Allayer of Fears

“Upon observing the brahmana’s rigid vow, Lord Shri Ramachandra ordered His younger brother Lakshmana to deliver a pair of Sita-Rama Deities to the brahmana. The brahmana received the Deities from Shri Lakshmanaji and worshiped Them faithfully as long as he lived.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 9.11, Purport)

If a devotee has something troubling their mind, God takes care of the problem personally. This is because the Lord never wants His most beloved friends, the devotees, to suffer unnecessarily at any time in their execution of religious duties which are dedicated to Him. Similar to how a parent is there to mend the wounds of their children, God is always standing by, ready to defend those who love Him.

Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as defined by the Vedas. Man has a general conception of a God, or a higher power who is in control of everything. The scriptures of the major religions of the world provide varying definitions of what is God and what His powers are. The Vedas, the original scriptures for mankind emanating from India, give us the most detail about who God is, what He looks like, and what His attributes are. Since God is the Supreme Lord, He can take any form at will, and unlike our bodies which are subject to birth and death, God’s body is eternally blissful and full of knowledge, sach-chid-ananda vigraha. The Lord even expands Himself into different forms, with one of them being the impersonal Brahman.

“And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable and eternal.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.27)

With all the forms that He can take, many mistakenly come to the conclusion that God is just an energy or that there are many different Gods. For this reason the Vedas refer to the Lord as Bhagavan, meaning one who possesses all fortunes. Bhagavan also means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is a person just like us, but He is the supreme person. He is the source of Godhead, meaning God can take many different forms, but that Bhagavan Shri Krishna is the original, ishvara parama krishna. To enact pastimes on earth, the Lord expands Himself into His various lila-avataras. One of the primary lila-avataras appeared on earth many thousands of years ago during the Treta Yuga. The Vedas tell us that this world isn’t created just once, but rather over and over again in a repeating cycle of creation and dissolution. Just as there is a set number of hours in a day, there is a set number of years that each creation exists for. This number makes up its own unit of measure, known as a Yuga. This complete Yuga then gets divided into four smaller Yugas. Creation is divided into these time periods to distinguish the general spiritual attributes of a society. In the first time period, known as the Satya or Krita Yuga, man is almost one hundred percent God conscious. With each successive Yuga, man’s religiosity declines by one quarter.

Lord Rama appeared during a time when religiosity was still very high. He took birth in the solar dynasty, a descendant of Maharaja Ikshvaku, the first king on earth. The solar dynasty is that which comes from the sun god, Vivasvan. Vivasvan’s son was Manu, the first man on earth, and Ikshvaku was Manu’s son. Several generations later, Lord Rama took birth in this pious dynasty as the son of Maharaja Dashratha, the king of Ayodhya. This dynasty was especially known for its dedication to dharma. Society requires a certain group of people to provide protection to the innocent. The Vedas refer to this group as the kshatriya, or warrior, class. These warriors are brave and chivalrous, and they serve as the government. It is the natural inclination of people to look to government to help them with their problems. This is an outgrowth of the relationship we have with God. The Lord is the master, and we are His servants. That is the original relationship which we spirit souls all had with God, but somehow or other, we ended up in this material world where we have forgotten that relationship. The material disease is represented by the mindset of “I” and “mine”. This is a flawed way of thinking because God is actually the owner of everything. Whatever we may think we possess, our accumulated wealth and our family relations are all temporary and subject to destruction.

God is the original protector, and so the Vedas tell us that a good government is one that serves as His representatives on earth. In this manner, it is okay to look to government for help, provided that they are governing in accordance with God’s instructions found in the Vedas. In the guise of a human being, Lord Rama set the example of how a king should behave. Rama means one who gives pleasure to others, and this was certainly the case with the eldest son of Dashratha.

As part of His pastimes, the Lord ended up roaming the forests of India for fourteen years alongside His wife, Sita Devi, and younger brother, Lakshmana. At the time, the great sages, or brahmanas, had taken to forest life since it was more conducive to asceticism. The kshatriyas are required to provide protection to all members of society, but especially to the brahmanas, the priestly class of men. The brahmanas serve as the brain of society, meaning they give proper guidance to everyone on how to make the most of their life. This doesn’t mean that brahmanas simply tell others how to earn money or enjoy sex life. The real purpose of life is to know and love God. This is an easy to thing to do, provided that one is controlled and sober, dhira. Since this isn’t always the case, brahmanas give guidelines on how to make progress spiritually. Generally, they recommend the performance of sacrifices, vishnu-yajna, and the performance of tapasya, or religious austerities.

Not only do the brahmanas teach others how to engage in religious activity, but they themselves dedicate their whole lives to religion. The word acharya means one who leads by example, thus bona fide brahmanas practice what they preach. Forest life is much quieter than urban life, with fewer distractions around, so many brahmanas set up cottages in the forest during Lord Rama’s time. These forests were referred to as tapo-vanas since they were conducive to the performance of tapasya.

However, the performance of their religious duties was greatly hindered by Rakshasas. The Vedas tell us that there are 8,400,000 different species of life because each living entity possesses the three qualities of material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance, to varying degrees. Therefore human beings aren’t the only intelligent life forms. Rather, there are many species that are human-like, and the Rakshasas are one such species. Unlike human beings, Rakshasas are demonic by nature. They are staunch atheists, engaging in meat eating, illicit sex, and intoxication as a way of life. They are so abominable, that they view the brahmanas as their greatest enemies. One of the trademark characteristics of a brahmana, or saintly person, is that they enjoy universal acclaim and adoration. Since they voluntarily and freely spread the highest form of love, Krishna-prema, it is not surprising to see that most everyone will appreciate them. Even those that aren’t religiously inclined still respect the brahmanas.

This fact tells us just how demoniac the Rakshasas were. They hated the brahmanas, and they held nothing back in their attacks against the saints. Similar to how terrorists act today, the Rakshasas would approach the sages in disguise. Once the brahmanas let their guard down, the Rakshasas would show their true form and then attack. Stopping the sacrifices weren’t enough, for the Rakshasa would kill and then eat the flesh of the sages.

By good fortune, Lord Rama and His group happened to be roaming the forests during this troublesome time. The sages made the most of this great opportunity by directly petitioning the Lord for help. Both Rama and Lakshmana immediately agreed to take up arms to protect the sages. Sita Devi, Lord Rama’s wife, had a few concerns over this. The Vedas are very explicit as to when violence is allowed and when it isn’t. It is considered sinful to act violently towards another person without just cause. She was afraid that, by Rama carrying His bow and arrows all the time, He might be prone to preemptively striking against the Rakshasas, something which would be against the principles of dharma.

Lord Rama was only in the forest due to His adherence to dharma. Dashratha had given the exile order due to the request of his youngest wife, Kaikeyi. Rama easily could have ignored the order, but that would have made Dashratha a liar. Rather than give His dad a bad name, Rama chose to take up the life of a mendicant. Sita Devi knew this, so she didn’t want her husband’s religious merit to diminish. Rama was God Himself, and Sita was Goddess Lakshmi, but the pair still played the role of ordinary human beings. Sita is actually an eternal devotee of Lord Rama.

Sita was so sweet that she presented her concerns to Rama in the nicest possible way. She even remarked that such instruction given by a wife was certainly against the proper rules of conduct, but that she loved Him so much that she didn’t want to see Him falter. Lord Rama acknowledged her concerns and allayed her fears by reminding her that the Rakshasas had attacked first. He also told her that it was His duty to protect the saints, even if they hadn’t approached Him.

“Having addressed these words to the daughter King Janaka, His dear wife Sita, the great soul and wielder of the bow, Lord Rama, returned with Lakshmana to the beautiful tapo-vana.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.22)

The importance of this incident is that God personally removed the fears and concerns of both Sita Devi and the brahmanas residing in the forest. Sita’s concerns were removed when the Lord nicely explained to her His devotion to the saintly class of people. The brahmanas were then protected by Rama and Lakshmana, who would both go on to kill many Rakshasas. The Rakshasa leader, Ravana, would eventually be killed directly by Rama at the culmination a great battle. These incidences aren’t unique, but they remind us of God’s unflinching devotion to His devotees. If one of His bhaktas faces a problem, the Lord either directly comes to fix the situation, or He sends one of His authorized representatives, the spiritual master. There are three notable examples in this regard.

Many years prior to His advent as Lord Rama, Krishna personally came to earth in a half-man/half-lion form named Narasimha. He appeared so as to give protection to His five year old devotee, Prahlada. Just as Rakshasas are demonic in nature, so are the Daityas, the sons of Diti. Prahlada was born a Daitya, but he was a pure devotee at heart. Unfortunately, his father Hiranyakashipu was not. A demon very similar to Ravana, Hiranyakashipu was very strong and well off materially. He thought himself to be God, so when he saw Prahlada engaged in devotional service, he became very angry. The young child refused to give up his devotion to Krishna, so Hiranyakashipu tried to kill him in so many ways. Yet each and every attempt failed, for the Lord gave protection to Prahlada. There was even one time when Prahlada was put into a pit of fire by a demon woman named Holika. Hiranyakashipu thought that Holika would survive the fire due to a boon she had received. However, the boon didn’t work since Prahlada was in her lap. The reverse situation ended up occurring, with Holika burning to ashes and Prahlada surviving. This event was the genesis of the annual holiday known as Holi, which is celebrated by millions of Hindus each year. God finally had enough and personally appeared as Lord Narasimhadeva and took Hiranyakashipu on his lap, and bifurcated him with His claws.

When Lord Rama triumphantly returned home after killing Ravana, He was installed as the king of Ayodhya. The people all loved him, especially the brahmanas. There was one brahmana in particular who would go see Rama every day. In fact, He would not eat without first seeing the Lord. Since Rama had to go away on business from time to time, the brahmana would not be able to see Him. On these occasions, the brahmana would starve himself. Upon hearing of this great devotion, the Lord was both happy and sad. He was honored by the devotion shown, but at the same time, He didn’t want His devotee to suffer unnecessarily. So to alleviate the situation, Rama had Lakshmana install a deity of Himself in the brahmana’s home. He instructed the brahmana to view the deity to be as good as Himself, thus he could now take his meals every day. This deity actually existed even before Lord Rama’s time and it has since been passed down to various saints, including Lord Hanuman. It is still in existence to this day in India.

A third instance of God’s devotion to His devotees occurred some five hundred years ago with Lord Chaitanya. The shastras tell us that in the Kali Yuga, the Lord appears secretly in the guise of a brahmana who is known for spreading the sankirtana movement, which is the congregational chanting of the holy names of God. This brahmana was known as Lord Chaitanya, and He appeared in India specifically to deliver the fallen souls of this age. After taking sannyasa at the age of 24, the Lord travelled extensively across India, inducing everyone to take up the chanting of the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. On one particular occasion, Lord Chaitanya was received as a guest of a brahmana who was a great devotee of Lord Rama. Lord Chaitanya actually named this brahmana Ramadasa Vipra, due to his devotion. Ramadasa was so happy to receive Lord Chaitanya, but he had one thing on his mind that disturbed him greatly. He couldn’t bear the thought of Ravana touching the body of Sita Devi. During Lord Rama’s time in the woods, Sita was kidnapped by Ravana, an event which triggered the eventual collapse of Ravana and his Rakshasa empire. Lord Chaitanya assured the brahmana that Ravana had actually stolen a false copy of Sita, for the original had taken refuge in the fire just prior to the kidnapping.

