Symbol of Sacrifice

“For the devotees there is no need for performance of prescribed sacrifices because the very life of the devotee is a symbol of sacrifice.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.16.20 Purport)

In whatever system of spirituality you follow, there is some sort of prescribed sacrifice. Perhaps you have to attend a religious gathering once a week, abstain from specific behavior prior to the covenant of marriage, or hold some type of ritual on a regular basis. These are all done for purification purposes, which raises an interesting issue relating to the rest of the time spent on earth. There are accumulated negative reactions resulting from all types of behavior, so many that those behaviors which wash away the negative reactions get specially marked. They are known as sacrifices because of the stark difference in reaction. In one particular discipline, however, all work is a sacrifice, thus eliminating the need for the performance of the prescribed sacrifices.

What is the point to the rituals? Why should I have to sit in front of a fire and chant strange sounds? Why should I have to sit in a church and listen to someone go on and on? Why do I need to face a certain direction and pray a specific number of times each day? The aim of all these rituals and regulations is to change consciousness. The human being has the ability to shape its behavior, which in turn influences the mind. If you see something horrible and are negatively affected, the easiest way to fix the problem is to change what you see going forward.

As an example, if you watch television news quite frequently and are exposed to information about murders, rapes, robberies, and lying politicians, how will that not negatively affect your outlook on life? That negativity will then seep into your behavior, causing you to share an unpleasant demeanor with others. A way to solve this problem, of course, is to find specific positive activities throughout the day, i.e. counteract the effect of the negative with the positive.

The prescribed sacrifices can be thought of in this light. The pursuit for material perfection causes the accrual of so many sins, something which can go unnoticed. Lying is part of the business world, a way to gain a competitive advantage. Some lies are bigger than others, but at the end of the day you have to compete with your fellow man in the modern day industrial economy. Though lying comes with the territory of business, it goes against the general principles of piety, and because of this there are negative consequences that result. If you lie to someone else, you will have the same thing done to you in the future.

This only scratches the surface, as infidelity in relationships, excessive cheating in gambling and sports, killing innocent lives to satisfy the taste buds, and inebriation to cheat the senses result in so many other negative consequences. To counteract their cumulative effect, the shastras, or religious scriptures, recommend sacrifices, which also help to provide insulation from future negative reactions. You can take a specific medicine to avoid feeling discomfort prior to eating something that will likely bring you pain. In a similar manner, you can follow prescribed regulations to help pave the way towards future prosperity.

But the underlying aim is to change consciousness, to shift your thoughts towards purity. He who is full of knowledge, bliss and eternality will spread some of His qualities with His adherents. To become an adherent to such a personality is a difficult thing, as the glue that holds the fragile material existence together is the desire to become the wisest, strongest, wealthiest, most famous, most beautiful and most renounced. You will see people trying to excel in every one of these areas, but none of them can become perfect. Only Bhagavan possesses these opulences in full and at the same time. He never exhausts of these attributes either, so His position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead never changes.

If He already holds this title, what is the point in competing with Him or trying to imitate Him? Instead, service to Him will prove to be beneficial in all circumstances. The purpose of sitting in front of a fire sacrifice is to change consciousness to the point that you’ll eventually realize Bhagavan’s position and take up service to Him. The process occurs gradually, even progressing through many successive lifetimes. Perhaps while you’re observing a specific ceremony you’ll remember that higher powers, and not man alone, are responsible for the results of action. Then perhaps you’ll get more curious about who those higher powers are and from where they get their strength. With a mind more clearly focused on spiritual matters, you’ll have a better chance of avoiding sin and following the righteous path, which leads to the highest knowledge.

Those on the summit of spiritual practice take up direct service to Bhagavan, which is the more applicable name for the entity most of the world refers to as God. Since that service is so sublime, the requirement for prescribed sacrifices is eliminated. And why shouldn’t it be? The very life of a devotee is a sacrifice. Their only desire is to serve Bhagavan, to make Him happy. Though the Lord is complete in Himself, He still derives extra pleasure from the company of people who love Him. This shouldn’t be a foreign concept, as we too enjoy the company of people who have our interests at heart and who love us unconditionally. You ever wonder how you can love your parents so much, despite the fact that you may be closer with some of your friends? The good parents will love you no matter what, and that kind of love cannot be found anywhere else.

There are many examples, both past and present, to show why devotees don’t need to adhere to prescribed sacrifices. From the past, there was Prahlada Maharaja, who as a five-year old boy surrendered completely to Vishnu, which is another name for Bhagavan. Prahlada was too young to hold formal observances on his own, but while in the womb he heard about the glories of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, and its nine primary implementations [hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering prayers, carrying out the orders of the Lord, becoming friends with Him, surrendering everything to Him]. Among these, hearing and chanting are foremost, as they are the easiest to adopt and the most effective in terms of altering consciousness.

