Pushing The Rock

“Fruitive work, in which almost all people in general are engaged, is always painful either in the beginning or at the end. It can be fruitful only when made subservient to the devotional service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita also it is confirmed that the result of such fruitive work may be offered for the service of the Lord, otherwise it leads to material bondage.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.5.12 Purport)

You’ve got a giant rock that you need to push up a hill. Knowing the specific objective being furthered is not that important, as the task is daunting enough. This rock is rather heavy, and it requires both physical effort and mental fortitude to get it to roll all the way to the top of the steep hill, fighting the laws of gravity in the process. The physical effort is easy to recognize, but the test on the mind comes from the fact that there is every chance that while progressing forward the rock will fall all the way back down, thereby erasing whatever progress you have made. While the effort is being expended, there is dedication to an activity that seems constructive, so in this sense there is no worry over being influenced by outside allures. At the same time, once the rock makes it to the top, you are again left with free time. In addition, the rock may roll back down at any time, which would then require a repeat of the activity. Though it seems like every kind of activity would follow the same pattern, it doesn’t have to. The results of work dovetailed with service to the person who created both the rock and the entire material creation can never be erased.

“For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.27)

As soon as there is birth there must be death. Not that the end of life has to happen right away; just that at some point in the future, there will come a time that the new blood that joined the earth must depart and again accept a new destination. The localized instance of acceptance and rejection is but one example of the many aspects of life that follow the same pattern. You complete a task at work only to have more jobs to do afterwards. You work hard during the week and relax on the weekend, only to have to do it all over again the following week. If you know while you’re performing a specific activity that eventually you’ll have to repeat it again many times in the future, how can that not dent your motivation? If I’m pushing a rock up a hill and I know it will eventually roll back down, what is the point?

Rather than endlessly speculate as to a permanent solution, one can tap into the vast storehouse of knowledge that is the Vedas, whose most concise and complete treatise is the Bhagavad-gita, a song sung on a battlefield some five thousand years ago. The repetitive cycle of action and reaction that we see is known as karma, or fruitive activity. More specifically, the type of engagement where we do something for a specific reward only to have that enjoyment remain manifest for a short time falls into a mode of work known as passion.

“The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of Kunti, and because of this one is bound to material fruitive activities.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 14.7)

Fortunately, the speaker of the Gita reveals that the mode of passion isn’t the only way to act. There are ways to fix things so that you’re not left repeating the same behavior all the time without making any progress. There are also the modes of ignorance and goodness, which have their own respective activities. Fruitive activity in the mode of passion is accepted by the human being by default, thus there is no instruction needed in this area. You sow the seeds that you planted so that you can taste the resulting fruits, all the while being pricked by the thorns on the growing tree. You push the rock up the hill so that it gets to its intended destination, all the while laboriously exerting yourself and not getting too much satisfaction afterwards.

The mode of ignorance can be likened to being at the top of the hill and just pushing the rock back down for no rhyme or reason. What we would call stupid, or overtly sinful, behavior falls squarely in the mode of ignorance. It reaps no tangible benefit, and it takes the worker to a position much worse off from where they started.

The mode of goodness can be likened to a knowledge gathering task, where the component pieces of existence are seen in the proper light. In the mode of goodness the rock is pushed up the hill without desire for personal gain. It is done more out of protocol, knowing that it should be done. Whether the rock makes it up all the way or falls back down is of no concern to the person in goodness, because they understand everything in the proper context.

“When the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 14.20)

The speaker of the Gita reveals that even the mode of goodness is binding, for the results of action are still manifest. If there are visible results to action, those results must disappear as well. Whether I want that outcome or not is not important in the mode of goodness, but nevertheless the temporary reward does come about, causing the worker to become accustomed to the short-lived happiness. There is an answer, however. Follow the mode of pure goodness, which transcends the bounds of time and space. This mode brings permanent progress, which corresponds directly with the inherent properties of the individual.

In the mode of goodness, which is accepted on the basis of authority and not just whimsically created, the living entity learns that they are an individual fragment of spirit, sort of like a spark from a fire. Since there is no quantitative comparison between the different sparks, every life form is equal. The enjoyment resulting from fruitive activity is not meant for the spark, but rather for its outer covering. Since this covering can vary in makeup, having different combinations of the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, there is more than one outlet for enjoyment. Some sparks enjoy eating stool and rolling around in filth, while others require fine wine and expensive living establishments. In either case, the sparks are equal in their constitution, and thus there is really no difference between their situations.

Things get interesting when the living being learns about his real properties, the makeup of the individual sparks. At the core there is a dharma, or essential characteristic, which exists eternally. In some cases that dharma may be covered up, but it is there nonetheless. If we place a shade over a lamp and thereby make the room darker, the actual flame from the lamp has not lessened in intensity; only the external vision of the observer has changed. Just because a spiritual spark may be in the form of an ant or cow doesn’t mean that the dharma of the soul is absent.

This dharma is the inclination to serve. The predominance of this characteristic cannot be denied because every person, even one steeped in the mode of ignorance, has a penchant to serve. When the proper beneficiary is identified, the results of that service are permanent and bring bliss and knowledge – three features which line up with the soul’s properties.

How do we find that proper beneficiary? How can we trust that the results are what they are purported to be? In the beginning there must be some faith extended, but this shouldn’t be that difficult to do. We trust so many people right now, even those who we know lie to get to where they are. Politicians are routinely lambasted, criticized and yelled at for their duplicitous ways, yet they are still entrusted with the most important matters of government. Extending faith to the proper authority figures of the Vedic tradition does not cost us much in the beginning, and the results are so wonderful that the people who follow the prescriptions spend the rest of their lives glorifying both the originator of the supreme wisdom and the people who passed it on.

Who is the origin of this system? What is the system and where do we go to learn about it? Not surprisingly, the same person who revealed to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra about the three modes of nature is the object of service for every spark of spirit. He is the ideal beneficiary for action because He is the only entity capable of accepting every offering. He can never be smothered with love, nor can the sweet fruit He returns in the form of His association ever go bad or diminish in taste.

This person is none other than Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not a mythical character or tribal hero turned God, Krishna is the real deal. His supreme standing as the most fortunate person is supported by the benefits that come from following devotion to Him in the discipline known as bhakti-yoga. From regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, not only is time well spent in an act of pure goodness, but real progress is made in terms of development of consciousness.

Why would we want to develop consciousness? In education, smaller steps are taken to fulfill a larger goal. For instance, learning the alphabet through reading and writing exercises is quite silly for someone who already knows how to read and write. Yet the activities are taken up by students so that their knowledge will be shaped to the point that they will no longer need to follow the same exercises. One works at the jobsite to have enough money to pay the bills, and one exercises so that their body will remain healthy. Thus we see that education and work lead to more permanent benefits all the time.

Consciousness is the most powerful force belonging to the living being. This is true because a purified consciousness can result in a favorable condition anywhere, regardless of success or failure. The person connected with Shri Krishna in thought, word and deed doesn’t even need to push the rock up the hill. If for Krishna they should happen to take on the arduous task, they will think about the Lord the entire time. This means that if the rock should roll back down the hill again, at least the time was spent in pure bliss.