“At Rameshvara, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had a chance to read the Kurma Purana, in which He discovered that the form of Sita kidnapped by Ravana was not that of the real Sita but a mere shadow representation.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 1.117)

Later on during His travels, Lord Chaitanya found evidence in the Kurma Purana to back up His claim regarding Sita. The Lord immediately thought of Ramadasa Vipra. In order to allay the brahmana’s fears once and for all, the Lord tore the relevant page from the Kurma Purana and replaced it with a hand-written copy. Taking the original page back to Ramadasa Vipra, the Lord gave him evidence of the fact that the real Sita was indeed never touched by Ravana.

The lesson here is that God’s protection only comes when we associate with the divine energy. The material energy is full of dangers lurking around every corner. This is because karma itself is so complicated that we never know when good or bad things will happen to us. If we achieve the greatest material wealth, it is still temporary in nature. We will be forced to give it up at the time of death. Devotional service, on the other hand, is an eternal occupation. Since it is the natural inclination of the spirit soul to act as a servant to God, once taken up, the execution of bhakti yoga never stops.

We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking up religious activity. The highest form of religion is that which brings us closer to loving God. Religion performed simply for material benefit is second class and subject to victory and defeat. Pure devotional service means never losing because God Himself will personally see to it that we succeed.

Sadharma Charini

“My dear beautiful wife, what you have said is befitting the occasion and also indicative of the greatness of your family heritage. You are dearer to Me than My life, for you are My companion in the performance of religious duties.” (Lord Rama speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.21)

Society has various definitions of what constitutes a charitable or selfless act. Welfare work is usually equated with philanthropy, or the giving of money to charitable institutions or providing help to those who are considered disadvantaged. These acts are undoubtedly noble, but the Vedas tell us that there is an even higher type of service we can offer our fellow man. Helping others become God conscious is considered the highest welfare activity. Taking it one step further, those who help others in their execution of religious activities and devotional service are considered even more saintly.

Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, describes different types of sacrifices and pious deeds in His famous discourse to His disciple and cousin, Arjuna. Known as the “Song of God”, the Bhagavad-gita informs us of the different types of charitable activities and which mode of material nature they fall into: goodness, passion, or ignorance.

“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, Bg. 17.20)

If we look at any society, no matter how opulent it might be, there are bound to be those who are struggling. In America, famous athletes tend to earn a lot of money. This is because the four major sports of baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, along with tennis and golf, garner great attention from the general public. Stadiums are often filled to the capacity and television ratings are very high. This leads to increased merchandise sales. The result is that there is plenty of money to go around between the organizers of these sports and their participants, the players. Many of these athletes are very young, and their new-found wealth can be overwhelming. Not knowing what to do with all their money, they take to philanthropy. Famous athletes such as Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, and Roger Federer have all started their own charitable foundations. Agassi was so ambitious that he even started his own school in his hometown of Las Vegas.

These charities all target those who are considered disadvantaged or poor. Agassi’s school was created so as to allow underprivileged youths in Las Vegas to have an equal chance at a good education. The school was so popular in the beginning that many students from outside Las Vegas ended up applying and were granted admission. Agassi eventually had to go to court to block these outsiders from attending the school. In his mind, these people were wealthy enough that they didn’t need the help he was offering.

Herein lies the flaw with charity that is done on the material level. The Vedas tell us that the difference between the spiritual world and the material world is that the material world is one governed by gunas, or qualities, and karma, or work. The three qualities of material nature are goodness, passion, and ignorance. Each living entity possesses these qualities to varying degrees. Every action we perform, or karma, can also be classified into one of these modes. Charity performed in the mode of goodness reaps great spiritual merit. The performers ascend to the heavenly planets after their current life is over. Yet since the mode of goodness is still part of the material world, acts of charity by themselves don’t grant liberation.

Unlike the material world, the spiritual world is free of karma and guna. Life there is eternally blissful since it is the original home of the spirit souls. Due to our desire to imitate God, we were allowed to take birth in the material world. By acting in any of the three modes of nature, we are perpetually bound to the repeated cycle of birth and death. There is only one way out of this material world, and that is to think of God at the time of death.

“And 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)

Charity on the material level also takes other forms. Many foundations are formed to fund research into fighting various cancers, such as breast cancer and leukemia. Then there are other organizations formed to help those coming from abusive families or relationships. People working for these groups certainly have noble intentions, but according to the Vedic definition, everyone in this material world is suffering. Actually, simply by taking birth here, one is deemed to already have suffered. The Shrimad Bhagavatam gives us information on the mindset of the child in the womb.

“Therefore, my Lord, although I am living in a terrible condition, I do not wish to depart from my mother’s abdomen to fall again into the blind well of materialistic life. Your external energy, called deva-maya, at once captures the newly born child, and immediately false identification, which is the beginning of the cycle of continual birth and death, begins.” (SB 3.31.20)

Taking birth means the spirit soul is again subject to the miseries of material life. Every living entity must suffer through old age, disease, and eventually death. Therefore anyone who acts in such a way as to cause the cycle of birth and death to repeat is deemed to be suffering. This situation describes almost everyone, for we are all associating with karma. Any work performed for a desired material result, or that work performed according to prescribed duty aimed at achieving material advancement, can be classified as karma. Vikarma is any work performed that causes one to fall further down the chain of species. Akarma is work that is performed to help one break free of the repeated cycle of birth and death.

To this end, we see that regular acts of charity don’t help the performer achieve perfection because they are still associated with karma. The recipients of such charity are benefitted in a material sense, but not in a spiritual sense. Since the material senses can never be fully satisfied, simply helping someone’s material condition won’t help them achieve the ultimate purpose of life, which is to become God conscious. Therefore the shastras state that there is an even higher form of charity and welfare work that one can perform.

In the above referenced quote, Lord Rama is praising His wife’s devotion to Him and the counsel she freely offered to Him. Lord Krishna is the original form of God but He periodically expands Himself into human form for specific purposes. As Lord Rama, God came to earth to annihilate the miscreants in the form of the Rakshasas, headed by their leader Ravana. By killing the miscreants, the Lord would, at the time same time, be providing protection to His devotees. Lord Rama’s advent took place during the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation. The brahmanas, the priestly class of men, had taken to forest life in hopes of further advancing in their spiritual pursuits. Brahmanas have several specific occupations they can undertake, which are delineated in the shastras. One of their primary duties is to perform worship of Lord Vishnu, Krishna’s primary expansion, by holding great sacrifices. At the same time, they are advised to perform austerities, known as tapasya, with the aim of freeing themselves from attachment to material objects. Tapasya is intended to help one advance spiritually. Every living entity has two souls residing within the body, the individual soul (atma) and the Supersoul (Paramatma). The “para” distinguishes the Supersoul from our individual soul. This is because the Paramatma is the direct expansion of God. Some philosophers falsely believe that God divides Himself into the Paramatma, and that at the end of creation, everything merges back into Him. In actuality, God expands Himself as the Paramatma, but at the same time, remains unchanged and complete in His potency.

Due to the influence of the material senses, the living entity is unaware of the presence of both the atma and Paramatma. This forgetfulness leads one to falsely identify with their gross material body, which is temporary in nature. The body is so temporary that it is changing every second. The body we had as a child is completely different from the body we have as an adult. Yet we still see people falsely identifying themselves as belonging to a specific race or even a particular nationality. The purpose of human life is to break free of these bodily designations and to realize that we are spirit souls, aham brahmasmi. By performing tapasya, we can get closer to connecting with the Paramatma residing within us. One who realizes the presence of the Paramatma can then start to take dictation from Him. The directions of the Paramatma are known as the divine consciousness, which is different from the material consciousness.

“For one who is so situated in the Divine consciousness, the threefold miseries of material existence exist no longer; in such a happy state, one’s intelligence soon becomes steady.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.65)

During Lord Rama’s time, the sages took to the forest since it was more conducive to spiritual life. The Rakshasas knew this, so they would range the night looking for these sages. Not only would the Rakshasa disrupt the fire sacrifices, but they would kill the brahmanas and then eat them. The shastras list specific sins and the consequences associated with them, but there is no higher sin than killing a brahmana; especially if he is a Vaishnava, or devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Lord Rama, His wife Sita Devi, and His younger brother, Lakshmana, happened to be roaming the forests of India at the time these events were unfolding. The sages directly approached Rama and asked Him to protect them. The Lord happily obliged. It was actually no coincidence that Rama was there in the forest at the time. God came to earth in the form of Lord Rama specifically at the insistence of the demigods. Ravana had defeated them in battle many times, and due to the boons he had received from Lord Brahma and Shiva, he was unbeatable in battle from any celestial being. Only a human being could defeat him. For this reason the demigods asked God to come to earth in human form. When the brahmanas in the forest approached Him, Lord Rama was ready, willing, and able to defend.

Yet Sita Devi had a few concerns relating to this request. Rama’s signature attribute was His devotion to dharma, or religiosity. As a pious prince, Rama set the example for the rest of society on the proper rules of etiquette and behavior for a leader. Sita Devi, a devoted wife and extremely pious person in her own right, was worried that Rama might take to violence without just cause. She raised her concerns to Rama in a very nice way. In response, the Lord told her not to worry because it was actually His duty to protect the brahmanas. Since the Rakshasas had already attacked, Rama’s defense of the sages was more than justified.

Rama knew what was in Sita’s heart, so He very much appreciated her concern. In the above referenced quote, He mentions that she is dear to Him, especially because she is a partner in the performance of His religious duties. This one statement teaches us the true meaning behind marriage. In the Vedic tradition, a virtuous wife is referred to as sadharma-charini since she is the partner in the performance of religious activities. Aside from merely providing regulation of sex indulgence, marriage life is meant to be a completely spiritual institution. For this reason it is known as the grihastha-ashrama.

Lord Rama’s statement not only applies to those who are married, but to all people. The ability to practice religion is the real benefit to this human form of life. The Vedas refer to religion as sanatana dharma, meaning the eternal occupation of man. It is our inherent nature to be servants of Lord Krishna, or God. Yet material nature lures us into being servants of our senses. The regulative principles of bhakti yoga serve as a starting point to helping us break free of this mindset. When one first takes up devotional service, there are several rules and regulations they must adhere to, the primary of which involve abstention from meat eating, gambling, illicit sex, and intoxication.

Anytime we take up a new endeavor, success is not guaranteed. What can really boost our chances of success is having someone else there to help us. People wanting to lose weight often visit a personal fitness trainer. This person serves as a coach in way, pushing the person to exercise hard and eat right. The devotee of God acts in a similar manner. Aside from being a servant of God themselves, the devotee performs the highest welfare work by inducing others to take up devotional service. The shastras tell us that the highest reward in life is to have association with the saints. Pure devotees of Krishna are considered true saints, and having association their association means having access to a wealth of knowledge, guidance, and wisdom.

We are eternally indebted to the great Vaishnava saints and acharyas of the past such as Goswami Tulsidas, Vyasadeva, Lord Chaitanya, and Shrila Prabhupada, who were all trailblazers. They dedicated their lives to serving Lord Krishna and helping others become devotees. Sita Devi herself set the standard of excellence in the execution of devotional service. We should all take up bhakti yoga by following in the footsteps of these great authorities. If we are fortunate enough to make progress and become God conscious, we should then take to helping others achieve the same goal. Acting as someone’s companion in their performance of religious acts is really the nicest thing we can do for someone else.

