, we love to run around and play and not live by any rules. It takes great cajoling from our parents to get us to eat the right kinds of food, to sleep on time, and to attend school. The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, tell us that this desire to be free is actually a result of natural qualities possessed by the spirit soul. Though we have a tendency to identify with our bodily features, such as our skin color, gender, and birth country, our actual identity comes from the spirit soul residing within. This soul is ever-existing, imperishable, and full of bliss. It makes logical sense to take our identity from the soul, for our body is ever-changing. Though we look different and have more intelligence as adults, there is still no difference between the identity we have as an adult versus the identity we had as a child. The only things that change are our bodily features. Therefore a sober person will realize that one’s true identity comes from the soul.

“According to the Vedic version, the Supreme Lord manifests and expands Himself in innumerable expansions, of which the primary expansions are called Vishnu-tattva, and the secondary expansions are called the living entities. In other words, the Vishnu-tattva is the personal expansion, and the living entities are separated expansions. By His personal expansion, He is manifested in various forms like Lord Rama, Narasimhadeva, Vishnumurti and all the predominating Deities in the Vaikuntha planets. The separated expansions, the living entities, are eternally servitors.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 15.7 Purport)

The Vedas tell us that the soul is part of the marginal energy of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna is the same person that most of the world refers to as God. Though different faiths may have different names for the Supreme Lord, there can only be one God. That is the very definition of all-powerful. God is for every single person, regardless of a person’s belief system. As expansions of God, we inherit His qualities of eternal bliss and knowledge. Though we are expansions of God, we are at the same time different from Him. As God has an internal energy represented by spirit, He also has an external energy represented by matter. We living entities are subordinate to God in that we sometimes have a desire to associate with matter. God, on the other hand, can never directly associate with His external energy. Matter exists solely for the wayward spirit souls to play with in their pursuit to imitate God.

Wanting to be just like the Supreme Lord, imitating His abilities to create, maintain, and destroy, we spirit souls were cast into this ocean of nescience known as the material world. Our desire for liberty came with us, however, and that is why we enjoy freedom so much. It is hard to argue against the moral superiority of freedom. After all, who likes being told what to do? Yet we see that in even the most free of countries like the United States, liberty is slowly eroding. People are more afraid than ever today that the American dream is slipping away.

The United States of America was founded on the principle that every person is endowed by God with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Keeping these principles in mind, the Constitution was crafted and agreed upon. Serving as the governing document of the country, the Constitution’s main business was to defend the rights of man from an oppressive government. Though its implementation was certainly flawed in the early years, this new style of government quickly made America stand out in the world. Former President Ronald Reagan referred to the country as a shining city on a hill, a beacon of light. People from all over the world would flock to America to live the American dream. Not only was there economic freedom in America, but religious freedom as well. In the 1600s, long before the founding of the country, the Pilgrims came to the land for the express purpose of religious freedom.

Since liberty and religious freedom have universal appeal, America soon became a diverse country. People of all races, ethnicities, and cultures came to America to begin a new life. The United States soon became a melting pot of cultures. Though there is much focus given to the concept of diversity today, we see that diversity occurs on its own, provided that the governing principles of a country apply to every single person. The diversity that resulted in America occurred on its own, without any planning commissions or government programs.

If the liberty enjoyed by the people of America was so great, why didn’t other countries adopt a similar style of government? Moreover, how did we end up with today’s situation where more and more people are worried about an oppressive government taking over private industry? The answer is that if people don’t know what to do with their liberty, tyranny will surely result. One need only look to several examples in recent history for evidence of this. The first half of the 20th century saw the rise of powerful dictatorships in Europe. Hitler and Mussolini were two of the more notorious brutal dictators of their time. Yet how did Hitler and Mussolini come into power? Did Hitler openly tell everyone that he was going to try to wipe out an entire race of people, namely the Jews? Obviously he didn’t. Instead, he capitalized on the freedom and liberty that existed inside of Germany to rise to power. He took a step-by-step approach to eliminating freedoms by appealing to people’s emotions rather than their intellect. He was able to hoodwink enough of the population that pretty soon people were being killed by the government simply because of their religious beliefs.