In fruitive activity there is pain in both the beginning and end. As an example, at the start one thinks of how difficult it will be to push the rock up the hill. At completion there is the worry of the effort going to waste by the rock rolling back down. Moreover, the next time a rock needs to be pushed up a hill, the previous arduous effort will be remembered, making it even more difficult to take up the task. As another example, computer programmers often write complex routines and applications to be used in the business world. If perchance they should have to revisit that code later on, after much time has passed, it is not surprising for them to marvel at how complicated the code is. “How did I ever write this? I can’t imagine creating this from scratch again.” This means that the effort was difficult in the beginning and throughout. Since the fruits are temporary and also the cause of bondage in the form of fear, there is pain in the end too.

In bhakti there is transcendental pleasure at every step. If one is hesitant to chant Hare Krishna on a set of japa beads every day, meditating can still be constructive, as it keeps the individual automatically away from harmful activities like intoxication, meat eating, illicit sex and gambling. The more one chants the easier it becomes to repeat in the future. Krishna is the reservoir of all pleasure, the most attractive entity in the world. Staying connected with Him through consciousness only brings enhanced delights with each repeat effort, making the individual more and more eager to serve Him and think of Him.

“For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murari, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoof-print. Their goal is param padam, Vaikuntha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.14.58)

As an added bonus, a reward that seems trivial to those already immersed in bhakti, at the end of life the worker dedicated to Krishna does not have to see a repeat existence in the material world. The cycle of birth and death stops for the Krishna conscious soul, granting the reward known as mukti, or liberation. Since Krishna grants this liberation, He is also known as Mukunda, or one who gives mukti. As fruitive activity involving things like pushing a heavy rock up a hill is difficult to abandon, the material existence is likened to a vast ocean that is nearly impossible to cross over. For those who find the mode of pure goodness, however, that same ocean turns into the size of a pool of water filling a calf’s hoof-print. The consciousness connected to the divine has no more anxieties relating to past, present and future, for it resides in Vaikuntha, the place free of anxieties.

In Closing:

Worked so hard to push that rock up the hill,

Physical and mental effort have your fill.

Pushing heavy rock against gravity hard,

Mind worried over failure with each passing yard.

Victory tempered when you reach hill’s top,

For what if heavy rock should suddenly drop?

In this cycle does all activity follow,

Win or lose in misery you will wallow.

Devotion to Krishna though is not the same,

In purifying consciousness there is steady gain.

Sudden Money

“In the material world, You are creating, maintaining and dissolving the whole manifestation by interaction of three qualities, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. You are not implicated by the activities of those material qualities because Your supreme knowledge is never overcome, as is the case with the individual living entity.” (Akrura speaking to Lord Krishna, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 47)

Activities that we would consider “normal” – those functions which serve to maintain our well-being, both mental and physical – have consequences to them. That is the nature of this world. Even if we think that all the consequences are favorable, there will be aspects to them that are unpleasant. The nature of karma is that every action has a commensurate reaction, though the fruits of such work may not manifest immediately, nor will they remain visible for too long a time. With the Supreme Lord, however, activities are free of consequences. Though the various modes of nature emanate from Him, He is unaffected by their creation, maintenance, and dissolution. Understanding this one fact can help alleviate our worries and free us of the bonds that we never intended to be subject to.

What are the modes of nature? In Vedic terminology, every action that leads to the future development of the outer covering of the soul can be tagged to a particular mode. Just as there are different keys in a musical overture, there are different levels, or platforms, of activity. The spirit soul residing within the body is the basis for identity, but the presence of the soul is not perceptible to the naked eye. Rather, in order to identify life, we must go off of outward symptoms. What we can see is the gross body of the living entities. When this body is functioning on its own, it is understood that there is life. This life-force is driven by the soul, something which remains intact for all of eternity. The body is actually changing every second, though we only tend to notice the changes at periodic intervals, such as days, months, or years. Often times if we are consistently in the presence of our own body or someone else’s, even drastic changes that occur over long periods of time go unnoticed. It is not until we see photographs – snapshots in time – of particular bodies that we start to notice the changes.

“By acting in the mode of goodness, one becomes purified. Works done in the mode of passion result in distress, and actions performed in the mode of ignorance result in foolishness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.16)

Material nature, which is driven by activity, is the root cause for the constant changes to the body. The activities of nature can be divided into three categories: goodness, passion, and ignorance. The mode of goodness leads to the acquisition of knowledge and a beneficial future condition, passion leads to a neutral state, and ignorance leads to degradation. Since these are all modes of nature, the ascribed benefits and side effects apply only to the outward dress of the soul, the body. The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, state that the aim of human life is to inquire about the Absolute Truth, Brahman. The spirit soul residing within the body is Brahman, and since every person is the same in spiritual quality, everyone can be considered Brahman. The human form of life represents the best chance to get to know Brahman and then use that sublime knowledge to break free of the forces of material nature. Nature can only act upon us through our choice; if we decide to transcend the modes of nature, we won’t have to worry about future consequences and reactions.

What makes the human form of body more auspicious than others? Since it is generally known that the followers of the Vedic tradition believe in reincarnation, the common resulting stereotype is that rebirth equates to a person being reborn as a cockroach, cat, dog, or cow in the next life if they are sinful in their current one. This degradation of species can most certainly occur, but this situation only represents the pessimistic aspect of reincarnation. The optimistic view, which often goes neglected, acknowledges that the individual souls have already passed their time in many subordinate species, culminating with their current bodies as humans. Therefore, there must be a purpose to this evolution of body types, the transmigration of the soul. The Vedas tell us that there is indeed a method behind the madness of the giant cause-and-effect system known as karma. The Vedanta-sutras, arguably the most famous treatise on Vedanta philosophy, begin by stating that “Now is the time for inquiring about Brahman”, athato-brahma-jijnasa. The “now” in this statement is very important. The animal species lives completely in the mode of ignorance, so they have no ability to ask about God, birth, death, or the characteristics of the soul.

As human beings, we have a choice as to which mode of nature we want to associate with. Activities in the mode of goodness lead to the understanding of Brahman and the soul’s constitutional position. Activities in the mode of passion lead to a neutral state, wherein one performs hard work simply for sense gratification. Since this enjoyment is available even to the animal species, there is nothing really gained. Those in the mode of passion eventually end up right where they started from. In this sense, it can be correctly asserted that the mode of passion leads to distress, as there is much effort put into gaining a neutral position. Activities in the mode of ignorance lead to degradation, a state where one gradually loses their intelligence. If we remain in the mode of ignorance by taking to activities such as constant intoxication, oversleeping, and unnecessary killing, we will most certainly receive a body composed completely of ignorance in the next life.

All three of these modes deal with cause and effect, action and reaction. This is how nature works. For every action, there are many seen and unseen reactions that are both intended and unintended. For this reason, the governing force of this world is known as maya, or that which is not. Maya uses her illusory forces to fool us into taking to activities which don’t benefit us in the end. By default, most human beings take to the mode of passion. We have specific fruits in mind that we want, so we take the necessary actions to acquire them. Yet desire for sense enjoyment can never be satisfied, so the satisfaction derived from the acquired fruits is short-lived. Moreover, this enjoyment isn’t secured so easily. There are many unintended side effects as well; results that further bind us to the cycle of birth and death. The mode of goodness is considered the best because it leads to intelligence. Once we acquire knowledge of the soul, however, we are required to transcend the mode of goodness and take to serving the one entity who is above the laws of nature.

