The Best Use of Time

“A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity. But he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere. A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can be perfectly perceived in spiritual activities.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.3.17 Purport)

There are many ways to define a saint, but if we look at the core of the individual, what it is that makes them tick, it’s uncovered that someone who knows how to best extract that quality and direct it towards the proper area can be considered the most saintly. The saint under this definition is the kindest welfare worker, and despite the negative reception they may receive on occasion, they stand tall and have a positive, lasting influence.

How do we determine what makes someone tick? What is that single property that gives a meaning to our existence? As a famous philosopher once said, “I think therefore I am”, the ability to do something on your own indicates that you have an existence. A sleeping man isn’t capable of solving complex equations, preparing an elaborate dish, writing a computer program, delivering a groundbreaking speech, taking care of dependents, or serving the right person. Granted, sleep is still an activity, a necessary one at that, but it is not until one is awake, full of ability to consciously direct thought and perform intelligent action, that they can really make a difference.

So, the ability to act defines our existence, but breaking things down further, the difference between a dead body and a living one is the presence of the spirit soul. The soul is the essence of identity, and its features are kindly described in the Vedic scriptures, whose most brilliant and concise work is the Bhagavad-gita, spoken by the delight of Maharaja Nanda and mother Yashoda, Lord Krishna. That is just one way to describe the blue-complexioned chariot driver of the Pandava warrior Arjuna, but since He is the oldest person and also the wisest, He has countless names, which each address a different feature. As He is the origin of life and matter, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Naturally, His instructions would then prove to be the most valid and worthwhile.

“This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, all-pervading, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.”  (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.24)

For argument’s sake, let’s say that we aren’t familiar with the teachings of the world’s original preceptor. Let’s say that we don’t even know about the soul and its ability to transcend birth and death. In ignorance of the laws of the spiritual science, we still know that the awake human being has the potential to act. Therefore the primary question is on how to use that ability, and not necessarily on studying from where the ability came or where it will go in the future. Granted, familiarity with the properties of that spirit is helpful in directing activity, but we can tell right now from the results we see that so many activities do not make the best use of the individual’s ability.

For instance, it is seen that in the absence of knowledge of spirit, time is spent doing things like playing sports, gambling, and drinking to get heavily intoxicated. In remote areas, there is even cow-tipping and other strange games invented to pass the time. We also know that young children are given an education. The adults provide this instruction, and yet they are the ones using their free time for these other pursuits. Therefore we can conclude that the instruction is guiding the pupil towards a destination where the same activities of the adult will take place.

The emergence of extreme sports and odd games played out in rural areas shows that the human being craves activity. He has the ability to act, but without knowing where to direct that ability, he will look for new ways to pass his time. At the end of the day, there is no difference between the person who plays sports and the person who doesn’t. Both are trying to fill the void created by endless amounts of free time. Whether one spends that time in quiet or in noise is of no difference, as the mind is occupied in both situations.

The saint arrives to guide man’s energy along the proper channels. Man is capable enough to do crazy tricks in extreme sports and creative enough to find new ways to spend time, but these efforts don’t extract the true potency of spirit: the ability to love. That love can continue uninhibited and uninterrupted, but only when the target is pure. Not surprisingly, that ideal object of service is God, who can be understood with greater clarity through the Vedic texts, which are the oldest scriptural tradition in the world.

The mere mention of “religion” will introduce fears pertaining to law codes and harsh condemnation of specific kinds of behavior. Actually, only in ignorance are these fears present, for a bona fide system of spirituality intends to focus on a notable destination, which when reached doesn’t signal the end to activity. Typically there is interruption with our projects because at the time of completion the work stops. That is the whole point after all. The desire to reach completion also represents the motivation, which then must vanish at the attainment of the end goal.

Spirituality followed under authorized guidelines takes the worker to a place where motivation never runs dry, which in turn creates a condition devoid of interruption. Sure there are temporary respites from work, but in this higher plane of consciousness, service continues even during rest. There is action in inaction and inaction in action for the devoted soul.

“One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in all sorts of activities.”  (Lord Krishna, Bg. 4.18)

The saint can teach the divine principles to others because he follows them himself. He knows that man has amazing abilities, the potential to love to the highest. The wonderful innovations created in recent times could not have come about without great intelligence and capability for work. When those capabilities are applied to a system of spiritual practice that aims to please the Supreme Lord, the result is ananda, or bliss, that is in such high supply that there is plenty to go around.

The saint takes the ingenuity that goes into inventing a new sport like truck racing and directs it towards finding new ways to please the Supreme Lord. At the heart of a loving relationship is association, and since Krishna is full and complete in His name, chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, is as good as being in the Lord’s presence. Of course we can’t understand this fact in the beginning, but since the saint follows the prescribed regulation of chanting this wonderful mantra for sixteen rounds a day on a set of japa beads, others can see a valid and functioning prototype to copy.

But imitation alone isn’t fun. Instead, there is the competitive spirit which tries to add on to what others are doing, maybe even surpassing them. Rather than be threatened, the saint is warmed to the heart when this attitude is directed at them in the realm of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. The same sportive tendency used to race against other cars can be applied to chanting the holy names more and more, to writing about the glories of the darling of Vrajabhumi, to preparing the most sumptuous food dishes to be offered to Krishna and then distributed to others.

The competitive attitude is sometimes even used to try to please the saint, who acts as the kindest teacher. He expects a lot from others because he knows that others are capable of amazing things if they apply themselves. If prizes are won throughout a process, then incentive is always present. There is no greater reward than Shyamasundara’s association, which comes through His holy name, so the more one follows bhakti the more they are inclined to cling to the process, which is initially supervised by the guiding hand of the saint.

An individual is considered saintly when they extend the fraternal attitude beyond themselves. In fact, the further out that vision of kindness spreads, the more their sainthood increases. The Vaishnava extends the vision of equality to all creatures, large and small. The human beings should have compassion for one another because they are all in the same boat, and they are also the elder brothers of the lower species like the animals, birds and aquatics.

Yet the Vaishnava, the devotee of Krishna, doesn’t stop with the gentleness extended to all creatures. Real compassion is showing others how to properly direct their energy. Therefore the Vaishnava kindly speaks of the glories of God in public forums, personal conversations, written words, and beautifully sung songs. This way they show others the proper destination, which is a newer consciousness more than a different physical location. The person connected to the divine consciousness can find a pleasurable situation wherever they go.

The end of life will come eventually, and when it does every person must ask themselves whether they spent their valuable time wisely. Time can be passed through any endeavor, but only when consciousness develops properly is the time well spent. By following bhakti-yoga, by devoting your life to God in any way possible, large or small, consciousness makes lasting progress for the better, and from that right way of thinking the vibrant force that is the spirit soul can get the most out of its energy.

In Closing:

What to do today, on my hands I have so much time?

What activity will keep active and also pacify my mind?

 

Should I gamble or play video games for fun?

Or on the fields chasing animals should I run?

 

If adults who play as such others do teach,

Guaranteed that same position pupils will reach.

 

Know that the individual within is a vital force,

Through intelligence place action on proper course.

 

For that, from the most saintly characters learn,

So that with work residence in spiritual abode to earn.

 

Saint does more than just affection to all extend,

Shows others proper way, to state of bliss man to send.

Tear Down This Wall

“Prahlada Maharaja said: One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life — in other words, from the tender age of childhood — to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.6.1)

Among the many issues discussed during a campaign for the office of President of the United States is foreign policy. How will such and such candidate deal with other nations, including those who may be hostile to the country? On the campaign trail it is easy to talk your way through difficult issues. You can say anything, as your words don’t directly affect legislation. The goal of the candidate is to get elected, not necessarily to immediately impact policy. Once you get into office and bring in your handlers, aides, advisers and administrators, you can make more rational decisions.

The general recommendation is for presidents to remain neutral in foreign affairs. Don’t ruffle any feathers. Why would you want to raise hostilities that might get your country into more trouble? The other nations understand that you might talk tough during the campaign season, but once you get into office they expect you to use keen diplomacy to get what you want. Even in the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, punishment, or danda, is not the only means for achieving an end. There are other options such as pacification, giving gifts, and using divide and conquer strategies for rulers to achieve their stated objective.

“After some time, the teachers Shanda and Amarka thought that Prahlada Maharaja was sufficiently educated in the diplomatic affairs of pacifying public leaders, appeasing them by giving them lucrative posts, dividing and ruling over them and punishing them in cases of disobedience. Then, one day, after Prahlada’s mother had personally washed the boy and dressed him nicely with sufficient ornaments, they presented him before his father.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.19)

Divide and conquer is one of the more intriguing options because it has a psychological component to it. Danda is straightforward. The aggressor sets the rules in any conflict, so if you have more military might then it is easy to just impose your will on another party. The United States has had the predominant military in the world for the past hundred years or so, but the option for armed conflict is not the one first taken. Rather than anger others, there are paths of lesser resistance like pacification and the giving of gifts. Typically, though, pacification is the resort for the weaker parties.

Division is your way to attack the enemy from within. You inspire rebel forces inside of the enemy camp to fight their way to achieve their interest, which is ideally your interest as well. Division is rarely practiced in the open, as the strong rhetoric required is not considered diplomatic. Why try “cowboy diplomacy” when you can speak softly on the outside and work your way around the edges without the enemy knowing?

One particular world leader in recent times was advised not to openly criticize a regime that had erected a wall in one of its satellite countries. Walls are only built when you want to keep people from coming in or leaving. The influx of people is only a problem when the nation you govern is attractive to outsiders. In the case of this small territory, the problem was the opposite. The people were dying to get out. If you live in an area with tight government controls and limited freedom, you will likely want to flee. The move may be difficult, but in the end you have to do what is right for yourself and your family. The egress is similar to leaving a job that you might be comfortable in. If the boss makes many changes and cuts your salary enough you will have no other choice but to leave and find another job.

The giant wall at the city’s boundary caused a problem for the people wanting to leave. The citizens that wanted to move out couldn’t. They’d have to try to climb the giant wall, which would place them out in the open for the governing bodies to see. The government put up the wall for a reason; they did not want people to leave. If someone did try to escape and then ended up getting caught, they surely wouldn’t be treated well by the authorities. Watching from the outside, many nations thought the government’s behavior was reprehensible. If people want to leave a country, why not allow them to? Why erect a wall?

Though they were thinking this way, it was difficult for them to openly share their feelings, as a lack of confidence in the proper path often prevents the open sharing of criticism. “For starters, who is anyone to criticize anyone else? If one nation has a wall on its boundary, who am I, an outsider, to criticize? I don’t know their circumstances. I don’t know why they may have put up that wall. What gives me the right to say it should be done differently? Instead, I should kindly ask them to consider shifting gears, being collegial on the outside and then a little stricter when talking to them personally.”

On one visit to this famous wall, the world leader in question went the bold route. To the people gathered at the wall, he assertively advised the leader of that area to “tear down this wall.” The recommendation was straightforward, honest and could not be misconstrued. The message wasn’t, “Please consider getting rid of this wall”, or, “Please try reforming your nation so that people can live happily within these confines.” A few years later, the inspired people of that city would tear down that wall themselves, not waiting for help from the government.

The preacher who knows the true position of the spirit soul and its ideal home also is very bold in presenting their message. The spirit soul is the essence of identity, the spark within every living being. The temporary coverings are like shirts and coats that get put on before a trip and then taken off once the destination is reached. Through the transmigration of the soul, or reincarnation, these dresses are constantly put on and taken off.

“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)

The soul remains the same throughout, but since the land inhabited is filled with inhibiting matter, there is no happiness. Through mental speculation and fruitive activity, the living being tries their best to make use of their environment. They are not allowed to escape the impenetrable walls of maya, or illusion, because they are unaware of their proper identity. Thus so many other systems of regulation arise. As the soul’s natural desire is to serve, that propensity follows so many outlets within the confines of maya’s walls. Philanthropy, charity, sense gratification, concern for the material wellbeing of others, protection of the environment, the feverish pursuit of profit, the desire to control people through accepting the reins of government, and so many other ventures are attempted to fill the void for lasting happiness.

The Vaishnava preacher knows both the position of the soul and its link to the Supersoul, who has a personal form in His original feature. The spirit souls come from God and only in His association is there real happiness. The walls of maya are sort of like the perimeter of a large prison house. Through the proper behavior one can escape from confinement by figuratively tearing down maya’s walls. As this is what is best for every spirit soul, the Vaishnava boldly declares that the walls of maya must be brought down, not accommodated.

What is the difference between tearing down maya’s walls and remaining within them? What sort of behavior helps one break free of the prison-like environment? Mental speculation will be of no help in this regard. The human mind has the ability to discriminate, so when accepting the most righteous path of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, there certainly must be more than just blind sentiment. Nevertheless, the right path cannot initially be revealed through mental effort alone. One must tap into the storehouse of knowledge that is the Vedic literature, with its most important works being the Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam.

The Vedas are non-different from God, so it is difficult to say that some works are more important than others. The Bhagavatam is generally considered the best because it deals exclusively with devotion to the Lord, without hints of procedures for material acquisition, dry renunciation, or mystic perfection. These other pursuits can help elevate one to the platform of God consciousness, but they can also serve as distractions. If the boss that previously treated you horribly one day comes in with a new enticing offer, you may be tempted to stay at the job. The employer’s intent is to make you forget about his past transgressions. But accepting the entreaty is a mistake because within a short period of time the same erratic behavior from the boss will resurface.

In a similar manner, taking shelter of any type of fruitive activity, mental speculation, or mystic perfection may make the living being temporarily comfortable again within maya’s prison, but only in bhakti are the walls eviscerated, with the invigorated spirit soul more anxious than ever to take the right action. The spark of life brings the potential for excelling in spiritual practice. The Vaishnava preacher presents all of this information, giving both the end-goal and the tools necessary for achieving it. The end is really the beginning of an endless pursuit that keeps the soul in ananda, or bliss.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna, is the object of sacrifice. The most potent sacrifice is the sankirtana-yajna, chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The recommendation is to take the chanting option right away. At the same time learn about Krishna and His teachings from the Bhagavad-gita. Become fully convinced of the position of the spirit soul, how it transcends birth and death, and how it remains always in Krishna’s association once full God consciousness is reached.