Prahlada worshiped Vishnu by chanting and remembering, and in his spare time he would also preach to his young classmates about the meaning of life and how one should focus only on Vishnu-worship and let the rest of the pieces fall into place. Strange it was for this information to be coming from a young child who also was the son of a very powerful king. If anything, Prahlada should have been focused on the keys to administrative success, such as how to use different methods to win over an enemy.

But Prahlada had no concern for this; he only wanted to worship Vishnu. And based on what would happen later, we see that his worship was all that he needed. The holy name is what Prahlada held on to, chanting it as his only prescribed regulation, though there was no formal time allotted for it, nor was there a specific personal benefit the boy was seeking. Instead, just the pleasure of Vishnu, in signaling to Him awareness of His glorious attributes and depending exclusively on Him for protection, is what Prahlada sought through chanting. That dedication saved him from the many attacks of his father, who as an atheist didn’t want the boy to live any longer. The father couldn’t stand the devotion in his son, but Vishnu saved the boy during each attack, showing that specific sacrifice wasn’t required for a surrendered soul like Prahlada.

In more recent times, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada showed how a life can be sacrificed for the Supreme Lord. At an old age, Shrila Prabhupada left the comfortable and auspicious surroundings of Vrindavana for the fast-paced city-life of New York. His mission was to spread the glories of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, to all of the world, as was desired by his spiritual master and Lord Chaitanya previous to him.

As an ideal sannyasi, Shrila Prabhupada sacrificed body, mind and speech for Bhagavan. Hence there was no need for specific sacrifices to be adhered to, though the swami regularly chanted the maha-mantra and set an ideal example for his disciples to follow. His road to success was by no means easy, but the dedication to bhakti and the order of his spiritual master ensured that his life was both sinless and fruitful in terms of the purification of consciousness. That radiant devotional attitude spread to so many across the world, and it lives on to this day through his recorded lectures and published works.

No one sacrifices more than the surrendered soul, who lives like a sannyasi irrespective of their specific outward dress. The true renunciate finds whatever way they can to think of the Supreme Lord and spread His glories to others, either through specific preaching or setting an ideal example of behavior for others to follow. In this way the devotee is the symbol of sacrifice, and their presence provides the light of escape from the dark tunnel of nescience.

In Closing:

Around a raging fire chanting words you sit,

Or to a house of worship regularly you visit.

 

These procedures and others scriptures recommend,

So that to state of purity consciousness to send.

 

But for devotee in mechanical processes no need to indulge,

Through pure devotion, Supreme Master wisdom to divulge.

 

In physical stature, Prahlada to his father like a thimble,

Yet was unbreakable, of sacrifice he was a symbol.

 

Prabhupada also, to Krishna and guru his life did devote,

His message to drowning soul a life-rescuing boat.

 

Rituals okay, but why not worship Krishna direct?

In this way with all your time consciousness perfect.

Why Should I Try

“In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Vishnu, and blessed them by saying, ‘Be thou happy by this yajna [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you all desirable things.’” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.10)

Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and original spiritual master of the universe, reveals in the Bhagavad-gita, the Song of God, that at the beginning of the creation, the Lord of all creatures instituted the system of sacrifice, wherein rituals and functions are to be performed for the satisfaction of higher entities, managers of the material world. Those following these prescribed sacrifices would be rewarded with plentiful rain, which in turn would give life to the crops, which would be used to sustain life. Even for carnivores there is a reliance on grains, which cannot survive without rainfall. In this way sacrificing to higher authority figures is a way of repaying debts, showing gratitude to those who provide sustenance, allowing us to seek pleasure. The soul is by nature blissful, so in order for the pursuit of happiness to commence, the spiritual spark must have a viable form, a field on which to act. Yet with the current makeup of the environment and the seemingly strong influence that people have over their direct actions, it appears that maybe there is no longer a need for sacrifice. If this initial method of religious practice can be so easily invalidated, then maybe God Himself doesn’t exist? From studying a few simple examples from everyday life, however, the purpose behind sacrifice and the glaring need for it can be realized.

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

Just because people who aren’t religious are able to amass wealth doesn’t indicate that the divine presence is made up or irrelevant. On the contrary, every reaction that we see is caused by some previous action. Karma is fruitive activity, though in the vernacular the term is associated with good or bad reactions coming from specific actions undertaken. “I get good karma when I act charitably and when I am nice to people. I get bad karma when I steal and when I lie.” But karma doesn’t operate just on grand and visible actions; every deed is taken into consideration. Whatever we see before us is the result of a previous action. The result may not manifest immediately, nor may it even be noticed, but it will nevertheless arrive.