To understand who this person is and why we should devote ourselves to Him, we need to first understand the folly of taking shelter of activities that belong to any of the three modes of nature. Since passionate activity is most prevalent, it can be the focus of this quick study. The essence of the mode of passion is family life, which is maintained through work. We go to work during the day so that we can have enough money to pay the bills at home. There are bills relating to the rent, mortgage, heating oil, electricity, water, food, gas, insurance, and so many other things. In addition, we have a family to maintain, intimate associates who require time, attention, and money. After all the work has been completed and the bills have been paid, there is scant time for enjoyment. Once this enjoyment is over, the entire cycle repeats itself. In this way, we are essentially working very hard and not seeing much of a return.

The common thought process is that if I just had enough money, all of my problems would go away. Who among us hasn’t dreamed of what we would do if we won the lottery? It’s actually not uncommon for lottery winners to go broke soon after collecting their payout. There are even organizations such as the Sudden Money Institute that try to help people deal with such sudden changes to their financial disposition. Let’s play out the lottery winning scenario to see if acquiring wealth would actually benefit us. Say that we won the lottery tomorrow and got paid millions of dollars. The first thing we would do is pay off the mortgage. We’d pay off any and all debts that we have. Then we’d probably want to buy a nice car and maybe a bigger home. Now we have to worry about insurance for the new car and furniture for the new house. We’d probably also quit our job since we have no reason to work for a living. Now we have to figure out what to do with our time. There are probably loads of other material possessions we would want to purchase as well.

Now that we have all these new possessions, including a new car and home, and no job, what would we do with our time? Would our worries be over? Quite the contrary, our worries would actually increase. With each new fruitive venture, we have introduced a new tie to the material world. We can think of it as being tied down to the ground. With new wealth and fame come additional ropes binding us to the floor. Each rope is not only tied around our gross body, but our mind as well. In this way, we go from a somewhat peaceful condition, where we are working honestly for a living and trying to enjoy a paltry salary, to a disposition where we never have any peace due to all the newly introduced ties to material life.

This predicament speaks to the illusory aspect of nature. The wealthiest businessmen in the world are often the most stressed out individuals. Desire will always act on the brain, regardless of the size of the person’s bank account. When desire is frustrated, there will naturally be disappointment and worry. A poor person may worry about how to secure food for dinner that night, while a wealthy man may be concerned about the next big merger, but the effects on the body and psyche are the same.

According to Vedic information, the aim of life is to break free of all bonds; a release that can only be granted when the future development of the material body ceases. Though for the living entities every action has a reaction, there is one person who is above karma. We may be tempted to think that this person must have refrained from all activity and thus liberated themself from action and reaction. On the contrary, this person performs activities on the grandest scale, a level we couldn’t possibly understand. He has been performing this activity since the beginning of time, and yet He still remains unaffected from it. This person is Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

It would make sense that the creator of nature would be free from its effects. This entire material creation was borne of Krishna, who kindly cloned a replica of the spiritual realm to allow the wayward spirit souls to come and play. The playing involves any material activity, those actions performed in ignorance of the soul’s intimate relation to the Divine. Just as our identity comes from the spirit soul residing within, Krishna’s identity is tied to His supremely powerful soul. The Lord’s soul and our soul are the same in quality, but vastly different in the quantitative aspect. For Krishna, there is no difference between body and soul; He is completely transcendental. For the individual spirit soul, there is a chance of associating with maya, an association that leads to the assumption of a temporary material dress.

Since the two souls are so similar, there is an inherent relationship. The natural condition of the subordinate soul is to always be in the company of the commanding soul. In this condition, the subordinate entity takes on a nature similar to that of the commander and thus becomes liberated. In the materially conditioned state, the individual becomes forgetful of its natural disposition, and thus takes to activities of an inferior nature. Since activities in the modes of nature bind one to the material world, the ignorance that envelops the soul remains intact.

The picture seems quite gloomy, but if we understand that Krishna is above the cause-and-effect of karma, we can find the key that unlocks the door to the spiritual world. Since Krishna never assumes a material body, and never takes to activities which lead to the development of one, it makes sense that anyone who associates with the Lord would similarly be affected. Acts of love and devotion dedicated to Krishna transcend karma. One can only be bound to nature when they are embodied in terms of consciousness. This means that if the enjoyment we seek has at its root forgetfulness of Krishna, we will most certainly have to deal with effects, both good and bad. By the same token, if our activities are rooted in pleasing Krishna, there can never be any effects, for there is no desire to become bound up to the perpetual cycle of birth and death. Devotees fall under the jurisdiction of a divine energy known as yogamaya, a spellbinding force that remains above the effects of material nature.

So what constitute activities that please Krishna? The collective actions belong to the discipline known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Though Krishna is never embodied or affected by activities, He still possesses a transcendental body. Descriptions of this body are found in the sacred texts such as the Ramayana and Shrimad Bhagavatam. We simply have to hear from these great works and keep our minds fixed on the Lord’s transcendental form. Just as the Lord’s form is free of maya, so are His names. Thus by chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, we can similarly be benefitted.

Activities in devotional service are considered to be in the mode of pure goodness, or that which transcends the three modes of nature. Krishna is the creator, maintainer, and the destroyer. Though He performs all of these functions, He is not bound to the laws of nature. In a similar manner, if we remain in constant association with the Supreme Person through acts which purify our consciousness, we too can remain free from the effects of nature, staying aloof from a realm that was specifically tailored to meet the demands of those who wanted to forget God. If we eliminate the root cause of our descent to the material world, we most certainly will not have to remain here.

The Seeds of Pollution

“Those who drink through aural reception, fully filled with the nectarean message of Lord Krishna, the beloved of the devotees, purify the polluted aim of life known as material enjoyment and thus go back to Godhead, to the lotus feet of Him.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.2.37)

While the advent of modern technology has brought about a generally higher standard of living, some unintended side effects have also come about. These effects are both unexpected and unwanted, with many of them labeled under the category of pollution. This pollution involves both the external, as in the contamination of air and water, and the internal, as in the muddying of mind and intelligence. The followers of the divine engagement, bhakti-yoga, proclaim that simply by dedicating all of one’s activities towards the satisfaction of the Supreme, every problem imaginable can be solved. Naturally, one would assume that this issue of pollution would be one of the issues eradicated, but the exact nature of its elimination remains unclear. Ironically enough, we can look to the example of driving a car to see how one can go about performing their everyday activities and still remain uncontaminated, or pollution-free, and spiritually advanced at the same time.

