Falling On Hard Times

"One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.” (Rishabhadeva, Shrimad Bhagavatam 5.5.18)

The U.S. economy has fallen on hard times lately. The gross domestic product, GDP, has been shrinking instead of growing. The unemployment rate is very high and the stock market has completely tanked since last fall. This has caused the government to feverishly adopt new plans as a means of stimulating the economy.

The Obama administration came up with a plan along with the help of the Congress. A massive spending bill consisting of thousand of earmarks, the proponents said this would give the economy the jumpstart that it needed. Another similar bill was also passed last year by the Bush administration. Both bills have proved to do little to nothing to stimulate the economy.

“’This recession might linger for years,’ President Barack Obama wrote in a Feb. 8 Washington Post op-ed. ‘Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Every day, our economy gets sicker.’ This was the justification for haste in passing Obama’s stimulus package. Now, six months later, with just 10 percent of the $787 billion package spent, ordinary Americans don’t think it’s working.

Fifty-seven percent told the Gallup organization that the package has had no effect or has made the economy worse. Eighty-one percent believe that it has not benefitted them personally in the short run and 70 percent believe it will not benefit them in the long run. This opinion is not without factual basis. Unemployment reached 9.5 percent in June, with nearly 3 million jobs lost since Obama’s op-ed. In July, it dipped to 9.4 percent, not because more jobs had been created, but because only 242,000 jobs were lost and some 400,000 individuals stopped looking for work and ceased to count as ‘unemployed.’” (Editorial, San Francisco Examiner, Aug 18, 2009)

Taking a close look at how economics works, one can understand the flaw in such proposals. Our economic system is considered to be a free market one. Goods and services are exchanged peaceably and voluntarily between people along with a respect for property rights and the rule of law. Government’s role in this system is to ensure that the exchanges are in fact voluntary, and that contracts and agreements are honored. If the market is left on its own, with government playing its minimal role, growth will occur naturally through the forces of competition. This has proved to be the case time and time again throughout the country’s history. From 1980 to 2001, the government did little to stimulate economic activity in the form of subsidies or other hand outs, and the result was that the U.S. economy grew at an unprecedented rate. Prior to that, recessions were very common, with GDP rates fluctuating up and down in the 1970s.

“Just as one who cuts off the udders of a cow with the hope of getting milk never acquires it, so also a state in which taxes are levied inappropriately, thus harassing the subjects, does not prosper.” (Mahabharata, 12.71.16)

According to the Vedas, the material world is made up of three gunas or modes: goodness, passion, and ignorance. The free market system is the embodiment of the mode of passion. People, through their buying and selling habits, are striving for fruitive results. The stock market is a great example of this; traders frantically buying and selling, all in hopes of turning a profit. When people are left to compete with one another, the mode of passion kicks in and economic circumstances improve as a result.

This isn’t a new idea. According the Mahabharata, a book written about five thousand years ago, a king should make sure that taxes are low for vaishyas, the mercantile class of people. The reason for this is that if taxes are high, the producers will have no incentive to produce. That will mean less money coming in to the treasury. Not only should taxes be low, but the treasury should spend money wisely and for legitimate purposes.

“The treasury of a king is meant for the protection of the army, his subjects and of righteousness (Dharma). If it is used for these purposes, it will prove beneficial. On the other hand, if the treasury is misused, it will prove disastrous. Should the king use the royal treasury for his wife and children and to fulfill his own sensual pursuits, it will bring him unhappiness and he will attain hell.” (Shukraniti 4.2.3-5, taken from Purpose and Function of Government According to Mahabharata)

Contrast this with today’s leaders and their policies. The recent stimulus packages are nothing more than the taking of money from one group of people, the producers, and transferring it to another group, the non-producers. Such a plan is destined to fail.

