Culture of Life

“A devotee should see that Krishna is present in everyone’s heart as Paramatma; therefore every body is the embodiment or the temple of the Supreme Lord, and as such, as one offers respect to the temple of the Lord, he should similarly properly respect each and every body in whom the Paramatma dwells.”  (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 9.11 Purport)

Caviar is one of the staples of fine dining and high-class culture. Considered a delicacy, it is the appetizer of choice for the very affluent who regularly serve it with hors d’oeuvres at fancy dinner parties and other gatherings.

In a nutshell, caviar is fish eggs. It is usually procured by gutting a fish that is caught specifically for its caviar producing potential. Wikipedia describes the production of caviar in this way:

“Commercial caviar production normally involves stunning the fish (usually by clubbing its head) and extracting the ovaries; most of commercial fish farmers are using cesarean section to surgically remove ovaries from the fish and then sew it to keep sturgeon alive, allowing the females to continue producing more roe during their lives.”

Once the fish is cut open, there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of fish ovaries/eggs available. Since caviar is usually extracted from certain kinds of fish such as the sturgeon and salmon, it is generally very expensive to purchase.

The American television sitcom Frasier had an episode that involved certain people’s obsession with caviar. The main characters in the show, brothers Frasier and Niles Crane, are depicted as being very stuck up, upper class people living in Seattle. They enjoy fine wine, dining, the theatre, and throwing lavish dinner parties where caviar is served. In one particular episode, the brothers find a local shop which carries Beluga caviar, a kind they especially like. Addicted to the caviar, the brothers regularly visit the shop.  One day, they inadvertently anger the shop owner, who thereby bans them from the store. Since no other store carries this particular brand of caviar, they are forced to purchase it on the black market. One thing leads to another and they end up in the middle of a high stakes caviar smuggling ring, with the police eventually getting involved.

Obviously this was just an episode of a fictional television show, written to be comedic and it no doubt was funny. Yet the story still raises an interesting point. According to Vedic philosophy, this material world is governed by three gunas, or qualities. Sattva guna meaning goodness, rajo guna meaning passion, and tamo guna meaning ignorance, are the three qualities that govern material existence. By definition, something is material if it has any of these qualities attached to it. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is often described as nirguna in the Vedas, for He has no material qualities. Even when He appears on the earth from to time, it only appears that He has a material body, but in fact He is always spiritual. The Lord is above the three gunas of material life, though people sometimes mistakenly think He is a mortal just like them.

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.11)

Of these three qualities, it is passion that is most prominent in human beings. The mode of passion is pretty self-explanatory; it deals with one’s desire for fruitive activity and sense gratification. We all have desires; to be is to want. This cannot be changed. Anything that we desire for our own benefit or for the benefit of our senses falls under the category of rajo guna. Rajo guna, which is better than tamo guna (ignorance), is a dangerous mode to be in because the material senses can never be satisfied. We see evidence of this in our own lives. The wealthiest among us are often times the ones who are most unhappy. For this reason, we will often see extremely wealthy and famous rock stars and celebrities take to drugs and alcohol. These addictions can even lead to suicide. The mode of passion can never be satisfied, but since most people are unaware of this, they constantly look for ways to be happy through their passions.

The mode of passion, when left unchecked, can become very dangerous and lead to anger and lust.

“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.” (Lord Krishna, Bg 2.62)

God has given us an ample supply of food grains to survive on, so much so that farmers are in many instances paid by the government to limit food production. Along with the milk provided freely by cows, mankind can easily feed itself very sumptuously. However, the mode of passion is so strong that it has driven people to open slaughterhouses where innocent animals are killed simply to satisfy the taste buds. Of course that is not enough, so now fish have to also be killed. Not only are they killed, but then their offspring in the form of eggs, are taken as well. Even though caviar is expensive, people’s desires and lust override any cost concerns, allowing them to overcome any obstacle put in their path to sense gratification.

Due to this unchecked rise in the mode of passion, there is an overall lack of respect for life in society. Man isn’t satisfied simply by killing animals to satisfy the desires of the tongue. Sex desires are even stronger, and that has now led to the widespread practice of abortion. According to Vedic doctrine, one should only engage in sex with one’s spouse and that only for the purpose of raising God conscious children. Instead of following this model, people today are freely engaging in sex, fearing no consequences. If they get into trouble, they can always resort to killing the baby in the womb. This is all done out of ignorance as well, for one may not be able to see the immediate consequences, but the laws of karma dictate that fairness must be maintained. If one makes a life of killing innocent living entities, it is only natural that those same people will have to suffer a similar fate in this life and in future lives. The extreme practice of abortion is not enough to satisfy people’s desires either. Nowadays, they are using the aborted fetuses for the process known as stem cell research. The karmis are hoping that by studying the tissues and cells of aborted life, they can one day find cures to common diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer. People have become so addicted to their lifestyle of sense gratification that they will go to any extreme to prolong it.