In days past, advanced transportation consisted of horse-and-buggy and water transport such as boats and ships. The first major breakthrough came with the railroad, followed by the automobile. Today the automobile is the quickest way to get around for most people, especially those residing in industrialized nations. The exact nature of the driving can vary from country to country. For example, a driver in India and a driver in America are faced with completely different challenges. A driver in India must deal with pedestrians, animals, bicyclists, and cars all on a very narrow road with little or no adherence to traffic laws from others. In America, the driving is a little more controlled, at least on the highways. This controlled condition allows for cars to travel at much faster average speeds. On major highways, it is quite common for a car to be travelling over 70 mph.

Since a car can travel at such a fast speed, learning how to drive one can be a daunting task. In America, the eligible age for receiving a driver’s license varies from state to state, but it is usually around fifteen or sixteen years of age. Since a car can turn into a dangerous weapon if not controlled properly, student drivers are required to go through hours and hours of training, both in the classroom and out. Eventually a road test is taken, where the prospective licensee demonstrates their driving abilities to a certified examiner. Still, the receiving of a license doesn’t initially affect the attention paid during driving. New drivers tend to be attentive, keeping both hands on the wheel, paying close attention to their speed, and monitoring the cars around them. When they are behind the wheel, they are conscious of their driving and nothing else. They may not even want to look anywhere else or talk to anyone while they are driving.

This condition doesn’t last, however. There comes a time in a driver’s life where they put driving in the background of their consciousness. This doesn’t mean that they start driving poorly or start paying less attention. It just means that the consciousness becomes adjusted to the rules of the road and the ins and outs of driving. In this condition, the subconscious almost takes over in a sense and handles all the issues of the road. This frees the mind to ponder other issues. A similar phenomenon can be seen with runners. Those who are unaccustomed to running long distances are always conscious of where they are going and how they are feeling. “Do I have enough energy to finish? Am I going to make it to the end?” For the advanced runner, however, there is no consciousness of these things. The body essentially starts to move on its own, similar to a sleeping state. The subconscious takes care of the running, leaving the active part of the mind free to ponder other issues.

This condition is nice because it allows a person to multitask. They are able to conduct important activities like driving and running while remaining unattached to them. This same concept can prove to be invaluable in spiritual life. For followers of the Vedic tradition, the highest dharma, or occupational duty, is known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. In simple terms, this can be thought of as the religion of love. Its primary activities include chanting the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, along with reading books about the Lord, preparing and offering nice foodstuffs to His deity, hearing discourses about Krishna, and visiting temples. Along with this positive activity, there is the requirement for abstention from the most harmful activities of intoxication, gambling, illicit sex, and meat eating.

“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.34)

Just as with every other activity, spiritual life has an ultimate destination. The aim of bhakti-yoga is to elevate one’s consciousness to the point where they are always thinking of God in one of His transcendental forms, at all times. The Supreme Divine Entity certainly does exist, and though He can expand Himself into an all-encompassing energy, His original feature is that of Bhagavan, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This same Bhagavan then expands Himself into multitudes of other forms, all aimed at attracting the spiritually inclined conditioned soul. The highest consciousness is that which is constantly fixed on one of these transcendental forms in a mood of pure love.

Upon first glance at these truths there appears to be an issue. If we’re always thinking about Bhagavan, and this consciousness is also the ultimate objective, what are we supposed to do about other issues? The technological age has brought about great pollution, not only from cars and planes, but also from factories and chemical plants. If we simply focus on spiritual life all the time, won’t we be ignoring this issue of pollution? To find the solution, we simply have to look to the example of the expert driver. When a driver becomes accustomed to driving, they eventually shift their focus to other areas, all the while carrying out their duties of driving. The secret to performing bhakti-yoga properly is to put all other mundane activities and issues in the background, adhering to them in a matter of fact sort of way. Essentially the idea is to put the mind on autopilot while doing things unrelated to God consciousness, all the while keeping focused on the beautiful transcendental form of the Lord. The Vedas tell us that God’s original form is that of Lord Shri Krishna, who is so beautiful that one of His names is Shyamasundara, meaning the attractive one with a complexion of a dark rain cloud. Not only is this God’s original form, but also His most attractive one.

“The ideal yogi concentrates his attention on Krishna, who is called Shyamasundara, who is as beautifully colored as a cloud, whose lotus-like face is as effulgent as the sun, whose dress is brilliant with jewels and whose body is flower garlanded.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 6.47 Purport)

So we see that it is possible to perform our everyday activities of meeting the demands of the body while remaining committed to spiritual life. But how does this solve the issue of pollution? It takes a trained eye to see that devotional service performed in this manner actually already tackles every kind of pollution. Currently, the issues of pollution are taken on from the material point of view. “Driving is putting so much dust and poison in the air, what can we do to stop it? Can we find a new source of fuel that will not inject as many pollutants? Maybe we can raise taxes on gasoline so that people will drive less? Pollution in other areas can be tackled in a similar manner, i.e. using the power of government to force consumers to change their habits.”

The problem with these solutions is that they don’t remove the seeds of pollution. Smog and air pollution are not actually caused by the automobile, but rather the desire for kama, or sense gratification. Kama is one of the primary rewards in life, along with dharma [religiosity], artha [economic development], and moksha [ultimate liberation]. Kama is sought out through dharma and artha, both of which come about through fruitive activities, or karma. In simple terms, since we have a desire to enjoy our senses, we take the necessary actions to acquire that enjoyment. Planes, trains, and automobiles came about through a desire to enjoy material nature. We can also think of it in terms of playing a sport. In the sport of tennis, players played with wooden rackets for a very long time. Then there came a desire to enjoy tennis more by hitting the ball harder. This desire led to the development of graphite rackets, and more recently to the evolution of new types of string. Hence the game was drastically changed not due to technology, but due to the desire to enjoy the sport even more.

But this enjoyment came with consequences. Many say that tennis today isn’t as enjoyable to watch as in days past due to the extremely fast serves and heavy hitting. Players are also more prone to arm injuries today due to the violent swinging motions. The newer strings are very nice in that they allow players to swing very hard and yet still maintain control of their shots. The drawback is that for one to get this control, they must swing the racket very quickly, a motion which is quite violent for the arm. As amazing as this sounds, if the players don’t swing hard with the new strings, they will actually have less control of their shots. The drawback is that violent swinging has led to an increase in wrist and arm injuries.

These injuries, or negative side effects, can be thought of as pollution in a sense. The same principle took effect with cars. People wanted to increase their speed in travelling, so the automobile and train were developed. While this seemed like a great thing, there came unintended negative consequences such as pollution and accidents. Thousands of people die in traffic accidents each year, but this issue is just swept aside as collateral damage. Pollution, in the form of unwanted negative side effects, is seen in practically every area of increased sense gratification. Even the latest iPods, iPhones, and high-definition televisions come with their own forms of pollution.