Similar situations can be found today in African countries. Anyone who watches American television surely has seen advertisements for charity groups which help poor children in Africa. The scenes in these commercials are quite depressing. Hoards of emaciated young children standing in a field, waiting for food and water. Billions of dollars of foreign aid has been poured into these African countries yet the condition remains the same. If we stop and think for a second, we will see that there is no reason for anyone to be poor in any country, especially on the continent of Africa. The birds, beasts, and aquatics have no problems of starvation, for God supplies them food. We human beings are much smarter than the animal species, so should any of us starve? Moreover, Africa has much more land to work with than America, yet America’s food production is so great that it can feed the entire world.

Africa’s poverty can be traced to the rise of tyrannical governments. People were free at one time, yet dictators rose to power and slowly confiscated all the land. They were able to get away with this because they told the middle class and the poor that they were only taking the land of the rich. With the loss of private property, people had no incentive to produce, and thus a food shortage resulted. Poverty came shortly after that, and people were left to beg from foreigners for food. With such a huge land mass, Africa can produce more than enough food for itself, provided that individuals are allowed to own property and keep whatever they earn through trade and production.

Liberty is certainly a good thing, but if we don’t know what to do with our freedom, we will most certainly be susceptible to giving it away. In America, it is common for people to complain about government regulations and red tape. Yet at the same time, these government officials are incapable of doing anything without being elected by the people. In essence, it is the people themselves who are voting for tyranny.

So if liberty leads to tyranny, and tyranny is bad, what should we do? As with every other problem in the world, we simply need to look to Krishna. The Vedas actually never deal with the issue of liberty. This is because even the freest of people can still be slaves to their senses. Real freedom can only be of the spiritual variety. Simply having the ability to do whatever we want is not enough to achieve perfection in life. We need to have a set of guidelines, a goal that we can work towards.

“One who can control his senses by practicing the regulated principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord and thus become free from all attachment and aversion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.64)

Freedom should be used to serve God in a loving way. This discipline is known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Yoga means linking the soul with God, or in more simple terms, it just means plus, or addition. Bhakti means love or devotion, so bhakti-yoga means devotion plus God. Currently we living entities are just one term in the equation. If we remain by ourselves, we are powerless. We must add God to our lives in order to have any real potency. There are different ways to add God to our lives, but the best way is through loving devotion. This is the natural tendency of the spirit soul, i.e. to love God.

The lesson here is that the perfection of liberty can only be seen in the spiritual world. Part of God’s internal energy, the spiritual realm allows for unfettered access to the Supreme Lord in His original form. The spirit souls associate with God in different transcendental humors depending on their preference. Some act as God’s friend, some as His lover, and others as His faithful servants. Pure liberty means being free from the effects of the senses and the influence of the material world.

By practicing devotional service, we become free of all anxieties. We no longer have to worry about birth and death. We don’t have to worry about our way of life, or whether or not our country will survive. Our real home is in the spiritual world, which is always full of life and vigor, where there is no concept of scarcity. So let us all use our liberty to serve the giver of freedom, God. By regularly chanting His names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, we can begin the pursuit of the highest form of happiness, Krishna-prema.

Kshatriyas

“Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity, and leadership are the qualities of work for the kshatriyas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.43)

The kshatriya, or warrior, class is required for there to be peace in any society. Not everyone is kind and nice, and some will take to violence in order to solve their disputes. Many people even take to stealing or committing violence against women and children. To protect the innocent, there must be a class of men willing to risk danger in order to stop the bad guys. Of these protectors, the best ones are those that defend based on the religious principles found in the Vedas.

The Vedas are the original scripture for man, and they represent true and pure knowledge. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, passed down Vedic wisdom to Lord Braham, the first created living entity. Since then, the original Vedas, along with their accompanying texts such as the Mahabharata, Puranas, and Ramayana, have been passed down from generation to generation. The Vedas not only teach us about God, but about how to maintain a peaceful society. They recommend the system known as varnashrama dharma. Breaking down the terms, we see that varnas refer to societal divisions. These divisions actually exist naturally in society based on people’s gunas, or qualities. Varnashrama dharma says that these divisions should exist in society along with an accompanying dharma, or religious duty. The four varnas are brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra. Brahmanas are the intellectuals or priests, kshatriyas are the fighters and administrators, vaishyas are the farmers and businessmen, and the shudras are the laborer class. For there to be peace in society, the members of each of these divisions should perform their prescribed dharma, as delineated in the Vedas.