Tough Love

“Certainly all these words were spoken by you due to your kind-heartedness and affection for Me. I am very pleased with you, O Sita, for indeed one does not offer instructions and advice to another without caring for them.” (Lord Rama speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.20)

If we really think about it, the best teachers we had during our school years were the ones who pushed us the hardest. Sure there were some teachers we liked better than others, many of whom were very nice to us. But in the end, the ones we learned the most from were probably the ones that kept urging us to perform better and tried to get the most out of our potential. Through this kind of tough love, we were able to push ourselves to the limits, something which helped us immensely in our education and overall transition into adulthood.

Education starts right from our very birth. The infant child is completely helpless, depending on its parents for its livelihood. Infants can’t move, talk, or even feed themselves without the help of an adult. Thus an immediate teacher-student relationship is formed between the children and the parents. As we get older, we are forced to attend school. Schooling is required for children growing up in America. It is the natural tendency of children to want to play all day long. When Lord Krishna personally advented some five thousand years ago on earth, He spent His childhood days in Vrindavana. He and His elder brother, Balarama, used to go out every day and play with their friends. Mother Yashoda would have to repeatedly call them to come home to eat.

Since children don’t know any better, they just want to have fun all day. School is the antithesis of fun. A student is forced to take instruction on a variety of subjects from an expert teacher. As children, we don’t realize that what we’re learning will come in handy later on in life. It is quite common to hear students ask their teachers, “Why are we learning this? When are we going to have to use this in our life?” Subjects like mathematics, science, and even reading can be very boring for children. The key to getting through school is having good teachers who imbibe a strong work ethic in us.

This work ethic is not easy to come by. Our natural inclination is to have fun, so we need someone in a position of authority to get us to act otherwise. Teachers and parents are ideally suited for this. A good teacher is one that must be hated at some point or another. We tend to like those who are nice to us. This is only natural. But the teacher’s duty is not to be our friend. Their job is to get us to learn, and learning requires hard work. A good teacher is one who constantly pushes us to work harder, so that we can learn more. They don’t throw out compliments very often, for they know that praising our work will only make us complacent. In the beginning, this lack of acknowledgment from a teacher can cause frustration but, in the end, it is just what we need to reach our full potential.

This same theory holds true with our parents. Though it may be in fashion today for parents to want to be friends with their children, this is not ideal. The Vedas tell us that one should not become a person of authority unless they can deliver their dependents from the repeated cycle of birth and death.

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

A good parent is also one who is hated at some point by their children. When we become frustrated with the rules our parents make or the orders they give us, it usually means they are trying to instill good values in us. In the short term we may hate them, but in the long term, they are helping us out immensely.

This tough love formula is used not only by parents and teachers, but by devotees of God as well, more specifically, by devotees of Lord Krishna. In the Vedic tradition, God in His original form is referred to as Bhagavan, which translates to The Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhagavan actually means one who possesses all fortunes. By definition, no one can be more fortunate than God. Some philosophers espouse the belief that the living entity and God are equal, and that the entire creation is simply a part of Brahman. However, this cannot be true simply for the fact that the living entities are subject to the control of the forces of nature, while God is not. If we take ourselves to be God, then how do we explain the fact that we are forced to repeatedly suffer through birth and death in this material world, a world which is both temporary and miserable?

God is great, and we are His servants. Qualitatively we are one and the same, but quantitatively we are vastly different. The living entities represent one of God’s many energies. On the highest level, God’s energies can be divided into two categories: the spiritual and the material. The spiritual energy is completely pure, free from any defects. Bhagavan, Lord Shri Krishna, is described as having a body which is eternal and full of bliss and knowledge, sach-chid-ananda-vigraha. Everything relating to God is spiritual. Even when He takes birth in the material world, His body and soul are still the same; both being spiritual in nature. For living entities, there is a distinction between matter and spirit. Our soul, jivatma, resides inside our gross material body. At the time of death, our material components are discarded, while our soul remains intact.

“This atma is indeed indestructible” (Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad, 4.5.14)

The spiritual energy is that which is eternal and unchanging. The material energy is just the opposite. It is full of ignorance and governed by the three modes of nature (goodness, passion, and ignorance) and fruitive activity (karma). The living entities actually belong to what is known as the marginal energy. It is described as such because we have a choice as to which energy we want to be a part of. In this sense, we have a minute amount of independence. Due to illusion, we tend to think that we are fully independent and in control of our fortunes. We falsely think of ourselves as the doer.

"The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by nature." (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.15.6)

But since we are individual spirit souls, part and parcel of God, we do have a choice in how our senses will interact with material nature. By engaging in devotional service, or bhakti yoga, our senses are used to help us connect with God’s spiritual energy. With any other engagement, be it a lesser form of yoga or plain fruitive activity, we remain attached to the material energy.

The pure devotee is referred to as bhagavata since he is completely connected with God. The bhagavata takes it upon himself to help others come to the spiritual energy. A devotee’s primary business is to serve God in a loving way. This is the natural disposition of the spirit soul. We are all serving something, whether we know it or not. Even the wealthiest person in the world, be they retired or still working for a large corporation, is a servant to someone or something. A pure materialist enjoyer is a servant to the senses, go-dasa. An independent business leader is a servant to the shareholders or to the customers of the company. The Vedas tell us that our natural role is that of servants to God.

The highest service we can perform for the Lord is to help others reconnect with Him. To this end, the devotees engage in preaching work. Since they have a perfect grasp of dharma, or religiosity, they don’t hold back when it comes to teaching or correcting others. This was the case many thousands of years ago during the Treta Yuga. In the above referenced quote, Lord Rama is speaking with His wife, Sita Devi, about specific concerns she had. Lord Rama was an incarnation of Krishna who appeared on earth as a pious kshatriya warrior. Sita was His chaste and dedicated wife. The two were roaming the forests of India along with Rama’s younger brother, Lakshmana.

At the time, many great sages were living in the forest, performing their occupation duties of sacrifice and penance. Their austerities were constantly being interrupted by the Rakshasas, a class of demons who were great enemies of the pious devotees. The sages petitioned Rama for help, and the Lord happily agreed to take up arms in their defense. Sita Devi was a little worried about this, for she was afraid that Rama might take to violence unnecessarily. According to Vedic doctrine, violence is allowed, but only under certain circumstances. Never is one allowed to act violently towards another without due cause.

“According to Vedic injunctions there are six kinds of aggressors: 1) a poison giver, 2) one who sets fire to the house, 3) one who attacks with deadly weapons, 4) one who plunders riches, 5) one who occupies another’s land, and 6) one who kidnaps a wife. Such aggressors are at once to be killed, and no sin is incurred by killing such aggressors.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bg. 1.36, Purport)

Since Rama’s distinguishing feature was His strict adherence to dharma, Sita didn’t want Him to act in an unrighteous manner. For this reason she shared her concerns with Him. The Lord replied that it was His duty to protect the brahmanas, and that she need not worry. Sita was very kind and good natured, so her advice was given only out of love for her husband. Lord Rama made sure to acknowledge this.

Sita’s behavior was quite exemplary. She was so pious that she was even willing to correct what she viewed as a transgression from her husband, who happened to be God Himself. This is the trademark characteristic of a pure devotee. They believe so strongly in the power of devotional service and dharma that they openly share their concerns with whomever they meet. Sometimes when reading the great Vedic texts such as the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, or other commentaries by the great saints, we may come across certain passages or statements that offend us. We may even read things that we strongly disagree with at the time or things that make us angry. This is only natural, for it is not the business of the spiritual master, or pure devotee, to falsely flatter others. Changing a person’s mindset from material to spiritual life is not such an easy thing, so it requires the guru to be direct in their teachings. A learned brahmana is also known as a sadhu, which means “one who cuts”.

“To cut something, a sharp instrument is required; and to cut the mind from its attachments, sharp words are often required. The sadhu or teacher shows no mercy in using sharp words to sever the student’s mind from material attractions. By speaking the truth uncompromisingly, he is able to sever the bondage.” (Shrila Prabhupada, The Perfection of Yoga, Ch 4)

As Lord Rama states above, Sita Devi showed great love by instructing Him so frankly on the rules of dharma. This proves that the devotees of the Lord are engaged in the highest welfare work for humanity. In the current age, devotees boldly advise everyone to give up meat eating, gambling, illicit sex, and intoxication, and to take to the process of chanting the holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. This form of tough love is greatly needed, for if we follow the instructions of the great saints such as His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, we will surely be benefitted.

Automatic Protection

“…If the Supreme Lord gives one protection, even though one has no protector and is in the jungle, one remains alive, whereas a person well protected at home by relatives and others sometimes dies, no one being able to protect him.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.2.40)

According to the Bhagavad-gita, those who are conscious of God and believe in His power, initially approach Him for one of four different reasons. Some are interested in acquiring wealth, some are inquisitive to learn about the soul and the transient nature of things in the material world, some want to learn about the Absolute Truth, and there are others who are distressed and are looking for relief from their pains. Anything that can bring one closer to God is certainly a good thing, but the pure devotee is one who appreciates God and loves Him without any motive.

“Pure devotional service should be free from the desire for any material benefit or for sense gratification, as these desires are cultivated through fruitive activities and philosophical speculation.” (Shrila Prabhupada, The Nectar of Devotion, Introduction)

Viewing God as an order supplier is quite normal. Frustrated in our attempts at finding happiness, it’s not difficult to realize that there must be a higher power who controls everything. The Vedas, the ancient scriptures emanating from India, tell us that the higher power is Lord Shri Krishna. He is known as Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is described as such because there can be many forms of Godhead, but only one original. There are millions of universes and planets, and even millions more living entities. Management of these affairs requires God to expand Himself directly into a multitude of forms. Yet at the same time, Lord Krishna is still the original.

“Krishna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.” (Brahma-samhita, 5.1)

Since God is the original creator, He passes down certain law codes that one is recommended to follow. These codes are known as the shastras, or scriptures. They provide information on how society should be run, including how governments should be formed and operated. The living entity is the same in quality with God, but much different quantitatively. For example, we have knowledge of our current life’s experiences, but we have no clue about other people. This is because our soul, jivatma, only resides in our body. God, on the other hand, is so powerful that He has expanded Himself into the bodies of every living entity as the Supresoul, or Paramatma. He resides side-by-side with the jivatma inside everything living entity, meaning He is conscious of all of our activities and desires.

Since God is great, one of His primary roles is that of protector. Since His power is unlimited, He can provide protection to anyone that asks Him for it. In fact, this protection is actually guaranteed for a certain group of people, regardless of whether they ask for it or not. This is part of the laws of nature relating to spiritual life. For example, in the material world it is the duty of a government to provide protection. In fact, that is its primary role, though it is hardly viewed that way today. Since the modern age is so technologically and economically advanced, governments around the world are now viewed as god-like, sort of like order suppliers. Since democracy is the popular style of government today, any group of people can vote themselves money by backing candidates who promise to provide handouts. In essence, the government is viewed as a large wish-fulfilling cow, and the debate is only about who will get what.