For those who become wealthy through no dedication to sacrifice or religion whatsoever, it is to be understood that their past karma brought them to their current position. The soul is the essence of individuality; it does not die when the body is discarded, nor does it take birth when the body emerges from the womb. The soul never changes in properties, but it can travel through different forms. The types of body accepted are the fruits of previous desires and work performed. As an example, if we take to a strict exercise and diet regimen, pretty soon we’re awarded a new body, one that is more fit and lean than the previous one. Similarly, based on the desires at the forefront of consciousness at the time of death, a specific form is created for the soul’s next encounter with the material creation. The cycle thus continues perpetually until desires are purified to the point that association with matter is no longer preferred.

While it may be difficult to believe that a wealthy person is today reaping the rewards of past activities, we know from the existence of “trust fund babies” and children born of well to do parents that not everyone has the same starting point in life. The son who gains a large inheritance suddenly becomes wealthy. What if he were to say, “Look, I did nothing and I’m rich. Why can’t everyone else do this?” Obviously the source of his wealth was the hard work and endeavor of previous generations of family members. It would be silly to think that the wealth just came on its own.

In actuality, every reaction we see is influenced by more powerful entities. Even with the simplest of examples like the entering of a keystroke on a keyboard and seeing the inputted value on the computer screen, there are so many outside influences that are not within the control of the worker. If I depress a certain letter on the keyboard and see it pop up on the screen, naturally I will think that I am the sole cause of the result. But what gets overlooked is that the results are not always the same for every person. For instance, some people will get hit by a tornado, earthquake or other natural disaster and thus not be able to type on their keyboard. Another person may have a debilitating disease that prohibits the movement of their hands and legs. Another person may be violently attacked by another living entity, thus losing their chance at acting out their desires. Another person can perform the exact same action, i.e. press the letter on the keyboard, and not have anything result because of a defect in the hardware or an error in the keyboard’s construction.

Just because one person can type on a keyboard and have the intended result appear on the screen doesn’t mean that they are solely responsible for what results. So many other things didn’t happen in the same time that it took to depress the specific key. Through this small example we see that we have very little control over anything. The higher authorities, known as devas, or demigods, in the Vedic tradition, manage the different elements of life, such as earth, water, fire, air and ether. They are also responsible for distributing one of the threefold miseries of life, adhidaivika, which are those pains inflicted by nature. Karma always delivers the results that are due a person, but in order for the results to manifest, a spiritual injection, instigation from a superior entity, is required.

Even when apprised of this information, the tendency may be to overlook the need for worshiping God or His deputies. “I’m already enjoying the results of my karma, so why should I worry about religion? It seems like the results are out of my control anyway, so why should I be concerned over how to secure future rewards? Why can’t I just let everything happen on its own?” This line of thinking seems valid enough, for the higher authorities are much more powerful than we are. Nevertheless, there is a purpose to the human form of life. Simply meeting the basic demands of the body is not enough, for the wealthy are always craving action and looking for new ways to spend their time and money. If accumulating wealth and possessions was the aim of life, the well-off would just sit around and do nothing.

The behavior exhibited by wealthy parents towards their children gives us a glimpse into why the system of sacrifice was instituted by the Supreme Lord at the beginning of creation. Let’s say that we succeed materially and accumulate more wealth than we know what to do with. Our children will inherit this opulence and thus not have to worry about meeting the basic demands of the body as they grow up. With this situation, how will we behave towards our children? Will we just allow them to enjoy playing throughout their life without giving any attention to education or work? On the contrary, as good parents we will try to get them into the best schools so that they can become smart enough to use their talents towards furthering their desires. So even when life’s necessities are met, there is still a reason for going through the perfunctory processes, as there are life lessons to be learned from following a recommended course of action.

With spirituality, the aim of every recommended practice is to bring about a gradual shift in consciousness. While the human being is advised to hold sacrifices to please the demigods, the animals don’t have these concerns; and yet all of their necessities are met. Even the tiger, which lives off killing other animals, is given enough food to survive on at just the right times. The animal community doesn’t have any government panels, taxing schemes, economic forums, or stimulus plans to aid in supplying their basic necessities. Their requirements are provided by nature, which is ultimately under the control of the Supreme Lord.