To understand the need for the four varnas, the analogy of the body is given. If society as a whole is compared to the body of a human being, the brahmanas represent the brain, the kshatriyas the arms, the vaishyas the stomach, and the shudras the legs. Though one may argue that the brain is the most important of all these, if the body lacks arms, a stomach, and legs, the brain will have no way to feed itself, thus it will eventually die. Therefore all four parts are necessary in society. As the arms of society, the kshatriyas provide defense, give in charity, perform sacrifices, and manage the affairs of government. In order to be a defender, one must possess certain inherent qualities. We see that these qualities naturally exist in a certain segment of people in any society. For example, the policemen and military men of today can be thought of kshatriyas. Many people are in awe of the courage and bravery shown by members of the military. Many of these soldiers are young and they knowingly put their lives on the line in order to protect people they don’t even know. Most of us would have a hard time doing this. But the Vedas tell us that these warriors possess certainly qualities that are inherited from birth.

One may argue that today’s military and police aren’t true kshatriyas because they are fighting to defend materialism. Due to the effects of the Kali Yuga, most people around the world today are under the control of karma, or fruitive activity. Acting solely for the procurement of wealth, fame, and good fortune, many people lack any real religious knowledge. Most people tend to believe in God, but they don’t really know what that means. Some view Him as an order supplier, while others think that they will automatically go to heaven provided that they aren’t overly sinful in this life. These attitudes lead people to act primarily in the mode of passion, whereby they work very hard for the procurement of various fruits. Since almost everyone in society acts this way, the military and police are in essence providing defense for a passion-driven society.

“Those who are purely in the mode of goodness are called brahmanas. Those who are purely in the mode of passion are called kshatriyas. Those who are in the modes of both passion and ignorance are called vaishyas. Those who are completely in ignorance are called shudras.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 7.13 Purport)

Yet just because someone is not aware of religious principles doesn’t mean that they are not a bona fide kshatriya. By default, a kshatriya lives in the mode of passion. There are three modes in material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Goodness represents knowledge, passion represents fruitive activity, and ignorance represents the lack of both. Most human beings live in the mode of passion, and this is especially true of kshatriyas. For this reason, the kshatriya kings of the past used to engage in activities such as gambling and hunting. They were also allowed to marry multiple times. The incredibly pious and well-respected king of Ayodhya during the Treta Yuga, Maharaja Dashratha, had three wives himself. Lord Krishna, when He personally descended to earth and lived as a king in Dvaraka, had 16,108 wives. Now Krishna can never associate with any of the three material modes, but just to play the part of a king, He pretended to live by the mode of passion.

“Considering your specific duty as a kshatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for hesitation. O Partha, happy are the kshatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.31-32)

One doesn’t even have to be a “good” person in order to be considered a kshatriya. Those who are familiar with Vedic literature, know that a soldier who dies on the battlefield, observing the proper code of conduct, immediately ascends to heaven, regardless of which side they fought for. The Vedas, being the original religion for mankind, introduced the concept of sacrifice which is now part of every religion. Most Vedic sacrifices occur in the presence of a fire, where ghee (clarified butter) is poured onto the fire as an oblation. Each time the ghee is poured, priests utter the word svaha. For management of the material world, God has deputed various living entities known as demigods to take charge. Each demigod manages a specific aspect of the material creation. The demigod Agni is the god of fire. His wife is Svaha. On a prior occasion, she was granted the benediction of being the first one to receive oblations in fire sacrifices. For this reason, svaha is uttered during yajnas.

Since sacrifices play such a large role in Vedic culture, when describing war and the battles that take place, great saints often use the analogy to the fire sacrifice. A soldier who dies on the battlefield is thought of as an oblation in a fire sacrifice, with the battlefield representing the fire itself. Those who fight honorably for their side and meet with death during battle are viewed as being materially very pious. Therefore they are immediately granted entrance into heaven. During the Bharata War, the lead fighter for the Kurus, Duryodhana, went to heaven after death. This really surprised Yudhishthira, the leader of the opposing army. Yudhishthira was a very pious man and well-respected throughout the world. He was also the son of Dharmaraja, the god of justice. When Yudhishthira went to heaven, he saw Duryodhana there and couldn’t believe it. Duryodhana was very sinful during his lifetime, for he had on several occasions tried to kill Yudhishthira and his brothers through backhanded means. Narada Muni had to then explain to Yudhishthira that since Duryodhana died on the battlefield, the laws of karma dictated that he must spend some time in heaven.