Simply eradicating the pollution or forcing people to change their level of enjoyment won’t solve any problems. The seeds for pollution, i.e. the never-satisfied desire to enjoy the senses, will still remain. Returning to the issue of bhakti-yoga, we see that the Krishna conscious devotee automatically has these seeds removed. It doesn’t mean their activities are necessarily changed in any drastic manner. They still might drive cars, travel on airplanes, or use smart phones, but the forefront of their consciousness is different. These secondary material activities are performed as a matter of fact, with the ultimate aim being the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. In this way, one makes spiritual progress while eliminating the root cause of pollution. In reality, even the pollution itself is purified due to its utility. For example, if someone drives their car to a temple or to travel to a holy place of pilgrimage, the resulting pollution then becomes purified since it is part of bhakti-yoga. Air is only dirty if it is harmful to our achievement of the ultimate purpose. If our ultimate aim in life is to enjoy the senses, then air pollution certainly represents an impediment. However, if our ultimate aim is to satisfy Krishna, then even something like air pollution becomes tolerable if it is unintentionally generated through acts of devotion.

These concepts may seem a little hard to grasp at first, but those who have practiced bhakti-yoga for a long time can certainly attest to their validity. God consciousness is something that has to be developed; it cannot be acquired solely through intense study. We have to put in the time to see the benefits. Once these benefits are realized, one will see that the proponents of bhakti-yoga are certainly correct in their assessments of pollution and how to deal with it. By following the prescriptions of the bhaktas, we can carry out our day-to-day activities by putting the mind on autopilot, thus leaving our consciousness free to contemplate on spiritual matters.

Big Brother

“That action performed in ignorance and delusion without consideration of future bondage or consequences, which inflicts injury and is impractical, is said to be action in the mode of ignorance.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.25)

The mode of passion can be so strong that it drives people to do things they know will be harmful to them. Passion means fruitive activity, or being driven to work by one’s desires for rewards and benedictions. In any society there are general rules of propriety that people try to adhere to. Having respect for the property of others is one of them. Yet we still see that there are many people who take to stealing, even though they know it’s not a good thing and that it can have negative consequences. The mode of passion is so strong, that if left unchecked, it can bewilder a person into thinking that stealing is acceptable, when it really isn’t. This is the very definition of illusion; a person who acts on such illusion descends into the mode of ignorance.

In today’s world, one of the common forms of theft occurs with credit cards. Most countries use paper notes and coins as their form of monetary exchange, but with advancements in technology, people can now pay for things using credit cards. Issued by banks, credit cards allow people to make purchases which are tracked through a world-wide electronic system originating at the banks. Once a month, the credit card company issues a statement telling the cardholder how much they have purchased and how much they owe. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. The credit card companies make money by charging interest to customers who don’t pay their full balance each month. The customer is benefitted by not having to carry lots of cash around all the time. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere these days, even at fast food restaurants. This means that one can ostensibly live without ever having to use paper currency or coins.

There are drawbacks to using credit cards though. If a thief steals cash, they can only use whatever amount of money they stole from a person. Cash is also not very easy to steal because it is a physical object, meaning that the thief has to forcibly take the money away from its owner. Credit cards are a little different, because though it is itself a physical object, it is the number on the credit card which is really important. Simply knowing a person’s credit number allows a thief to make purchases online. Unlike with cash, thieves of credit cards aren’t limited in the amount of money they can steal. Most credit cards have large spending limits, up to $2,000 for a typical card, while there are also many cards that don’t have any credit limit at all. This means that if a thief can steal a credit card, they can purchase thousands of dollars worth of goods, both online and in person at retail stores.

These facts make it very appealing for someone interested in becoming a credit card thief. There is a serious drawback, however, aside from the issues of morality and virtue. All credit card purchases are tracked, for that is the key component to the entire credit system. When paying for something with a credit card, a physical record is automatically created which contains the date, time, location, and description of the purchase. This also has its pros and cons. This tracking system is great for businesses because they can more easily keep track of their expenses. Some credit card companies now issue year-end statements which give a breakdown of your purchases, letting you know how much you spent on gas, food, shopping, etc. This system is harmful for thieves though. If a person loses their credit card or has it stolen, they can very easily call the credit card company and have the card cancelled. This means that the next time someone goes to use the card, the merchant will be able to tell that the card is stolen. When encountering a stolen card, merchants are advised to cut the card up into pieces and report the incident to the credit card company. In severe cases, the police may also be called to the scene. The built-in tracking system of credit card purchases is enough to keep honest people away from using them. People don’t want “Big Brother”, a euphemism for a watch-dog government, keeping track of their every move. Many people prefer to use cash as a way of keeping thieves away and also as way of keeping their spending habits private.

Though credit card thieves are some of the easiest people to catch, we still see that many people are drawn to such a nefarious activity. They think that somehow or other they won’t get caught. What leads people to this delusion? The Vedas tell us that the mode of passion is one of the three modes of material nature, along with goodness and ignorance. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tells us that the mode of passion is better than ignorance, but that if our passions are left uncheck, they can lead to lust, anger, resentment, and loss of rationality. This is precisely what occurs with credit card thieves. The seed for their immoral act comes from their desire for some material object, either money or a particular product. Not wanting to pay for it themselves, they warm up to the idea of buying something without paying for it. Thus the initial desire turns to lust, which in turn leads them to committing theft. Anger and resentment come later on when they get caught, but it is the lust which causes their mind to become agitated and forgetful of common sense.

Uncontrolled passion, descending into ignorance, was what led to the downfall of a great Rakshasa demon by the name of Ravana many thousands of years ago. During the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation, Ravana had risen to power in the world through his defeat of many great celestials. Ravana had many wives and a beautiful kingdom, yet he wasn’t satisfied with his materialistic way of life. He wanted more. He heard that there was a beautiful woman by the name of Sita residing in the forest of Janasthana. She was married to Lord Rama, a handsome prince and an incarnation of God. Ravana obviously didn’t know that Rama was God, for he didn’t believe in a higher power. He knew of the demigods, but after defeating many of them, he didn’t think they were so powerful. If anything, Ravana thought that he was God.

Ravana’s associates warned him that Sita could not be won over by flattery or huge displays of prowess. They also told him that he wouldn’t be able to defeat Rama. The only way for Ravana to have Sita would be if he kidnapped her in Rama’s absence. Ravana saw no problem with this idea, so he went ahead and made plans to achieve that end. Rama and His younger brother, Lakshmana, were lured away from their cottage, which left Sita vulnerable. Ravana approached her and took her away by force on his aerial car. Ravana’s path home was not free of interference though. The great king of birds, Jatayu, saw what was happening and stepped in to protect Sita.

“Just as the unintelligent, without knowing the future bondage caused by their actions, are vanquished very quickly, so shall you meet with your own destruction in a short time.” (Jatayu speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 51.26)

In the above referenced quote, Jatayu is warning Ravana that he will meet his end for perpetrating the horrible act of stealing another’s wife. Ravana would end up mortally wounding Jatayu in battle, but the bird’s words would indeed hold true. Ravana was so taken away by his passion, that he lost all sense of decency and intelligence. Ravana ruled over the kingdom of Lanka, which was situated on an island very far away from land. He thought that the geographic location of his kingdom insulated him from any serious enemy attack. He thought that by taking Sita to his kingdom, Rama would eventually give up His life, for He would never be able to find her.