The human beings are a superior species, and yet they are given the added requirement of sacrifice. Therefore there must be a purpose to religion and its recommendations. Sacrifice is intended solely for the purification of consciousness, as the “I am master” mentality is what keeps the soul away from God. The Supreme Lord is known as Krishna because He is all-attractive. Just one look at the smiling face of Shyamasundara can secure the soul enough transcendental pleasure to last a lifetime. In its constitutional position, the soul is a lover of God. Love manifests in service, activities driven by the attitude which seeks to put a smile on the loveable object’s face.

In the conditioned state, the living entity takes the highest object of pleasure to be any object or entity except God. This attitude is not in line with the constitutional position of the soul; hence the requirement for a separate habitation. The material world that we currently occupy is part of the Lord’s separated energy; His direct presence is not here. The ultimate objective for any soul within any form of life is to choose in favor of spiritual association, as this will lead to the greatest pleasure. Unfortunately, the animals don’t have the ability to even make these distinctions or give the up or down vote indicating their choice in association.

Only in the human form of body can the individual gather the intelligence necessary for choosing in favor of association with God. In order for this choice to be made, the false identification with the body must cease. For this barrier towards spiritual realization to be broken, the “I am God” mentality must be shed. Through sacrifice and the regulative principles of religion, the living entity can slowly but surely take the necessary steps towards understanding that God is superior and that they are meant to voluntarily serve Him. Serving the Lord out of fear is not a first class type of worship, for Krishna has no explicit desire to punish us. Just being separated from the company of the spiritual world and its inhabitants is punishment enough. In a world devoid of God, there will be constant competition for supremacy. Since there can only be one Supreme Controller, despite any gains made this competition will eventually result in defeat.

When sacrifice is avoided, the mentality that keeps one conditioned to material life strengthens. Life’s necessities will always be there, as food, grains, milk and water are readily available and relatively inexpensive compared to other items. If the animals get everything through the mercy of the demigods, why shouldn’t the human beings? The suras, who manage the different elements that make up the necessities of material life, act directly under the order of Krishna. By worshiping them, one works their way up towards the Supreme Lord. Yet since in this age adherence to religious life is virtually absent, there is little time for following every single rule, regulation and recommended sacrifice. Rather, the only recommended sacrifice for this age is the sankirtana-yajna, chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

As altering consciousness is the aim of human life, the more we can remain in contact with Krishna, the better off we will be. He is the object of sacrifice anyway, as one of His names is Yajneshvara. Sacrifice to the demigods is meant to serve as an indirect way of worshiping the Supreme Lord, who sanctions the rewards distributed by the devas. The wise, however, seek not the temporary benefits of a material existence. They go straight for the sublime association of the most attractive person, the entity whom all the world is seeking. Through His holy name, He can be found within a second. Whether or not we put forth an effort at securing temporary pains and pleasures will not make a difference, as these will arrive in due course. Karma always bears fruit, either immediately or some time into the future. The soul is full of potential for action, and this is by design. Our original form is that of servant of Krishna, so by following activities that maintain the connection with the Lord in a stream of purified consciousness, our efforts exerted in the valuable human form of life can bring about the best fruit, ascension to the imperishable spiritual sky.

According to His Nature

“The process of devotional service is the revival of Krishna consciousness, and if the devotee is fortunate enough to understand that the material energy is not separated from Krishna, then he can utilize the material energy and its products in the service of the Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 27)

Despite his best efforts, man in the conditioned state is forced to act according to his nature. The demands of the body determine the type of activities adopted; those obligations that must be met and the subsequent actions required to satisfy such demands. Under this paradigm, wherein one’s nature acts as the guiding force, the supreme enjoyer cannot be taken to be the individual worker, for he is simply abiding by the dictates of higher forces. Therefore religion, in the true sense, is the set of activities which aims to please the only entity who is capable of truly enjoying. How one can go about satisfying that person is the subject matter for the study of Vedanta philosophy, as instituted by the original enjoyer Himself, Lord Krishna.

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.15)

Vedanta is a Sanskrit word that means the end, or conclusion, of all knowledge. Every bit of information gathered during the journey through life ideally leads one closer to an end-goal. For example, learning how to crawl in our infancy is a stepping stone towards learning how to walk. Knowing how to walk is necessary in order to perform important functions pertaining to the body later on in life. Parents would love to coddle their children forever, but they refrain from doing so for one important reason. Since the parents are older than the children, they know that they will likely pass on from this world before their kids will. As such, the children will inevitably be left to fend for themselves, and they will also likely have to support their own dependents in the future. Therefore it is important to make sure children are trained up to be self-sufficient adults.