Lord Rama, an incarnation of Krishna, also confirmed this fact during His time on earth. Playing the part of a noble kshatriya Himself, Lord Rama once battled fourteen thousand Rakshasa demons in the forest of Janasthana. The last demon he fought in this battle was Khara. There was a little history between Khara and the brahmanas of the time. The Rakshasa race was headed by Ravana, the ten-headed demon and enemy of the demigods. The Rakshasas’ favorite activity was to range the forests in the night and look for brahmanas who were performing sacrifices. The Rakshasas would assume the guise of ascetics and appear before the sages. Having let their guard down, the brahmanas would be attacked by the Rakshasas. Khara and his band of demons would not only kill the sages, but feast on their flesh as well. Just prior to their fight, Lord Rama told Khara that He would kill him and avenge the death of the brahmanas. Lord Rama also mentioned that Khara would be going to heaven, for he would die while fighting nobly in battle.

Based on the examples of Duryodhana and Khara, we see that one doesn’t have to be a learned transcendentalist in order to be considered a noble fighter. Aside from fighting on the battlefield, the main duty of a kshatriya is to serve in government. This makes sense because government itself only exists to provide protection to people. Every person has an inherent right to protect themselves and their property. Government represents the collective right to self defense of a group of citizens.

Since kshatriyas live in the mode of passion, how can they run the government properly? Shouldn’t people in the highest positions of power be knowledgeable? This is certainly true and it is why the Vedas recommend that kshatriyas take advice and consent from brahmanas, the priestly class of men. Brahmanas are non-violent by nature. They spend all their time reading the Vedas, teaching Vedic wisdom to others, performing sacrifices, and teaching others how to perform sacrifice for Lord Vishnu.

We see that the world situation today is so dire precisely due to the lack of bona fide brahmanas. Kshatriyas certainly do exist. In some countries, people are forced into military service regardless of their inherent qualities. In America, the military is currently an all-volunteer force. Even though they volunteer to defend their citizens, we see that the military is not very well supported. Many citizens openly despise the military, taking their actions to be evil.

As with anything else, the solution to all our problems comes through devotional service to Krishna. People can elevate themselves to brahminical status by regularly chanting the holy names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, and abstaining from the four pillars of sinful life: meat eating, gambling, intoxication, and illicit sex. If kshatriyas can take instruction from pure devotees of the Lord, there is no doubt that we will live in a much more peaceful society.

Slayer of Demons

“O ranger of the night, I have come, at the command of the king, to kill those who perpetrate horribly sinful acts and also those who wish harm to the people of the world.” (Lord Rama speaking to Khara, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 29.10)

This passage not only describes the purpose of government, but also one of the reasons for Lord Rama’s advent. The Vedas tell us that God descends to earth from time to time in a variety of forms. His avataras are completely spiritual, but they assume the guise of a normal living entity. More than anything else, the Lord comes to protect the pious class of men, those who are great devotees.

The innocent need protection and it is the job of a king to provide it. A kingdom, or any government for that matter, is God’s representative on earth, for the Lord is the original protector of man. In the beginning, there was nothing except God. Actually the concept of time and space only exist in the material world. The human brain is not capable of understanding anything beyond time and space. That is the nature of God and all things relating to Him, for He is not limited to anything. Since all things directly relating to God are completely spiritual, they are not subject to the defects of the material world. In the spiritual world, there is Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He then directly expands Himself into many other forms, all of which also reside in the spiritual world. The material creation exists as a way for spirit souls to enjoy their senses, falsely believing themselves to be equal to God. The first created living entity was Lord Brahma. Taking birth from Lord Vishnu’s navel, Brahma is often referred to as the self-born. He is the original progenitor of man, for every living entity can trace their lineage back to him.