After acceptance of the devotional path read more about Krishna’s personal qualities and pastimes found in the Bhagavatam, which has accounts from great devotees and teachers like Prahlada Maharaja, who as a five year old boy instructed his classmates on the supremacy of vishnu-bhakti. In this way spend the rest of your life immersed in God consciousness, which automatically ensures that maya’s walls will have no influence. Tear down the walls of illusion instead of trying to work within them. Follow the path of bhakti, invite Krishna into your consciousness and soon you will taste the real fruit of your existence, freedom in pure bliss.

Question: What if I fail? What if I try to scale the walls and don’t make it over? Won’t maya punish me again?

In the past many yogis, real transcendentalists trying to perfect consciousness, were unsuccessful in fully scaling maya’s giant walls within their lifetime. If you try to escape from the government and get caught, they will punish you. With maya, she will provide many enticements to get you to stay within her web of illusion – which makes you take objects of matter to be yours and your material body to be your identity – but if the effort is directed at Krishna immediately, there is no need to fear.

Several sincere devotees of the past were pure of heart and only dependent on Krishna for everything. They were attacked by others opposed to God or were stricken temporarily by the influence of passion, but they were nevertheless saved. Queen Draupadi was helpless in an assembly where other kings tried to strip her naked. At the last moment she finally prayed to Krishna, and the Lord came and took the form of her dress. No matter how much the miscreants pulled, they couldn’t seem to get Draupadi’s sari off of her. Prahlada Maharaja was a five year old practicing devotion, so he had no way of protecting himself. His father tried to kill him so many times, but Krishna was there to save the boy and maintain his devotional standard.

The body must be renounced at some point, so even if we don’t succeed in escaping the material prison house or purifying its influence within this lifetime, if the effort in devotion is sincere, in the next life the process resumes from the same position. It’s like hitting pause while watching a movie, taking care of some work, and then returning to the same spot. This feature is not available outside the realm of devotional service. If you build a house halfway and leave it, there’s no guarantee that the structure will remain there for you to complete. If the house should crumble, all of your past effort goes to waste.

If just one sincere utterance of Krishna’s name is made, there is no chance of ever meeting doom. Even if an accidental fall from grace should take place in the future, the divine consciousness will eventually revive. The spirit soul is capable of amazing things. If you look around and see the complex arrangements created by man, you should know that the people who created them have the same internal qualities that you do. Therefore the potential for action is tremendous, and with bhakti-yoga the potential meets its ideal match, resulting in a synergistic force that is capable of scaling the highest walls.

In Closing:

This wonderful land, don’t you dare leave,

To the almighty government’s will do you cleave.

 

If fail in your desire for freedom to gain,

Authorities to inflict punishing pain.

 

This material land home that you do call,

Has similar boundaries, unscalable walls.

 

But Vaishnava has answer, gives it to you bold,

To be devoted to Krishna and name you’re told.

 

Maya’s walls tear down, break them with force,

Or remove their influence, follow bhakti’s course.

Bhakti-lata-bija

“In the course of traversing the universal creation of Brahma, some fortunate soul may receive the seed of bhakti-lata, the creeper of devotional service. This is all by the grace of guru and Krishna.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 19.151)

Through complacency and growing accustomed to viewing the same things over and over again, man develops the tendency to overlook the root causes to visual effects. The most obvious example of this comes with food, which we readily partake of to sustain our lives. But the different foods that we eat, including even animal flesh, share a common original source: the seed. Plant life sustains animal life, and the plant starts out as a tiny seed that needs careful attention and maintenance to grow. When there is maturity, there are resulting fruits which can then be either enjoyed or put to good use. The overlooked seed, or origin, has a vital importance not only in eating, but in so many other areas as well, including especially in spiritual life. The spirit soul residing within the body has a magnetic attraction to God, but unless the seed of devotional service is sown, tended and harvested, progression towards the ultimate destination will remain checked.

Solely studying the results of action while overlooking the root cause is very easy to do. This oversight is especially prevalent in politics. If a large corporation plans to shut down one of its manufacturing plants or if it is about to apply massive layoffs, the politicians, those seeking popularity from the electorate, will jump on the opportunity to save jobs. The rallying cry for the proponents of the government intervention is quite simple: save jobs. “If we don’t do something now, thousands of people will lose their source of income, and they will be left destitute. We should do whatever we can to save these jobs.” The intentions are certainly noble, as massive layoffs are never a good thing. But what is obviously overlooked in the whole scenario is the root cause. How were the jobs created in the first place?

With any business, the seed, the impetus for action, is the desire for profit. The founder of the business has an idea to sell a product or service for a profit. This means that whatever it costs him to produce the good or service, he will charge more than that amount from his customers. This in turn will lead to a profitable venture. In the beginning, there is no concern given to jobs or employing large sectors of a particular region. If the explicit desire to hire workers is not there, how do we get jobs? Depending on the demand for the product or service, the business will want to expand production capabilities. This is where extra manpower can help. Ideally, the more hands applied to a job, the larger the output will be. If more output always means more profit, just keep on expanding, right?

Ah, but there is a catch. The workers will not work for free; they need to be compensated for their effort. This immediately will cut into the profit margin of the business, as the cost to produce the good or service goes up. The employer must weigh the cost to hire the new employee against the increase in productivity that will result. If the profit margin is maintained, the new worker can be hired without a problem. Indeed, this is how large scale companies are able to employ thousands of people. The business owner may have been a nice person or a ruthlessly greedy mogul to start, but their personal characteristics played little to no role in the hiring of employees. Since the thousands of new workers were capable of increasing productivity and thus overall profit, they were hired.

Now let’s fast forward to when the layoffs happen. For some reason or another, either through downturns in the economy, shifts in the buying habits of the consumer, or an increase in the cost of a resource vital to the production of the business’ main selling item, the costs incurred by having so many employees becomes too much of a burden. In order to maintain their profit margins, the company owners will downsize the operation. They will either close down one or two plants, or they will lay off thousands of workers. Just as with any other aspect of the business, the decision is made entirely based on the effects on productivity and profit. Therefore when the politician intervenes to try to save jobs by offering subsidies or incentives, they are completely ignoring the seed of the company, the leading factor behind its formation and the hiring of the employees. Without an increase in profit and a tangible return on productivity from the employed workers, no amount of government intervention will do anything to stabilize the company’s health for the long term.

By only studying the results and ignoring the cause, the ability to repeatedly produce favorable outcomes becomes difficult. Spiritual life is a wonderful example of this. Many saints of the past became fully enlightened through devotional practice. In the Vedic tradition, the most exalted servants of God are known as Vaishnavas, or devotees of Vishnu, which is another name for God. The elevated Vaishnava spends his time engaged in bhakti-yoga, or the union of the individual soul with the divine consciousness through a mood of pure love. As a result of this dedication, the Vaishnava is humble, kind, sweet, benevolent, peaceful, honest, trustworthy, and fully in control of his senses. He can survive on very little food and remain completely satisfied within the mind. He can go without eating meat, drinking alcohol, engaging in illicit sex, and taking part in gambling. Indeed, simply from his religious efforts he stays happy.

Now let’s say that we want to acquire the same characteristics. We want to be always happy and not be taken off the righteous path by the maltreatment shown to us by others. Will the right way to go about achieving these goals be to simply imitate the Vaishnava saints? Can we just study the results of their action and somehow achieve an equivalent status? Just as we saw with the employees that were hired in the business and the fruits that emerged from the plants, there has to be an original cause to get results, which in this case is a seed implanted into the conditioned soul’s heart. Before there is any question of advancement in devotional life, the seed must be there.

Where do we get this seed from? Lord Chaitanya, the preacher incarnation of Godhead who famously travelled throughout India some five hundred years ago, said that a truly fortunate individual is able to take up the most sublime engagement after receiving the seed of devotional service from a guru, or spiritual master. This should make sense. If we want to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, there must be a source to the initial spark of desire. That source will likely be someone who is already practicing in the field that we come to admire so much. Similarly, to attain true enlightenment, to make the most of the human form of body, one must have the benefit of receiving the seed of the creeper of devotional service, bhakti-lata-bija, from a spiritual master.

What will the spiritual master teach? What will be the benefit of connecting with him? The seed of devotional service starts off as something not very powerful, but it has the ability to turn into the most potent force. Just as food serves as our source of energy, allowing us to accomplish our tasks for the day, the seed of devotional service gives us the energy, enthusiasm and fortitude to continue in our march towards eternal freedom. The spirit soul remains in various body types for as long as this seed is either absent or not fully developed. Once the seed turns into a creeper and then ultimately into a full blown tree, the conditioned soul becomes liberated and free from the effects of the senses. Thenceforth all the results that were previously sought, such as peace of mind, calmness, and control over the senses, are achieved very easily.

The seed of devotional service is initially tended to by regularly chanting the holy names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The guru advises the disciple to chant this mantra at least sixteen rounds a day on a set of japa beads. The chanting routine is the water, soil and sunlight for the seed of devotional service. Chanting alone provides the nourishment required for the seed to bloom into a creeper and then eventually into a beautiful tree. The secret to devotion through transcendental chanting is that the consciousness is altered. Through fruitive activity, the pursuit for profit, or the desire for the removal of distress, the consciousness remains steadily focused on the body. The service propensity of the soul, which is its most dominant feature, remains dormant in the absence of divine contact. If there is a God, why shouldn’t we love Him? If we love Him, why wouldn’t we chant His names all the time?

God is certainly without a name, but since He performs so many glorious activities, the devotees like to affectionately address Him with different titles. Since God is the most attractive, Vaishnavas refer to Him as Krishna. Since the Lord can provide immense transcendental pleasure to anyone connected with Him, He is also known as Rama. Since Krishna has full possession of the attributes of beauty, wealth, strength, fame, renunciation and wisdom, He is often addressed as Bhagavan. There are so many names the devotees have applied to Krishna because of His qualities, forms and pastimes. Reciting these names over and over again keeps the consciousness purified.

From the seeds distributed to the disciples by the spiritual master, trees of devotion get planted everywhere. But what’s even more remarkable is that the guru teaches his spiritual descendants how to distribute seeds themselves. This was especially the mission of Lord Chaitanya, who cut through the barriers erected by sectarian traditions and ignorance by traveling from town to town and inducing others to chant the names of Hari [Krishna]. Without the seed, there cannot be any fruit, so without the holy name being freely distributed to everyone, the ancient art of bhakti remains a secret known only to a select few. Since bhakti is the constitutional position of the soul, it should not remain hidden from anyone. All living entities are lovers of God; they just may not know it. Even the atheists worship the Lord; they just refer to Him as “death” or “nature”. The impersonalist philosophers see the Lord as a giant energy of spiritual light, while the yogis see Him as the sound vibration “om” that will grant them tremendous abilities.

But only through the seed of devotional service can God’s true nature be revealed. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna is the very object of service that everyone is looking for. When the loving propensity is matched with a worthy beneficiary, the energy and enthusiasm for service never wane. Imagine waking up every day and working on things that you love to do. This is how the devotees feel when they get to chant, when their seed of devotional service has matured to the point that the tree of devotion blooms abundantly beautiful flowers throughout every season. The lotus flower sprouts open when the sun shines and then shrinks back at night, but the spiritually infused transcendentalist connected with Krishna remains always in bloom, ready to accept the rays of spiritual sunshine that come from Krishna and the sound vibrations describing His pastimes, names and forms.

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

In the Bhagavad-gita, the treatise on Vedic philosophy given by Lord Krishna Himself, it is advised to Arjuna, the Lord’s cousin and dear friend, that he should approach a spiritual master, one who has seen the truth, and then learn the art of devotional service from him. If there is to be progress made in the development of consciousness, the seed of devotional service must be acquired through contact with a guru. Those who are fortunate enough to receive the seed and care for it properly then go one step further by distributing as many of the same seeds to others. If the world turns into a garden filled with plants of devotion, which are regularly watered by the chanting of the holy names, there will be no scarcity of anything, save maybe ignorance and pain.

Acting Like a Maniac

“While chanting the holy name of the Lord in pure ecstasy, I lose myself, and thus I laugh, cry, dance and sing just like a madman.” (Lord Chaitanya, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 7.78)

Comment: “Personally I think the Hare Krishna movement is just an Indian fanatical version of fanatical Christianity.”

Response: For the layperson, or one not aware of the intricate truths pertaining to the differences between matter and spirit, the passionate dealings of religionists give off an air of fanaticism. Often times the paths to salvation are presented in a pass-fail, accept or reject, sort of mindset, with the preaching sermon typically including statements like, “Repent ye sinners, for you will suffereth eternal damnation for thy transgression. Surrender now and forever save yourself; otherwise there will be no hope for salvation.” Sometimes similar attitudes manifest in specific issues such as abortion, animal killing, or illicit sex. In extreme cases, acts of terrorism are taken to, where those who are not followers of the specific faith are deemed as infidels who need to be killed. The most famous and successful preaching movement emanating from India, the bhakti movement, may on the surface appear to espouse extreme viewpoints and prescriptions, but the inner-properties of the philosophy and its purpose have nothing to do with fear or force, and everything to do with love.

God is one, and He is for everyone. One certain group may have a specific name for Him, but that doesn’t mean that one group has their own God and another has their own deity. For the definition of God to be valid, He must be a singular entity. The most potent preaching movement to emanate from India aims to connect everyone with God. After all, the majority of the world’s population claims to be religious; they claim to be believers in God. If one has faith in the existence of the Lord, they must act in a way to acknowledge that belief. For instance, if I tell another woman that I love her, such a proclamation is meaningless if I subsequently cheat on her with other women. Declarations of faith and allegiance must be substantiated by activities. Qualities and traits are exhibited in behavior and shifts in consciousness, not by simple statements.

Along this line, the Vaishnava preachers aim to make honest men out of the theists around the world. The aim of the Hare Krishna movement, which is simply an organized preaching effort focused on spreading God consciousness, is to get everyone to turn their love and devotion towards God in lieu of objects of matter. A Vaishnava is a devotee of Lord Vishnu, who is the four-handed form of the original Lord residing in the spiritual sky. Matter is a temporary manifestation representing one of Vishnu’s external energies. Material nature has nothing to do with spirit; hence the body becomes dead and useless at the time of death. The only difference between a living form and a dead one is the presence of the soul. The spirit soul is a fragmental part of a giant spiritual energy known as Brahman. Individual spirit never dies, takes birth, or gets altered in any way, thus making it far superior to dull and lifeless matter.