The examples of learning how to crawl, walk and talk are small in scope, but the same principles can be applied to any knowledge-gathering activity. In the field of politics, law, medicine or mathematics, one must learn basic concepts prior to taking on more advanced issues. Even after a degree is earned in a particular field of study, there is the follow-up phase of actually putting one’s knowledge to practice. Spirituality, or religion with a purpose, is similar in this regard. We can’t learn all there is to know in the beginning stages, so we must take in small bits of information, process them, and then build upon that foundation. Vedanta philosophy is intended for those who have reached the end of their knowledge gathering practices. Vedanta takes one to the ultimate conclusion, that truth which trumps all others.

The philosophy that describes the conclusion of all knowledge can be quite complex and intricate, for it deals with the differences between matter and spirit. But at the same time, Vedanta can be understood very quickly; it all depends on the angle of vision of the learner. Vedanta has a founder, an original person who instituted its teachings. Not surprisingly, this person is also the object of Vedanta philosophy, the entity that spirituality aims to please. Though it is generally accepted that religion is that pursuit which aims to keep one in touch with God, the definition of who or what constitutes the original Divine Entity is often left unexplored. God is taken to be the Supreme Being, but what exactly does this mean?

Vedanta philosophy, a system of instruction passed down through a tradition of activities and teachings put forth by great Vedic saints of the past, states that there are three distinct aspects to the Supreme Lord. The first is that He is the original proprietor of everything, a concept pretty easy to understand because it is the natural tendency to look to God as being the greatest order supplier. We may be able to secure hundreds of television channels by paying our monthly cable bill, and we may be able to secure loads of sumptuous foodstuff by paying the grocer, but God is the only entity that can fulfill any and every order. When we are in trouble, we don’t pray to any person except the Supreme Lord because we know He can deliver; He is the owner of everything after all.

But simply paying tribute to the Lord is not enough to be deemed religious behavior of the highest class. The truths of life don’t end with worship of God in hopes of a reward. Looking to the Lord to fulfill orders is something even an ignorant child will do, thus it cannot be an activity derived from the ultimate knowledge system of Vedanta. The wise seers versed in Vedic philosophy declare that the second aspect of God’s primary features is that He is the best friend of the living entities. Our friends are those who share common interests and experiences with us. Due to the camaraderie that exists, our friends look out for us and are happy when we are happy. In this regard, it shouldn’t surprise us that God is our dearmost friend. He is the greatest of well-wishers, but the activities He actually hopes we’ll take up remain unknown to us. Though He is our best friend, He doesn’t want us engaging in behavior that will ultimately lead us to a distressful condition. Yet just as our friends can’t stop us, no matter how hard they try, from hurting ourselves, the Supreme Lord does not stand in the way of our independence and free will.

The third aspect to the definition of God is probably the most important. More than just the original owner who can supply all necessities and more than just the best friend of every form of life, the Supreme Lord is the greatest of enjoyers. This fact is the most important because it speaks to our mission in life. In order for there to be enjoyment, there must be an exchange of emotion, love and service. Not surprisingly, the Supreme Lord enjoys with other spirit souls, individually autonomous spiritual sparks full of energy. The individual energy fragments are simply expansions of the Lord’s powers, therefore there is oneness between the complete whole known as God and His fragmental sparks. Just as God is the greatest enjoyer, He is also the only person capable of providing the greatest amount of pleasure to the individual souls.

“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 15.8)

So the formula for success seems simple enough: connect with God and be happy in His association. But there are a few wrinkles to contend with. For starters, taking to Vedanta philosophy is not very easy, as the conditioned entity from the time of birth becomes distracted by the allures of the material nature around it. Upon exit from the womb, the newborn is fully ignorant. The soul certainly exists forever, but during the events of birth and death, the outer covering known as the body is replaced. Upon receiving a new set of outer garments, knowledge of past events is forgotten. The subtle elements of mind, intelligence and false ego do follow the living entity in its journey through reincarnation. Therefore if there was some progress made in the acquisition of spiritual knowledge in a previous life, that same knowledge will eventually come to bear again, allowing the individual to restart their spiritual pursuits from the position where they previously stopped.

As already mentioned, the primary view of God is that of a grand order supplier. This viewpoint supplants all others because the living entity initially takes to personal enjoyment by default, and thus it needs someone to supply the necessities for that enjoyment. But real religion, a system which works off the proper mentality, not only takes to paying tribute to God through the offering of service, but it also views the Lord as the only enjoyer of such kind efforts. Similar to how a loved one will offer us their care and guidance without any expectation of reciprocation, the purified spirit soul takes to worshiping God through regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, in hopes of pleasing the spiritual senses of the master of all senses, Hrishikesha.