So why the sudden downturn in the economy? As with any system based on the mode of passion, the health of an economy will always go through ups and downs. The same way that some business fail and others succeed, the economy is not guaranteed to grow every quarter of every year. Though things look bleak now, objectively speaking, the standard of life in America has never been better. Even with a bad economy, every material comfort is at our fingertips. Keeping this mind, the government should shift its focus to more important areas. According to the Vedas, a person should not be a king or a leader unless he can deliver his dependents from the cycle of birth and death. Whether the economy is good or bad, the soul is eternal. If we do not train ourselves to always be thinking about God, then we will be forced to accept another body after this life. A government’s primary duty should be to elevate people to the mode of goodness by providing them spiritual guidance. The opportunity today is great since such knowledge is almost completely absent in society.

The best spiritual education in this age comes from chanting the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” This is the beginning of spiritual life and it costs nothing. Chanting pays dividends higher than any stock or government stimulus plan. If our consciousness is always linked with the Supreme Lord, then nothing, including a recession, can hurt us.

The Lord of Earth

“It is accepted that the state is the representative of God. Therefore the state’s first business is to make citizens God-conscious. That is the state’s first business. Any state who is neglecting this duty, he immediately becomes unqualified to hold the state office, either he may be president or the king.” (Shrila Prabhupada)

A hot topic in the news a few months back was the collapse of the housing market. Five or six years ago, the government encouraged people to buy homes instead of just renting apartments. Even if people couldn’t afford to buy a new house, the government offered incentives to allow them to “live the American dream.” Congress forced regulated mortgage companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to lend money to people who weren’t qualified to receive the loans. The motive behind the move was to increase fairness and provide affordable housing. While their intentions may have been noble, the result was a complete collapse of the banking industry due to the nonpayment of these loans.

Beginning with the last president and continuing with the new one, the government’s policy is now to bail out these ailing banks by providing them money for their sustainability. As part of the process, the government is subsidizing the failed mortgages for the people who couldn’t afford to pay them. A well known stock trader, Rick Santelli, lashed out at the president on cable television.

“The government is promoting bad behavior!  How this, president and new administration, why didn’t you put up a website to have people vote on the Internet as a referendum to see if we really want to subsidize the losers’ mortgages or would we like to at least buy cars and buy houses in foreclosure and give ‘em to people that might have a chance to actually prosper down the road and reward people that could carry the water instead of drink the water.  This is America!  How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor’s mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can’t pay their bills?  Raise their hand.  (boos) President Obama, are you listening?”

News quickly spread about Santelli’s rant, and word finally reached the Obama Administration. The president’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, told reporters that the president and others were laughing at Santelli’s anger and rage. Gibbs went on to say, “I think we left a few months ago the adage that if it was good for a derivatives trader, that it was good for Main Street.  I think the verdict is in on that."

Herein lies the flaw with today’s government and society in general. Rick Santelli and other derivatives traders are citizens just like everybody else. They have an equal right to the protections afforded by government. Most of today’s leaders, including President Obama, look at society in groups. They pit classes of people against each other by favoring one group at the expense of another. The law-abiding tax payers of the country did nothing wrong, and they have a legitimate gripe when they see their tax dollars transferred to people who made bad decisions.

According to Vedic philosophy, one should not be a king, a spiritual master, or a father, unless they can release their dependents from the cycle of birth and death. A leader’s job is to provide protection to all the people, and to impart spiritual knowledge on them. Protection should be provided to all the citizens equally, without favoring anyone. During Vedic times, the brahmanas were the only group that enjoyed preferential treatment. The priestly class of men were involved in pious activity, studying the Vedas, and performing sacrifices for the benefit of society as a whole. Voluntarily accepting an austere lifestyle, the kings would regularly give in charity to them, for a society requires an intelligentsia which can provide spiritual guidance. Aside from the brahmanas, a leader’s role is to administer justice fairly and equally.

"Obliged we have been, since good Rama capable of reading character, will be the lord of earth, and our protector. He is of a heart devoid of arrogance, and is learned, and righteous-souled, and affectionate to his brothers. Raghava loves us even as he does his own brothers." (citizens of Ayodhya, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Sec 6)

Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Krishna during the Treta Yuga, was set to be installed as the new king of Ayodhya by His father Maharaja Dashratha. The citizens of the town heard about this news and were greatly excited. They all loved Rama very much and they knew that He cared for everyone equally. A good leader provides protection for everyone and doesn’t play favorites. Since He was God Himself, He had perfect qualifications for becoming a monarch. Lord Rama specifically incarnated to show us the proper path of dharma, and to bestow His mercy upon all the people of the world.