In the conditioned state, the living entity associates with material elements and takes identification from them. It’s similar to if we would buy a new automobile and then take the car to be part of us. The automobile is simply a collection of metal which is carefully crafted and held together. The collection of parts existed in a dispersed form before we purchased the vehicle, and it will continue to exist should we let go of it. So to take our identity off of our ownership of any vehicle would be quite silly. In the same way, the body, the outer covering of the soul, is taken ownership of at the time of birth. Yet immediately after exiting the womb, the same outer life form starts to change, first going through a developmental period, and then gradually going through a decaying process. Ultimately the body is given up; “ashes to ashes” as they say. Thus identity cannot be taken from something so temporary and lifeless as dull matter.

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

The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, state that since the true identity of the individual comes from the spirit soul within, those activities which aim to please the identifying spiritual entity are what should be adopted. Lord Vishnu, whose more blissful form is that of the beautiful Lord Krishna, is the origin of all spirit and matter. When the activities of the conditioned soul are directed towards the pleasure of Krishna, the spirit soul is satisfied. Not only is there a benefit to the soul, but even the Supersoul, the non-different expansion of Krishna residing within the heart, is satisfied. This makes the practice of service to Krishna, which is known as bhakti-yoga, the only discipline that is freely and voluntarily entered into that satisfies two distinct parties.

Spiritualists from all walks of life, including those claiming to be following Vedic teachings, are sometimes justifiably viewed as being fanatical because the philosophies supporting their most extreme and short-sighted claims are not very deep. For instance, saying that we should surrender unto a specific personality or be forced to suffer in hell is not a very substantive statement. For starters, the threat of punishment doesn’t describe anything about the worthiness for worship of the personality in question, nor does it explain why failure to surrender leads to a hellish condition. Moreover, what exactly constitutes hell? Are we presently not suffering through troubling situations in the places that we reside? Are not the parents that have lost a child, the fallen victims of drug addiction, and the scorned lovers suffering through hell right now?

“The activities or desires that relatively help a soul attain his constitutional position are called piety. The opposite are called sin. Since devotional service to Krishna is one’s constitutional position, when one cultivates this service, then nescience, which is the root cause of relative situations in the form of sin and piety, is gradually fried and abolished.” (Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Shri Krishna Samhita, 10.2 Purport)

The Vaishnavas, after carefully studying the authorized scriptures such as the Bhagavad-gita, Shrimad Bhagavatam and Ramayana, can answer all of these questions with great clarity and detail. Lord Krishna is all-attractive; so He is the ultimate reservoir of pleasure. Every person, regardless of their level of faith, is looking for pleasure. Due to His eternally fixed position and character, only Krishna is capable of providing the greatest amount of happiness. Surrender is recommended because there is a loving propensity to the soul. Bhakti is the makeup of the spirit soul, but in the conditioned state, the loving propensity for God gets misdirected to other areas. Surrender unto any entity besides Supreme Spirit will lead to misery, heartache and disappointment in the end. Hell is a temporary condition brought on by separation from Krishna and deviation from the path of righteousness He has set forth. Piety and sin are merely activities which lead to temporary positive and negative circumstances. Piety is the right way to do something, so one who abides by it will gradually come closer to the state of loving God.

The Hare Krishna movement in its modern form was started around five hundred years ago by Lord Chaitanya, a preacher incarnation of Krishna who appeared in India. Up until that time, the Vedas were seen as something to be learned only in isolated confines through personal surrender to a guru, or spiritual master. Moreover, if one wasn’t born into the system of varnashrama-dharma, they were deemed unfit for taking in Vedic wisdom. Certainly the highest truths of the Vedas can’t be understood by everyone, but in the current age where the world’s population is spread across so many different areas, with individuals taking to different activities, there should be some way for others to at least be given the chance to learn about the soul should they be interested. This was the mission taken up by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who through chanting the holy names of God in public, spread love for Godhead all throughout India. His travel itinerary shouldn’t fool us into thinking that He only wanted to teach Indians. Rather, the travels of He and His associates stretched the limits of modern technology at the time. His desire was that everyone should hear the Lord’s name, regardless of where they lived, for the Lord’s name automatically evokes feelings of attachments for the other aspects of the Divine Personality, such as forms, pastimes and qualities.

“Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates of the Pancha-tattva distributed the holy name of the Lord to invoke love of Godhead throughout the universe, and thus the entire universe was thankful.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 7.163)

So how does the Hare Krishna movement differ from other spiritual movements which are sometimes perceived to be fanatical? Indeed, how does real bhakti differ from what others know to be Hinduism? The aim of pure bhakti is to get every conditioned entity to simply shift the nature of their activities. Everyone is already accustomed to hearing about something; be it the news, weather, sports or some account of a notable personality. Those following bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, also engage in hearing, but they focus on topics relating to Krishna and His devotees. Hearing is the most powerful and effective way to take in information. When focused on spiritual topics, the hearing process delivers transcendental nectar. Mankind is also accustomed to eating, so the Vaishnava preacher simply asks that others eat Krishna prasadam, sanctified food first offered to the deity representation of the Supreme Lord. Everyone is already accustomed to dancing, so under the bhakti mindset, dancing can be done in accordance with songs praising Krishna and His eternal pleasure potencies.

The pattern should be easy to decipher by now. Bhakti, the purification of all activity and thought, involves adding God to every aspect of our lives. In its purest state, bhakti is practiced not out of fear or the desire for the alleviation of distress, but rather out of pure love. As is quite obvious to seasoned adults, no individual can force another to love them. The marriage system is filled with so much turmoil because it is not possible to get another person to behave “perfectly”. Interpersonal conflicts are a byproduct of the free-will propensity possessed by the living entities. Thus for love of God to be pure, there cannot be any force. The exchanges between individual spirit and Supreme Spirit in the highest state of purity are spontaneous, unmotivated and uninterrupted.

Just as there are already the practices of hearing, eating and dancing, the living entity is similarly accustomed to chanting. Usually a popular song is recited in the mind or the name of a notable personality is repeated. Lord Chaitanya’s sankirtana movement asks that everyone simply chant the Lord’s names in a loving way in order to be delivered from any calamitous situation. No phrase better packs the potency of the holy name than the maha-mantra: “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The central practice of the Hare Krishnas is the congregational chanting of this sacred formula, a collective sound vibration which can be accompanied by mrdangas, karatalas and other instruments. For the sublime preacher, the louder the sounds of sankirtana the better, as the more people that hear the holy name of the Lord, the greater the benefit to humanity there will be.

Since the followers of Lord Chaitanya openly take to preaching, they are bound to be up for scrutiny, especially from those who don’t understand the intricacies of the movement. There are several criticisms lodged against the benevolent bhaktas, with many coming from followers of other Vedic-based traditions. One criticism is that the Hare Krishnas are simply performing fanatical worship without any solid basis in philosophy or intelligence. This line of criticism is a little humorous considering the founder of the movement’s unsurpassed level of intelligence. Since Lord Chaitanya was an incarnation of Krishna, His knowledge was perfect on all subject matters. In His youth He was known as Nimai Pandita because His scholarship was so great. He could pick apart any argument or set of words and explain them properly by attaching them to Krishna. He would argue in favor of one viewpoint very seriously and then in the next minute completely debunk His previous argument with a new one. He could go on and on essentially debating with Himself; thus proving the fallacy of trying to explain anything in terms of its relationship to material nature. An activity or object only takes on its true meaning when it is understood in terms of its link to God.

The chanting and dancing aspects to sankirtana are only the surface, or face, of the movement. Behind such a practice is a deep-rooted love for God, a level of attachment firmly grounded in the highest truths of the Vedas. The body of literature produced by the true followers of bhakti is evidence enough of the philosophy’s superiority and the unmatched level of affection felt by the authors towards the Supreme Lord. Though Lord Chaitanya didn’t write any books Himself, He empowered generations of followers to write as much as they could. The brothers Shrila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami, direct disciples of Lord Chaitanya, are giants of the Vaishnava literary world. Though they wrote their books during medieval times, they didn’t spare a minute in service of Krishna. They wrote volumes upon volumes of books, so much so that one would find it hard to believe that they could have compiled such in-depth and logically sound studies pertaining to religion. The great acharyas who followed these brothers, including Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and more recently His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, wrote lifetimes worth of literature expounding on the philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference between the living entities and God. This philosophy, known as achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, is presented practically through the chanting of Hare Krishna, but for those who are further interested in understanding the intricacies of the nature of the relationship between individual spirit and Supreme Spirit, they can consult the works authored by these exalted saints. It should be noted that bhakti is such a strong practice that even those devotees who don’t directly follow in Lord Chaitanya’s line are similarly able to produce volumes of cogent and thought-provoking literature. Goswami Tulsidas authored ridiculously brilliant, bliss-evoking and logical devotional poetry in praise of Lord Rama, another historical personality who was an incarnation of Krishna.

The bhaktas, or those following bhakti, are able to produce so many substantial writings because it is the nature of the soul to be blissful and full of knowledge. The intrinsic knowledge of the soul is uncovered through activities which appear to be related to ordinary knowledge-gathering. But what these studies actually do is uncover the nescience that envelops the soul in the conditioned state. The great saints of the past actually could have gone on writing forever. Their body of work as it stands now could have been multiplied many times over should they have remained on this earth even longer. This illustrates how the bhakti movement reigns supreme over all others in its ability to explain, with sound reasoning and understanding, the superiority of loving God over any other practice, spiritual or material.

“Let not the wise disrupt the minds of the ignorant who are attached to fruitive action. They should not be encouraged to refrain from work, but to engage in work in the spirit of devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 3.26)

Another argument presented by those who are against the practice of the Hare Krishnas is that the section of the population that is averse to bhakti should be left alone. In fact, Lord Krishna even mentions something similar to this in the Bhagavad-gita, wherein He advises Arjuna not to bother those who are overly attached to sense gratification. Lord Chaitanya’s movement actually doesn’t violate this principle in any way. The chanting of Hare Krishna is a peaceful and loving practice aimed at attracting those who are fed up with material existence. Sankirtana is not intended to convert those who are staunch atheists and non-believers of the existence of spirit. After all, such preaching efforts would be a waste of time, for the preacher would have nothing to gain by engaging in useless argument. The congregational chanting of Hare Krishna is meant to attract those who have an open mind and are looking for a deeper philosophical understanding of spirituality than that presented by others.

Another argument made against the practices of the benevolent bhakti preachers is that religion should be a personal pursuit, not something imposed on others. “I have my own religious beliefs, but I would never tell anyone else how they should think or behave.” This mindset actually shows a lack of evolution of sorts on the part of those who are unwilling to share their spiritual beliefs. Fanaticism, or the enthusiastic distribution of a certain opinion or philosophy, is already seen in virtually every other area of life. Movies, television shows, consumer products and sporting heroes are promoted and talked about by their fans, those who derive enjoyment through association. These admirers don’t keep their feelings to themselves, but rather they share their opinions with others so that they will be similarly benefitted. In the realm of spirituality, the ultimate objective is to develop an intimate relationship with the Supreme Spirit. On this point there is little doubt or contention. However, if full surrender to Krishna practiced through the regulative principles of bhakti brings me satisfaction, shouldn’t I tell others about my experiences? If I kept this information to myself, how would others ever come to know of Krishna and devotion to Him?  Moreover, had previous generations of devotees chose to remain quiet, how would I have ever learned about the sublime engagement of divine love?

It must be said that simply behaving properly according to the regulative principles of bhakti is enough to teach others to some extent. The best way to get through to friends and dependents is to lead by example. At the same time, if one is able to take things one step further and withstand the scrutiny that comes with preaching, they should most certainly take the risk. After all, the only harm that can come from open preaching is the bruising of the ego that comes from the criticisms hurled by others. Yet a truly advanced devotee is not bothered by the opinions of anyone, especially considering that bhakti practices are supported by great personalities like Lord Chaitanya and His followers. If a noble and selfless individual is confident enough to dance and sing in public about Krishna without any shame, shouldn’t they be praised for their benevolence, their ability to show practical evidence of the claims made by the Vedas?

“When a person is actually advanced and takes pleasure in chanting the holy name of the Lord, who is very dear to him, he is agitated and loudly chants the holy name. He also laughs, cries, becomes agitated and chants just like a madman, not caring for outsiders.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 11.2.40)

Another argument made against the Hare Krishnas is that they are not serving mankind. They are simply forcing their own religious beliefs down everyone’s throats and not allowing others to live their lives. Under this mindset, it is better to take to humanitarian efforts since that can actually help people. Yet in reality, the Hare Krishna movement is based completely on service to man. The difference between bhakti and any other type of service is that bhakti actually saves the soul within. Service to man is certainly nice, but one must know how to serve. A sick man is restricted from eating certain foods, so if another person, through the attitude of charity and benevolence, offers the sick person any restricted item, they are essentially harming them. If a person is addicted to intoxication and illicit sex, giving them more opportunities for engaging in such behavior is providing the greatest disservice.

“Whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.5)

Everyone is looking for happiness and enjoyment, for this propensity is derived from the constitutional position of the soul. Only the bhakti movement seeks to deliver the purified version of the pleasure that everyone is so desperately searching after. One whose consciousness is completely focused on the form of the Personality of Godhead at the time of death will no longer have to suffer through birth and death. This boon is greater than any other temporary relief that is offered by the welfare workers and philanthropists. The divine consciousness can only be reawakened by taking to acts of bhakti, the simplest and most effective of which is the chanting of Hare Krishna.

Fanatical behavior, or the exhibition of uninhibited love, in any area of life besides bhakti will quickly burn out or dry up. The same can’t be said of love for Krishna. Any other type of spiritual practice, be it a ritualistic performance in accordance with karma, silent meditation or philosophical study of Vedanta, does not bring eternal pleasure. At best, these practices can lead to the stage of bhakti, but they can never equal the pleasure and happiness provided by Krishna’s companionship. It is not surprising to see those who are married to processes other than bhakti take to labeling true lovers of God as fanatics. Lord Chaitanya, the greatest “fanatic”, was known for His never-before-seen displays of sublime affection, attachment and excitement towards loving service to Krishna.  He kindly bestowed His mercy on humanity by inaugurating the sankirtana movement. He is still delivering souls to this day, so anyone who is wise enough to grab the hand that He is so kindly extending will be benefitted with the eternal association of Krishna in the spiritual world, the land of the undying fanatics.