“The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikshvaku.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.1)

Lord Brahma didn’t limit himself to creating just human beings. Being the creator, he gave birth to all forms of life on earth. For life to exist in the material creation, the sun was required. Scientists consider the sun to be a star or other type of astral body, but the Vedas tell us that the sun is a living entity just like all of us. The material world consists of three gunas or qualities: goodness, passion, and ignorance. These qualities are then mixed together in varying proportions which then lead to 8,400,000 varieties of species. One living entity may possess 98% goodness, while another may have 50% goodness, 25% passion, and 25% ignorance, etc. Along with material qualities come the material elements, both gross and subtle. The subtle elements are mind, intelligence, and false ego and the gross elements are earth, water, fire, air, and ether. These elements represent the complete set, for all living entities contain these elements to varying degrees. Life doesn’t just exist on earth. Rather, life can exist anywhere in the infinite cosmos that is the universe. The sun is also a living entity with its own residents, but we don’t have the eyes to see this.

The sun god is considered a demigod, or an elevated living entity with special powers. Vivasvan has a body made almost completely of fire. His power is so strong that he provides heat and light to millions of living entities on this earth. Mankind has made great technological advancements in recent times, allowing it to create its own sources of energy, heat, and light. However, the resources required to fuel these appliances and machines are limited. That is why we always see debates over whether or not people should be allowed to drill for more oil in various parts of the world. Oil, or petroleum, is a naturally occurring substance which, when refined, fuels much of the advanced technology of today. As great as oil may be, it still pales in comparison to the power of the sun. The sun has been burning since the beginning of time and no one can understand the source of its energy.

According to the genealogy of man which is contained in the Vedas, Vivasvan’s son was Manu, the first man on earth. The word “man” derives from Manu. Manu then had a son named Ikshvaku, who served as the first king. Veda means knowledge, and the Vedas themselves represent perfect knowledge about all things spiritual and material. The Vedas are also known as the shrutis, meaning “that which is heard.” In the beginning, Vedic knowledge was passed down exclusively through an oral tradition. Manu, being the first man, decided to codify many of the Vedic tenets, especially those pertaining to the functions of government. His son Ikshvaku would be the first king on earth, so Manu knew he would need guidelines on how to rule his kingdom. The Manu-Smriti, or Laws of Manu, describes in great detail how a king should perform his duties. Everything from the proper tax rates to diplomatic strategies are covered in the Manu-Smriti. Smriti means written instruction, or “that which is remembered”. The injunctions of the Manu-Smriti have provided guidance for man since the beginning of creation.

Ikshvaku set the standard for good government. He was so pious that all his descendents became known as the Ikshvakus. Taking birth in this line was considered very special, for every king would have to live up to Ikshvaku’s example. Thus it is not surprising to see that Lord Rama, God Himself, took birth in this famous line. During the Treta Yuga, a king by the name of Dashratha was ruling over Ayodhya. He had no son to whom he could pass down the kingdom to, thus he was advised to perform a great sacrifice. As a result, he was blessed with four sons, the eldest of which was Rama. God’s appearance was no accident. At the time, Rakshasa demons were ascending to power and wreaking havoc throughout the world. Their leader, Ravana, was especially powerful, for he had been granted several boons by the demigods. Only a human being could kill him. Obviously no ordinary human had the fighting prowess to defeat Ravana, so God Himself decided to appear in the guise of a human.

Government really only exists to provide protection to the innocent. Not everyone is a good or nice person. The material qualities determine a person’s nature, and people in the mode of ignorance are generally unaware of any moral codes. We see examples of this anywhere. Modern day terrorists have no problems blowing up bombs aboard airplanes or in public places. Even if innocent women and children are killed, they don’t feel the slightest remorse. This activity is completely in the mode of ignorance because it is done in defiance or in ignorance of the laws of karma. Government exists to protect the innocent from such people.

In the above referenced statement, Lord Rama is telling the Rakshasa demon Khara that He has appeared specifically to dole out punishment to the sinful. And what was Khara’s sin? He and his fellow Rakshasas were preying on the innocent, the sages living in the forest of Dandaka. Rakshasas are human-like living entities who are sinful by nature. Their primary activities involve intoxication and meat eating. Not just ordinary meat eating either, for they have problem eating human flesh. In fact, these Rakshasas would terrorize the saints living in the forest, kill them, and then eat their flesh. For committing such heinous crimes, the Lord personally came to hand out punishment.