Of course this logic was foolish. Just as a thief never thinks they will get caught until it’s too late, so Ravana never realized the folly of his ways until the very end. While flying away on Ravana’s car, several of Sita’s ornaments fell to the earth. Rama and Lakshmana discovered some of these items, which eventually led to their meeting with Hanuman, a great Vanara warrior. Hanuman took them to the Vanara king, Surgriva, and an alliance was formed immediately. It was through the help of Hanuman and the other Vanaras that Rama eventually discovered Sita’s whereabouts. The great Lord eventually marched to Lanka, took on Ravana in battle, and soundly defeated him.

The lesson here is that no one can escape the results of sinful activity. With whatever activity we perform, God and His attendants watch us. They keep a ledger of our good and bad deeds. Knowing this, we should take to the process of devotional service. If the Supreme Lord is already tracking us, why not take to pious activity? There is no better deed to perform in this life than to chant the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The results of our good deeds also come to us very quickly. Those who regularly engage in devotional service will quickly be rewarded with Krishna-prema, or love for God, which is the greatest blessing one can receive.

The Seeds of Distress

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

Question: “Lord Krishna states that works done in the mode of passion lead to distress. Can you explain that?”

Answer: There are three gunas, or qualities, that govern this material world: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Every living entity has a body composed of a combination of these three gunas. Also, every activity we perform, including religious functions, can be classified into one of these three categories. Acting in the mode of goodness leads to purity, the mode of passion to stress and misery, and the mode of ignorance to stupidity. If we do a quick analytical study of the actions in the mode of passion, we will see that it does indeed lead to pain and suffering.

“That happiness which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion from beginning to end and which arises from sleep, laziness and illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.39)

Characterized by sleep and intoxication, actions in tamo-guna, the mode of ignorance, lead to a loss of intelligence and demotion to a lower species in the next life. Murder, rape, and other vile acts also belong to the mode of ignorance. We see examples of the harmful effects of the mode of ignorance in our daily lives. In America, children attending school have several extended vacation periods throughout the year. The summer break is the longest, consisting of two months, but there are other week-long recesses during Christmas and in February. Most children don’t like to attend school, especially as they get older. Thus they usually spend vacation periods and weekends sitting around the house and remaining inactive. Saturday morning cartoons are popular for this very reason, for children love to sit in front of the television and do nothing all day.

Vacations are nice, but we see that long periods of inactivity can be very harmful. As we get older, if we are unemployed it becomes very difficult to get a good routine of activity going. The unemployed often sleep very late, waking up past noon in many cases. There is no guiding force in their lives to keep them on the straightened path. Sitting around and doing nothing for extended periods of time is not good for our mental health and self-esteem. We need to feel like we are doing something, and that our life actually matters. Vedic wisdom concurs with this conclusion, advising us to avoid the mode of ignorance at all costs.

“The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of Kunti, and because of this one is bound to material fruitive activities.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 14.7)

The mode of passion is a step up from ignorance. All the best-selling self-help books pretty much preach the same message: “Find something that you love, a passion, and dedicate yourself to it. Set goals and then work hard to achieve them.” All the materially successful people in the world have followed this plan, thus they try to share their wisdom with others. The logic behind this makes sense. If we work hard for something and then achieve it, it makes us feel good. We feel as if our activities matter and that we have a purpose in life.

“By acting in the mode of goodness, one becomes purified. Works done in the mode of passion result in distress, and actions performed in the mode of ignorance result in foolishness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.16)

If the mode of passion has such good results, why does Lord Krishna say that it leads to distress? The simple answer is that the rewards of our activities are temporary. Everything in this creation is temporary, including our bodies. The soul is eternal, for it never takes birth nor does it ever die. But this material world is a sort of phantasmagoria, a temporary playground for the living entities to act out their desires. We may work hard for something and feel good about ourselves, but this feeling represents a sort of delusion. We are not the doers, meaning we are not responsible for the way nature interacts with our senses. We certainly have a choice in how we act, but we have no control over the results of our actions.

“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)

The mode of passion leads to misery because it never provides satisfaction. Passionate activities aim to please the gross senses and not the soul. The senses can never be satisfied. Family life represents the essence of passion. Having a family is certain nice because it provides an immediate support system, a group of people who love us no matter what. After working hard all day, it is nice to come home to a loving wife and children. As great as family life can be, we see that there are many uncomfortable aspects to it as well. First off, we must work very hard to maintain a family. The world economy today is driven by technology and free enterprise. This means that people’s standard of living is constantly changing, and thus there aren’t many steady jobs. Companies are always looking for ways to innovate and increase productivity. This results in more and more jobs being replaced with advanced machinery and computers. This unsteadiness in the job market means constantly having to worry about how to support our family.

Maintaining a spouse and children aren’t easy things either. A spouse is a life-partner, thus they will demand time and affection from their significant other. In the Hindu tradition, materialistic wives are often compared to witches and tigresses. During the day-time, they attack the husband’s purse strings, always wanting to buy this and buy that. During the night-time, they suck the blood from the husband through sex life. Materialistic husbands aren’t any better. A chaste wife can spend all day taking care of the family and children, only to have the husband come home and engage in intoxication or gambling. Due to the free intermingling of men and women in today’s society, it is much easier for men to have illicit sex with women other than their own wives.

Children are the biggest source of worry. Any parent who has lost a child will tell you that the pain never goes away. The love between a parent and a child is so strong that it can’t be put into words. A parent would rather die than have anything happen to their kids. This love certainly brings about feelings of joy, but the anxieties are endless. A good parent never stops worrying about their child, no matter how old they get or how self-sufficient they are.

Family life isn’t the only area where the mode of passion causes misery. The world of sports is another great example. The Olympics occur every four years. One of the greatest Olympic athletes in recent times is the swimmer Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer games. This extraordinary performance launched him to worldwide fame, with many calling him the greatest athlete of all time. Yet we see that Phelps isn’t satisfied. The mode of passion is especially strong in competitive athletes, leaving them always wanting more and more. Phelps loves to compete, so after achieving his previously set goals, he simply sets new ones and works hard to achieve them. Michael Jordan was similar in this regard. He retired from basketball on two separate occasions, only to come back to play again.

The Vedas tell us that this type of activity is, in the end, miserable. Why? Well if we work very hard for something, sometimes putting in years and years of work, and then after we achieve our goal our happiness only lasts for a short time, how can we describe this activity as anything but miserable? Instead of trying to satisfy unending desires, the Vedas tell us to associate with the mode of goodness instead. Goodness is any activity that is performed with knowledge, and not just any ordinary knowledge, but that found in the revealed scriptures.

“As for actions, that action in accordance with duty, which is performed without attachment, without love or hate, by one who has renounced fruitive results, is called action in the mode of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 18.23)

The first instruction given to aspiring transcendentalists is that we are not our bodies. The spirit soul is what matters, thus our life’s activities should be geared towards pleasing the soul. Thus the mode of goodness involves activities such as reading the Vedas, teaching Vedic wisdom to others, performing sacrifices, teaching others how to perform sacrifices, accepting charity, and giving in charity. These are the activities of the brahmanas, or those who are considered to be in the mode of goodness. Following the injunctions of the scriptures makes us smarter. An intelligent person realizes the pitfalls of ignorance and the inherently flawed nature of passion. Those in the mode of goodness understand that all living entities are equal and that it is foolish to identify with the body.