I Love People

“It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the benefit of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.22.35)

Charity is typically viewed as a noble activity; something worth taking up. Those who are charitable and enjoy the activity will naturally try to encourage others to follow suit, with the rewards for giving being peace, tranquility, and self-satisfaction. Though surely some will take to charity for the wrong reasons, those who expound on the gloriousness of the service do so because it has brought them great joy. If we find something in life that makes us happy, we like to share our experiences with our friends and family. It is precisely this desire, that of wanting to spread the greatest joy and wealth, that drives the ultimate welfare workers to perform the greatest benefit to all of society. While there may be differences of opinion as to which activities are enjoyable and what are not, the key distinction between a self-satisfied person and a perpetually frustrated one is consciousness. The most potent welfare activity is to use all our wealth, intelligence, and words towards helping others elevate their consciousness.

According to Vedic information – that sublime knowledge system passed down by Shri Krishna Himself in the illustrious Bhagavad-gita – charity can take on three different natures. Regardless of the mode, the act of giving remains unchanged, but the differences lie in the motivations of those doing the giving. The modes of charity match up directly with the modes of nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. These modes can be thought of as mindsets, driving forces behind specific activities. If a person takes to charity for absolutely no good purpose, or worse, a nefarious one, that giving is deemed part of the mode of ignorance. It is titled as such because there is no benefit provided to anyone, either the giver or the receiver. A simple example of this type of charity is the donation of alcohol or intoxicants to a destitute man who is himself an addict. Such charity proves harmful to the receiver because it keeps them bound to their addiction, and it is equally as harmful to the giver because they have served as the impetus for the further drowning of the addicted man.

Charity given in the mode of passion has a desired personal benefit in mind. This practice is most prevalent in the business world. In order to impress a client or give their company a good image, a CEO will donate a large sum of money to a specific charity. In return, they will receive a plaque, t-shirt, or general recognition from the community which will boost their stature. In many instances, a large donation can get you a seat at the table with other key players in the business field. Since this behavior isn’t really much different from any other kind of fruitive activity belonging to the mode of passion, there is really no tangible benefit received by the giver.

“That gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a worthy person, and without expectation of return, is considered to be charity in the mode of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 17.20)

Charity in the mode of goodness is given to the proper recipient, at the proper time, and without any expectation of reciprocation. Though one would be tempted to equate this type of charity to the monetary donations given to worthwhile causes such as disease research and aid for the downtrodden, there is another vital aspect to charity that must be present in order for the donation to be classified in the goodness category. The actual gift being given must be worthwhile to the receiver. For the gift to have a tangible value, the receiver must also be worthy of the charity offered to them.

To understand these concepts more clearly, we can go back to the example of giving alcohol to the addict. Initially we may think that such and such a person is not well off and thus any charity will be helping them. But in fact, our generous giving only makes their condition worse. A diseased patient is restricted from partaking of certain foods. If we were to think, “Oh, I will be magnanimous and kind to this person by giving them the nicest food. That will show that I am kind and compassionate.” While the attitude may be nice, the giving of prohibited foods can kill the patient. In this way, our so-called charitable nature can prove to be lethal.

So how do we determine who is a proper recipient and what they should be given? To decipher this, we must first understand who we are, the nature of our current predicament, and what steps are required to escape from it. The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, state that the root cause behind the existence of the material world is the desire of the wayward spirit souls to separate from their supreme loveable object: God. Though God is described in different terms depending on geographic location and spiritual tradition, His properties never change. He is all-encompassing and all-powerful in every area, especially enjoyment. Perfection in life is achieved when one realizes that God is the best friend of the living entities, the original owner of all worldly objects, and the ultimate enjoyer. This last aspect is the most important. For God to enjoy, He must have others around who give Him pleasure. This is where our services are best rendered.

As individual sparks emanating from the original powerhouse, we are meant to always be in association with the Supreme Energetic. Since this most powerful entity is the greatest enjoyer and one who gives the most pleasure to others, His original name is Krishna. Lord Krishna has a transcendental form which is full of bliss and knowledge. The material world, a realm where the tiny fragmental spiritual sparks known as individuals are separated from the Lord, is considered a miserable place. The aim of life thus becomes to remove oneself from the temporary separated status by rekindling the dormant love for Krishna. The key to achieving success is changing one’s consciousness.

Religion and spirituality are often associated with dresses, functions, rites, rituals, and regulations. While these aspects certainly do help the conditioned soul return to the spiritual world, the glue that holds everything together is consciousness. More than anything else, it is one’s mindset that determines their happiness and their fate in life. We can think of it in this way: Let’s say we have two people who are in the same position. They are both sitting on a couch inside of a room. From our perspective as an outsider, we can only see each person sitting down and nothing else; we can’t see their surroundings. One person is in an empty room, while the other is sitting in front of a television. After a few hours, we’ll notice that one person looks quite unhappy and agitated, while the other looks very content. They are both in the exact same situation, but one person is being entertained by television, while another is not. Since their physical dispositions are exactly the same, we can conclude that the only difference is in consciousness. One person’s mind is being stimulated and entertained by visual images and sounds, while the other’s is left to ponder the emptiness of the surrounding room.

This one example can be expanded out on a larger scale to show that the key to happiness and enjoyment is consciousness. We may be able to remove obvious sources of distress such as disease, poverty, and family infighting, but the individual will still be left with their mind and time. Time is the greatest agent for change, for it is always working at diminishing whatever favorable or unfavorable conditions we find ourselves in. Even if we have accumulated the greatest amount of wealth and material possessions, we can still be left unsatisfied, as the mind will always want more and more. Thus we see that in any and all situations time and consciousness remain the predominant forces.

The key to enjoyment is to shift to a permanent consciousness, wherein one can perform any activity, at any time, and still remain satisfied. For the mind to be satisfied, it must focus on something which provides the greatest amount of pleasure. Not surprisingly, that person is Krishna, or God. This brings us to the ultimate activity in life, the only discipline worth taking up. Bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, aims to keep one’s consciousness always fixed on Krishna. Through acts of hearing, remembering, worshiping, and offering prayers, one can remain in steady contact with Krishna. For the people of this age, the easiest and most effective method of purifying consciousness is the regular chanting of the holy names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

The effectiveness of chanting is multi-faceted. For starters, it can be performed anywhere and at any time. Secondly, it takes care of the hearing process at the same time; a practice which is the most effective for acquiring knowledge and intelligence. Knowledge and renunciation are two byproducts that automatically come with bhakti. Whatever information we need to help us in life can be automatically gained through taking to bhakti. The same holds true for renunciation from those activities which are deemed the most harmful to us, such as intoxication, illicit sex, and meat eating.

Since chanting can be performed out loud, anywhere and at any time, the person doing the chanting essentially becomes a giver. In order for there to be a donor, there must be a receiver. Since the effectiveness of chanting lies with hearing, the receivers are those who hear the sweet transcendental sound vibrations emanating from the chanter. Simply hearing the sounds of Krishna’s names is enough to bring one to the transcendental plane of consciousness. In this way, we see that the greatest welfare activity is to bring the fallen souls of this age to the platform of Krishna consciousness through steady chanting and dedication to bhakti-yoga.

Since the material world is full of frustration, there are times when we will not want to be charitable. For example, if we have a bad experience with a rude person or someone who cheats us, we might be tempted to voice such sentiments as “I hate people” to ourselves. This simple phrase sums up the attitude of frustration and the isolation that results from it. The “I hate people” mindset results in less interaction with others, and thus less of a chance for helping our fellow man.

“That knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all existences, undivided in the divided, is knowledge in the mode of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 18.20)

If we apply a little intelligence, however, we’ll realize that one or two bad apples shouldn’t skewer our view of everyone else. In the grand scheme of things, everyone is the same, for we all are spirit souls who are meant to be lovers of God. Sometimes it is difficult to take to charity because we may not want to help our fellow man. Either we feel that everyone is mean, or that they have enough to get by on their own. Even if we do help them, maybe they won’t be grateful for our service.

To those whose angle of vision has been corrected through ascension to the Krishna consciousness platform, everyone in society becomes eligible for rescue through the sound vibrations of Krishna’s names. No other welfare activity carries this property. Helping the downtrodden in a material sense is certainly nice, but not everyone is destitute. Moreover, ordinary charitable activity requires a means test, wherein the donor must take stock of which persons are needy and which ones aren’t. Similar tests for eligibility are also present in other ventures such as finding cures for diseases and helping those who are pushing a political cause.

Since bhakti-yoga is the natural disposition of the soul, everyone is eligible to adopt it as their way of life. Only the sweet, benevolent, and liberated devotee of the Lord adopts the “I love people” mindset and truly means it. What to say of ordinary people, the lover of Krishna is even benevolent to the animal kingdom, including the cows and ants. The devotee benefits others with their words by only speaking about Krishna and bhakti-yoga and by regularly chanting His names. The bhakta, the sincere servant of the Supreme Pleasurable, utilizes their knowledge towards serving others by regularly speaking of the supremacy of the sublime engagement of devotional service and by cutting down the bogus philosophies of the gross materialists who take their paltry enjoyment to be superior. The Vaishnava, the devotee of Vishnu [Krishna], benefits society by using their wealth only for the satisfaction of Krishna. Money is required to do anything significant in life, so the devotee doesn’t shun wealth or monetary gains. Rather, they use everything at their disposal towards furthering the cause of universal brotherhood, peace, and love brought on by the bhakti mindset.

“For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 18.68-69)

As mentioned before, charity must be given to the right person and at the right time. The objects being given must also be of value to the recipient. Under the “I love people” mindset, the bhakta takes to charity that is always in line with the scriptures. For those who are not yet firmly convinced of the supremacy of bhakti-yoga and the futility of life without Krishna, helping out the noble servants of God, the dedicated preachers, is a great way to take to charity. Such sacrifice is always timely and never goes in vain. Since the Vaishnavas are the representatives of the Lord in this world, they are like a giant tree from which branches of knowledge, intelligence, and good fortune sprout. Therefore anyone who regularly waters this tree will surely be benefitted, for the Lord will take very kindly to such a person.

The Unheralded Sampradaya

“’Dear child, You live long just to protect us.’ While they were blessing child Krishna in this way, they offered a mixture of turmeric powder with oil, yogurt, milk and water. They not only sprinkled this mixture on the body of child Krishna but on all other persons who were present there.” (Women of Vrindavana celebrating Krishna’s birth, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 5)

Piety is exhibited in a variety of ways; there is no singular behavior that exclusively indicates the high level of understanding a person possesses. Knowledge of the Absolute Truth is difficult to take in and understand; hence those who are able to grasp this highest wisdom are deemed intelligent and worthy of returning to the eternal spiritual kingdom in the afterlife. It is the basic Vedic tenet that one’s consciousness at the time of death determines the circumstances of their next life. Indeed, this is a basic law of spiritual science, the discipline that focuses on the inner workings of the driving force of matter, spirit. The soul remains forever alive, but due to the different outer coverings it assumes, we tend to think in terms of life and death. When one is in full knowledge of the differences between body and soul, the individual’s relationship to the Supreme Absolute Truth – the ever-existing, incomprehensibly powerful Supreme Lord – they become eligible for emancipation, or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. While acquiring knowledge pertaining to spiritual matters is certainly helpful, it is more beneficial to actually live one’s life based off the tenets of spirituality. In this way, even those who are not outwardly recognized as teachers, preachers, and religious men, can still prove to be the greatest exponents of the sublime engagement of devotional service, the religion of love. No one group better exhibits the effectiveness of teaching-by-action than do the Vaishnava women, the single-most praiseworthy collection of individuals to have ever roamed this earth.

Why make the distinction between men and women? Moreover, what is so special about a Vaishnava? The Vedas are the ancient truths of life, spiritual and material, that emanate from India. While their collective teachings are commonly known as the Hindu faith, the truths found within are not sectarian in the least bit. Rather, “Veda” is simply a Sanskrit word for knowledge. Since the human being is meant to inquire about the Absolute Truth – that higher authority who is beyond duality and free from the influences of time and space – the term “Veda” naturally refers to spirituality, or more accurately, sanatana-dharma. One’s occupational duty, the activities they are naturally inclined to perform based off their essential characteristic, is their dharma. “Sanatana” is a word that means “without beginning and without end”. Therefore, spirituality, those activities which seek to connect individual spirit with Supreme Spirit, is our inherent and ever-existing duty.

The Absolute Truth is a singular entity who kindly expands Himself into many non-different forms for the benefit of the individual souls. Each non-different form allows for the worship of God in a mood specific to the adherent’s taste. Of all the different divine forms, the original is known by the name of Krishna. He is described as such because of His all-attractive nature. While Krishna is exquisitely beautiful and the provider of sublime sweetness, His immediate expansion of Lord Vishnu is generally more opulent and thus suited for those who prefer to worship God with a reverential attitude. Is there any other way to worship God? Contrary to the image of a fearful, aged, or angry God, the Supreme Lord is meant to be the supreme pleasure giver to those seeking pleasure, the individual life forms roaming in this and innumerable other universes. Since Vishnu and Krishna are the same entity, devotees of either personality are referred to as Vaishnavas. There will always be minor squabbles and debates as to which personality is superior and original, but at the end of the day, such talk is merely an indication of the great affection felt towards the individual’s specific divine object of worship.

Since the Vedas represent the supreme system of knowledge, the prescriptions they provide for societal maintenance are aimed at helping the individual souls remain committed to their dharma. Not all the prescriptions apply to every single person, for there are varying levels of intelligence and different desires based on the type of body assumed, one’s age, and the specific time period of creation they inhabit. There are generally different dharmas, or specific rule sets, for men and women. It is not that there is any difference in the spiritual makeup of either gender, but rather, there are different qualities inherent to the body types. The men are deemed to be stronger, and thus the enjoyers, while the women are deemed to be more suited towards caretaking, raising families, and beautifying external objects. Women are taken to be the enjoyed. Again, there are always exceptions to these natural inclinations, but the Vedic prescriptions are aimed at providing the most streamlined set of rules and regulations that allow for a peaceful coexistence between both genders.