What was the punishment that Rama handed out? Death, which is the most painful experience for an atheist or enemy of the saints of the world. The Vedas represent true knowledge, and thus their first instruction is that we are not our bodies, aham brahmasmi. “I am a spirit soul, or Brahman. My identity comes from the atma (soul), and not from my material body which is nothing more than a dress that gets discarded at the time of death.” Atheists and Rakshasas especially, either don’t understand or don’t believe in these truths. They take the body, along with its possessions and attributes, to be the beginning and end of everything. They know nothing beyond the current life. Hence, when death comes, it is very painful for them, for it means they are forced to relinquish all that they have worked so hard for.

Lord Rama, just like the other pious men living in the forest at the time, was just minding His own business and not bothering anyone. Ravana’s sister, Shurpanakha, came to His cottage and started harassing Sita, Rama’s wife. Lakshmana, Rama’s brother, then disfigured Shurpanakha, causing her return home crying to Ravana. The demon then sent Khara and 14,000 other Rakshasas to attack Rama. Little did they know that the Lord would defeat all of them in one fell swoop.

No feat is impossible for God. For the devotees, He is always standing guard, ready to protect them. In today’s world, we see that demons and other enemies of God have a strong presence. Many of them even serve as government leaders. Thus no one is really protected. For this age, God incarnates in the form of His holy name. Those who regularly chant “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, in a sincere and devoted manner will certainly be guaranteed of God’s protection. The Lord appears on earth to provide protection, so when He incarnates in the form of His name, He has the same potency to defend us.

World Peace

“Disturbance is due to want of an ultimate goal, and when one is certain that Krishna is the enjoyer, proprietor and friend of everyone and everything, then one can, with a steady mind, bring about peace.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 2.66 Purport)

Contestants at beauty pageants get judged not only on their looks, but also on their intellect. Their intelligence is judged by the answers they give to several insightful questions posed by panelists or judges. One of the questions that is always asked is “What is the one thing the contestant would wish for in life?” The stock answer is “World Peace. I wish for everyone in the world to be happy and living peacefully.” This is something desired by not only Miss America but almost everyone in the world. So how can we actually go about achieving real, everlasting peace?

Let’s first take a look at some of the more conventional methods. The most popular solution seems to be diplomacy. Panels consisting of world leaders are put together, which then meet on a regular basis discussing the issues at hand. This method is appealing because it doesn’t involve violence and it incorporates communication and dialogue, both of which are usually lacking in relationships between world leaders. In order for diplomacy to work, there must be compromise. This represents the biggest hurdle to peace. Every human being has desires, which they then act upon. This is known as karma.

Karma includes any activity performed which has a material reaction associated with it, either good or bad. Something as simple as getting up in the morning to go to school or work is considered karmic activity since there is a desired end-goal. Students are working towards finishing their studies, and workers go to the office to earn money to support their livelihood. Both are noble activities, but they are still done for a fruitive result. In a similar manner, world leaders each have their own agenda and personal desires that they work very hard for. When these desires conflict, as they almost surely will, disagreements result, and wars ensue.

In Ronald Reagan’s famous 1964 speech in support of presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, he said that if someone wants peace, they can have it in a second. “It’s called surrender. Give up everything you believe in and stand for, and you will automatically have peace, with the opposing side gaining victory.” This perfectly points out the fatal flaw in diplomacy. Weaker parties obviously don’t want to surrender, so instead they make false promises in hopes of lulling the opposition into a false sense of security. Talks take place, agreements are made, both parties claim victory, and peace is achieved. Yet this peace doesn’t last long at all. The Middle East is a great example of this. After the end of World War II, the United Nations decided to partition the Palestine state into a Jewish state, and that one act has led to conflict ever since. Every new president in the U.S. is faced with the “Middle East Crisis”, having to deal with the constant fight over who has the right to rule over the land. There have been countless resolutions and agreements made, but there has been anything but peace.

Real peace can only come about when people connect with Krishna, or God. A country may fight over who has control over a certain area of land, but God is the actual proprietor of everything. This entire universe was created by Him in a single glance. At a certain time in the future, everything in this world will be destroyed by Him as well. This is the cycle of creation and destruction that has been going on since time immemorial.

“O son of Kunti, at the end of the millennium every material manifestation enters into My nature, and at the beginning of another millennium, by My potency I again create.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.7)

Though diplomacy usually fails in bringing about peace, the aggressive use of force actually tends to be more successful. If a country gains a decisive military victory, the peace that results tends to last a little longer. The United States was formed after the Revolutionary War which saw the British rulers defeated and driven out of the country. Yet from studying human history, we can understand that states and empires come and go all the time. Some last longer than others, but inevitably, they crumble. This is because fruitive desires can never be satisfied.