Not only Rama, but all the kings descending from Maharaja Ikshvaku exhibited similar behavior. A leader’s duty is to create an atmosphere conducive to the cultivation of spiritual knowledge. Leaders today are themselves karmis, so they view artha, or economic development, as the primary mission in life. According to Vedic injunctions, the king, or leader of a country, is God’s representative in matters of administering justice and providing protection. Whether someone owns their own home, rents, or lives with family members, they are all equally entitled to the mercy of the Lord delivered through His representatives.

Lord Rama would regularly hold town hall meetings where people could question Him directly. No one was laughed at, and all the people were treated fairly. They knew He loved all of them, and they were loyal to Him in return. Today’s leaders would be well advised to learn from God’s example.

Equality

“Different living entities appear in different forms of dress, but according to the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita, a learned person sees all living entities equally. Such treatment by the devotee is very much appreciated by the Supreme Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.11.13 Purport)

The recent election of Barrack Obama to the presidency of the United States was regarded worldwide as a landmark occasion. American has officially been a country for over two hundred years, but this was the first time in its history that a person of color, an Africa-American, was elected as president. Many thought that this day would never come, for they viewed America as a racist country. Yet, one is left to wonder whether Obama’s election was really that groundbreaking.

Black people have not been treated very well historically in America. During the country’s founding, most blacks weren’t even treated as human beings, but rather were slaves, owned and traded as property. The founding fathers struggled very hard with the issue of slavery while adopting the Constitution, eventually tabling the issue, allowing the process to continue. Slowly but surely however, slavery would meet its end, culminating with the Civil War during the early 1860s. However, even after the abolition of slavery, blacks were still discriminated against, especially in the Southern portion of the country, where they would periodically be lynched or harassed in other ways. This treatment continued for almost one hundred years, until the Civil Rights movement of the late 1960s. Due to this history of racism, many blacks felt that the country was forever doomed and incapable of electing a black person to any meaningful position of power. The election of Obama was redemption for them, offering a glimmer of hope that maybe people no longer made judgments about others based on their ethnicity or skin color.

On the surface it appears that progress has been made, but according to the Vedic teachings, it hasn’t. The central tenet of any religion, but especially the Vedas, is that we are not our bodies. One may then ask, “Well, if we are not our bodies, then what are we?” The answer in Sanskrit is aham brahmasmi, “I am a spirit soul”. Our souls are certainly enclosed inside of our bodies, but this body is constantly changing. The body we had as a child is completely different from the one we have as adults, yet we don’t mourn for the death of our childhood. In the same manner, a wise person doesn’t lament over the death of the current body, which is nothing more than clothing that is given up at the time of death and then replaced again in our next birth.

“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.22)

Since most of us aren’t taught about the soul in school, we are falsely identifying with the body. Though it may be nice that a black person has been elected president, constitutionally such a person is no different than all the others who previously held the esteemed title of President of the United States. Sure their life experiences may have all been different, some enduring more discrimination growing up than others, but that is something we all deal with. The material world means a place full of miseries, dukhalayam. Every living entity is forced to suffer the fourfold miseries of life: birth, old age, disease, and death.

The Vedas declare that anyone who identifies with the gross material body is a mudha, or an ass. An animal has little to no intelligence, and is certainly not smart enough to understand the concept of the soul and changing bodies. The human being is unique in its ability to take in this information and use it for its benefit. However, if we continue to identify ourselves as black, white, man, woman, American, etc., then our intelligence is very limited. Real progress comes when we view everyone equally, as a spirit soul part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna.