Applying a little logic, one can see that this view of government is severely flawed. For example, every person living in a country is equally a citizen. Therefore no person has a right to someone else’s money. In fact, everyone has an equal right to protection from the government, for that is the reason government was created in the first place. The Declaration of Independence of the United States says that man is endowed by their Creator with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This means that man is free to act how he chooses, as long as he doesn’t violate the rights of others. In this regard, each person has a right to defend their property and their life. Government represents the collective right to self-defense of a large community or group of people.

The protection offered by the government is available to every citizen, even without them asking. If a crime is committed, the police will come and do their job without solicitation from anyone. Police officers, firefighters, and military men are duty-bound to uphold their responsibilities to society at large. They take great pride in their work, for they perform their duties without much fanfare. Many times, their brave work goes unappreciated. This is because the protection they offer is automatic and expected by the population they serve.

From time to time, the police or other emergency responders may not be present in a crisis, so one is required to specifically call for help. In America, the 911 telephone hotline specifically serves this purpose. By calling that number, an operator can quickly get a hold of an ambulance or a police officer and have them come and deal with the situation. In a similar manner, even though God’s protection is automatic, sometimes the need arises to specifically ask for His help. This was the case many thousands of years ago in the Dandaka forest.

During the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation, many great sages took to forest life to execute their prescribed duties. The sages, or brahmanas, were essentially priests by occupation. We tend to view priests today as people who live a similar lifestyle as average folk, except for the fact that they may live in churches. Under Vedic guidelines, the brahmanas are to voluntarily take up a meager lifestyle. The motto is “simple living, high thinking”. By limiting one’s wealth and possessions, a person can better concentrate on studying religion, performing sacrifices, and helping others in society to do the same. When comparing society to the body of a human being, the brahmanas are considered to be the brain. If the brain is distracted with sinful activities such as drinking, smoking, or gambling, it will be very hard for it to concentrate on more important subjects like religion.

The brahmanas took to forest life because it was more conducive to performing sacrifices and study of the Vedas. Urban life can be very noisy and distracting. The other advantage of life in the forest is that one who lives there must accept austere conditions by default. Many people today like to take camping trips as a way of roughing it and getting in touch with nature. Yet there is a big difference between sleeping in a tent for a few days versus actually making the forest your permanent abode. So these brahmanas were very advanced yogis, and also great devotees of Krishna.

God is so kind and sweet, that many people take to worshiping Him in times of trouble. The four reasons for approaching God mentioned above apply to those who have some belief in the existence of a higher power. Sadly, there is also a group of people who not only don’t believe in God, but who also despise those who are religious. The Vedas have many names for these people, but the primary ones are duskritinah and asura. Sometimes we see someone committing abominable acts or purposefully acting against the standard principles of decency, and we wonder how someone could act in such a way. The Vedas tell us that this sort of activity has actually been going on since the beginning of time. The suras, or devotees, and the asuras have always had clashes. The brahmanas living in the Dandaka forest were suras and, by nature, they had no care for anything or anyone except God. It’s not that they didn’t care about other people; it’s just that their primary concern was worship of Lord Vishnu, Krishna’s four-handed expansion. A pandita, or a learned person, views all living entities equally.

“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste] .” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 5.18)

The asuras are just the opposite. They identify only with their gross material body, which is subject to destruction at the time of death. They don’t have any knowledge of the equality of all living entities. For this reason they take their current life to be the beginning and end of everything. This sort of mindset leads to a sinful way of life, where one wants simply to satisfy the sense demands of the body. For these reasons the asuras view the suras as their biggest enemies. The devotees aren’t bothering anyone, but the asuras know that if the devotees please God, the demigods, and other devotees, then society at large will become pure and committed to dharma. This is bad news for the asuras because that means they will be the outcastes. Thus the asuras take to attacking the saintly people.

This is precisely what happened when the sages took to forest life. At the time, a great Rakshasa demon by the name of Ravana was ascending to power, seeking world domination as his life’s mission. Ravana had pleased several demigods and received powers of invincibility from them. As a typical asura, he was not grateful for these boons, but rather used them to attack other demigods, including his own brother. Ravana was so powerful that he conquered many great demigods in battle, yet he still took to attacking the defenseless brahmanas living in the Dandaka forest. Ravana and his band of Rakshasas knew that if the brahmanas could be terrorized into ceasing their religious activities, that there would be no one left to stop them.

“Oh Vaidehi (Sita), it is my duty to protect the sages, even without being asked. But these sages have explicitly asked for My help and I have agreed to protect them. How then can I ignore them?” (Lord Rama speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.19)

Lord Vishnu, at the behest of the demigods, took birth on earth as the prince named Rama. An expert kshatriya warrior, Rama was banished from His kingdom and ordered to live in the forest for fourteen years by His father. This was all part of the master plan, as the Lord needed an excuse to go to the forest and protect the brahmanas. His brother, Lakshmana, and His wife, Sita Devi, both accompanied Rama during the exile. In the above referenced quote, Lord Rama is explaining to Sita that His protection of the brahmanas was implied since He was a kshatriya. Moreover, Rama also had promised to protect the brahmanas after they asked Him for help. Thus Rama was duty-bound to fight off the Rakshasas.

Though Lord Rama is specifically referencing the fact that He was required to protect the sages as part of His kshatriya duties, what He really means is that God always protect the devotees. When we act on the platform of karma, good and bad things happen to us automatically based on our actions. God has nothing to do with this. Material gains and losses are similar to those seen on the world’s stock markets. Each trader and investor has different goals, desires, and ideas of risk. Therefore we sometimes see people make millions, while others lose their life savings. The stock market itself can’t be blamed for any of these events, for it acts as a neutral observer. In a similar manner, karmic activity works on its own, though it is a system instituted by God.

The Lord makes an exception, however, for those who rise above karma and take to the process of devotional service, also known as bhagavata-dharma. Devotees don’t work for any fruitive engagement, even though we may sometimes see them take part in the activities of karmis.

“One is understood to be in full knowledge whose every act is devoid of desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker whose fruitive action is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge. Abandoning all attachment to the results of his activities, ever satisfied and independent, he performs no fruitive action, although engaged in all kinds of undertakings.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 4.19-20)

Since the ultimate purpose of all their activities is to serve God and to make Him happy, the devotees get God’s attention and the Lord, in turn, automatically provides them protection even if they don’t ask for it. The famous Bhakta Prahlada, the five year old son of the demon Hiranyakashipu, suffered through many attempts made on his life, but he survived them all by thinking of Lord Krishna. He did not necessarily ask for protection, but He just simply thought of the Lord, and that was enough to get God’s attention.

Prayers should definitely be offered to God, but the best prayers are those done in loving service. Hanuman, the great devotee of Lord Rama, offered a famous prayer that serves as a great example in this regard:

“My dear Lord, if You like You can give me salvation from this material existence, or the privilege of merging into Your existence, but I do not wish any of these things. I do not want anything which diminishes my relationship with You as master and servant, even after liberation."

The lesson here is that if we take up devotional service, we have no need to worry about attacks from the asuras. In fact, chanting the Lord’s name, offering Him prayers, distributing prasadam, and visiting temples is the best way to thwart the attacks from atheists. Rama and Lakshmana would go on to kill many Rakshasas, culminating with the killing of Ravana. The material world is a very dangerous place, especially if we remain exposed to the effects of our karma and the karma of others. In times of trouble, we need only look to the beautiful, magnanimous, and all-merciful Lord Rama. He will provide us the protection we need to continue our adherence to bhagavata-dharma.

Avatara

“The avatara, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation. And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an incarnation, or avatara. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatara." (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 20.263-264)

The uniqueness of God’s incarnation as Lord Rama was His dedication to dharma, or religiosity. The Lord appears on earth periodically, each time for a specific purpose. Each avatara exhibits specific qualities and traits which appeal to different groups of people. All incarnations share one thing in common; they appear to give protection to the devotees.

There is a class of pseudo-transcendentalists who don’t believe that God can appear on earth. The Vedas tell us that God can be realized in three distinct aspects, with one of them being Brahman, or the impersonal effulgence. Brahman is also described as the Absolute Truth since it is non-different from God. It is the all-encompassing energy. Everything material or spiritual can be thought of as Brahman. Yet in the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna tells us that the Paramatma, or Supersoul, is more a complete feature than Brahman.

“The Supersoul is the original source of all senses, yet He is without senses. He is unattached, although He is the maintainer of all living beings. He transcends the modes of nature, and at the same time He is the master of all modes of material nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 13.15)

Still, the Paramatma is not the ultimate source of everything. It is merely an expansion of Bhagavan, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhagavan is God’s original form who is known by various names such as Krishna, Ishvara, Achyuta, etc. Bhagavan is a person, an individual just like us. We are equal to God in quality, but far inferior to Him in quantity. God is great, and we are His subordinates. Yet many atheists and impersonalist speculators take Brahman to be the Supreme Absolute Truth, the beginning and end of everything. For this reason, they don’t believe that God can personally appear on earth. Rather, they believe that everything merges into Brahman at the time of universal dissolution, and then releases again when the next creation commences. Yet Lord Krishna definitively states in the Bhagavad-gita that He appears on earth from time to time in His personal form.

“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)

Lord Krishna is so smart that He knew that many would consider Him to be an ordinary human being. For this reason, He made sure to mention these people in His teachings to His dear friend and disciple, Arjuna.

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

We see that this is certainly true, for there are many fools who take to either criticizing Krishna or to labeling Him as a prophet. The Vedas tell us that Krishna is unequivocally God Himself. Since the Vedas represent the ultimate authority, one must accept the statements contained within.

“…The last class of duskritina is called asuram bhavam ashrita, or those of demonic principles. This class is openly atheistic. Some of them argue that the Supreme Lord can never descend upon this material world, but they are unable to give any tangible reasons as to why not.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bg. 7.15 Purport)

This material world isn’t meant to be our permanent home. The question may then be raised, “Why are we here?” One can ask the “why” question an unlimited number of times until they reach a point where the question can no longer be answered. This is because the mind itself is part of the material creation, meaning its capacity for knowledge and intelligence is limited. By definition, something is considered material if it is temporary and flawed. Everything in this world is subject to creation and dissolution. This is why the first teaching of the Vedas is aham brahmasmi, “I am a spirit soul”. Though we may think otherwise, our bodies are temporary, for they must be given up at the time of death. Yet our souls are eternal, meaning they are completely spiritual in quality.

“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.20)

God created this material world so as to allow the spirit souls to enjoy false proprietorship over nature. Since God is so great, He has many imitators. Those who want to pretend to be God are allowed to take birth in the material world. Of course we can never be God since He is infallible, achyuta, and we are not. Therefore this world is a place full of miseries, dukhalayam.

In general, God is neutral towards every living entity. This is because, by default, we all act on the platform of karma, or fruitive activity performed with desires. “I act in a certain way because I expect a certain result.” This is the basis of karmic activity. Since everyone else also acts in this way, not all desires can be accommodated. There are bound to be collisions. For this reason, we see both good and bad results to our actions. God is completely aloof from such activity. The material world is a sort of playing field, with the demigods serving as the umpires or referees. A referee has no stake in the game; his only duty is to make sure the rules are properly adhered to. The demigods, God’s chief deputies, handle all issues of fairness as they relate to karma.