In order for the Lord to be viewed with love and affection, He must be addressed by a sound vibration, a name. Though He certainly can be nameless and formless, His original feature is that of an all-attractive entity; hence devotees refer to this original form as Krishna. Since Krishna provides transcendental pleasure, He is also addressed as Rama. Since the Lord enjoys the company of His eternally liberated associates in the spiritual world, His pleasure potency companions are also addressed in the perfect prayer that is the Hare Krishna mantra. Loving feelings flow much more easily and purely when there are names and forms involved. This isn’t to say that Krishna’s form only exists for the offering of love, but rather it is His natural position to be loved and adored by all through the via medium of the holy name. The soul’s inherent characteristic is that of a lover of God. All other forms of service are based off this love. In the material world, the loving propensity unfortunately gets redirected to other areas of interest and thus goes by different names such as romantic love, lust, nationalism, altruism and even hatred.

Understanding that Krishna is the sole enjoyer is certainly very difficult, but through simple logical deduction, a basic understanding of the proper conclusion can be reached. In the state of ignorance, the individual takes itself to be the only enjoyer. Yet through a quick study of the workings of nature, such a conclusion proves to be false. No matter how powerful a person is, they are forced to work under the dictates of nature. For example, the sun rises in the morning and then sets at night. Such movement affects not only the growth of plants, but also the activities that one can take up during the day. If the individual were the supreme enjoyer, they could surely take to any activity at any time of the day. Yet since they must adhere to the cycles of the sun and the various associated weather patterns, their activities are checked.

The same principle applies to the workings of the body. Who among us wouldn’t love to not have to ever visit the restroom again? What about sleeping; why are we forced to rest for so long every day? Such activities are mandated under the stringent laws of nature; a force which was created by Krishna to act as an illusory agent for those wanting to imitate the activities of the Lord. Individual souls can try to imitate God, but since they lack the three aforementioned characteristics exclusively possessed by the Supreme Spirit, they will always fail in their attempts. The most obvious indication of man’s fallibility is death. Since time immemorial, those averse to the practice of divine love have tried to get their arms around the concept of mortality and their own impending death. Though the dedicated worshipers of matter and sense gratification believe they have made great strides towards prolonging life, there is still no cure for death. Even living for one hundred years is seen as a great achievement, though the world itself has been in existence for billions of years.

“O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.10)

Since Krishna is not limited by the forces of nature, only He can be the true enjoyer. Our natural role is that of enjoyed, and the sooner we realize this position, the happier we will be. Vedanta philosophy stresses oneness with Krishna, but this is not the equality that most of us think of. Equality is generally taken to be sameness in terms of attributes, outcomes and levels of enjoyment. In the realm of spirituality, there is equality shared amongst the spiritual fragments emanating from Krishna, but the individual pieces can never be equal to or one with the original whole. The individuals can, however, enjoy the most intimate of relationships with the ultimate reservoir of pleasure. When the soul has purified its consciousness to the point that it only works for Krishna’s satisfaction, there is a oneness in the resulting relationship. Just as there cannot be an enjoyable rock concert without both the band on stage and the audience in the stadium, the Supreme Lord never desires to enjoy alone; there must be an enjoyed.

“I am the only enjoyer and the only object of sacrifice. Those who do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 9.24)

So how do we purify our consciousness? The Vedic tradition is built completely around achieving this goal. In Vedic rituals, there is certainly an element of prayer involved, wherein the performer asks for certain benedictions, but in all types of sacrifice, there is an enjoyer. Lord Vishnu, Krishna’s four-handed and ever-opulent form, is the enjoyer of all Vedic sacrifices; hence one of the Lord’s names is Yajneshvara, which means the Lord of all yajnas, or sacrifices. In a formal ritual, flowers, fruits and other nice preparations are offered up to the Lord for His enjoyment. These offered items are known as bhoga, which means enjoyment. Those doing the offering, while maintaining a hope that the Lord will enjoy the food fully, have no expectation of reciprocation. Of course Vishnu is in need of nothing, so He kindly returns the offerings after sanctifying them. The performers then take the remnants, known as prasadam, and distribute them to others for their spiritual benefit. The potency of prasadam can never be properly estimated, for simply the taste of Krishna is enough to reawaken the dormant loving feelings that are just waiting to break free.