Hence we see how the mode of goodness can lead to purity. Does this mean that we should give up our fruitive activities, or karma, which are part of the mode of passion? Though the mode of goodness is better than passion, it is still nevertheless considered material. Lord Krishna tells us that those in the mode of goodness worship the demigods, and thus ascend to a heavenly planet after death. The demigods are Krishna’s chief deputies in charge of the material creation. Worshiping them is certainly a good thing, but the powers of the demigods are limited. They can only provide material benedictions, and as we see with the mode of passion, no amount of material wealth, fame, or success can provide happiness to the soul.

There is a purified form of goodness, known as suddha-sattva. This mode is characterized by activities in devotional service, or bhakti-yoga. If we act in the mode of goodness, the best we can hope for is ascension to a heavenly planet after death. We can remain there for quite some time and enjoy immensely, but our residence there is not permanent. There is every chance of falling back into the material world. Devotional service is aimed at pleasing Krishna, which means that devotees ascend directly to Krishna’s spiritual world after death. Having gone there once, a person never returns.

So how do we practice devotional service? The easiest way is to regularly chant the maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Any person can chant at any time, so we can keep our current occupation and still engage in devotional service. The idea is not to hastily renounce our current activities, but rather to purify them. We can still work hard to acquire money and maintain our family, but we should sacrifice the results of such hard work for the benefit of the Supreme Lord. The home can be purified by regularly chanting Hare Krishna, worshiping the deity, and offering and distributing prasadam. Such activity is considered to be in pure goodness, and represents perfection in life. It will most certainly keep us away from misery.

Rivalry

“In the material world there is keen competition between animal and animal, man and man, community and community, nation and nation. But the devotees of the Lord rise above such competitions.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.2 Purport)

The human species lives mostly in the mode of passion, performing fruitive activity in the hopes of acquiring fortune, fame, and peace of mind. Since we all have an equal right to perform our activities and work hard for our goals, there are bound to be collisions along the way. This inevitably leads to the formation of rivalries, wherein living entities compete with each other for various rewards and material honors. In the world of sports, the concept of the rivalry is very prevalent, and even considered beneficial from a marketing and profit-making perspective. However everything in this material world is temporary, and if we don’t come to a higher understanding, this rivalry mentality can be very dangerous.

In India, there are many different schools of religious thought that claim to be followers of the Vedas, the ancient scriptures emanating from Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These different groups each summarize their beliefs into one specific term such as advaita-siddhanta, dvaita-siddhanta, vishishtadvaita-siddhanta, etc. These terms all describe the relationship between the spirit soul and God. Advaita is commonly misinterpreted to mean that there is no difference between God, and that we are all God in a sense. This is the view of the impersonalist philosophers, or Mayavadis. Devotees of God, however, understand that advaita certainly means that we are non-different from God in a sense, but that He still remains superior to and different from us. This is the philosophy expounded by Lord Chaitanya, Krishna’s most recent incarnation who appeared in India some five hundred years ago.

Advaita means non-dual and it is an appropriate term to describe what is known as Brahman. Since God is the creator of everything, every aspect of this creation, including all the living entities, can be classified as Brahman, or the supreme whole. Since all of us are constitutionally the same, for we are all minute jiva-souls, there is no difference between one living entity and another. Just as the arm is considered part of the body, we living entities are considered part of God’s complete energy. Though there is no difference between God and His energy, there still remains a difference in identity. God is not the same as us, for we have no power to create, maintain, or destroy anything on as grand as a scale as the universe. Lord Chaitanya’s philosophy is called achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, meaning there is an inconceivable and simultaneous oneness and difference between God and the living entities. We are similar to God in quality, but different in quantity. We are minute souls, jivatmas, while God is the supreme soul, or Paramatma. We are independent controllers of our bodies, ishvara, while God is the controller of everything, parameshava.

“The impersonal Brahman can be conceived by persons who are already in the inferior energy of the Lord, but the Personality of Godhead cannot be conceived unless one is in the transcendental position.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 10.2 Purport)

If God is superior to us, why does the concept of advaita even apply? God’s original form is that of Bhagavan, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He then expands Himself as the Supersoul residing within the heart of every living entity. Finally, there is a less granular realization of God known as Brahman. Not every person is apt to understand Bhagavan or Paramatma, but understanding Brahman is a good stepping stone. How does one understand Brahman? The first thing one must realize is that there is a non-duality between all forms of life. In the Vedic system, the brahmanas, or priests, are considered the highest division in society. Brahmana actually means one who knows Brahman. In the great Vedic texts, one will find many references to the fact that the idea of oneness between living entities is exclusive to brahmanas.

Since they are the smartest people in society, it would make sense that the brahmanas would understand that every living entity is an equal part and parcel of the supreme whole. This is not an easy platform of understanding to reach, for every person, by default, adopts the bodily conception of life. What are the symptoms of such a mindset? People who identify solely with the body believe that they are inherently different from other living entities simply based off bodily traits. The concepts of racism and nationalism rely on this thinking. “I am black; I am white; I am American; I am Indian, etc.” While these bodily descriptions certainly are valid, they don’t represent our true identity. The body is something which is created, maintained, and then ultimately destroyed. It is perishable, while the spirit soul residing within the body is imperishable. It is foolish to base one’s identity solely on their body which is constantly changing. We may be an American in this life, but we could very easily take birth as a Russian or a German in the next life. Does that mean we become lower life forms? Certainly not.

If we remain stuck on the bodily conception of life, we remain prone to the forces of nature. One of the primary side effects of material life is that it can lead to fierce competition with our fellow man. We see this in the area of economics quite often. People will complain that all the jobs are going overseas or that there is a large trade deficit, meaning that one country is buying more goods from foreign countries than it is selling home-grown products to outsiders. It is the natural desire of the living entity to want to better its own condition, but if this desire is left unchecked, it can lead to fierce competition, and a general loss of rationality.

A great example of competition is in action can be seen in the sports world, and especially in the sport of tennis. During the 1990s, two American stars, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, forged a great rivalry which drew the attention of sports fans throughout the world. Tennis is a worldwide sport, but it is generally not very popular in America when compared to other major sports such as American football, baseball, and basketball. This changes, however, when there are prominent American players at the top of the game. In the early 1980s, there was a huge boom in the popularity of tennis due to the rise of American players John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. McEnroe had a great rivalry with Swedish star, Bjorn Borg, which also helped propel him to the national spotlight.

Agassi and Sampras were two completely different players, both on and off the court. Sampras was shy, quiet, and reserved. Agassi was known as being flamboyant, always sporting unique hairstyles and donning extravagant outfits. Agassi’s tennis play relied on brutal baseline strokes. He is considered one of the greatest pure ball strikers of all time. He almost never ventured to the net, for he loved to sit at the baseline and move his opponent around from side to side. Sampras was an attacker. He had a huge serve, and he would follow that up by rushing to the net. The matchups between these two players essentially boiled down to one great server versus a great returner.