All hope is not lost however. The Vedas and the Bhagavad-gita give us the solution to all our problems. One must rise above the mode of passion and act in the mode of goodness.

“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, Bg 14.17)

People in the mode of goodness are charitable, kind, pious, and adhere to religious principles. The Mahabharata tells us that addiction to wine, women, dice playing, and hunting lead to a man’s downfall. Abstaining from the four pillars of sinful life (intoxication, meat eating, gambling, and illicit sex) can go a long way in reducing one’s dependence on objects of sense gratification.

Above all other methods, one should take to the process of devotional service; a process which transcends all three material modes of nature. Lovingly serving the Supreme Lord is a completely spiritual activity. We should respect all forms of life, even the animals, for we are all God’s children. By making Krishna the center of our lives, we cleanse ourselves of the nasty desires for sense gratification.

The great Maharishi Valmiki composed probably the first book ever written, known as the Ramayana, which is the story of Lord Rama. In his youth however, Valmiki wasn’t such a great person. He was a dacoit who lived off robbing others. Fortunately for him, he came in contact with the venerable Narada Muni. Narada travels not only this world, but other planets as well, teaching about God and service to Him. He has reformed many a great soul in his time. When he met Valmiki, Narada instructed him to give up stealing and to instead meditate on the holy name of Rama. Following his advice, Valmiki transformed himself from the worst kind of a person to a Maharishi, or great sage.

This is the key. We need to have association with great saints, and then be wise enough to submit to them and follow their instructions. Let us leave the fish, cows, and unborn children alone. Instead, let us follow Narada Muni’s instructions and focus our time on chanting the names of God, reading stories about Him, offering Him our prayers, and eating Krishna prasadam.

Cultural Boiling Pot

“There are three gates leading to this hell-lust, anger, and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 16.21)

Due to the effects of Kali Yuga, the world seems to be a cultural boiling pot of hot water right now. There is anger and rage inside of some people at never before seen levels. One need only look to recent news stories to see evidence of this.

The famous pop music singer, Michael Jackson, died recently of a heart attack. While many mourned his passing, there were equally as many who took the opportunity of his death to ridicule him even more. Jackson had many shortcomings as a person, including alleged bouts with pedophilia and other strange behavior. He was by no means an outstanding citizen. Yet death is usually a sad occasion where others show respect for the deceased. With Jackson’s passing however, many people took to cracking jokes about him and making fun of the circumstances relating to his death. In another story, the President of Brazil blamed the recent world economic crisis on “white people with blue eyes”. In essence, he was calling bankers and other entrepreneurs Nazis. In a third story, a person wanted for the abduction and rape of a minor was chased by police in Oakland, California. The alleged criminal was a parolee who had been in jail many times before. During the chase, a shootout occurred where four police officers were shot and killed by the suspect. Since the murderer was African American, many people held a celebration rally for his “accomplishment” of killing cops. The people at the rally viewed the police force as “an occupying army in the African community”, who terrorize black people.

Many people will be shocked to hear of such behavior, but situations like these are very common in today’s age. There is a general lack of God consciousness in the world which results in the rise of ignorance. Whether one is black, white, has blue eyes or brown eyes, every person is an individual spirit soul at the core. Judging someone based solely on their physical attributes is quite a silly thing to do. The Vedas refer to people who think this way as mudhas, or asses. It is a skin disease of the worst kind. Yet we shouldn’t be surprised by seeing this sort of ignorance. In the Vedas, the first spiritual instruction given is that “I am not this body”. Aham brahmasmi, meaning “I am a spirit soul” is the first realization that everyone must come to. However, this tenet is not taught anywhere, not even by the major religions of the world. Those who lacks this fundamental knowledge will always be in ignorance and be victim to the skin disease.

We can’t solve this problem simply by talking about it or by protesting. According to the Bhagavad-gita, the soul is eternal and we all have lived many many times before in different bodies. We have evolved to our present state through the laws of karma.

“The Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!” (Lord Krishna, Bg 4.5)

Throughout these numerous lives, we have accumulated dust on our hearts and minds that needs to be cleared. In this age of Kali, Lord Chaitanya has recommended that one constantly chant the Holy names of God as the only means of salvation:

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."