The ritual is only one aspect of the collective set of activities that full under the category of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. It is not that bhakti-yoga is divided into different sections, but rather there are innumerable activities, when performed in the proper mood, that can constitute as bhakti. The ritual performed exclusively for Yajneshvara’s satisfaction is certainly an act of bhakti. In the current day and age, not everyone will have the time or the means to properly perform formal rituals on a regular basis. Therefore the sacrifice recommended for those living in the fast-paced world of today is the sankirtana yajna, wherein the Lord’s names are recited regularly in a loving way. Just as Krishna accepts the kind offerings put before Him in a formal ritual, He most certainly hears the transcendental sound vibrations that are used to praise Him.

Though man is limited in his functions due to the nature that surrounds him, the process of bhakti remains open to him at all stages of life. Since Krishna is the controller of nature, He can ensure that anyone who wants out of the cycle of birth and death will be granted release. Though our own enjoyment is limited, Krishna’s is not. Therefore we can take to chanting, hearing, remembering and worshiping on a daily basis and be forever benefitted.

The Master Key

“I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda. Ganesha always holds His lotus feet upon the pair of tumuli protruding from his elephant head in order to obtain power for his function of destroying all obstacles on the path of progress in the three worlds.” (Brahma-samhita 5.50)

One of the more controversial aspects to the spiritual traditions emanating from the Vedas is demigod worship. The impersonalists, those who don’t believe in a God with a form, or those who take the Supreme Absolute Truth to be a giant energy composed of the aggregate total of all spirit, feel that worship of any “god” is on the same level, regardless of the personality in question. The ultimate objective of the impersonalists is to free themselves from attachment, lust, anger, greed, and desire. So whatever method one can adopt to achieve such an end is justified. To this end, they take the worship of various divine figures to be simply a way to understand the impersonal energy known as Brahman. The impersonalists label the practice of meditating on the formless Absolute Truth as nirguna worship and the practice of offering obeisances to and concentrating on a specific qualified divine figure as saguna worship. In this way they take every individual living entity to be God. They believe that every person is an equal part of the divine, but that the presence of this quality is forgotten.

The Vedic tradition is filled with famous and worshipable divine figures such as Lord Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Surya, Durga, and Ganesha. The scriptures all say that Vishnu is superior amongst these personalities and that He is the original personality of Godhead. The other exalted figures listed, along with thousands of other elevated personalities, are known as devatas, or demigods. They act as the Lord’s chief ministers. Saying that every elevated personality is on equal footing with Vishnu is akin to denying Vishnu’s supremacy. In this way the impersonalist philosophy is one that rejects the notion of an Almighty God. Yet the controversy relating to demigods doesn’t end here. Even amongst those who do acknowledge the supremacy of Vishnu and His various non-different expansions such as Krishna, Rama, and Narasimha, there is still the adherence to the practice of demigod worship. At least in this age, devotees of Vishnu, who are known as Vaishnavas, generally don’t worship the demigods explicitly. This creates a sort of clash with those pious persons who do take to worshiping the demigods. So which side is correct?

“Men of small intelligence [alpa-medhasam] worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.23)

To find the answer, we can look to none other than Vishnu Himself. Since the original Godhead instituted all forms of religion and their various practices, it would make sense that He would be the one to settle any and all disputes. Another advantage we have is that Vishnu has kindly appeared on earth many times throughout the course of history. His most famous teachings appear in a book called the Bhagavad-gita. This work is a poem containing words of instruction offered by Vishnu on a battlefield around five thousand years ago. At the time, Vishnu appeared on earth in the guise of a human being named Krishna. Most Vedic texts list Krishna as an incarnation of Vishnu, while works such as the Brahma-samhita state that Krishna is actually the original form of Godhead and that Vishnu is merely a non-different manifestation of the divine. In either case, Vishnu and Krishna are the same, so when Krishna provides instruction, it is the same as if Vishnu were providing them, and vice versa.

Though these instructions given by Krishna were comprehensive and intricate, He made brief mention of the demigods and those who take to worshiping them. In one section, Krishna mentions that sacrifice to the demigods is important, for through this practice, one can achieve all necessities in life such as rain, food, shelter, etc. At the same time, the Lord downplays the results achieved from worshiping the demigods, calling them temporary and providing of fleeting happiness. He also says that those who are less intelligent, those with less brain substance, take to worshiping the demigods.

“In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being satisfied by the performance of yajna [sacrifice], supply all necessities to man. But he who enjoys these gifts, without offering them to the demigods in return, is certainly a thief.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 3.12)

Yet from Krishna’s activities, we see that He even took to worshiping various devatas during His time on earth. Moreover, the same can be said of Lord Rama, Vishnu’s avatara who appeared on earth thousands of years before Krishna. Formerly, man was generally more pious than he is today, so most people spent the majority of their time engaged in religious affairs. Worship of the demigods was a central part of religious life, so everyone who was pious took to such activity.