“The Blessed Lord said: He who does not hate illumination, attachment and delusion when they are present, nor longs for them when they disappear; who is seated like one unconcerned, being situated beyond these material reactions of the modes of nature, who remains firm, knowing that the modes alone are active; who regards alike pleasure and pain, and looks on a clod, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; who is wise and holds praise and blame to be the same; who is unchanged in honor and dishonor, who treats friend and foe alike, who has abandoned all fruitive undertakings-such a man is said to have transcended the modes of nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.22)

Since most people live on the material platform, the Vedas give different directions on how material life should be governed. They state that society should be divided into four classes based off of one’s qualities. Also, the time span of one’s life should also be divided into four stages or ashramas, each progressively leading one to spiritual perfection. This system, known as varnashrama dharma, is the code for managing society with the aim of helping everyone progress spiritually. So in this system, there are material designations such as those between men and women, brahmanas, shudras, vaishyas, etc. These are all material, but one can rise above them immediately by becoming a devotee of Krishna. The bhaktas, or devotees, are above any material designation. Since they have a pure love for Krishna, they are mahajanas, or completely spiritual beings following the original principles of religion.

Many examples of this fact can be found in the Vedas. When God came to earth as the pious prince Lord Rama, He wandered through the forest for fourteen years as an exile with His wife Sita and younger brother Lakshmana. During that time, the Treta Yuga, the varnashrama dharma system was adhered to, and those living in the forest were generally viewed as lower class living entities. Basically anyone not living in a normal house, except for the brahmanas, was considered uncivilized. Early on in His travels, the Lord and His family met the Nishada chief Guha. The Nishadas were a tribe living in the forests that were generally viewed as outcastes. However, Guha showed great hospitality to Rama and His family, and for this the Lord gave Him His blessings. Guha was a pure devotee and was rewarded with the opportunity to personally offer food and hospitality to God Himself. His caste was completely meaningless, for God viewed Him very favorably.

Later on, in another incident, the Lord teamed up with the Vanara king Sugriva. Vanaras were a race of monkeys with human-like characteristics. Rama helped Sugriva regain his lost kingdom by killing his brother Vali. Sugriva was very distraught after his brother’s death, and he blamed himself for what he viewed as a horrible deed. Bewailing thus, Sugriva begged forgiveness from Rama, stating that he was just a lowly monkey with very little intelligence. Now Sugriva was a great devotee, so he was by no means unintelligent, but he was referencing a generality that existed at the time. Since they were more monkey-like than human-like, the Vanaras were especially known for their animalistic tendencies, with one of them being their penchant for getting drunk off a certain type of honey. Yet again, God overlooked these stereotypes and looked at what was in Sugriva’s heart. As pure devotees, Sugriva and his Vanara army were given the opportunity to directly serve the Lord by helping Him battle Ravana and rescue Sita. The greatest of the Vanara warriors was Hanuman, Sugriva’s chief deputy. Considered Lord Rama’s greatest devotee, Hanuman is above is all material designations. He is completely spiritual, a great soul with immense strength, able to assume any shape at will. He uses his strength only to serve the Lord and for this reason he is still celebrated today.

To serve Lord Krishna properly, Lord Chaitanya recommended everyone to follow the mode of worship subscribed to by the gopis of Vrindavana. When the Lord personally came to earth around five thousand years ago, He spent His youth in Vrindavana as a cowherd boy, the son of His foster parents Nanda and Yashoda. The gopis, the cowherd girls of Vrindavana, were completely in love with Krishna, and they spent all their time thinking of Him. They weren’t high class yogis or Vedantists. They even openly declared themselves to be unintelligent, for women didn’t receive a formal education during those times. However, their pure devotion actually made them smarter than the greatest of scholars. Many of us go to God with some personal motive, either we want something or we want relief from some ailment. The gopis however just wanted to always be with Krishna, and to always love Him. This is the highest form of worship, and for this reason Krishna is eternally associated with His gopis, the greatest of them being Shrimati Radharani.

The lesson here is that if we want to make real progress as a society, then we should all become Krishna conscious. That will immediately afford us the opportunity to break free of all material designations. Though the performance of great Vedic sacrifices requires an expert brahmanas or priest, the process of devotional service is open to anyone.