God makes an exception to this rule of neutrality for His devotees. This is because devotional service is also known as bhagavata-dharma. Dharma is religiosity, or occupational duty. It is defined as such because the Vedas tell us that religion is not meant to be some flickering belief system, but rather it is mankind’s duty. The spirit soul, jivatma, is by definition subordinate to God, so its inherent duty is to act solely for the Lord’s pleasure. Those acting in this way are engaging in bhagavata-dharma. Bhagavan is one who possesses all fortunes, and bhagavata is a conjugation of Bhagavan, meaning that which is associated or connected with God. Bhagavata can refer to the book, Shrimad Bhagavatam, or to the devotee. Because devotional service is above karma, God takes an interest. The Lord makes sure to protect those who sincerely engage in His service. Usually He sends His authorized representative, the spiritual master, to come and help the devotees, but on special occasions, the Lord personally appears.

One such appearance occurred during the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation. Taking birth as the eldest son of Maharaja Dashratha of Ayodhya, Lord Rama was God Himself in the guise of a pious prince. Dashratha belonged to the exalted Ikshvaku dynasty. The sun god, Vivasvan, is one of the most important demigods in the Vedic tradition. His son was Manu, the first man on earth. Manu’s son was Ikshvaku, who served as the first king of earth. Thus Lord Rama took birth in the solar dynasty, famous around the world for its dedication to dharma. Rama means one who gives pleasure to others and this was certainly the case with Dashratha’s eldest son. Rama was loved and adored by all, even by the miscreants He would punish.

The details of His life and pastimes are described in the famous Ramayana, written by Maharishi Valmiki. One of the major events in Rama’s life was His exile from the kingdom of Ayodhya. His younger brother, Lakshmana, and His wife, Sita Devi, both accompanied Rama during His fourteen year exile period in the forest. At the time, many great sages had taken to life in the forest since it was more conducive to the cultivation of knowledge and the performance of religious sacrifices. The Rakshasa demons had also risen to power at that time due to the strength of their leader, the ten-headed Ravana. Rakshasas are atheist by nature, so they viewed the sages as their greatest enemies. This is true not only of Rakshasas, but of all committed atheists. They cringe at the mere mention of God or religion. They take aggressive steps to root out religion from all areas of life.

“Indeed, I can renounce my own life, or even You, O Sita, along with Lakshmana, but never my promised word, especially those promises made to brahmanas.” (Lord Rama speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.18)

The Rakshasas of that time were quite brutal. They would not only disrupt the sacrifices of the sages, but they would also kill them and feast on their flesh. God appeared as Lord Rama specifically to give protection to the sages and to kill Ravana and his band of Rakshasas. In the above referenced quote, Rama is describing His dedication to the brahmanas. The sages of the Dandaka forest had humbly approached Rama to ask for protection, and the Lord agreed to take up arms in their defense. Sita was concerned that Rama was maybe running the risk of committing unjustified violence. To allay her fears, Rama explained that He and Lakshmana were duty-bound to always give protection to the saintly class.

Rama’s comparing His love for the brahmanas to His love for Sita and Lakshmana is noteworthy. Sita and Lakshmana were so exalted that they were allowed to accompany Rama during the exile. None of the other members of the kingdom were this fortunate. Lord Rama easily could have said that He would never renounce the sages, but such a statement may not have been so believable. Everyone in the world knew how much He loved both Sita and Lakshmana. By stating that He would renounce either one of them before going back on the promise he made to the sages, the Lord stressed just how much He loves His devotees who surrender everything to Him.

Lord Rama is best known for His dedication to piety and dharma. When God personally appeared as Lord Krishna in the Dvapara Yuga, He didn’t always abide by established dharma. His advent was more intended for giving pleasure to His devotees in Vrindavana. In actuality, God’s activities can never be classified as adharma, since He is the very definition of virtue. The rules of piety and righteousness only exist to provide a way for people to understand God. By themselves, mundane pious acts are actually meaningless. Only when they are dovetailed with service to the Lord or the cultivation of spiritual knowledge do these acts become meaningful. Nevertheless, Krishna appeared to break many rules, and also many promises. Since Krishna was more dedicated to enacting pleasurable pastimes, and Rama more dedicated to abiding by dharma, there are often debates as to which appearance was better. In the end, they are both the same one and only God, so it’s really just a matter of personal taste.

“Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purifled by knowledge of Me-and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me. All of them-as they surrender unto Me-I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 4.11)

Lord Krishna’s ultimate instruction in the Bhagavad-gita is that if one surrenders to Him, He will protect them from all sinful reactions. This is the most important thing to understand. Those who take this instruction seriously will have nothing to fear. God will always protect His surrendered devotees, just as He protected the sages of the Dandaka forest.

Rescuing the Soul

“The demoniac believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 16.11)

Everyone is looking for safety in life. The world-wide peace movements are an outgrowth of this desire. We all have possessions and family ties that we want to secure. It is the natural propensity of man to want to defend his property and protect his loved ones. This propensity is a byproduct of karma, or fruitive activity. Yet the Vedas tell us that this world is a temporary place, full of miseries, dukhalayam. The only way to protect ourselves from all dangers is to look to Lord Krishna, or God.

There are ways to protect almost anything related to the material world. The insurance industry survives on this very concept. These days you can buy an insurance policy for just about anything; health, life, automobile, home, etc. Lately the problem of identity theft has cropped up. Thieves have taken to stealing the social security numbers of others, and then imitating their identity. They use these false identities to open up credit cards and make other fraudulent purchases. When it comes time to pay, the burden falls on the person whose identity was stolen. In the entrepreneurial spirit, companies, such as Lifelock, have surfaced that now offer protection against identity theft.

Aside from protecting possessions and identities, people are always looking to protect their way of life. The Vedas tell us that there are four primary components to sinful life: meat eating, gambling, intoxication, and illicit sex. Sex is considered the highest form of material sense gratification, thus the Vedas advise one to strictly regulate this practice. Marriage was actually instituted by God so as to allow people to regulate their sexual urges. In the traditional system, parents would marry off their children as soon as they had any inkling for sex life. In this way men and women could live peacefully, without worrying about chasing after sex. Of course today’s situation is quite different. Since men and women are free to intermingle, illicit sex is quite common. Aside from being sinful, this sort of lifestyle has noticeable harmful short-term consequences. Sex life is meant for procreation, so those who engage in it illicitly run the risk of unwanted pregnancies. To combat this problem, modern health experts have advised the use of contraceptives such as condoms. Yet condoms don’t work all the time and people are still left with unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases. This reality doesn’t scare people enough to give up illicit sex. As a last resort, people now take to the practice of killing an unwanted child in the womb, or abortion. In this way the initial sin of illicit sex worsens into an even worse one of child killing.

The problems relating to illicit sex serve as an example for how material life works. Activity done on the level of karma has intended and unintended consequences, both good and bad. Yet the fruits of this activity are temporary. The mind is always hankering after things it wants and lamenting over things it doesn’t have. All our possessions, along with all our relationships, are temporary. Even the thrill resulting from sex doesn’t last very long, and yet still people go to so much trouble just to engage in it. The Vedas tell us that this life is meant for God realization. This can only be achieved by curbing the demands of the mind and living a life of moderation.

“There is no possibility of one’s becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.16)

By engaging in tapasya, or austerities performed for a religious benefit, we can marshal our forces for a higher purpose. Working hard at eating, sleeping, and mating is the business of the animal kingdom. We see that as soon as an advanced lifestyle is achieved, the propensity to defend kicks in. By the rules of nature no amount of defending can give perfect protection for our material possessions or activities. This is because this very world itself is subject to destruction.

“When Brahma’s day is manifest, this multitude of living entities comes into being, and at the arrival of Brahma’s night they are all annihilated.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.18)

The world is destined to end, just as it was destined to be created many millions of years ago. One can hang on as much as they want, but the forces of nature will eventually take everything away. This fact is on full display in the health care industry. There is a growing movement in America to get national health care implemented, a system whereby all medical procedures are subsidized by the government. Proponents of this system state that everyone has an inherent right to free medical care offered by doctors and hospitals. The idea is that if people don’t have health care, they will die. This may or may not be true, but we know for a fact that people who do have health care most certainly will die. In fact even wealthy people with the most luxurious health insurance plans still die, sometimes at very young ages. This is because karma determines our birth and death, and not any health insurance plan or the care of any doctor. If God’s forces of nature decide that it is our time to die, there is nothing in the world that can stop that.

“We have personal experience of a person of such demoniac mentality, who, even at the point of death, was requesting the physician to prolong his life for four years more because his plans were not yet complete. Such foolish people do not know that a physician cannot prolong life even for a moment. When the notice is there, there is no consideration of the man’s desire. The laws of nature do not allow a second beyond what one is destined to enjoy.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bg. 16.11-12 Purport)

There are many countries that already have a national health care system in place, and we see that people are still dying. In fact, since market forces and prices are out of the equation, we see that there is nothing in place to control demand or to increase the quality of care. For these reasons the waiting times for medical treatment are, on average, very high. Many people die simply waiting to get to treatment.

In a single-payer system where prices are controlled, a doctor has no incentive to lure more patients his way. Also since profits are controlled, prospective doctors are lured away from the field of medicine, thereby decreasing the number of practicing doctors, which then leads to long waiting lines.

Health care, driving, sex life, etc., no area of material life is immune from problems. The fact of the matter is that no amount of insurance or money can provide perfect protection.

“Those who are not actually philosophers, scientists, educators, administrators, etc., but who pose themselves as such for material gain, do not accept the plan or path of the Supreme Lord. They have no idea of God; they simply manufacture their own worldly plans and consequently complicate the problems of material existence in their vain attempts to solve them. Because material energy (nature) is so powerful, it can resist the unauthorized plans of the atheists and baffle the knowledge of ‘planning commissions.’” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bg. 7.15 Purport)

Man’s real business is to engage in his eternal occupation; bhagavata-dharma, or devotional service. Lovingly performing work for the Supreme Lord is a timeless discipline that can never suffer destruction or loss. Even those who take up this type of yoga, and still don’t fully achieve Krishna consciousness in this lifetime, get to continue their service in the next life.

“On taking such a birth (in a high family), he (the unsuccessful yogi) again revives the divine consciousness of his previous life, and he tries to make further progress in order to achieve complete success, O son of Kuru.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 6.43)

Knowing these facts, intelligent people make devotional service the primary duty of their life. This was precisely the path taken by the sags living in the Dandaka forest many thousands of years ago. Lord Rama, an incarnation of Krishna, had appeared on earth to provide protection to His devotees. The Lord comes to earth from time to time to also kill the demons, but this is not necessarily required. The laws of karma usually take care of all good and bad forces. On the highest level of understanding, there is actually no concept of good or bad in a material sense. Any activity which keeps one bound to the repeated cycle of birth and death is considered bad in the spiritual sense. In this regard even mundane pious activity is considered bad because it only leads to ascension to one of the heavenly planets in the material world. The time of residence there is fixed since it is commensurate with the amount of spiritual merits accumulated during one’s lifetime. These merits eventually expire, causing one to fall back down to earth.