“Actually, the cultivation of knowledge or renunciation, which are favorable for achieving a footing in Krishna consciousness, may be accepted in the beginning, but ultimately they may also come to be rejected, for devotional service is dependent on nothing other than the sentiment or desire for such service.” (Shrila Prabhupada, The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 14)

The men are deemed to be generally more advanced in knowledge-acquiring capabilities. It is certainly understandable that some would take offense to such a statement, but there are certain caveats that must be noted. For starters, this generalization applies simply to empirical knowledge, and not to devotion to God or the purification of one’s consciousness. While it is certainly nice to acquire a higher level of intelligence, it doesn’t necessarily equate to advancement in spiritual life. Enhanced knowledge of material affairs can often divert one’s attention towards building bombs, investigating areas of material science that only further increase the necessity demands put on the gross body, and developing theories which deny the existence of God. In this way, one’s increased knowledge actually hurts them in the end. In fact, the nadir of material existence, the last snare of maya’s influence, is when man thinks that He is God, for this is the root cause behind the conditioned living entity’s fall down to the material world and their subsequent repetition of birth and death.

Due to the differences between men and women, there are different dharmas, or occupational duties prescribed. One’s ultimate dharma, or natural characteristic, never changes. The soul is the same regardless of the particular life form, so this means that one’s natural loving propensity always remains. The subordinate dharmas, the specific prescribed regulations pertaining to material life, are put into place so as to allow the natural loving propensity to be purified and directed at the proper entity. In the conditioned state, the living entity directs their love towards friends, family, countrymen, pets, the down-trodden, and the material senses. Dharma allows for the gradual diversion of the loving propensity towards the Supreme Spirit, the ultimate pleasure-giver, Lord Krishna.

Based on the different dharmas prescribed, men generally take to learning about the Vedas and women take to raising children and maintaining the family. It should be noted that the job of a homemaker is one of the most difficult occupations there is. Unlike an office job, there is no time off in maintaining a household. There is no clocking in or out; one is always on the job. In the traditional Vedic system, men take to learning about the Vedas, and when they are old enough, they marry a suitable girl. In the marriage institution, known as the grihastha-ashrama, the wife worships the husband as her primary deity, and the husband worships Lord Vishnu. Since both parties are performing their duties properly, there is an equality of purpose that results and a oneness in outcome. The husband is simply the via-medium to the Lord, so through kindly serving her husband, the chaste and devoted wife is actually serving Vishnu.

“Anyone who quits his body, at the end of life, remembering Me, attains immediately to My nature; and there is no doubt of this.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.5)

The aim of life is to alter one’s consciousness to the point where they are always thinking about Krishna, Vishnu, or any other non-different expansion of the Divine. When this consciousness is fully matured at the time of death, the conditioned soul immediately becomes liberated. At that time, they return to the imperishable spiritual realm, wherefrom they never have to return. When one is already Krishna conscious during their time on earth, it is natural for them to take to preaching. This is an outgrowth of their acquired intelligence. Learning the differences between spirit and matter and the nature of the Absolute Truth are certainly beneficial to the person receiving the information, but it is even better if the same truths are then distributed throughout society to those who are sincerely interested in returning to the spiritual world.

The Vaishnava’s primary instruction is that one should take up devotional acts, or bhakti-yoga, and purify their consciousness. The quintessential act of bhakti is the regular chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Along with abstention from basic sins such as meat eating, gambling, illicit sex, and intoxication, one can very quickly make progress in spiritual life. The more one practices bhakti, the more their knowledge of spirituality increases. Since they are in direct connection with Krishna, they naturally start to see His influence in everything. When a person sees Krishna in everything and everyone, their vision is perfect.

Bhakti is actually so powerful that it is not dependent on education, caste, or gender. Moreover, one doesn’t necessarily have to be a preacher to be in perfect union with the Supreme Lord. Generally, the preachers of the Vaishnava tradition have been males who took instruction from their spiritual master, or guru. The guru is considered a direct representative of the Supreme Lord because he took instruction from his own guru, who in turn was taught by his own spiritual master. Ascending the chain of preceptors all the way to the top, you eventually reach Krishna. Interestingly enough, there is another chain of disciplic succession, or sampradaya, which consists entirely of women. This spiritual tradition is often overlooked, but its influence and effectiveness in imbibing God consciousness cannot be denied. This tradition belongs to the Vaishnava women, those purified souls who embody bhakti in all their thoughts, words, and deeds.

The best way to understand the workings of this sampradaya is to study the example of an ideal Vaishnava family. Say that we have a husband who is a devotee of Krishna and a wife who is chaste and abiding by the principles of the Vedas. While the husband performs his own religious duties, along with whatever occupational duties he has, the wife takes charge of managing the household affairs. In addition to taking care of the children, she will make sure to perform arati regularly, worship the deity, prepare nice foodstuffs to be offered to the Lord, and maintain the general appearance of the household. She will also receive guests nicely and feed them sumptuous Krishna prasadam.

Continuing with this example, let’s say that the couple has two children, one male and one female. When the male grows up and gets married, the newlyweds will likely live with the husband’s parents. In this instance, the duties of the mother expand, as she now has a new member of the family in the daughter-in-law. The mother will teach the daughter-in-law everything she knows about religion, i.e. bhakti-yoga. She will teach the new wife how to take care of her husband, the household, guests, and most importantly, the Supreme Lord. This same information will be taught to the daughter of the mother prior to her marriage. This way, when she gets married, she will take the traditions learned from her mother to her new family.

As time goes on, the same traditions get passed from generation to generation, from mothers to their daughters and daughters-in-law. At this point one may question where the knowledge of spirituality belonging to the original wife, the matriarch of the family, came from. After all, if she was never educated by a guru, wherefrom did she learn who God was, what He looked like, and what prayers to offer Him? The original spiritual master of the world is Krishna, but through His different incarnations that appeared on earth in the ancient past, a very nice system of religious tradition was started. The exalted women of the Vedic tradition such as Sita Devi, Kunti Devi, Mother Yashoda, and countless others ensured that the subtle sampradaya, the unseen disciplic succession of family tradition, remained intact. The behavior of these exalted women has been documented in sacred texts like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavata Purana, so anyone can learn from their examples today.

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend Myself.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 4.7)

But as we all know, sometimes traditions get broken. New movements crop up all the time, and their appeal is that they are modern and forward thinking. “Reject the outdated models of the past” is the outcry of the social evolutionists. When the influence of these concocted systems of dharma is very strong, the Supreme Lord often comes Himself to reinstitute the real principles of religion. In other instances, He empowers exalted living entities, divine preachers, to spread the gospel of loving service to the Lord. These preachers are the supreme welfare workers, for their message is not limited to any specific group of people. The Vedic scholars, those who take to strictly studying Vedanta philosophy, often believe that Vedic wisdom is not meant for the less intelligent or that Vedic wisdom can’t be understood by everyone. In this day and age, however, the most exalted preacher, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a direct incarnation of Krishna, taught the essence of the Vedas through the chanting of Krishna’s names. Through preaching bhakti-yoga, Lord Chaitanya allowed Vedic wisdom to be available to everyone.

Another exalted expounder of bhakti was Goswami Tulsidas, a prolific poet, writer, and all-around saintly person. Through writing beautiful poetry in praise of Lord Rama, a celebrated incarnation of Vishnu, Tulsidas spread the glories of God and bhakti-yoga throughout India. Though the popularity of his poetry increased very rapidly, people often misunderstand his intentions and his belief system. One of the more common misconceptions is that Tulsidas somehow didn’t like women or that he was against the female gender. One can find random quotes here and there, many of which are simply references to Vedic statements, that seem to support this claim, but Tulsidas was actually one of the greatest teachers of women, empowering them with the sword of transcendental knowledge acquired through the hearing process. He singlehandedly kept alive and strengthened the subtle sampradaya of the Vaishnava women. He taught housewives and young girls all about Lord Rama through his poetry, which was often sung in a formalized setting. In this way, people could learn high Vedic concepts through music. In India, in the not too distant past, one could meet many married women who grew up to be illiterate. Because they were married at a young age, they never attended school. Yet through knowledge acquired from the hymns of Tulsidas, they could still run circles around others in the knowledge department as it related to the pastimes and glories of Shri Rama, Lakshmana, Janaki, and Hanuman. Lord Rama is a non-different form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lakshmana is His younger brother, Janaki [Sita Devi] His wife, and Hanuman His most dear friend and servant.

Though it’s nice to be familiar with theoretical knowledge pertaining to spirituality, it’s more beneficial to practically apply these concepts in one’s daily life. This is precisely the way the women of the Vedic tradition behave. They not only chant the Ramayana, Hanuman Chalisa, and other Vaishnava poems glorifying the Lord and His devotees, but they live Krishna consciousness; they worship the Supreme Lord through their activities. They ensure that the family is well-protected and maintained and that the husband is kept happy. Not only does this practice ensure a stable family, but it leads to the betterment of society. When children are well-cared for and looked after in the home, they will grow up to be good citizens. When Krishna’s name is always glorified in the home, children can’t help but grow up to be Krishna conscious. They in turn will pass on the same tradition to their children.

While we may not all become great expounders of the high philosophy exclusive to the Vedas, we can adjust our activities in such a way that we are living Krishna consciousness. This is the example set by the exalted Vaishnava women, the keepers of the faith. Though they may be considered unintelligent in the material estimation, they are lacking nothing in respect to the highest knowledge. They have proved to be one of the strongest traditions of spiritual education the world has ever seen. Through the power of the holy names of the Lord found in the sacred hymns of the most benevolent Vaishnava saints, this wonderful tradition will hopefully continue forever. By taking to devotional service, any family can become strengthened for many generations. Devotional service is self-illuminating, so anyone who regularly engages in activities such as chanting, hearing, and remembering, will surely acquire all the good qualities possessed by one who is in full Krishna consciousness. Just as the ordinary trees lining the path to heaven become objects of worship due to their association with God, any individual, regardless of their outward appearance, becomes worshipable and the source of supreme knowledge by chanting the Lord’s names.

Paramahamsa

“If we give a swan milk mixed with water, the swan will take the milk and leave aside the water. Similarly, this material world is made of two natures—the inferior nature and the superior nature. The superior nature means spiritual life, and the inferior nature is material life. Thus a person who gives up the material part of this world and takes only the spiritual part is called paramahamsa.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Teachings of Queen Kunti, Ch 3)

There are generally three different grades of transcendentalists. They can be thought of as spiritualists who are playing at different levels in the most important game of life. Just as one can choose ascending levels of difficulty when playing a particular video game, a transcendentalist adopts different mindsets based on their knowledge and feelings towards others. The topmost transcendentalist is known as a paramahamsa. This term wasn’t accidentally conjured up; it has deep meaning. “Parama” refers to the topmost or supreme, and “hamsa” refers to a swan. A swan is unique in its ability to take a mixture of milk and water and separate the milk portion. The paramahamsa spiritualist is similarly able to see God in everything and everyone. Therefore their viewpoint is considered supreme and at a level that anyone would benefit from ascending to. Nevertheless, to help the fallen conditioned living entities, i.e. those who are not paramahamsas, the topmost transcendentalists step down from their perch. This voluntary descension from the highest platform of understanding, done for the purposes of preaching, only solidifies the paramahamsa’s supreme stature.

“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.4)

God is everything; there is no denying this fact. Indeed, God is in everyone, but everyone is not God. This may seem like circular logic, but if we apply a little intelligence, we’ll understand its validity. According to the information passed down in the Vedic tradition, there are two distinct entities which exist simultaneously and eternally: the Supreme Soul and the individual souls. Though the individual souls aren’t singular, they are taken as one entity in this discussion due to their similar natures. The individual souls are eternal, full of knowledge, and always blissful. The Supreme Soul, who is known most famously by the name of God, also possesses these qualities but to a greater degree. Not only do these two entities exist, but there is an inherent relationship that binds them. The individual souls, being inferior, are meant to be the loving servitors of the Supreme. This natural condition is described by the term “dharma”. Dharma is an essential characteristic, and when applied to the individual soul, the basic functional unit of life, it relates to the natural love that individuals feel towards God. This affection is completely pure and uncontaminated; a love that is exercised through the free-will characteristic of the purified soul. Thus we see that pure love for God is neither forced nor expected, but rather, it is voluntarily adopted by the soul due to its dharma.

So this seems pretty simple enough; we are all lovers of God. But then how did we end up in our present condition? Surely not everyone is acting out their affection for the Supreme Lord, for there are so many calamities that take place on a daily basis. How can murderers, rapists, and enemies of religion be considered lovers of God? The Vedas, the original set of law codes passed down by the Supreme Spirit, inform us that the present condition the individual souls, the jivas, find themselves in is due to the misuse of free will. When the loving propensity of spirit is aimed at any target other than God, the result is an unpalatable condition. Yet the Supreme Lord doesn’t deny desire. He never compels anyone to love Him; otherwise the definition of free will has no meaning. The Supreme Lord always respects the game.

In order for love to be directed at someone or something other than God, a realm is required, a playing field if you will. This is where the material world fits into the equation. In order to play on this field, the purified soul requires an outside covering, a uniform if you will. Just as players on various sports teams get traded every now and then based on their desires and the wishes of management, the individual souls change uniforms, or material bodies, from life to life based on the work they perform and their desires measured at the time of death. As long as the loving propensity remains contaminated or misdirected, the playing field continues to serve as the soul’s home. When the individual sheds their false ego and attachment to matter, they can begin to take the steps necessary towards rekindling their natural spiritual relationship. At that time, the material elements lose their effect, and the liberated soul eventually returns to the purified realm where they can act out their supreme dharma.