God is for everyone and He views everyone equally. If we take to His service, then as we make spiritual progress, we will slowly come to the realization that all of us are His children. We will view everyone equally and be compassionate to all human beings.

In this regard, there is a famous story relating to the venerable Narada Muni and a hunter. The hunter was living in the forest shooting different animals. He would only half kill the animals by breaking their legs, watching them suffer as they struggled for their lives. Narada Muni asked the hunter why he was only half-killing the animals and not putting them out of their misery by fully killing them. The hunter replied that he was deriving great pleasure from watching the animals suffer. Narada Muni informed the hunter that he was incurring great sin by such action. Killing the animals for food was one thing, but intentionally causing them to suffer was worse because the laws of karma would dictate that these same animals would kill the hunter in his next life and several lives after that. The hunter became scared and surrendered himself unto Narada. The rishi then convinced the hunter to give up animal killing and become a devotee of the Lord.

Therefore the lesson is that one can only become a first class person by surrendering unto a devotee of the Lord. The devotees have purified themselves through service, thus becoming the most exalted members of society. If we follow their lead and take up the process of devotional service, we can reform ourselves in the same way the hunter did. Viewing everyone equally, having compassion for all living entities, we can live in a society of love and mutual respect, instead of one of hated and anger.

The Inconceivable

“Just like Krishna is lifting the hill, then what is the difficulty for God to lift a hill if He is all-powerful? But as soon as they read it, that Krishna is lifting hill, they will take it as mythology. So when God shows that "I am God," that is mythology, and they imagine God. That is rascaldom. When God comes and shows His godly power, they take it as myth, mythology. And they imagine God according to your definition. Is that sanity?” (Shrila Prabhupada)

Comment: The scriptures shouldn’t be interpreted literally but should be looked at more for their inner meaning and symbolism.

Response: The Vedas, Mahabharata, and Puranas are all retellings of historical events that took place on this planet and others. Not only past events are covered, but even events that have yet to occur are discussed in detail in these wonderful books, such as the Bhavishya and Kalki Puranas. Since these books contain direct quotations from conversations between great personalities, demigods, and even God Himself, they must be taken literally. We shouldn’t try to imagine the true meaning behind someone’s quote, or even think that these events didn’t take place.

Conversations are conversations. When we talk with our friends in person, on the phone, or through email, they are exchanges of ideas and comments. Very simply put, what we say is what we say. We may go back and not like some of the things we have said, but it doesn’t mean that we didn’t say them. In the same way, the Vedic literatures have conversations between God and His associates, and also conversations between spiritual masters and their disciples. These conversations were specifically chronicled in written form for the benefit of current and future generations of man. The science of self-realization described in the original Vedas and the Vedanta-sutras can appear to be very complicated to many, for it has various aphorisms and postulates that neophytes will have trouble understanding. For this reason, the Puranas, Ramayana, and other great works contain those same teachings but told in the form of stories and conversations.

There are many instances described in the Vedic texts that may seem extraordinary to us. Lord Rama killing 14,000 Rakshasa demons all by Himself, Lord Krishna as a small child lifting a hill with just one finger, Gandhari giving birth to 100 sons…all these seem extraordinary to the common man, for we can’t fathom someone doing these things. God is great. This is the belief of people of all faiths. Yet the Vedas go one step further by trying to describe just how great He is. Of course, God’s greatness is inconceivable. His is described as paramam or Supreme because He possesses six opulences in full and simultaneously. We don’t know any single person who is the wealthiest, most beautiful, most famous, the strongest, the most knowledgeable, and the greatest renunciate at the same time. Yet Krishna possesses all of these attributes, and for this reason He is God. Just because we don’t know anyone capable of performing these great feats, we shouldn’t think that these incidents are merely fabrications of someone’s mind. These sages who composed the Vedic literature were all perfect souls. Having surrendered everything for the service of Krishna, they were given the divine vision to see all these things happen and then be able to write about them. The great Maharishi Valmiki described the events of the Ramayana before they even occurred.