“The Blessed Lord said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material modes of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.” (Bg. 3.37)

One can only be peaceful when he no longer has material desires. A person can’t simply give up wanting things. It is the nature of the living entity to be independent and act on their desires. The key is that one simply has to change their desires from the material platform to the spiritual. Shifting desires is already something we’re accustomed to. For example, teenagers and young adults are known for being care-free and engaging in unadulterated fun. Yet there inevitably comes a time when these same people grow up and realize that such activity doesn’t bring them happiness. They then take to family life and shift all their desires towards pleasing their spouse and children. Any good parent will tell you that their children are their life-blood. They do everything as a sacrifice for their children.

This change comes about because we are always happier when we are serving someone besides ourselves. This is due to our original nature, that of servant to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna. The spirit soul is completely pure and a lover of God, but due to contact with material nature, it has become trapped in an embodied form, forced to act on the desires of the mind. Just as the parent gains happiness through serving their children, we human beings can achieve the highest form of happiness by serving God. All our other problems will be taken care of as a result.

Aside from issues relating to world peace, there are many other similar minor issues that people try to tackle, such as anger management, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, etc. What we don’t realize is that these problems are merely symptoms of our biggest problem, the forgetfulness of our relationship with Krishna. Bhagavata-dharma is the occupational duty which connects with Krishna, so one who engages in it will naturally be happy all the time. This equates to a happy family life, which leads to a feeling of security, which leads to a peaceful society, and so forth. Krishna consciousness has a trickle-down effect. The analogy of watering a tree is appropriate in this regard. Serving Krishna means watering the root of the tree, which simultaneously feeds the branches and leaves.

We can serve Krishna by engaging in devotional service. Chanting His name, reading books written by the great saints, and regularly viewing His deity are activities that take little time but yield big results. We simply have to take the first step towards Him, and He will show us the way. If we employ everything for His benefit and petition others to join us, we can have peace on earth.

Taxation

“May that person that had approved the exile of the noble one (Rama) to the woods, reap the sin of his that having taken a sixth part of their incomes, does not protect his subjects!” (Bharata speaking to Kausalya, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 75)

This statement is part of a conversation between Bharata and his step-mother Kausalya, over the banishment of Lord Rama, Kausalya’s son, from the kingdom. After being away on business, Bharata had just returned to the kingdom only to find that His father, King Dashratha, had died and that Rama had been banished to the forest for fourteen years.

Lord Rama was an incarnation of God who appeared many thousands of years ago in Ayodhya, and Bharata was His younger half-brother. Maharaja Dashratha, the king of Ayodhya, had performed a great sacrifice in order to beget progeny, and he was subsequently rewarded with four beautiful sons. Rama was the eldest and his favorite. All the plans were in place for Rama to succeed Dashratha as king, but the plans changed at the last minute due to a request made by Kaikeyi, Dashratha’s youngest wife. She wanted her son, Bharata, to be installed as the new king. Dashratha had to agree to these requests since he had granted Kaikeyi any two boons of her choosing on a previous occasion. Fearing that Rama might try to take over the kingdom by force, Kaikeyi used her second boon to ask for Rama’s banishment to the forest for fourteen years. After both requests were made, Kaikeyi anxiously awaited the arrival of Bharata so that she could reap the rewards of her handiwork.

Meanwhile, Rama left for the forest along with His younger brother Lakshmana and His wife Sita Devi. Dashratha couldn’t bear the separation pains, and he eventually quit his body. Bharata came home to find his father dead and his favorite brother banished from the kingdom. After being informed of all the prior events, Bharata stiffly rebuked his mother. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not only came to earth in the form of Rama, but also in the form of His three brothers, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. All four brothers were expansions of God, with Rama being the primary incarnation. For this reason, all the brothers were close friends, and they were especially devoted to Rama. Bharata had no desire to the rule kingdom, especially if it meant going against the proper rules of conduct. The line of succession declared that Rama should be the next king. By having the kingdom bequeathed to him, Bharata felt extremely guilty. He never wanted to harm Rama in any way. After chastising Kaikeyi, Bharata went to talk to Rama’s mother, Queen Kausalya. She was initially very upset with Bharata, thinking that he might be happy with the current situation. She uttered some harsh words to him, and Bharata replied with a speech stating that he believed those who orchestrated the exile of Rama were all guilty of grievous sins. The above referenced statement was part of that speech.