“O son of Partha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth-women, vaishyas [merchants], as well as shudras [workers]—can approach the supreme destination.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.32)

Knowing this fact, we should all take up bhakti yoga, for that is the only path taken by all the great souls.

Ideal Leadership

“People in general always require a leader who can teach the public by practical behavior. A leader cannot teach the public to stop smoking if he himself smokes. Lord Chaitanya said that a teacher should behave properly even before he begins teaching. One who teaches in that way is called acharya, or the ideal teacher. Therefore, a teacher must follow the principles of shashtra (scripture) to reach the common man.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita 3.21 Purport)

U.S. President Barrack Obama recently signed legislation aimed at curbing the consumption of cigarettes. By allowing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have enhanced power in regulating tobacco companies, and the products they produce and sell, proponents of the legislation hope that less people will take to smoking as a result. Though he has been a smoker all his adult life, who may or may not have quit recently, President Obama said the new legislation was necessary due to his belief that tobacco companies were actively recruiting young adults to take up smoking:

“Kids today don’t just start smoking for no reason. They’re aggressively targeted as customers by the tobacco industry. They’re exposed to a constant and insidious barrage of advertising where they live, where they learn, and where they play. Most insidiously, they are offered products with flavorings that mask the taste of tobacco and make it even more tempting.”

Anyone who has been around smokers for any length of time, knows that smoking is a very nasty habit. Second-hand smoke and the smell that cigarettes leave aren’t very pleasing to smokers and to those around them. Aside from having many health risks associated with it, the act of smoking is a form of intoxication which is one of the four pillars of sinful life (intoxication, gambling, illicit sex life, and meat eating).

Intoxication is considered sinful not only for the negative karma associated with it, but also because it causes one to become bound up in material life. If one is attached to material pleasures, then God kindly facilitates by allowing that person to repeatedly take birth in the material world, whereby they are given ample opportunity for sense gratification. Thus the cycle of karma perpetually repeats, since one’s senses can never become completely satisfied. It is not until after having lived many lives that one becomes aware of this situation.

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita 7.19)

For the past twenty years or so, there has been concerted attack mounted against the tobacco industry. Not wanting to take responsibility for their actions, disgruntled smokers have banded together with lawyers to blame tobacco companies for the harmful side effects of smoking. After winning billions of dollars in lawsuits and levying excessive taxes on tobacco, anti-smoking leaders have failed to get people to quit smoking. In the state of New York, a single pack of cigarettes can cost upwards of $9, yet people still are willing to buy them. The addiction to nicotine is so strong, that the President himself may still smoke, though he has tried to quit many times.

Any attempt made to limit the practice of intoxication is surely a noble one, but such attempts will never be successful unless the leaders themselves adhere to the same restrictions. According to Vedic principles, a leader should lead not only lead by word, but by example as well. Kings of the past would always take counsel from brahmanas, the priests of society. Even if they themselves weren’t well versed in the proper code of conduct, they would unhesitatingly abide by the counsel of the brahmanas. In modern society, such a system doesn’t exist. The shudras, those unfamiliar with any religious tenets, serve as leaders, while true brahmanas are almost impossible to find. A leader must be very pious, for the other citizens will naturally follow his lead. A president is on television all the time, with the press corps following and recording his every move. Whether they like it or not, the president and other world leaders serve as role models for the rest of society since they are constantly in the public eye.

Not just President Obama, but most leaders in society suffer from the same defects. This is the sign of Kali Yuga, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy where dharma exists at only one fourth its original strength. Leaders preach one thing to their subjects, while they act in totally the opposite way. Government leaders are constantly telling people that they need to sacrifice for the common good and that it’s only fair that they, the citizens, give upwards of fifty percent of their income to the government. In the meantime, Senators and other politicians in high offices are some of the wealthiest people in the country, not sacrificing anything for anyone. People are very in tune with this reality. Knowing that their leaders aren’t very pious, they feel free to act sinfully themselves.