The rivalry was very strong, but Sampras pretty much won all the big matches. Even when Agassi was playing his best, Sampras could still beat him, as he did at the 1995 U.S. Open Final and the 1999 Wimbledon Final. In fact, Sampras’ very last professional match was against Agassi at the U.S. Open Final in 2002. At the time, Sampras had not won a tournament during the previous two years, and was seriously contemplating retirement. Agassi was still high in the rankings, but once again, Sampras came out on top. Pete decided to retire after that, feeling there was nothing left for him to accomplish. Agassi hung around for a few more years, but at the end of their careers, Sampras had the better of Agassi as far as accomplishments went. Sampras won 14 Grand Slam Titles (a record at the time), and finished number one in the world for six consecutive years. Agassi had 8 Grand Slam Titles.

Though both players have been retired for several years now, their rivalry came into play recently during an exhibition match. The country of Haiti was recently devastated with a massive earthquake, and people around the world have taken to holding charity events to raise money to help the people of the country. Agassi and Sampras, along with current stars of tennis, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, played an exhibition doubles match, named the Hit for Haiti. Federer and Sampras were on one team, and Nadal and Agassi on another.

Anyone familiar with exhibition tennis matches knows that these are generally lighthearted affairs. Normal tennis matches are very stressful; the crowd stays quiet during the points and the players don’t show too much outward emotion since they are busy concentrating on the task at hand. Exhibition matches are meant to be the opposite; a low-key affair where players can let their hair down, so to speak. Most of the time the players don’t even care about the outcome; they are mainly interested in having a good time.

This exhibition match was meant to be even more low-key, as the funds were being raised for the people struggling in Haiti. All four players were wearing microphones, so the entire stadium could hear them during the match. At one point, Sampras, at the urging of Agassi, decided to entertain the crowd by doing an impersonation of Agassi. These impersonations are also quite common at these events; they are similar to comedians roasting each other. Sampras imitated Agassi’s walk and the way he gets ready for a return of serve. It was very lighthearted and everyone was laughing. Sampras then asked Agassi to retaliate. To everyone’s surprise, Agassi decided to open his pockets and say, “I don’t have any money. No, wait, I’ve got a dollar.”

The comment was in reference to a revelation contained in Agassi’s recent autobiography, Open. In the book, Agassi describes an incident from the past where both he and Sampras happened to be at the same restaurant one night. Sampras left right before Agassi, so Andre decided to ask the valet how much Sampras had tipped him. The valet said that Sampras gave him a dollar, a fact Agassi deemed worthy enough for inclusion in his book.

Sampras did not take too well to this insult dished out by Agassi in front of a packed stadium of fans who had come to see a charity tennis match. Sampras thought that Agassi had gotten personal. In retaliation, Sampras drilled his next serve right at Agassi’s head. Agassi ducked and the ball missed him, but he was still shaken up by the gesture. It led him to make another comment about Sampras’ stingy tipping habits. Roger Federer, Sampras’ teammate, immediately joked about how serious the two men took their rivalry. Federer and Nadal are considered to be modern rivals on the tennis court, though their relationship is quite friendly both on and off the court.

“But action performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify his desires, and which is enacted from a sense of false ego, is called action in the mode of passion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.24)

Now both Sampras and Agassi have been retired for years, so this behavior shown at a charity exhibition is quite astonishing. We’re supposed to get wiser and more detached as we get older. This incident illustrates the dangerous nature of the mode of passion, as it manifests in competition. The false ego is so fragile, that any little comment can trigger retaliation.

Competition certainly isn’t the worst thing in the world, for we all must perform actions to maintain our body. Earning an honest living and competing fairly with other athletes certainly isn’t overtly sinful, but one should understand that the rewards of such competition are only temporary. As much success as we may have in our material ventures, our glory will one day come to an end. The secret to a successful life is to perform our prescribed duties with detachment to the results and the fruits acquired.

“Be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called yoga.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.48)

This is much easier said than done. As we saw in the example of Sampras and Agassi, even after retiring from a sport and not having any concern for fame and fortune, one can still hold an attachment to their legacy and ego. The key to acquiring detachment is to first gain an attachment to God. This is the real meaning of life. Our material fortunes and relationships come and go, but our relationship with God is eternal. If we think of Him at the time of death, we never have to take birth again.

“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.15)

The easiest way to think about God is to regularly recite His name in a loving way, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. This chanting can be performed by any person, at any stage in life. Chanting is part of bhakti-yoga, or the process whereby one connects their soul with God in a loving way. Krishna is the source of Brahman, so if we understand Him, we’ll realize that all living entities are in the same boat. Instead of competing with one another, we can work together for the highest cause, that of returning back home, back to Godhead.

Red Tape

It seems that if you want to get anything done in today’s world, you’re forced to encounter endless bureaucracy and red-tape. Take owning a car for example. After putting in hours of practice and passing a road test to obtain a driver’s license, buying a car is another ordeal in and of itself. Aside from the actual purchase, there is insurance, registration, titles and taxes to pay for. Then once you own the car, you must re-register it at given intervals and have it inspected annually.

Whether it’s buying a car, starting a business, hiring an employee, or even travelling to foreign countries, it seems that regulation is at an all time high. There is even bureaucracy involved with obtaining contact lenses now. The government restricts people from purchasing contact lenses who haven’t had an eye exam in the past year, even if they currently wear contacts.  The need for regulation and red-tape arises from the belief that everyone is a cheater. Not just the government, but most people in society have a natural inclination to be suspicious of others. We immediately assume everyone is a suspect and is trying to cheat us, so we enact laws that try to protect ourselves from them.

The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, give us a hint as to why we are like this. They tell us that human beings possess four primary defects. We have imperfect senses, we have a tendency to be illusioned, we have a propensity to commit mistakes, and we have a tendency to cheat. Since we cheat and commit mistakes ourselves, we naturally assume that others are the same way.

Another reason we are more suspicious nowadays is because of the rise of the mode of passion, known as tamo guna. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna describes the tamo guna this way:

“The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of Kunti, and, on account of this, one is bound to material, fruitive activities.” (Bg, 14.7)

In this advanced technological age, there is ample opportunity for sense gratification. Once we satisfy one desire, another one invariably arises leaving us never truly satisfied. This constant craving for sense gratification leads us to lose our judgment. When we constantly crave something, we naturally don’t want others to have it, and thus we become suspicious of others, thinking that they are honing in on our territory. Waiting in line at a restaurant or retail store, we become suspicious of other people, thinking that they will try to cut is in line. This all stems from the increased mode of passion. Lord Krishna also says:

“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. As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, similarly, the living entity is covered by different degrees of this lust.” (Bg, 3.37-38)

The remedy for all this is very simple. We simply have to change our desires from the material to the spiritual. Our material senses can never be satisfied. It is not until we try to satisfy our spiritual senses that we will actually be happy. In this age, Lord Chaitanya instructed us that the best way of satisfying our spiritual senses to always chant:

“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”

When we chant the holy name of God, we forget our insatiable material desires and we gradually cleanse ourselves. Constantly placing the mind at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, and reading about His wonderful pastimes, and picturing His beautiful face, we achieve liberation in this very life. As liberated souls, we view everyone equally, for we are all part and parcel of Lord Krishna. The tendency to cheat and be suspicious of others will be gone and we can all live peacefully.