If we think that these incidents are just mythology, then we lose our ability to understand God. In actuality, we can never truly understand God for His is beyond our comprehension. However, through faithfully studying the scriptures under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, we can start to understand Him to some extent. The Lord and His spiritual master must be approached in a humble manner. We all at some point in our life have prayed to God for something. “Please God give me this, give me that, make sure my family is healthy, etc.” The understanding that God is great is something inside of us, part of our core. If we challenge Him, or start thinking that His scriptures are mere mythology, then we are cheating God. We may cheat our friends, coworkers, or enemies and be able to get away with it, but cheating God never pays. He knows and sees all, so if we cheat Him, we are only cheating ourselves. The Bhagavad-gita is probably the most famous Vedic literature, detailing the conversation that took place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra between Lord Krishna and Arjuna some five thousand years ago. There are many high scholars and philosophers who have commented on the Bhagavad-gita, all with the purpose of advancing their own opinions. Many of them have postulated that the events of the Gita actually never happened and that we should study it simply for its symbolism. The ultimate conclusion of the Gita is that people should surrender unto Krishna or God and become His devotee. The flowery language that precedes that is all meaningless unless one comes to the proper conclusion as stated by the Lord Himself. Those who extract any other meaning from the Gita are only cheating God. He has given us such a nice book for us to learn from, so we shouldn’t dishonor Him by making false conclusions.

The Vedic literature should be heard from devotees, otherwise we become prone to believing some of these false theories put forward by mental speculators and pseudo-yogis. Shukadevi Goswami, Vyasadeva, Narada Muni, etc. are all great devotees who presented these works in a mood of devotion. The various quotes and teachings found in the Vedas should also be understood in the proper context. One can pull out quotes to buttress their positions, but these statements should be understood with the full context presented at the same time. For example, there are many conversations in the Vedas where women are criticized for having various shortcomings. However, these faults don’t exist in people who are great devotees, be they men or women. The material world is full of dualities, so any mundane argument will naturally have a counterargument. There may be different teachings presented due to time and circumstance and the ability of the people at the time to grasp Vedic wisdom, but the end goal is always the same. The purpose of the Vedas is to present everything in relation to Krishna, who is the Supreme Absolute Truth. Since He is completely spiritual, mundane dualities don’t exist when discussing topics relating to Him.

It is natural that occasionally certain statements in the Vedas will rub us the wrong away. However, just because we might not agree with them at the time, doesn’t mean that the Vedas are at fault. When we were younger, our parents prohibited us from taking part in many activities. These rules and regulations angered us very much and we thought our parents were in the wrong for imposing such restrictions. However, as we got older, we not only realized that our parents were correct, but we started imposing the same rules on our children. In the same way, the Vedas represent perfect knowledge. The rules and regulations prescribed are those coming down from God Himself, so they cannot be faulty. We may disagree with them, but that is our problem, not God’s. If Krishna or one of His associates say something, we must accept it as fact.

The great founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, summarized all of the Vedic teachings in his numerous books and recorded lectures. One simply needs to consult his teachings in order to gain a firm grasp on the Vedic tenets. Since he was a pure devotee, his explanations and commentaries are perfect. We may not agree with everything in the beginning, but if we continue reading and stay connected with Prabhupada, then we will become perfect devotees.

Never Too Late

“…from any stage of life, or from the time of understanding its urgency, one can begin regulating the senses in Krishna consciousness, devotional service of the Lord, and turn the lust into love of Godhead—the highest perfectional stage of human life.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 3.41 Purport)

Drug addiction is a major problem not only in America, but throughout the world. Intoxication is a means of escaping the senses and feeling a false sense of bliss. This feeling is short-lived as the thrill wares off pretty quickly. People are then led to trying other forms of intoxication, each being more and more dangerous.

Drugs like crack, cocaine, marijuana, and even nicotine are all very addictive and have very dangerous side effects. Users become accustomed to the temporary sense pleasure derived by taking such drugs, and thus they become addicts. Drug addiction is a byproduct of the mode of ignorance. The material world is governed by three gunas or qualities: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Acts of charity and piety fall under the goodness category, fruitive activity is considered in the mode of passion, and abominable acts that are not conducive to one’s spiritual health are considered to be in the mode of ignorance.

“…Such a man appears to be always dejected, and is addicted to intoxicants and sleeping. These are the symptoms of a person conditioned by the mode of ignorance.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 14.8 Purport)

First-time drug users may start out in the mode of passion, but their habit gradually leads them to the mode of ignorance. Most people in the world are living in the mode of passion. Almost everyone is concerned with earning money and seeking sense gratification. We have a craving for something and then we take actions to try to satisfy that craving. However, if those cravings and desires are not controlled, they can lead to feelings of lust. Drug addicts are lusty for their drugs and that lust leads to anger and eventually to bewilderment.

“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita 2.62)

People will do anything to get their drugs, even if it includes lying or stealing. Through our own experiences, we know that some of the most skilled liars we have met in life are people who are addicted to drugs. They appear to be very nice and complimentary, but it is all a façade. Accustomed to lying, cheating, and stealing to get their drugs, dishonesty and deceit become their way of life. Their lust is at such a height that they become experts in performing all unrighteous activities.