Though the aforementioned knowledge is freely available for anyone to absorb, even the spiritually inclined individuals will adopt differing viewpoints during their time on earth. On the most basic level, there are those who may be completely unaware of the differences between matter and spirit and the existence of dharma; yet they may still be interested in spiritual life, so they take to acquiring knowledge and studying under a bona fide teacher, one who knows the Vedas inside and out. The next level of transcendentalist firmly believes in the tenets of the Vedas and the true nature of dharma. When they see others misusing their independence and redirecting their natural love towards objects of family, sex life, pets, nation, community, or the downtrodden, the intermediate transcendentalist will take to preaching the message of the Vedas in a kind way. They will inform everyone of the existence of God, whose original form is that of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They will educate others about how different religions exist due simply to the different inherent desires of society over the course of time. The preacher will ask everyone to unite under one mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, and refrain from the four pillars of sinful life: meat eating, gambling, illicit sex, and intoxication.

The highest level of transcendentalist, however, doesn’t see any distinctions between people. He is completely aware of the existence of God and the aim of human life, i.e. that of maintaining a steady God consciousness up until the time of death, but this knowledge doesn’t prohibit him from seeing God in the activities of those who aren’t declared devotees. What does this mean exactly? We can study the gopis of Vrindavana as an example. Though the gopis were young cowherd girls who were never formally educated in Vedic wisdom, they were the greatest paramahamsas. They achieved this status through pure loving service to Lord Krishna, who had personally appeared on earth some five thousand years ago. The gopis even retain their loving propensity and transcendental forms in the spiritual world. They are eternal servitors of the Lord. They never give up loving Krishna, even when they appear in this world or another. Another paramahamsa was Queen Kunti, Krishna’s maternal aunt during the Lord’s time on this earth. Queen Kunti always saw Krishna in everything and thus always kept her mind fixed on His lotus feet.

“My dear gopis, what auspicious activities must the flute have performed to enjoy the nectar of Krishna’s lips independently and leave only a taste for the gopis for whom that nectar is actually meant. The forefathers of the flute, the bamboo trees, shed tears of pleasure. His mother, the river, on whose bank the bamboo was born, feels jubilation, and therefore her blooming lotus flowers are standing like hair on her body.” (Gopis glorifying the song of Krishna’s flute, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.21.9)

The gopis’ viewpoint is quite interesting and illuminating at the same time. They don’t see Krishna as being absent from anywhere. If they were to study a person who took material sense gratification as the ultimate aim of life, the gopis’ opinion might be something like this: “Oh such and such person is so attached to the material energy of Krishna. They are lovers of God at heart, but due to Krishna’s influence they are taking to the worship of another of the Lord’s energies. Such a person is surely a devotee because they are allowing Krishna’s servitor known as maya to work her magic.” The gopis will look at a meditational yogi in this way: “Oh such and such yogi is such a devotee of Krishna’s expansion as the Supersoul residing within everyone’s heart. They may not understand Krishna’s original transcendental form of Bhagavan, but they are nevertheless drawn to His unmanifested form of the Supersoul like a magnet. They must be making Krishna so happy by allowing His Supersoul expansion to be worshiped and adored.”

“Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 14.18)

  A paramahamsa will even look at the miscreants and the lowest among mankind as devotees of Krishna. After all, a “bad” person is simply one who is struggling with the mode of ignorance. Material activities can be classified as being either in goodness, passion, or ignorance. Activities in goodness lead to a higher life form in the next life, passion in a neutral state, and ignorance in a lower life form. The animal species is considered to be in the mode of ignorance because they have no knowledge of God, spirit, or matter. A fish doesn’t even know that it is wet or that it will die if it eats too much food. The benefit to ascending to a higher species is that the individual spirit soul will hopefully have a better opportunity for liberation through the acquisition of spiritual knowledge. A person mired in the mode of ignorance takes to activities which lead neither to knowledge nor to a beneficial fruit, or result. For instance, excessive intoxication, stealing, unnecessary killing, and oversleeping are simply wastes of time that drag a person further and further into hellish life. Hell is simply a state of being where one is unhappy for an extended period of time. This condition can be achieved both on earth and on other planets in the material universe.

The paramahamsa even views those in the mode of ignorance as devotees due to their association with one of Krishna’s energies. After all, God is everything, including the mode of ignorance. Though the material modes represent His external, or separated, energy, they are still nonetheless something He created. Therefore the topmost transcendentalist sees that even the ignorant are lovers of God due to their attachment to something that Krishna creates.

Since the paramahamsa viewpoint represents the most esteemed and scholarly mindset, it must mean we should all try to view every person as a devotee. Following this logic, there would be no reason to preach to anyone, since everyone is associating with Krishna regardless. Yet the paramahamsas, the great devotees of Krishna, kindly descend from their topmost platform down to the middle tier to take to preaching. This is done for the benefit of the conditioned entities as well as for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. One may ask the question, “If everyone is a devotee, why is there a need for paramahamsas to step down and preach?” The answer is that while everyone is certainly a lover of God, since their love is misdirected in the conditioned state, the resulting fruits, or rewards, are subpar. The preacher takes to instructing others because everyone is naturally looking for happiness, or a better situation. This is an outgrowth of the loving propensity. Love is a natural instinct of the soul, and the ideal result of this love is happiness, or pleasure.

Since everyone is looking for some type of pleasure, the middle-tier devotee takes it upon himself to help others find the highest form of pleasure, an enjoyment which has no side effects. The greatest enjoyment comes from direct association with Krishna; a link which can be secured through bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Devotional service can be thought of as the appellation which describes the activities that result from the natural loving propensity of the soul in its purified form. In simpler terms, devotional service is the religion of love. When all efforts are geared towards pleasing Krishna, the resultant activities are in pure bhakti. This behavior may appear similar to conditioned activity, but the difference is that both the wanted and unwanted side effects of such actions are discarded. A person in the devotional stage remains unconcerned with the uniform they are wearing and even the nature of the playing field they are associating with. The gopis, through their pure love for Krishna, always remain in the purified state, performing bhakti. They may be separated from Krishna or directly in His company, but their consciousness is always fixed on His sweet, transcendental form. Since Krishna brings the greatest sweetness to the pleasure seekers, devotees take it upon themselves to kindly inform others about the names, forms, attributes, appearances, likes, and dislikes of the Supreme Lord.

It should be noted that even after being subjected to the greatest and most sincere preaching efforts, most conditioned entities will likely not purify their loving propensity immediately. It is similar to how friends, family, and well-wishers will try to sway a young girl from her attachment to a boy who is completely wrong for her, someone who will cause her great harm in the future. Even through all this counsel, the girl’s love for her paramour remains strong. In the same way, even with all the cogent and insightful words of the middle-tier preachers, non-devotees will likely remain strongly attached to material nature, gross sense enjoyment, sinful life, and dry renunciation. Nevertheless, the paramahamsas take to preaching simply to satisfy the Lord. Since the paramahamsas remain Krishna conscious even while preaching, their sincere effort is reward enough.

Angels From Above

“When Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami went to Vrindavana, there was not a single temple, but by their preaching they were gradually able to construct various temples.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 7.164 Purport)

It is quite common to see people bemoaning the present condition of society. The complaints cover all different areas such as population size, government leadership, and the state of the environment. Because people understand that the current situation isn’t ideal, they lament the fact that they have little power to bring about change. In the grand scheme of things this is most certainly true, as the most an average citizen can do is go to the ballot box at the time of an election. In this way, individuals are dependent on their fellow man to straighten out problems. For sincere devotees of God, the situation seems even bleaker. Issues relating to economics, environment, poverty, and defense are paltry in comparison to the grander purpose of life. The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, provide intricate detail into the nature of the soul and its constitutional position. Devotees study Vedic literature and through samadhi [meditation and trance directed at the Supreme Lord], they come to understand the meanings contained within. Yet upon seeing that the majority of society is uninterested in adopting measures to remediate the present unfavorable condition of their soul, the devotees become dejected and fearful. “What will happen to the science of self-realization? How will society survive in the future without God consciousness?” In reality, Krishna [God] takes care of everything, so there is no cause for such fears.

It must be acknowledged that this attitude of the devotee is quite a noble one. By default, man is born ignorant; he identifies solely with the outer covering of the soul; a covering which is known as the body. Since most everyone adopts this type of identification, enjoyment of said outer covering is taken to be the topmost engagement in life. Man’s dharma, or occupational duty, essentially becomes the satisfaction of the body through fruitive activities. Even if religion or spirituality is brought into the mix, at the beginning stages the ultimate objective is still the same. Spirituality is seen as a vehicle for satisfying the senses and alleviating the concerns relating to the future well-being of the body. It takes steady practice in the art of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, to elevate one’s consciousness to the point where they see Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the only enjoyer.

Who we identify as the ultimate enjoyer is important because this then drives our activities. Normally we view ourselves as the enjoyers. Sometimes we’ll look to satisfy the needs of others, such as our family members, friends, and pets, but even in this scope, the enjoyer is still the self. Acts of altruism serve to satisfy the desire of the person acting charitably. The only engagement which brings spiritual benefit to two distinct entities is devotional service. The parties benefitted in such an exchange are the individual soul and the Supersoul, or the Supreme Lord. Vedic information states that the entity we normally refer to as “God” is actually a person, or purusha, just like us. Though He is similar in quality to the individual, His quantitative powers are much greater. Since God is great, it is the duty of the subordinate living entities to pay tribute to that greatness. For this service to be truly effective in providing transcendental happiness, it must be offered in a mood of love and devotion. The only way for this mood to be adopted in earnest is for the individual soul to view the Supreme Soul as the ultimate enjoyer. Otherwise, the mode of worship will be similar to a business transaction, wherein the individual is looking for some return on their investment of spiritual service. Even if this business mentality is absent, there is still the possibility of the service being offered in a fearful mood, similar to slavery. The Supreme Lord, being the ever-blissful and fully satisfied Supreme Entity, is not inclined towards any trade activity, nor is He in the business of scaring anyone. A business transaction occurs when two parties are both interested in some sort of profit. Krishna, or God, is the most fortunate person in the world, so He is in need of nothing. In addition, God knows that He’s God, so He doesn’t need to scare people into serving Him.

If Krishna is completely satisfied, what need does He have to engage in loving interactions with anyone? The answer points back to the issue of enjoyment. When service is offered to the Divine Energetic, Shri Krishna, in a loving manner, there is enjoyment both for the entity offering the service and the Offered. This ideal relationship is derived from the ultimate conclusion in life, achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which was expounded by none other than Krishna Himself when He appeared on earth around five hundred years ago in the guise of a brahmana sannyasi named Krishna Chaitanya. Lord Chaitanya’s philosophy, which is simply a description of an eternally existing condition, stipulates that the living entities are simultaneously and inconceivably one with and different from the Supreme Divine Force, that entity that we know as God. This ultimate conclusion goes hand-in-hand with the ideal relationship, wherein pure love is exchanged between the individuals and the whole. The two entities are meant to always be together, at least in consciousness. In reality, we can never be separated from Krishna, for He is always residing within our heart as the Supersoul. The issue of separation relates to consciousness. By adopting the false identification that results from body consciousness, we become forgetful of the ultimate conclusion and the ultimate relationship.

So how do we reawaken the purified consciousness? This is where bhakti-yoga comes in. The devotees, the purified souls who have reached the transcendental platform through deep study, meditation, and service to their spiritual guides, have realized the ultimate conclusion. After ascending to this platform, devotees seek to maintain their close relationship with God through activity. Yet devotees are so kind that they don’t hoard information about the Truth to themselves. Rather, they kindly offer to teach anyone who will listen. Lord Chaitanya Himself inaugurated this preaching tradition in the modern age. In addition to being the most effective method for attaining the platform of Krishna consciousness, the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, is also the most effective way to preach the transcendental, imperishable, and supreme science of devotional service throughout the world. This congregational chanting process is known as sankirtana.

Since the sound vibrations of Krishna and Rama are non-different forms of the original Personality of Godhead, they inject the creeper of devotional service into the hearts and minds of whoever hears them. Once this creeper is established, it can grow into a full blown tree of devotional service. This growth takes place through the association of sadhus, or saintly members of society. Every notable spiritual personality of the past achieved success through this good association. In this way, we see that the highest welfare activity is to pass this transcendental sound vibration on to every person alive.

Lord Chaitanya’s formula seems simple enough, right? While sankirtana is simple and straightforward, the results aren’t always what the preacher hopes for. The attachment to matter amongst the populace is very strong. Not everyone will want to hear about Krishna. Even if they do hear about bhakti-yoga and the science of self-realization, they may be prejudiced and biased towards their own sectarian views. They will think in terms of “My God” and “Your God” instead of taking to logic and reasoning. The achintya-bhedabheda philosophy is the highest conclusion in life, so understanding it properly can take some time. In many spiritual disciplines, the soul is not even given much credence. Thus many of the concepts contained within the Vedas are foreign to others. Elevation to Krishna consciousness requires a new way of thinking, and for many people, change is not a welcome thing.

All of these conditions can certainly dampen the hopes and dreams of the preaching devotee. Fears will inevitably creep in regarding the future. “What if Krishna consciousness dies? How will future generations be saved? It seems as though no one is interested in chanting today.” This is actually a nice attitude to have because it shows the deep love that the devotees have for their fellow man and his future. Devotees know that Krishna is not only the ultimate enjoyer, but that He is also the giver of the greatest pleasure in the world. This pleasure can only be experienced through intimate association with Him.

“Unseen and indefinite are the good and bad reactions of fruitive work. And without taking action, the desired fruits of such work cannot manifest.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 66.17)

To allay our fears, we simply have to remember that Krishna is the original cause of everything. The Brahma-samhita states that Krishna is the cause of all causes, sarva-karana-karanam. Every result has a root cause. This cause may not be visible to us, as sometimes the results aren’t even visible. Shri Lakshmana, the younger brother of Lord Rama, teaches us that the results of action, both good and bad, are unseen and indefinite. Yet at the same time, no desired result can be achieved without some action being taken. This means that if we perform an action for some intended benefit, we may not see the result. Either we will quit our body before the result bears fruit, or the fruit itself doesn’t last very long, thus coming and going before we even notice it. But at the same time, no matter the length and nature of the result, there was some action which caused it.