It is most important to have leaders who adhere strictly to the laws of dharma as enjoined in the shashtras, or authoritative scriptures. Lord Rama was one such leader. An incarnation of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Rama served as the king of Ayodhya, one in a long line of highly respected kings known collectively as the Ikshvaku Dynasty. Lord Rama was completely dedicated to dharma, and was the ultimate renunciate. He never asked His citizens to do something that He Himself wasn’t willing to do. He spent fourteen years as an exile in the forest, surviving on fruits and roots, simply to maintain the good name of His father. Towards the end of His life, He renounced His wife Sita, the purest and kindest woman who ever lived, simply to show favor to a citizen who had complained about the Lord’s behavior. The citizens were well aware of the Lord’s dedication to them and for this reason Lord Rama enjoyed universal love and adoration. The ideal society that existed during His reign was known as Rama Rajya, and many today hearken for a return to it.

In the Vedic system, the government is to be run by the warrior class of men, known as kshatriyas. The government’s job is to protect its citizens and administer justice fairly and equally, so brave and pious warriors are required. In today’s society, the system is quite different, where leaders are elected directly by the people. Since elections are essentially popularity contests, leaders are elected based on their speaking and arguing abilities verses their capacity to provide protection to their citizens. As a result, today’s governments consist mostly of lawyers instead of military men. All hope is not lost however. Instead of dharma trickling down from the top, it can be introduced at the grassroots level first. If enough of the voting population becomes Krishna, or God conscious, then inevitably some of them will run for political office and hopefully win. In this way, with pure devotees serving in government, we can hopefully return to the days of Rama Rajya. In such a situation, everyone will easily be able to break all their bad habits, including smoking.

Economic Stimulus

 

“(British Prime Minister Gordon) Brown also says the 20 countries at the summit will enact common policies to crack down on tax havens, regulate hedge funds, and rebuild trust in the financial system to ‘prevent a crisis such as this from happening again.’” (AP, 2009.04.02)

World leaders met recently in London as part of the Group of 20 Summit to combat the global financial crisis. Countries from around the world, with varying and sometimes competing interests, came together to form a consensus on the proper action needed to be taken. U.S. President Obama and Great Britain’s leader, Gordon Brown, both admitted that the measures agreed upon wouldn’t guarantee a reversal in the current economic situation, but they did say that their proposed policies would be successful in preventing a future slowdown. However, Brown did say that the policies enacted would prevent future crises of the current magnitude from happening.

Now these summits are all well and good. The leaders have very good intentions. They are all trying to do something to help the struggling people in their countries. Sometimes just knowing that somebody is trying to help can make a difference. However, like most meetings that involve group think, very little policy of substance is produced. Leaders become more interested in crafting any sort of policy that all parties will agree on, versus actually coming up with something that will be effective. As the saying goes, “Consensus is the absence of leadership.”

According to Vedic philosophy, such meetings over economic policy are unnecessary. The great sages of India were highly advanced in knowledge because they received it directly through the chain of disciplic succession. The original Veda, knowledge of the Absolute, was passed down from God Himself at the beginning of creation. This knowledge was later divided in various categories by God’s literary incarnation, Shrila Vyasadeva. The Vedas contain knowledge on all subjects of importance. The great sages all learned this knowledge directly from their teachers and without the need for group meetings and position papers. True knowledge comes to us by linking our consciousness with that of the Supreme. Lord Krishna has expanded Himself separately into each and every one of us through His Paramatma, or Supersoul feature. By dovetailing our activities with Krishna through the process of devotional service, we connect with the Paramatma, and then true knowledge is revealed to us.

According to the Mahabharata, considered the fifth Veda, economic success comes through cow protection and through low taxation. Cows are considered the ultimate sign of wealth since one can live off of the milk produced from them. Possessing a large bank balance may be nice, but paper currency and other commodities can devalue very quickly, as we’ve seen the past few months. A cow represents a tangible value since it can provide so many food preparations simply from the milk that it freely offers. Therefore the food problem is solved. Low taxation is important, because if taxes are too high, then producers will not have any incentive to create wealth.