During Lord Rama’s time, many sages had taken to living in the forest for performing their sacrifices and austerities. These brahmanas were very smart. They renounced the materialistic way of life in favor of tapasya and yoga. Problems arose, however, in the form of Rakshasa demons. There are are 8,400,000 varieties of species in the world, each possessing different qualities. Rakshasas are atheists by nature, who are expert in black magic. They live off meat eating, intoxication, and illicit sex. The saintly people are their greatest enemies. The sages actually don’t care about the Rakshasas, but the Rakshasas view the sages as the biggest threat to their way of life. The Rakshasas know that if all of mankind takes to devotional service, their sinful way of life will wither away. For this reason the Rakshasas took to harassing the sages by disrupting their sacrifices. Many sages were even killed and eaten, so horrible were these demons.

“After hearing these words spoken to Me by the sages residing in the Dandaka forest, O daughter of Janaka, I promised to provide them My complete protection. Having already vowed to offer this protection, it is impossible for me to act in any other way while I am still alive. Indeed, the truth is always dear to me.” (Lord Rama speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.16-17)

The sages living in the Dandaka forest went to Lord Rama as a last resort. Playing the role of the perfect prince, Rama was roaming the forest as an exile from His kingdom of Ayodhya. This was done at the behest of His father, Maharaja Dashratha. Rama was accompanied by His wife, Sita Devi, and younger brother, Lakshmana. Rama and Lakshmana were known as the greatest warriors of their time, expert in the military arts. The sages asked Rama and Lakshmana to protect them. In the above referenced quote, Lord Rama is explaining to Sita how the sages approached Him and how He promised to protect them.

On the surface, this situation appears to be that of a prince protecting a group of priests, but in reality, it is God offering perfect protection to His sincere devotees. Rama and Lakshmana would indeed come through for the sages by eventually killing thousands of Rakshasas, including their leader Ravana. Ravana was extremely powerful and had amassed great amounts of wealth. His island kingdom was even set up so far away from land that it seemed impenetrable. Yet his wealth, piety, kingdom, and possessions were all destroyed due to his sinful activities committed against the sages and Sita.

The lesson here is that everything in the material world is temporary and subject to destruction, regardless of whatever we may do in the areas of security and protection. Devotional service is just the opposite. Since it is directly connected with God, it is blissful, provides knowledge, and most importantly, it is eternal. Pure love for God can never be checked, even by the demons. This was proven by the protection offered by Lord Rama.

Vaishnava Authorities

“Hearing the verdict of Lord Shiva that the name of Rama is as good as a thousand other names of God, Parvatiji dined with her husband after uttering it only once.” (Ramacharitamanasa, Bala Kand, 18.3)

Lord Rama was an incarnation of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared on earth many thousands of year ago. Coinciding with Rama’s appearance was that of His younger brother Lakshmana, who was an incarnation of Baladeva, who is a primary expansion of Krishna in the spiritual world. These two brothers served as protectors not only for the residents of their hometown of Ayodhya, but for the entire world. As a direct incarnation of Krishna, Rama can be thought of as God. The Lord is not exclusive to any particular region or group of people. God is for everyone.

Sectarianism is widespread throughout the world when it comes to religion. Aside from the existence of the major religions of the world such as Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, there also exist subdivisions of the same religions such as Protestants, Lutherans, etc. Even in India there are many different sects, all ascribing to different beliefs. Because of the variety of religious systems in existence, many people mistakenly believe that God Himself is a man-made creation. “If so many people came up with similar conceptions of God, they must have done so out of their own imagination.” This conclusion may seem plausible, but it is not correct.

The Vedas are the oldest religious scripture in existence. Originally passed down through oral tradition in India, the Vedas represent complete and perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth, or God. One of the first pieces of information we get from the Vedas is that we living entities are not our bodies. We are actually spirit souls at the core, but by taking birth in the material world, we acquire a body made up of the three modes of material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. These qualities are referred to as gunas in Sanskrit. These gunas account for the variations we see in species. Even in a particular body type, such as the human being, we see varieties in personalities, demeanors, and physical strength. These differences are all influenced by guna. So what determines the qualities with which we are born? The answer is karma, which is the other piece to the puzzle. Karma is fruitive work, which along with desire, determines our consciousness. The consciousness at the time of death determines our destination in the next life.

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.6)

Since not every person has the same level of intelligence or aptitude for spiritual understanding, the Vedas are divided into different sections. The highest form of religion is known as bhagavata-dharma, or devotional service. Though technically considered a method of self-realization, bhagavata-dharma is actually the original occupation of every living entity. The other systems such as jnana-yoga, karma-yoga, and hatha-yoga are all meant to gradually elevate one to the stage of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Not every person who attends school will graduate, and in a similar manner, not every living entity who takes birth will take to devotional service right away. It is for this reason that God institutes varieties of religion, each tailored to a specific audience. The idea is that even the demoniac should have a dharma which they can adhere to.

“When the linking up process (of our consciousness with the Supreme Absolute Truth) is predominantly in fruitive activities, it is called karma-yoga, when it is predominantly empirical, it is called jnana-yoga, and when it is predominantly in a devotional relationship with the Supreme Lord, it is called bhakti-yoga.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 6.46 Purport)

In India, we see that one of the largest sectarian clashes that occurs is that between devotees of Lord Shiva and devotees of Lord Vishnu, or Vaishnavas. The Vedas make it perfectly clear that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has many forms and expansions, but only His vishnu-tattva expansions are considered to be as good as the original. Lord Vishnu is Krishna’s primary expansion, and from Vishnu come the various incarnations, of which Lord Rama is one. Lord Shiva is considered a guna-avatara, an elevated demigod who manages the mode of ignorance, or tamo-guna. There is actually no reason for any conflict between Shiva worshipers and Vishnu worshipers, because Lord Vishnu and Shiva have great love for each other. In the Ramacharitamanasa of Tulsidas, Lord Shiva beautifully narrates the story of Lord Rama’s life to his wife, Parvati. In his narration, Lord Shiva makes it clear that he views Lord Rama as God. Lord Shiva has many specific characteristics, but his most notable one is his devotion to Lord Rama.

In this respect, pure Vaishnavas are actually better devotees of Lord Shiva than most of his other devotees. The reason for this is that Lord Shiva is generally worshiped by those seeking material benedictions. By definition, Shiva is required to give out boons to anyone who worships him purely. He actually didn’t covet this role, for he wanted to spend all his time meditating on the lotus feet of God. Lord Hari (Krishna) advised Shivaji to get married and to serve as a demigod for those in the mode of ignorance. For these reasons, Lord Shiva is one of the greatest servants of Lord Vishnu. Aside from worshiping Lord Krishna or Vishnu, Vaishnavas love and respect all other devotees of the Lord. Shrimati Radharani and the gopis of Vrindavana are adored for this very reason. The great Vaishnava acharyas and spiritual masters are all shown the highest respect. Since Lord Shiva is such a great devotee, Vaishnavas have great love for him.

“Lord Brahma, Bhagavan Narada, Lord Shiva, the four Kumaras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahuti], Svayambhuva Manu, Prahlada Maharaja, Janaka Maharaja, Grandfather Bhishma, Bali Maharaja, Shukadeva Gosvami and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhagavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.” (Instructions of Yamaraja, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 6.3.20-21)

Devotees love fellow devotees. This is actually part of Lord Krishna’s instructions to us. Krishna tells us that He is even more pleased if we show love and respect to His devotee than if we show the same love to Him. Historically, many of Lord Shiva’s worshipers have been great demons. There once was a famous demon named Vrikasura who worshiped Lord Shiva for the boon of being able to kill anyone simply by touching their head. Shiva was kind enough to grant this boon, and the demon repaid the favor by immediately chasing after Lord Shiva, trying to touch his head and kill him. This is the nature of the demons. They do whatever they have to to get what they want, and they show no gratitude afterwards.

During Lord Rama’s time, another great demon by the name of Ravana had ascended to power. A Rakshasa by birth, Ravana was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Ravana used his acquired boons to defeat many demigods in battle. The whole world was afraid of him, including the brahmanas living in the forest. During those times, many sages took to the woods to perform their brahminical duties. A brahmana is essentially a priest, someone whose full-time occupation is the studying of the Vedas and the performance of yajnas, or sacrifices for Lord Vishnu.

Rakshasas are the opposite of brahmanas. Their full-time occupation is intoxication and meat-eating. They are not particular as to what kind of meat they will eat, for they will even devour human flesh. Aside from living a sinful life, the Rakshasas were staunch atheists who viewed the brahmanas as the greatest threat to their way of life. For this reason, they were constantly harassing the sages living in the forest. The brahmanas could have cast their own spells on the Rakshasas, but then they would lose a lot of their accumulated spiritual merits. A brahmana is supposed to be dhira, or one who is self-controlled and sober. They are also supposed to be extremely tolerant and non-violent. If they were to attack the Rakshasas with their curses, they would be going against their prescribed duties.

“Thus we are being persecuted by the Rakshasas dwelling in the Dandaka forest. You and Your brother Lakshmana are the only ones that can protect us. In this forest, You indeed are our Lord.” (Sages of Dandaka forest speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.15)

With no other recourse, the brahmanas petitioned Lord Rama, who was roaming the forest at the time with His wife, Sita Devi, and younger brother, Lakshmana. Rama and Lakshmana took birth in a kshatriya family, so their occupational duty was to provide protection to the rest of society. Since He appeared in the dress of a warrior, Rama had specific societal duties, but it should be understood that God is not required to do anything. In general, He views all living entities equally. Since, by default, almost everyone acts on the platform of karma, God lets nature take its course.

The Lord makes an exception for His devotees. For them, He takes it upon Himself to provide protection. This was the case with the brahmanas of the Dandaka forest. Not only did they ask Rama for help, but they fully surrendered themselves to both He and Lakshmana. The sages declared that Rama and Lakshmana were their masters. In the strict material sense, no one is higher than a brahmana. He is the most respected member of society. A true brahmana does not engage in the service of anyone except God. By voluntarily subordinating themselves to Rama and Lakshmana, the brahmanas gave us the perfect example of how one should surrender to God.

The pure devotee of Lord Vishnu is the wisest person in the world for one simple reason; he knows that God is in charge of everything. Not only does the devotee know that God is the supreme controller, but he has practically realized this fact through the surrendering process.

“Give up all varieties of religiousness, and just surrender unto Me; and in return I shall protect you from all sinful reactions. Therefore, you have nothing to fear." (Lord Krishna, Bg. 18.66)

The brahmanas in the forest fully surrendered to God, and as a result, they were fully protected from the Rakshasas. Both Rama and Lakshmana would go on to kill many demons, including Ravana. Those two pious princes ended the suffering of the sages.

The only legitimate suffering is that which arises from one’s inability to perform devotional service. Material pains and pleasures come and go on their own, so that’s not why the sages petitioned Rama. Their life’s occupation, loving service to God, was what was in jeopardy. From their example, we learn that the only solution to life’s real problems comes from completely surrendering unto God. This surrender can be easily carried out by regularly chanting the holy names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, and executing devotional service in full faith. Rama and Lakshmana are eternal, and they always protect the devotees in every part of the world.