What does all this mean? One of the holiest pilgrimage sites in the world is Vrindavana-dhama, which is located in India. This is the area where Shri Krishna enacted the most memorable and pleasurable of His pastimes during His time on earth some five thousand years ago. We see that museums and monuments are erected at the sites where famous personalities conducted their business. In the same manner, the areas where God and His various expansions performed activities are turned into places of pilgrimage, or tirthas. Vrindavana is a great spiritual tourist attraction today, containing over 5,000 temples and many wonderful sites such as Shyama-kunda and Radha-kunda, two ponds which were created by Krishna and His eternal consort Shrimati Radharani. Govardhana Hill, which is considered Krishna’s land and thus non-different from Him, is also found in this area.

Going to Vrindavana is certainly a beneficial experience for the transcendentally conscious soul, but was Vrindavana always such a great attraction? Actually, around five hundred years ago it wasn’t. Prior to Lord Chaitanya’s advent, the place was essentially a wilderness. This doesn’t mean that Vrindavana had lost its intrinsic value. It was still the same land that Krishna had roamed. Vrindavana is considered a replica of the transcendental abode that exists in the spiritual sky of Krishnaloka. Anyone who lives and dies in Vrindavana is deemed to be a liberated soul; they are on the path towards salvation, which is represented by the cessation of the cycle of birth and death.

So how did Vrindavana change from being a deserted land to a popular pilgrimage site? As Krishna is the cause of all causes, He was also the cause behind the changes in Vrindavana. Lord Chaitanya, while spreading the cult of devotional service throughout India, ordered His two dearmost disciples, the brothers Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami, to excavate Vrindavana and establish a preaching center there. Lord Chaitanya Himself discovered the lost sites of Radha-kunda and Shyama-kunda. Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami wrote countless books about devotional service; from poems and dramas to handbooks and guides covering every aspect of devotional life. We are forever indebted to these two great saints, along with Lord Chaitanya and everyone who follows in His line, for turning Vrindavana into what it is today.

“As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to results, similarly the learned may also act, but without attachment, for the sake of leading people on the right path.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.25)

The point to all of this is that we should perform our prescribed duties without attachment to the results. Krishna will always survive no matter the condition of society. This entire world is His land after all, so He can do with it as He pleases. If there is a lull in the practice of devotional service or if there is a precarious plaguing the world, we can be rest assured that the Lord will take the necessary steps to alleviate the situation. If we continue with our devotional practices and try to help as many honest souls as possible, we will be performing the highest service for our dearmost, ever well-wishing friend: Shri Krishna.

Shining Bright

“O my merciful Lord Chaitanya, may the nectarean Ganges waters of Your transcendental activities flow on the surface of my desertlike tongue. Beautifying these waters are the lotus flowers of singing, dancing and loud chanting of Krishna’s holy name, which are the pleasure abodes of unalloyed devotees. These devotees are compared to swans, ducks and bees. The river’s flowing produces a melodious sound that gladdens their ears.” (Krishnadas Kaviraja Gosvami, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 2.2)

The uniqueness of the movement started by Lord Chaitanya is in the preaching. It is one thing to adopt a particular spiritual philosophy and practice the recommended rituals and functions, but it is another to actually try to teach these principles to others. Even in the area of teaching, it is much easier to give instruction to someone who kindly approaches the instructor versus actually having to go out and persuade those who may not be inclined to hear such instruction. Lord Chaitanya, a preacher incarnation of God, laid down the formula for the reawakening of God consciousness throughout society: the chanting of the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. He advised everyone, especially those already practicing the principles of bhakti-yoga, to become gurus by chanting this sacred mantra out loud and distributing God’s name to others. While chanting seems innocent enough, this method of preaching is often met with opposition, some of which is so strong that it can leave preachers doubting the effectiveness of the method. But if we apply a little intelligence, we’ll see that Lord Chaitanya’s movement is meant for a specific class of individuals, a class which is ready, willing, and able to reconnect with the Supreme Object of Pleasure, Lord Krishna.

Lord Chaitanya is considered an incarnation of Krishna, who is known as the Supreme Personality of Godhead amongst followers of the Vedas. This shouldn’t be mistaken to mean that Krishna is a sectarian God or an elevated personality worshiped by a particular group of people. There is only one God. One group may call Him by a particular name, while another may take Him to be an all-pervasive energy. But regardless, there can only be one God. The Vedas happen to be the oldest scriptures in existence; giving them a unique stature which is further enhanced by the inclusion of the many names of the original form of Godhead. Since God is everything, He is capable of innumerable activities. These activities are driven by the innumerable transcendental qualities He possesses. Taking into account all the activities and qualities that can be identified, the Supreme Lord takes on innumerable names. Of all the names, Krishna is considered the best because it is inclusive of all the aforementioned activities and qualities. Krishna means all-attractive, so in this way we see that only God can be the most resplendent in every feature imaginable. The conclusion of Vedic philosophy is that the conditioned individual spirit souls, the residents of the material world, are meant to inquire about Krishna, learn about His transcendental features, and then ultimately use that knowledge to develop a loving attachment to Him.

This formula seems pretty straightforward. Not only is it easy to practice and understand, but it is also easy to describe to others. So why is Lord Chaitanya’s movement unique? The issue relates to the advent of the Kali Yuga, the age we currently live in. According to Vedic information, the duration of each creation can be divided into four time periods, with dharma, or society’s adherence to the established religious codes, dwindling with each successive Yuga. Since we are in the last Yuga, Kali, society is hardly religious. Among those who are spiritually inclined, many are following a bogus or degraded system. This is true even of followers of the Vedic tradition. In previous Yugas, the highest division of society, the brahmanas, acted as the teachers, the givers of Vedic wisdom. Since brahmanas were respected by others, there was no need for them to go out and actively search for students. The rest of society would automatically seek out the counsel of the brahmanas, sending their children to live with them in their youth.

In the Kali Yuga, however, many are claiming to be brahmanas simply off birthright; something not in line with the revealed scriptures. Moreover, many brahmanas also claim that Vedic wisdom is meant exclusively for those born into the Vedic system, i.e. those who have a family lineage which dates back to famous brahmanas, kshatraiyas, and vaishyas of the past. If we apply even the slightest intelligence, we’ll see that this logic is faulty. Since spiritual life relates to the relationship between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, God, the discipline is open to everyone. Ancestry is a material concept, something related to the time, place, and circumstance of one’s birth. This has no bearing on the soul; hence it has nothing to do with a person’s relationship to God or their eligibility for hearing about Him. Certainly some circumstances are more conducive to others when it comes to spiritual life. Taking birth in a family of brahmanas who are actively engaged in Krishna’s service is certainly a great boon. On the flip side, taking birth in a family of non-devotees definitely reduces the chance of being imbibed with the traditions and practices of the Vedas. But in both of these situations, the eligibility for reconnecting with Krishna is not affected. Every individual soul is equal, and thus everyone is a candidate for returning to the spiritual world after their current life ends.

“O son of Pritha, 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)

Probably the most famous book of the Vedic tradition is the Bhagavad-gita, a discourse on spiritual topics given by Krishna Himself. In this book, Krishna mentions that the teachings found within should not be spoken to a person who is a non-devotee or one who is envious of the Lord. These are certainly valid concerns that should be taken into account when teaching others, but the underlying benefit to preaching doesn’t change. Lord Chaitanya, who advented some five hundred years ago, especially stressed preaching about Krishna through the chanting process. Since Krishna is non-different from His name, anyone who hears or recites His name in a loving way could have direct association with the Lord. This association then helps the conditioned living entity rekindle their interest and attachment towards the Lord, paving the way for the acquisition of spiritual knowledge. Therefore Lord Chaitanya, breaking against the current standards of the time, travelled all across India and freely spread the names of God to anyone who would listen. Before leaving this earth, He established an institution of preaching and instruction carried out by His closest associates. That tradition continues to this day through the sincere followers of Shri Gaurahari who have managed to spread Krishna’s glories to people around the world. In this way, the idea of Krishna consciousness being open to every person has gone from being a theory to a reality.

Though Lord Chaitanya’s movement is innocent enough, there is great opposition to it, especially from those who have taken shelter of someone besides Krishna. The reality is that every person is religious, even if they claim otherwise. What differs, however, is the object of worship. Those who are considered irreligious are simply worshipers of matter. They take the material body, which is composed of gross elements like bile, pus, and mucus, to be the beginning and end of everything. Knowing that they are going to die, they try to cram as much material enjoyment as possible into their short time on earth. This activity is often encouraged through the faulty “you only get one life” notion posited by many spiritual doctrines. The Vedas, however, tell us that the spirit soul is imperishable and that the current life of a conditioned living entity is simply a temporary condition. In this state of being, the spirit soul assumes a body composed of matter, the exact combination of which is determined by a person’s previous activities and desires. With new desires and activities come new bodies. In this way, the living entity is always working towards forming a future body. The time of death simply represents the complete change of bodies, the discarding of an old set of clothes in favor of a new one.

Spirituality aims to shift the living entity’s focus from material life to spiritual life. Spiritual life addresses the plight of the soul. By working to develop a future spiritual body, the development of a future material body ceases. Once this material development is fully stopped, the liberated soul returns to the spiritual world, where it assumes a spiritual body and remains in God’s association forever.

The materialists, the worshipers of matter, don’t want to return to the spiritual world. Therefore they raise opposition to the preaching efforts of the sincere devotees. Gross materialists, mental speculators, and even devout meditational yogis, take shelter of argument, logic, and material enjoyment. Using these tools, they try their best to cut down the transcendental words put forth by the pure followers of the Supreme Lord. In politics, strategists say that it’s never a good idea to put an idea out on the table too quickly; the reason being that as soon as an idea is put forth, opponents can begin to pick away at it. The material world is full of dualities, so what one person views as beneficial, another can view as detrimental. Good and bad are simply relative terms, things which change based on the eye of the beholder. If someone puts forth a statement as simple as “the sky is blue”, there will immediately be opposition. Logic and argument can be applied to any word, so any truth or reality espoused by a philosopher or saintly person can quickly be picked apart simply through negation, skepticism, and the use of argument.

This was how Ravana and Kamsa, two famous demons of the past, would justify their behavior. Knowing that they were dreadful sinners who were destined for punishment, they wouldn’t dare posit their own theories on life. They lived off of killing the innocent and enjoying as much material opulence as possible. When taken to task for their shameful behavior, these two demons would conjure up their own arguments, attempting to cut down the words of the pious. This behavior continues to this day with the descendants of these two demons, the devout materialists and enemies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

“Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 16.19)

Time, space, logic, and argument are simply creations of this temporary and ever-changing material world. They are meant to serve as the enjoyment for the wayward spirit souls, those who want separation from the Supreme Lord in the hopes of surpassing Him in strength, fame, and wealth. In this way, we see that Krishna is the most benevolent Lord, for He allows those who want to forget Him to take shelter of meaningless concepts. The brain is a material creation after all, and logic and argument serve to give satisfaction to this brain. As established in Lord Chaitanya’s ultimate conclusion of achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, the relationship between the Supreme Lord and the living entities is that of simultaneous oneness and difference. This truth is inconceivable, which means that no amount of logic or argument can enable a person to truly understand it.

If we can’t understand God through truths and postulates, what’s the point to studying Vedic wisdom? The purpose of the Vedas, and preaching for that matter, is to give the sincere souls, those wanting to reconnect with their long-lost friend in the spiritual sky, a chance at perfection in life. The most effective way to take in this information is through the submissive hearing process. It was for this reason that Lord Chaitanya established the congregational chanting, sankirtana, as the topmost religious practice. Let everyone in the world hear the transcendental sound vibrations of Hare Krishna, Hare Rama. If even one person reconnects with Krishna as a result of hearing this sound, then it is worth tolerating the insults and opposition of thousands of Kamsas and Ravanas. One pure devotee of Krishna shines brighter than a thousand demons.

Achintya-bhedabheda-tattva

“Lord Chaitanya instructed the mass of people in the sankhya philosophy of achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation. Lord Chaitanya taught this philosophy through the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Preface)

With so many religious systems out there, it’s tough to make out which are bona fide and which ones aren’t. Are all of them legitimate, or are all of them simply made up by those who couldn’t understand life or by those who feared death? While many faiths espouse a belief in a specific spiritual figure, providing an almost sectarian type of view, the spiritual disciplines emanating from the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, all have an ultimate conclusion. This conclusion is stipulated in a term which describes the relationship between the individual and the Absolute Truth. What’s ironic is that all of these different conclusions are rooted in some basis of fact, but only one conclusion explains all others. That is the one espoused by Lord Chaitanya, a famous preacher, historical personality, spiritual master, and form of Godhead who appeared on earth around five hundred years ago.

The spiritual disciplines of the Vedic tradition stand out from all other faiths in that they are rooted in scriptures that have no inception date. While there was a specific time when other scriptures were written, the Vedas have no date of origin. The original name for the Vedas is the shrutis, meaning that which his heard. Vedic knowledge was first passed down through aural reception, a tradition which continued until the written word was required. The other unique aspect of the philosophical conclusions derived from the Vedas is that they all deal with the issue of the soul and its relationship to a higher power, be it God or a complete energy. Since there are differences of opinion as to whether a God even exists, this higher power is often referred to as the Absolute Truth. This Absolute Truth is seen as the ultimate authority figure, the one entity which is free of defects, miseries, and blemishes. Followers of the Vedic tradition base their spiritual disciplines on the individual soul’s relationship with this Absolute Truth.

The first thing taught to all students of Vedic philosophy is that the living entity is not the body. The body is taken to be a temporary transformation of material elements. We can think of it in terms of a house built from clay, wood, or brick. The house, though it may look very nice, is simply a combination of different material elements, joined together in a certain way. By the same principle, the body is simply a combination of bile, pus, mucus, blood, etc. What makes the body function – what causes its growth, maintenance, and destruction – is the soul. The soul is the driving force behind all activity, the source of identity for the individual. When we use terms like “I” and “Mine”, we are actually referring to the soul inside. “I” cannot refer to the hands or legs because we know that if these things are removed from the body, our identity will remain intact. Vedic philosophy tells us that the position of the soul is eternal and unchanging. When the body gets discarded, the event is akin to a changing of clothes. The soul remains intact and simply assumes a new set of clothes in the next life. The term “life” can be taken to mean the duration of time that a soul remains in a particular set of clothes, or transformation of material elements.