The proposed plans from the G-20 are in direct contradiction to this. They don’t address the mass slaughter of cows that goes on today, nor do they tackle the issues of high taxes and regulation. Instead, they focus on taking more money from producers and giving to non-producers. Such policies are destined to fail.

In the end, whatever plan of action is enacted, the ups and downs of the economy can never be completely prevented. Just as birth, old age, disease, and death are guaranteed for the spirit soul in the material world, happiness and distress are also guaranteed. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tells us that we should be tolerant of these fluctuations.

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

So this eagerness of the politicians to act is unnecessary. Compromising and forging consensus will never solve any problem. All it does is pad the egos of the participant. “We have done something. We have solved the problem. Never fear, we were able to get along. There will be no more suffering.” These are the statements of our leaders. The true fact of the matter is that the government is mostly to blame for this crisis due to its encouragement of banks to give mortgages to unqualified borrowers. Now they are trying to fix the problem they never should have caused to begin with. They would be better suited leaving the economy alone and instead focus on making policy directed at filling the spiritual void in society. For if we engage ourselves in devotional service by chanting the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”, then no economic crisis will ever affect us.

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Depend on Krishna

President Obama recently held a town hall meeting to discuss the details of the new economic stimulus plan intended to jumpstart the economy. The meeting itself was very interesting from the standpoint of observing the questions that were asked of the president. Most notably, three questions from three different Obama supporters stood out.

The first supporter told the president that she was in need of a new kitchen and car, and that the government had been slow in meeting her requests. In tears, she begged the president to help expedite the matter. Another supporter had recently lost his job and asked Obama why unemployment insurance doesn’t pay out at the same rate as his previous job’s salary. A third supporter explained that he had been working at McDonalds for the past four and half years and couldn’t find another job. He wanted to know what Obama was going to do to help him find a higher paying job.

Now all these people seemed sincere and Obama was very kind in his responses to them. However, these questions reveal a deeper problem in society. Too many have become dependent on government for their happiness. For the government to provide the needs of one citizen, it invariably must take from another citizen. According to Vedic philosophy, one should be satisfied with one’s allotted possessions and should not covet the property of others. Also, one is taught to live a simple life and to be as self-sufficient as possible, so that one can spend the remainder of his or her time lovingly serving God.

For proper government, the Vedas tell us that a king should indeed treat his citizens as his dependents and is responsible for their happiness. However, during the Vedic times, kings were very pious and strictly adhering to the council of their royal priests, or brahmanas. The king’s main duty was to make sure that their citizens would reach the ultimate spiritual goal of life and break out of the cycle of birth and death.

Contrast that with today’s style of democratic government, and you will see that today’s leaders aren’t versed in any type of spiritual understanding, nor do they look for advice from brahamanas. Though many are well intentioned, most politicians are living on the material platform of life, with the belief that sense gratification is the highest achievement. As a result, they pursue policies designed to increase sense gratification for their citizens. Their constituents are also interested in sense gratification, and thus become dependent on the government to supply their necessities, or what they view as necessities.

By observing nature, we can understand that God alone supplies us with what we need. The birds, bees, fish, and all other animals have no problem finding food or shelter. They don’t look to any politician to supply their needs, for God automatically takes care of that. Knowing this, we should look to God for our happiness. If we surrender to Him, He won’t necessarily give us what we want, but He’ll give us what need, namely devotion to Him.

During Lord Rama’s time on earth, he was once visited by his devotee, Narada Muni. In a previous incident, Narada had asked for something from the Lord and the Lord did not grant his wish. Narada was very angry about it at the time, and he later asked Lord Rama about that. Lord Rama explained to Him that “For my devotees, I give them what is right for them and not necessarily what they ask of Me.”

So in these hard times, we need only look to Lord Krishna to help us. Remembering Him at all times will provide us more peace and prosperity than any politician ever could.

 

Krishna’s Mercy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering Krishna prasadam to one and all.

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