Devotees of Lord Krishna, on the other hand, are addicted to chanting His glories. Through constantly being associated with God and His bona fide representative, the spiritual master, they naturally become free of all bad habits. The work of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada proved this fact. The founder of the modern day Hare Krishna Movement, Prabhupada came to America in 1965 to teach the true message of the Vedas to the Western world. Though Americans were slow to catch on at first, eventually his movement would steadily gain in popularity, especially amongst the youth. Many of these young boys and girls were former hippies, addicted to dropping acid and smoking marijuana. Prabhupada not only got them to kick their drug habits, but he turned them into bona fide brahmanas or priests. Instead of sleeping through the day, his disciples were trained to wake up very early in the morning, to take a bath and to perform managala arati and chanting of the Holy name. They not only gave up their drug habits, but all other forms of intoxication as well. The four pillars of sinful life are meat eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex. Prabhupada’s disciples gave up all these habits, and along with their regulated chanting routine, they became first class citizens.

Herein lies the power of the pure devotee of Krishna. Through their example and their dedication to the Lord, they are able to reform anyone. They view every living entity equally, not believing that only certain people are worthy of receiving God’s message. The great Narada Muni has also reformed many a great individual. Maharishi Valmiki in his youth was a dacoit by trade, but he gave up that life at the instruction of Narada. He not only gave up his sinful ways, but he turned to glorifying the Lord by composing a poem about Him known as the Ramayana, which become famous throughout the world. This is the grace of the spiritual master. They don’t simply ask their disciple to refrain from harmful activities. They instruct them on how to make their lives perfect by taking up the process of devotional service. We may ask someone to stop smoking or drinking, but if after quitting they are still bound in the mode of passion, then we really haven’t done anything worthwhile for them. Simply giving people do’s and don’ts may be a good thing, but it is not the answer to the real problems of life, namely birth, old age, disease, and death. Charity and benevolence are very nice, but the highest form of charity is to freely distribute love of Godhead. People must be given a higher cause to serve. According to the great acharyas, that cause is the taking up of devotional service to Lord Krishna.

Devotees become expert in telling the truth, in having compassion, and in praising others. These are all righteous qualities that are acquired automatically and without any effort. Simply by connecting with God, one becomes a first class person. Instead of the lust that arises from drug addiction, attachment to God causes spontaneous love to appear in one’s heart. Instead of turning to drugs or other intoxicants to satisfy our senses, let us all become addicted to viewing the divine form of the Lord. His name, form, and pastimes are so beautiful that we will continue to be enchanted by them day after day.

Maharishi Valmiki

Maharishi Valmiki is the author of the original story of Lord Ramachandra, known as the Valmiki Ramayana. He lived during the Treta Yuga and through guidance from his spiritual master, he wrote the epic Ramayana prior to Lord Rama’s advent.

The Vedas say that the highest benediction in life is to have association with a saint, or a devotee of Krishna. In his early life Valmiki’s name was Ratnakara, and he took to robbing people for a living. Through good fortune, he once met Narada Rishi and tried to attack him. Narada chanted Lord Rama’s name and convinced Ratnakara to give up his life of thievery. Following Narada’s advice, the sage chanted the name of Rama and sat in meditation for many many years, during which time his body became covered by ants. Narada Rishi returned and uncovered the sage from the anthill, informed him that his meditation was successful, and bestowed on him the name Valmiki since he was born from an anthill. Valmiki learned the story of Lord Rama from Narada and was instructed to write the story in poetry form by Lord Brahma.

Valmiki was also present during Lord Ramachandra’s time on earth. He had a hermitage in the forest and was visited by Lord Rama, His wife Sita, and His brother Lakshmana during their fourteen year exile period. Lord Rama asked Valmiki if he knew a good place where they could set up camp. Valmiki in turn gave a beautiful description of a pure devotee of the Lord and told Rama to always dwell in the heart of a devotee. The account is described in detail in Tulsidas’s Ramacharitamanasa. Later on, Valmiki also provided shelter to Sita when she was abandoned by Lord Rama. Sita’s two sons, Lava and Kusha, were born at Valmiki’s hermitage, and the sage acted as their spiritual master during their childhood.

The events of Lord Rama’s life can be found in many Vedic literatures, but the Valmiki Ramayana is the original account. It was very famous even during Lord Rama’s time. Lord Rama’s two sons, Lava and Kusha, committed the Ramayana to memory and would recite it constantly in front of gathered assemblies in Ayodhya. The epic is still being recited today to the delight of Lord Rama’s devotees.

 

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