Understanding that individuality comes from the soul is the first point stressed to aspiring Vedic students. “Aham brahmasmi”, meaning “I am Brahman” is how this information is taught. We see that a new term has been introduced in this statement: Brahman. What is Brahman? Understanding that we are individual souls is one thing, but how does this relate to other souls? Are all souls equal? Does the soul always have to be covered by temporary transformations of material elements? The term “Brahman” begins to answer these questions. Not only are we individual souls, but we are part of the complete spirit known as Brahman. Brahman can be thought of as an impersonal energy, a glaring effulgence of which the individual souls are tiny sparks of. Brahman is not ordinary matter or spirit, but rather the sum and substance of all matter and spirit. Brahman is everything, the Absolute Truth, and as individual souls, we are an equal part of Brahman. In this regard, all living entities are equal, for they are all part of the Absolute Truth.

So we see that understanding the existence of the soul is a step up from falsely identifying with the body. After all, the animal species has no clue about the soul, thus they take to acts of sense gratification. Understanding the presence of the soul gives the human beings a step up from the animals. Understanding Brahman is also a step up from understanding the presence of the soul. Sadly, many philosophers stop at this realization. They take Brahman to be the ultimate conclusion, therefore their philosophy is known as advaita, which means non-dual. In more simple terms, Brahman is their “God”.

If Brahman is the ultimate truth, the final conclusion in all conclusions, there must be a way to realize it. Along these lines, the followers of the advaita philosophy take the necessary steps to achieve this realization. Since the idea is to understand that only Brahman is the truth, there must be other things which are considered not part of the truth. “Not-Brahman” is matter, or material nature; even though in the grand scheme of things, matter is created by Brahman, so it can also be considered a separated aspect of the Absolute Truth. In the Vedic tradition, the governing agent of material nature is known as maya, which means that which is not. Maya is not Brahman, so the goal of life should be to dissociate from maya completely. To that end, followers of the advaita school declare everything in this world to be false, or maya, leaving only Brahman to be true. Thus their aim in life is to detach themselves from anything relating to matter, simply focusing on the impersonal energy of Brahman.

Since they believe that everything is maya, such philosophers are known as Mayavadis, a term which describes a person whose ultimate conclusion, or vada, is that everything is maya. In order to disassociate from the “false” material nature, Mayavadis take to studying Vedanta philosophy, which delves into the difference between matter and spirit and the oneness of all living entities. By studying Vedanta and taking to the renounced order of life, sannyasa, Mayavadis hope to one day merge into the complete energy, Brahman. What’s ironic is that the followers of this philosophy essentially contradict themselves. If Brahman, or spirit, is truth and everything else is maya, wouldn’t the words [material sound vibrations] uttered by the Mayavadis also be part of maya? If maya is false, then doesn’t that mean the teachings of the Vedantists are also false? Obviously when it comes to their teachings, the Mayavadis make an exception to their rule of everything being maya.

The advaita philosophy states that Brahman is the Absolute Truth, and that since everyone is Brahman, everyone is God. Somehow or other the living entities have forgotten about their position as God, so they simply have to take the necessary steps to realize it. While versions of the advaita philosophy have been around forever, they really gained in popularity during the sixth century with the great philosopher Shankaracharya. He is considered the founder of the modern day Mayavada philosophy, and ironically enough he is also taken to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva, a celebrated deity of the Vedic tradition. In the Padma Purana, a noteworthy Vedic text, Lord Shiva tells his wife that in the Kali Yuga, the age we currently live in, he will incarnate in human form to preach a non-dualistic philosophy simply to defeat the Buddhists. The Buddhist philosophy is similar to Mayavada, except that there is no concept of Brahman. The ultimate conclusion is taken to be voidness, or the negation of everything.

“There are four different sects of Vaishnava acharyas-the Shuddhadvaita, Vishishtadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya-bhedabheda. All the Vaishnava acharyas in these schools have written commentaries on the Vedanta-sutra, but the Mayavadi philosophers do not recognize them. The Mayavadis distinguish between Krishna and Krishna’s body, and therefore they do not recognize the worship of Krishna by the Vaishnava philosophers.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, Ch 19)

While Shankarayacharya reduced the influence of the atheistic Buddhist philosophy, his own philosophy was flawed, as was the intention. It took Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya to come and introduce the competing concepts of duality. Their philosophies of vishishtadvaita and dvaita explain the duality that exists between the individual soul and the Absolute Truth. While there are subtle differences between their philosophies, the basic principles are the same. They believed that the Absolute Truth, Brahman, has a personal form, and that this form is different in nature from that of the individual soul. Therefore the ultimate conclusion is that the individual living entity is meant to serve this supreme entity which is separate from this material world. Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya declared that the Absolute Truth is Lord Vishnu, also known as Narayana. Narayana refers to the fact that God is the source of man and that He can take many forms, several of which are non-different from His original form. Therefore Ramanuja, whose name means the younger brother of Rama, preferred worship of Sita and Rama, incarnations [non-different forms] of Vishnu’s wife and Vishnu Himself. Madhva also preferred worship of Vishnu and His different incarnations as the topmost spiritual practice.

The advaita philosophers didn’t deny the existence of Krishna, Vishnu, and Rama, but they took them to be elevated manifestations of Brahman. Other Mayavadi-like philosophers believed that the formless Absolute Truth decided to take on a form and thus appear as the exalted personalities of Shri Krishna and Shri Rama. In essence, the non-dualists taught that anyone could attain the same level of opulence, renunciation, and strength as Krishna, provided that they took the necessary steps to understand Brahman. Followers of the dualist philosophies certainly disagreed with this, hence there was a conflict. So which side was correct? Along came a young sannyasi by the name of Shri Krishna Chaitanya to settle the debate.

Though Lord Chaitanya, considered a dual incarnation of Radha and Krishna, is mostly known for His never-before-seen displays of devotional ecstasy towards God, manifested through chanting and dancing, He was the greatest philosopher to ever appear on earth. Since He was an incarnation of God, it would make sense that He’d be smarter than anybody else. Though He never really put too much stress on the idea of an ultimate conclusion, He most certainly put one forward. If He hadn’t, it would have made it easier for opponents to discount His teachings. Lord Chaitanya didn’t concoct this ultimate conclusion, but He introduced it to society at large. The ultimate conclusion, the relationship between the living entities and the Absolute Truth, is something that never changes. Even if one hundred percent of society is unaware of this conclusion, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

What was Lord Chaitanya’s conclusion? Who did He side with: the non-dualists or the dualists? Essentially, He said they were both right…to a point. Lord Chaitanya’s conclusion is known as achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, the inconceivable and simultaneous oneness and difference between the living entities and the Absolute Truth. Through this philosophy, Lord Chaitanya firmly established the existence of a personal God, whose original form is that of Lord Shri Krishna. This truth was established by citing evidence found in authoritative scriptures such as the Bhagavad-gita, Shrimad Bhagavatam, and Brahma-samhita. Lord Chaitanya explained everything in terms of Krishna, and if we kindly follow His prescriptions and recommendations, we will also be able to understand everything in its proper context.

So how are we the same as God? There is no perfect way to describe this sameness, so analogies are often used, with the most common one being to the ocean. There is no difference in makeup between a drop of the ocean and the entire ocean. The molecules and properties are the same, so in this way both entities are the same. Yet at the same time, the drop of the ocean pales in comparison to the entire ocean. We can’t put a drop of ocean water in a cup and tell people that we have captured the ocean. That would be just silly. By the same token, the individual spirit souls can never be taken to be God. We are similar to Him in quality, meaning we are eternally blissful and full of knowledge. The difference lies in quantitative powers. God, being the sum and substance of everything, can never be subject to forces that He creates. The living entity, the jiva souls, being subordinate to the giant ocean known as God, can fall victim to the forces of maya, an energy created by the Lord.

“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.4)

Another analogy we can use is the relationship between the arm and the body. The arm is most certainly part of the body, for it provides vital functions which aid in one’s activities. At the same time, we can never say that the arm is the body. Even if the arm gets cut off, a person’s individuality is unchanged. By the same token, God is everything, but everything is not God. This is a little tricky to understand, but if we apply a little intelligence, we’ll see that it is true. God is certainly a blade of grass, for it is part of His external energy. The grass is even part of Brahman, for there is a spirit soul residing within. In this way, God is everything; all of His creation, including everything matter and spirit. Nevertheless, the blade of grass is incapable of moving on its own – creating, maintaining, or destroying. It is incapable of communicating or taking care of any other living entity. It is essentially helpless. Based on these facts, it would be silly to take the blade of grass as being God.

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.11)

So where does Brahman fit into all of this? Again, we need only look to the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Lord Chaitanya’s favorite book. Brahman is simply an angle of vision, a way of looking at the Absolute Truth. Brahman is considered an impersonal energy, the glaring effulgence coming off the transcendental body of the Personality of Godhead. In this way, it is subordinate to God’s original form of Bhagavan. Brahman is even a subordinate realization to Paramatma, which is God’s expansion as the Supersoul. While every living entity’s identity comes from the individual soul within, there is another soul which resides right next to it in the heart. This soul belongs to God, and it is known as the Paramatma. It is the Paramatma which is actually responsible for the results of activities and the movements of all forms of life. The individual souls have limited independence in how they choose to interact with nature, but the results of such action are determined solely by the Supersoul. The individual souls are essentially seated on a machine which is directed by God.

Since Paramatma is an expansion, it must have a source from which it expanded. That source is Bhagavan, or the form of Godhead possessing all fortunes. This is where Lord Chaitanya’s philosophy really stands out. Not only is there a simultaneous oneness and difference between the living entities and God, but there is an ideal relationship that should be formed based off this difference. The reestablishment of this relationship is seen as the ultimate objective in life, the return to the soul’s constitutional position. While it is nice to be made aware of the ultimate conclusion, the definitive explanation of the soul’s relationship with God, it is more important to act according to that conclusion.

So what is this ideal relationship? As with any other activity, the ultimate objective in spiritual life is pleasure. Why would we even take to a certain activity if it doesn’t provide us some benefit in the future? The importance of understanding the transcendental form of the Personality of Godhead lies in the concept of spiritual enjoyment. While Vishnu is ever-opulent and meant to act as the object of worship for those who serve God in a reverential way, Krishna is meant to be the ultimate object of enjoyment, the reservoir of pleasure. Since it should be fairly obvious that the mood of enjoyment is superior to the mood of reverence, it shouldn’t surprise us that interaction with Bhagavan, in His original form of Krishna, is the topmost engagement in life, the ultimate activity that follows the ultimate conclusion.

So how does one go about establishing this relationship? Understanding Brahman is accomplished through analytical study, or jnana, and reverential worship of God is usually performed through specific rituals and regulations, or karma, but how do we enjoy with Krishna? This is where bhakti-yoga comes in. Jnana-yoga is the linking of the soul with God through the acquisition of knowledge and karma-yoga is the linking through work, but bhakti-yoga is the linking of the soul with Krishna through acts of love and devotion. Jnana and karma have specific results associated with them that are meaningless in the grand scheme of things. When these results are discarded or taken without attachment, and attachment to God has been firmly established, then one has attained the platform of bhakti. Activities in bhakti represent constitutional activities, the return to the original position of the soul. Vedic philosophy states that as spirit souls, part and parcel of God, our original constitutional position is that of lovers of Krishna, or one of His non-different expansions such as Rama, Narasimha, Varaha, Vishnu, etc. Even Lord Chaitanya Himself is non-different from Krishna, so bhakti can be directed at any of these expansions which are technically known as vishnu-tattva.

When we hear that our original position was with Krishna, naturally we’ll want to know how the separation occurred. How did we end up in this material world where we are tricked by maya into associating with the gross body? The answer is that we wanted this separation; we had a strong desire to imitate God and His supreme authority. Since that desire, which is flawed in nature and impossible to realize, cannot be facilitated in the flawless spiritual world, the wayward spirit souls were allowed to take birth in an inferior world, a place where they were allowed to forget God. This forgetfulness continues until the souls have a sincere desire to return to their original home. If we continue with the “why” and “when” questions, we’ll eventually reach a point where there is no answer. That is why the first term in Lord Chaitanya’s ultimate conclusion is achintya, meaning inconceivable. No amount of questioning, logical proofs, or study of scripture will enable a person to truly understand the simultaneous oneness and difference between the living entities and God.

While Lord Chaitanya established the ultimate conclusion of achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, He gave more emphasis to acting off of this truth rather than understanding it. It is more important to reestablish our pure relationship with God in His original form than it is to understand the nature of this relationship. We may not know exactly when we separated from God, but we have the formula for reconnecting with Him. Therefore Lord Chaitanya gave more emphasis towards the practice of bhakti-yoga and its most important aspect: the chanting of the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. This sacred formula addresses God and His energy in a loving way, without any motives for liberation from the cycle of birth and death or material opulence. The name of God best illustrates the achintya-bhedabheda-tattva philosophy. This name, be it Krishna or Rama, is non-different in all respects from the original Godhead. The easiest and most effective process of bhakti-yoga is the chanting of these names.

The beauty of bhakti is that it represents the original position, something which is both a means and an end. Other spiritual disciplines have an ultimate goal relating to some personal benefit – be it the elimination of distress, the enjoyment of the heavenly planets, or the complete nullification of all activity. While those who take up bhakti-yoga may start out with a desire for liberation or the removal of distress, the ultimate goal of bhakti is that one be allowed to continue their bhakti forever. This fact alone establishes the supremacy of Lord Chaitanya’s philosophy; it is the only true selfless activity that one can take up.

Success in bhakti is achieved not when someone understands the inconceivable relationship between the living entities and God. Rather, success is achieved when one is always thinking of God, always desiring to serve Him and associate with Him in a loving way. The topmost devotees are the damsels of Vrajabhumi, the gopis of Vrindavana. While they are just ordinary village girls on the surface, their minds are always fixed on Krishna, day and night. In this way, they are completely renounced from worldly life, yet completely attached to spiritual life. What’s ironic is that they have no interest in Vedanta, advaita, dvaita, achintya, etc. Being pure devotees, they only think about Krishna and enjoying His sweet association. This should be the goal for all of us, and by following the prescriptions of Lord Chaitanya and other great Vaishnava devotees, we can reach that goal.