The Sublime Engagement

"Duties [dharma] executed by men, regardless of occupation, are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Supreme Lord." (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.8)

Just as our ordinary material endeavors can bear fruits when executed properly, the performance of religious or pious acts can also lead to the acquisition of material benefits. Religious life is not all about punishing oneself for no reason. In the Vedic tradition, there are many different levels of religion, and on the material level, one can acquire great religious merit through the performance of sacrifices. Yet in the end, these material rewards, along with everything else in this creation, are only temporary. Therefore the aim of life should be to find a higher engagement which transcends the temporary nature of things.

Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has been so kind to us that He gave us not only one system of religion, but many varieties consisting of sub-religions in a sense. The analogy to dictionaries is appropriate in this regard. One may purchase a very large dictionary which is complete with definitions of all the words of a particular language, or one may buy a pocket dictionary; something compact which serves as a handy reference. Though both dictionaries contain vital information, the larger dictionary is superior due to its completeness. In a similar manner, Krishna originally passed down the Veda to Lord Brahma, the first created living entity. Veda means knowledge, so what was imparted into Lord Brahma’s heart was the essential knowledge required for all of mankind. As time went on, the Veda then became divided into different sections and henceforth became known as the Vedas. With the onset of the Kali Yuga, the age we currently live in, many new religions came about, each tailored for the specific time and circumstances of society. The Vedas tell us that the first stage of religious life begins when one seeks out the three rewards of material life: dharma, artha, and kama. Dharma is religiosity, artha is economic development, and kama is sense gratification. These things go hand in hand. One acts religiously in order that they may procure enough money to enjoy sense gratification at a satisfactory level.

For those who strive for these material rewards, dharma takes a specific shape. As mentioned before, there are different sections of the Vedas, with one of them being the karma-kanda section. Karma is fruitive activity or work performed for a desired result. Karma also means that work which automatically has an associated material reaction. Just because we work hard for something, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t side effects. For example, we may work very hard to earn a nice living, but if we engage in sinful activity, we are bound to suffer the results. Lying, cheating, stealing, illicit connection with women, and so many other sinful activities go on all the time. In a similar manner, pious activities also take place. Engaging in this sort of life means that each one of our actions has a commensurate reaction, either good or bad.

The karma-kanda section of the Vedas delineates specific sacrifices and religious functions that one can perform for the procurement of material rewards. For example, if one wants to ascend to the heavenly planets in the afterlife, they can engage in worshiping various demigods, or they can perform specific pujas and other sacrifices. Those in the householder stage of life, the grihastha ashrama, are urged to perform many such sacrifices for the benefit of their family. Today one of the most common pujas performed by the householders of the Hindu tradition is the Satyanarayana Katha. Usually performed once a month, this puja grants a husband and wife the boons of a prosperous family life and good health.

In the classic Vedic system, such sacrifices are usually only performed by brahmanas. The priestly class of men, the brahmanas, have specific occupations they are allowed to take up. Yajana and yājana, the performance of sacrifices and the teaching of the performance of sacrifices to others are two of the main businesses of a brahmana. The definition of a brahmana is one who knows Brahman, the impersonal energy of God. Lord Krishna is the original form of God and He can be realized in three distinct ways. His first feature is that of Bhagavan, meaning one who possesses all fortunes. Bhagavan then expands Himself into the heart of every living entity. This expansion is known as the Supersoul, or Paramatma. The Paramatma then further expands into Brahman, which is the impersonal effulgence from which everything in the universe emanates.

“Although the Supersoul appears to be divided, He is never divided. He is situated as one. Although He is the maintainer of every living entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops all. He is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is unmanifested. He is knowledge, He is the object of knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone’s heart.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.17-18)

Brahman is the source of all things material and spiritual, thus one who knows Brahman knows how the universe operates. Brahmanas also engage in studying the Vedas and teaching Vedic knowledge to others. During the Treta Yuga, the second time period of creation, many brahmanas took to living in the forest, since the peaceful surroundings were more conducive to the performance of sacrifices. At the same time, the Rakshasa class was ascending to power. Living entities can take many forms based on their material qualities and their karma. There are up to 8,400,000 varieties of species. Rakshasas are demons by nature who live off eating flesh. In the human race, meat eaters only eat the flesh of certain animals, but Rakshasas are so vile that they feast on human flesh as well. Aside from engaging in meat eating and intoxication, the most notable trait of Rakshasas is that they are devout atheists. Not to be confused with people who may be unaware of religion, Rakshasas are staunch believers in material life, taking their bodies to be the beginning and end of everything. Since they believe so strongly in adharma, or irreligion, they view the brahmanas, the saintly class of men, as their biggest threat.

“By the powers gained through our performance of religious austerities, we are certainly capable of killing these Rakshasa demons. But at the same time we don’t want to waste our ascetic merits, which took such a long time to achieve, on these demons. Oh Raghava (Rama), these demons are always putting obstacles in the way, making it impossible for us to concentrate on our performance of austerity and penance. Thus we sages are being eaten away by the Rakshasas before we can even issue a curse on them.” (Sages of Dandaka forest speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.13-14)

Feeling threatened by the brahmanas living in the forests, the Rakshasas took to harassing them. They would regularly disrupt the sacrifices of the sages, killing them and then feasting off their flesh. The brahmanas weren’t completely helpless though. All Vedic rituals revolve around sound vibrations; the recitation of sacred hymns and mantras. A brahmana is expert in reciting these mantras. The sages of the forests easily could have cast various spells and curses on the Rakshasas using these mantras. Yet from the above referenced quote, we can see that the brahmanas were hesitant to use these spells because it would mean that they would lose their accumulated religious merits.

This is a key point to understand. Karma-kanda activities certainly bestow rewards, but they are temporary. In essence, the rewards have an expiration date on them. Even those acting completely in the mode of goodness, sattva-guna, are not guaranteed of eternal spiritual life. If one acts piously in this life, they ascend to a heavenly planet in the material world. But residence there is no permanent, and at the expiry of their accumulated merits, they fall back down to earth.

“Those who study the Vedas and drink the soma juice, seeking the heavenly planets, worship Me indirectly. They take birth on the planet of Indra, where they enjoy godly delights. When they have thus enjoyed heavenly sense pleasure, they return to this mortal planet again. Thus, through the Vedic principles, they achieve only flickering happiness.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 9.20-21)

If a brahmana, or anyone else, acts on the material platform and acquires religious merits, those merits eventually expire. Sometimes the boons come immediately, while other times they bear fruit way into the future, maybe even in another life. Regardless of when they are received, all such rewards are only temporary. There’s a catch that goes along with this. If one acts impiously, then their accumulated religious merits diminish. It’s similar to the concept of a see-saw, with a person’s accumulated merits and demerits on opposite sides. This was the fact referenced by the brahmanas when speaking to Lord Rama. A brahmana is supposed to be non-violent. Casting a curse on someone is not considered a good thing, especially for a brahmana who is supposed to be very tolerant. If one does cast a curse, their religious merits diminish.

The brahmanas didn’t want all their hard work to go to waste, so they petitioned Lord Rama to help them. At the time, Lord Krishna had incarnated on earth in human form as Lord Rama specifically to kill the Rakshasas and to protect His devotees.

“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)

Lord Rama didn’t advent just to protect ordinary brahmanas. There is a difference between a brahmana and a Vaishnava, or devotee of Lord Vishnu or Krishna. These brahmanas that approached Lord Rama were all Vaishnavas, and their austerities were being disturbed. It was for this reason that Rama agreed to help them. Devotional service, or bhagavata-dharma, is the eternal occupation of man. The Vedas refer to religion as sanatana-dharma, which, in its purified form, really means bhagavata-dharma. There are nine distinct process of devotional service, and the performance of any one of them gives rewards that far exceed any of those given by the performance of karma-kanda. Bhagvata-dharma is also referred to as bhakti yoga, the linking of the soul with God in love. We have experience that it can take a while to garner love for someone else, while other times it can happen instantly. Bhakti yoga is so nice because it can deliver love at first sight to those who engage in it. Unlike material rewards that have a shelf-life, love for God lasts forever. It can never be diminished or checked.

Lord Rama’s protection of the sages was proof of this fact. The Rakshasas tried to disrupt the loving service offered by the brahmanas. Yet in the end, God personally came to save the sages. Lord Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana would end up killing many Rakshasas, including their leader Ravana. God protects those who take up the sublime engagement of devotional service. That is His promise to us.

No Limits

“A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free himself-he must be helped by a person who is unbound. Because the bound cannot help the bound, the rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Krishna, or His bona fide representative the spiritual master, can release the conditioned soul.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 7.14 Purport)

In the course of the day-to-day affairs of our lives, we are bound to run into trouble from time to time. This trouble can take various forms. In these situations, we usually turn to friends, parents, teachers, or even the government. All these entities certainly mean well and can provide us some relief, but in the end, their powers are limited. God is the only person who has unlimited powers and potencies.

The people we normally turn to in times of trouble are all flawed human beings. “To ere is human” is how the saying goes. Human beings are flawed because they possess gunas, or material qualities. Each of us is a spirit soul, jivatma, at the core, but through the birth process, we accept a material dress composed of the three modes of material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Each person possesses these qualities to varying degrees and in various combinations. For example, one person may be 75% in goodness and 25% in passion, while another person may be 100% in ignorance. These qualities can be combined in so many ways that we see up to 8,400,000 different species in the world. Even the person who is completely in goodness still has flaws. This is because the material qualities have limits to them. Another meaning for the word guna is rope. Therefore one who possesses gunas is bound up in the repeated cycle of birth and death. Possessing any of the three material qualities means one is driven to act on the level of karma, which is fruitive activity. If we perform activity with a personal desire or motive, we are forced to suffer good or bad consequences. The results of our actions may come to us in this life, or in a future one. Nevertheless, those who have desires at the time of death are forced to take birth again, repeating the entire cycle.

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.6)

Aside from the information we get from the Vedas pertaining to the qualities of nature, we can see for ourselves that human beings are flawed. Our parents give us guidance in the early stages of our life, but in the end, they want us to grow up to be independent adults. In the Western countries, parents try very hard to get their adult age children to move out of the house and start a life on their own. This isn’t done out of selfishness, but out of love for the child. The parents know that they won’t be around forever and that their children must be able to sustain themselves in their absence. Even if we advance to the stage where we are self-sufficient adults maintaining a job and family, our problems don’t end. Relationship troubles, drug addiction, and disease can strike us at any moment.

Economics has been an age old problem for mankind. The Vedas tell us to solve the economic problem by maintaining a small plot of land with a few cows. The cow is the secret weapon in the fight against hunger and starvation. A cow is very easy to maintain and they give us so much food in the form of milk and the products created from it. Sadly this fact has been ignored by most of human civilization in this age of Kali. Nowadays people take to killing innocent cows simply to satisfy their taste buds. With the advancements in technology over the past one hundred years or so, less and less people are engaged in farming. This means that the majority of jobs result from man’s fruitive desires born of the mode of passion.

Capitalism, which is loosely defined as the peaceable and voluntary exchange of goods and services with a respect for property rights and the rule of law, always leads to boundless economic growth. This makes sense because if man is free to pursue his own desires, he will naturally seek out a better life for himself. This capitalist system has been implemented in the United States since its founding. It has yielded tremendous results, as America is considered the great bastion of freedom, a country with the highest overall standard of living in the world. Yet capitalism is still part of the mode of passion, meaning it has defects. One of the greatest defects is that one can never be truly satisfied by artha, or economic development. It is the nature of the mind to constantly crave more and more. Karma is only fair after all. Since everyone has their own desires, there are bound to be collisions. This means that economic growth on a large scale cannot always continue uninterrupted. There are bound to be up and down cycles in a capitalist system.