According to Vedic information, the universe is constantly being created and destroyed. In each creation, there is a first man, and he is known by the name of Manu. From him come the Laws of Manu, which serve as the guidelines for all areas of life, including how governments should run. In the Vedic system, there are four castes, or varnas. The second class, the kshatriya, are required to provide protection to the rest of society. They are the warriors, similar to today’s military men and police. All governments of the past were monarchies, ruled by pious kshatriyas who governed at the advice and consent of learned brahmanas, the priestly class of men. Dashratha and all his sons belonged to the kshatriya race. The Laws of Manu give guidelines on every aspect of ruling a kingdom. One thing required by all governments is the collection of taxes. The third class men, the vaishyas, are involved in agriculture and trade. They can be equated with today’s capitalists. Only the vaishyas are allowed to seek after wealth and prosperity through trade and business. The kshatriyas are to spend all their time providing protection to the citizens, so they have no other way of raising money other than through the collection of taxes. The Vedas declare that a king, in normal circumstances, should never take more than one sixth of a citizen’s income. Taxes are required for the government to properly function, but that money is supposed to be used in the proper way. Government only exists to provide protection to society at large. Just as each one of us has a natural right to defend ourselves and our property, the government represents the collective right of self defense of a large group of people.

As declared by Bharata, a king who takes one sixth of a person’s income and still fails to provide sufficient protection, is guilty of committing sin. This is very easy to understand. If a king fails to provide protection, then what is the point of even collecting taxes? A person has a right to keep what they earn. If a government takes too much of a person’s earnings for no reason, they are actually committing theft. A quick study of today’s governments shows that almost half of people’s incomes are going to taxes. In America, the federal marginal income tax rates vary based on a person’s annual income. The highest tax rate is around 36%, while lower income earners don’t pay any federal income tax at all. Yet there are many other taxes that people pay. The payroll tax that funds Social Security takes 6.2% of one’s income, while the employer pays an additional 6.2%. While it may seem that the employer pays half the tax, the employee actually takes the entire hit since it costs the employer that much more just to keep that person employed. Then there are taxes for Medicare, state income, state sales, cell phone, property, car, etc. The list is quite comprehensive. Nevertheless, we will invariably see politicians on television crying about how people need to pay their “fair” share in taxes.

When the income tax was first introduced in the early 20^th century, politicians told everyone not to worry since the tax would only affect the rich. Well it seems today that everyone must be rich since they are all paying income taxes. The truth of the matter is that politicians aren’t concerned with taxing a specific group of people. They will tax anybody they can get away with taxing. The rich are an easy target since politicians can play the class warfare game. Smokers are another favorite target of today’s politicians. Aside from the people that smoke, no one really likes cigarettes or cigarette smoke. Thus, the voters put up very little opposition to increases in tobacco taxes.  Politicians are now looking for even more things to tax, such as energy consumption and health insurance plans.

All of these taxes would be justifiable if the governments of today were adequately protecting their citizens. The annual federal budget in the U.S. is mostly spent on entitlement programs, which are nothing more than the redistribution of wealth. Money is forcibly taken from one group of people for the express purpose of giving it to another. Even with such a massive federal budget, no one feels safe. Citizens are always worried about the nuclear threat posed by foreign enemies, and also the constant threat of terrorism.

Based on these facts and the statements made by Bharata, we can conclude that today’s leaders will all have to suffer greatly for their sin of unjustifiable taxation. Aside from providing protection, the primary duty of any leader is to deliver their dependents from the repeated cycle of birth and death. The soul is eternal, but the body is not. Through the laws of karma, the soul is constantly transmigrating from one body to another, caught in an endless cycle. However, if one becomes Krishna, or God, conscious in this lifetime, they become immune to the effects of karma, and thereby become eligible for return back home after this life, back to Godhead. Above all else, it is thus the duty of all government leaders to imbibe this Krishna consciousness in every citizen. A society actively engaged in devotional service, chanting the holy names of the Lord, regularly visiting His temples, and offering obeissances to the deity, will be happy one.