Currently in America there is a downturn in the economic situation. As mentioned before, these do occur naturally, but the majority of the population doesn’t prepare for these situations. Having grown accustomed to an advanced way of life, any interruption in economic growth can lead to major problems. With the economic downturn, many people have lost their jobs. Since they no longer earn a paycheck, they have trouble paying their bills. One of the largest bills people pay each month is their mortgage. Around eight or nine years ago, the government encouraged people to buy their own homes, even to the point of granting home loans to people who weren’t qualified for them. Fast forward to today, and we have many people who can’t afford to pay the mortgage on their house.

As will happen during any economic downturn, politicians will try to capitalize on the feelings of distress amongst the population. Current U.S. President Barrack Obama ran for office promising to fix the economic problems. After taking office, Obama’s solution was to pass a large spending bill, known as the Stimulus Package. Many people were happy to see this action taken because they thought it would help jumpstart the economy. What has resulted is that the economic conditions are now even worse. This is because the government itself doesn’t have any money. Their wealth comes through the collection of taxes. Taxes come from the producers, those who are successful in the capitalist system. Therefore these stimulus packages are nothing more than the taking of wealth from one group of citizens for the express purpose of giving it to another.

Governments are great entities with lots of money, but even they are limited in their ability to help people. This fact was on full display recently in the city of Detroit. It was announced that part of the stimulus package money was going to be distributed to Detroit residents to help them pay off their mortgages. More than 65,000 people stood in line to fill out applications for government assistance. This seems like a nice idea, but there is one problem. It is expected that only 3,500 or so people will actually end up getting money. Nevertheless the people who waited in line fully expected to be given money.

This is a classic ploy of many governments. They tell citizens to look to them to provide for their needs. The old-style communists used to play a similar trick with bread. By controlling wealth and people’s behavior, the communists could create famine and artificial food shortages whenever they wanted to. In these situations, they would ask the citizens to pray to God to bring them bread. When bread wouldn’t appear, they would ask the citizens to ask the government to bring them bread. When the communist government would deliver the bread, they’d tell the citizens to start worshiping them instead of God.

If even the government has limited powers, who can we turn to? The answer is God. We may pray for things from the Lord, and He may or may not deliver, but it doesn’t mean that He doesn’t exist. This is because God is generally neutral towards all living entities.

“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 9.29)

This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us or that He wants us to suffer. Rather the material world is a sort of playground for the spirit souls to come and falsely enjoy. In this regard, God doesn’t stand in our way. Coming to the playground means relinquishing control to the forces of nature, which are governed by karma. With karma, good and bad things happen on their own. This is what we see with economics. People can ask the government for money, but in the end, it is up to the citizens to make the necessary adjustments in their life for survival.

Though the Lord doesn’t have a stake in our material fortunes, He does take a personal interest when it comes to His devotees. For them, He is ready, willing, and able to provide and protect. Many thousands of years ago, the great sages living in the Dandaka forest knew this fact. At the time, they were being harassed by the Rakshasas of the world. Rakshasas are living entities with characteristics similar to those of human beings, except that they are demons by nature. They live off eating the flesh of others, including human beings. They are expert in black magic, and are committed atheists. The sages were all brahmanas committed to performing great sacrifices for the satisfaction of Lord Vishnu. Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Vishnu is His primary expansion.

“You are the ultimate recourse and asylum for us ascetics, who are aggrieved and have been searching for someone to save us from the assaults of the Rakshasa demons.” (Sages of Dandaka forest speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.12)

The Rakshasas were not only harassing the sages, but disrupting their sacrifices and killing them in the process. The sages were in dire need of help, so they turned to Lord Rama. Krishna had incarnated on earth as Lord Rama specifically to give protection to His devotees. Through a series of events, He, His wife Sita Devi, and His younger brother Lakshmana ended up roaming the forests for fourteen years. The sages took this opportunity to personally petition the Lord for His help. The above referenced statement was actually made by Lord Rama to Sita Devi, where He explained to her how the sages had approached Him.

Rama’s powers are unlimited. He was easily able to defeat the Rakshasas, killing their leader Ravana in the process. For God, such activities are mere child’s play. The lesson here is that we should always turn to God for all of our needs. He may not give us material benedictions, but He’ll give us something much more valuable; devotion. The point of human life is not to be successful economically, but rather to attain spiritual perfection. Vaishnavas, devotees of Lord Vishnu, receive the special benediction of having loving attachment to God’s lotus feet. By approaching the Lord or one of His bona fide representatives, we can be assured of protection in the execution of devotional service.

Enjoyer of Sacrifice

“…I am the ritual, the sacrifice, the offering to the ancestors, the healing herb, and the transcendental chant.  I am the butter and the fire and the offering.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.16)

The material world consists of five gross elements: earth, water, air, ether, and fire, and three subtle elements: mind, intelligence, and false ego. Of the five gross elements, fire plays a very important role in Vedic sacrifices. In fact, almost all major Vedic rituals and ceremonies are performed in the presence of fire.

Fire represents so many different things: heat, light, purity, etc. Fire burns things to ashes, eliminating their presence from the world. Fire serves as heat which is necessary for life to survive. Even in the modern age of great technological advancement, fire still plays a vital role in our everyday life. The internal combustion engine, considered one of the greatest inventions ever, serves as the catalyst for the major forms of transportation today. This combustion is in essence its own fire; a force so strong that it provides enough energy to start an automobile.

“Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.9)

Just as combustion is required to start a car engine, the reaction of fire and clarified butter, ghee, is required in order for Vedic sacrifices to bear fruit. The Sanskrit word for a religious sacrifice is yajna. The Vedas themselves give details on many kinds of yajna, but the most important ones are those performed for the satisfaction of Lord Vishnu. Though God has many different names and forms, His original form, adi-purusha, is that of Lord Krishna. Krishna’s direct expansion is Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu then expands Himself into other Vishnu forms, all the way down to the incarnations that appear on earth. Essentially Vishnu and Krishna are interchangeable as far as worship is concerned. When describing the nine processes of devotional service, Prahlada Maharaja mentions vishno-smaranam, which means remembering Lord Vishnu. Prahlada was a great devotee of God, and he used the terms Krishna and Vishnu interchangeably.

There are many different ways to worship Lord Vishnu, but in a formal yajna, there is almost always the presence of a fire. This fire sacrifice is known as homa, or havana. Those growing up in Hindu families are well acquainted with these fire sacrifices. A brahmana or pandita is called to the house and the participants then recite various Vedic hymns and mantras. To conclude the ceremonies, the major participants sit in front of a small pit where a fire is lit. Then after a specific deity is offered obeissances, the participants drop dirt into the fire and say, “Svahah”. Shortly thereafter, the ceremony ends and the fire pit is taken outside so as to limit the amount of smoke in the room. For those unfamiliar with Vedic traditions, this type of ceremony may appear strange, but each part of the process has a special significance.

In the Vedic tradition, there is only God but there are also many demigods who serve as Krishna’s deputies. A demigod is an elevated living entity possessing extraordinary powers. They are not God, but they are god-like. There is a specific demigod assigned to manage each part of the creation. People tend to think that God is directly engaged in every aspect of their life, but He usually is not.

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

On one level, everything is occurring through God’s direction, but this isn’t on a personal level. The material creation comes from Brahman, God’s impersonal effulgence. At the end of creation, everything then merges back into Brahman. So in this sense, everything is Brahman, meaning everything belongs to God. However, the Lord does not take a personal interest in the day to day affairs of living entities. Our planet is a sort of playground where the living entities can come and falsely enjoy. Issues of fairness are handled by the laws of nature, of which karma is the governing force. In this regard, Krishna does not have a direct stake in our karma.

“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 9.29)

The demigods are in charge of distributing the results of karma, or fruitive activity. If someone acts piously, the demigods are required to bestow boons. The opposite situation is true for those who act sinfully. The demigods perform their functions through their particular bodies. Since they are elevated living entities who are in charge of various parts of the material world, the demigods can take forms other than those of human beings. For example, the element of fire is actually governed by the demigod Agni. The earth is known as the demigod Bhumi, the moon as Soma, etc. This may seem like mythology or pantheism, but these are the actual facts provided to us by the Vedas. As human beings, it is impossible for us to take the form of fire, but the demigods are elevated living entities, so they can take forms that seem inconceivable to us.

“O sinless one, these irrepressible flesh-eating Rakshasas attack us during our performance of fire sacrifices (homa), or on other auspicious occasions.” (Sages of Dandaka forest speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.11-12)

Agni, as the fire-god, witnesses all Vedic fire sacrifices and distributes boons accordingly. His wife is Svaha, and she was promised a long time ago to be the first recipient of all oblations poured into a fire sacrifice. Homa is very important, especially when it comes to worshiping Lord Vishnu. Qualified brahmanas always perform these sacrifices with great care and attention. In the above referenced quote, the brahmanas of the Dandaka forest are describing to Lord Rama how the Rakshasas harass them during their fire sacrifices. Lord Rama was an incarnation of Lord Krishna who appeared on earth some five thousand years ago. The brahmanas, the priestly class of men, had taken refuge in the forest since the peaceful surroundings were more conducive to spiritual life.

Rakshasas are demons who are atheistic by nature. Sometimes the term atheist can just mean someone who is unsure of his belief in God, or someone who has not thought about the idea of religion on a deep level. These Rakshasas were more than just atheists; they were asuras. An asura is a devout atheist who believes in material sense gratification as the ultimate aim of life. Religious people are the biggest threat to asuras. Because of this, the demons target brahmanas and do everything in their power to disrupt their religious activities. During Lord Rama’s time, the Rakshasas were ascending in power due to the help of their leader, the ten-headed Ravana.

It is not surprising to see that these Rakshasas would attack the sages during the most auspicious religious occasions. The fire sacrifices for Lord Vishnu were the biggest threat to Rakshasas, for they knew that only God Himself could cause their downfall. Ravana had already defeated many great demigods in battle. Ironically enough, he had performed great austerities in order to please these same demigods. Unlike Lord Krishna, the demigods are required to bestow boons on anyone who adequately worships them. God, on the other hand, only gives His devotees what they need, which isn’t always necessarily what they want.

Ravana had acquired many boons during his ascendency, but he neglected the supremacy of Lord Vishnu. For this reason, the demigods went to the Lord and asked Him to come to earth, and He granted their wish by appearing as Lord Rama. While travelling the forest with His wife Sita Devi and younger brother Lakshmana, Rama was petitioned by sages living in the Dandaka forest. They knew that only God could save them from the attacks of the Rakshasas.

Rama happily agreed to protect the sages. He and Lakshmana would go on to defeat and kill many Rakshasas, including Ravana. God always protects His devotees. If we engage in material activities, the Lord will let us do our business. Krishna is the supreme pure, meaning He is sinless. This is how the sages addressed Rama (anagha), for they knew He was above any material desires. Since the brahmanas were committed to performing fire sacrifices, Rama agreed to help them. This shows that God wants us to take up devotional service. If we are committed to performing activities for His benefit, God will take it upon Himself to protect us. He will make sure that our devotional service will be carried out to fruition.