So is Krishna contradicting Himself by calling demigod worshipers unintelligent? The key distinction lies in the mode of worship. As an example, we may offer service to our boss during some part of the day, and then offer service to our family members later on. The actual offering of service is not as important as our priority system, i.e. what we view as the most important activity. For most of us, we offer service to our boss so that we can ultimately offer service to something or someone else. In this way the boss is rarely viewed as the ultimate object of worship, for our efforts are focused either on ourselves, our family, our friends, or the Supreme Lord. This last entity is the most important. As long as we view the ultimate objective in life to be the worship and love of the Supreme Lord, then all our activities will support this conclusion. If we worship the demigods as part of our worship of Krishna, then it is certainly sanctioned. The unintelligent, however, take to worshiping the demigods either as their supreme dharma in life, or as a means of satisfying some object of worship other than Krishna.

An example would be helpful in understanding this distinction. While Krishna or Vishnu is the original form of Godhead, Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma are very close runners up. They are guna-avataras of Vishnu, or expansions of the Lord who manage the material affairs. Since they come under the subjection of the laws of nature, they cannot be considered the same in quality as Vishnu. Since God creates material nature, He cannot be subject to her stringent laws. This fact remains true even when the Lord personally appears on earth. For example, the sun offers its rays and light to all of creation, regardless of the cleanliness or impurity of the objects it touches. The sun can suck up moisture from an ocean or from a puddle of urine and still remain pure throughout. In a similar manner, the Supreme Lord can contact material nature yet still remain free from any laws of karma.

Though Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva are part of the material world, they are still highly exalted. They are Vishnu’s chief ministers. Lord Shiva’s wife, Mother Parvati [Durga], is considered the controller of material nature. She is the “mother” in Mother Nature. Lord Shiva is also a great Vaishnava; he spends all his time meditating on the lotus feet of Vishnu. His favorite form of Vishnu is Lord Rama. When Lord Shiva isn’t meditating on Lord Rama, he is describing the Lord’s glories to his wife. In this way Shiva and Parvati are two of the most exalted personalities in the world. Not surprisingly, their son, Lord Ganesha, is equally as respectable. He is so pious and pure that before any Vedic ritual is performed, obeisances are first offered to him. This is a special benediction granted to Ganesha by Vishnu Himself.

These facts highlight the intimate relationship that exists between the devatas and Vishnu. The two entities are always in line with each other, with one providing the orders, and the other following them. Yet not every person will take to worshiping Vishnu. The result of Vishnu worship is liberation, or the end of the cycle of birth and death. Many don’t want this liberation, for they would rather continue to enjoy material nature. For such people, worship of the demigods is recommended as a way of maintaining a connection with spiritual life. The devatas can grant material benedictions to anyone who pleases them. This is the power granted to them by Lord Vishnu. The Supreme Lord is the most munificent entity after all. He has no desire to take people away from their happy place. He grants the conditioned souls complete independence in this regard. The caveat, however, is that if one wants to remain in the material world, they are forced to live by its rules. These rules are governed by the system of karma, which is completely fair and just. One person may act in a certain way to meet a certain desire, but others have a similar right to act in their own self-interest. When these interests collide, as they most certainly will, chaos, despair, defeat, rejection, lamentation, anger, and so many other undesirable side effects will result.

Such laws don’t exist in the spiritual world; hence attention to bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, is seen as the foremost spiritual practice. By regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, and following the other processes of devotional life aimed at pleasing Krishna, one can ascend to the spiritual sky after their current life is over. Those who worship the demigods as their ultimate spiritual practice are considered less intelligent because any material reward, regardless of whether it is desired or undesired, can only lead to flickering happiness. Moreover, material rewards keep one bound to material nature. This bondage inevitably leads to the aforementioned undesirable situations. Hence anyone who would consider such a situation to be palatable certainly must be considered unintelligent.

So if this type of demigod worship is not recommended, then what kind is? The Brahma-samhita, one of the most concise and powerful Vedic texts, provides the answer. The demigods are most certainly acknowledged in this wonderful book of devotion to Krishna, but they are described in the proper context. Lord Ganesha is described as the powerful entity who removes obstacles from the path of those who worship him. This boon-giving power is obtained through the mercy of Govinda, which is another name for Krishna. If we worship Lord Ganesha to help remove the obstacles in the path of our spiritual pursuits, then this most certainly must be considered an intelligent activity.

“O Mother Ganga, protected by you, may this son of the intelligent and great King Dasharatha honor the order of His father. After having completed fourteen years of living in the forest, He, along with His brother and myself, will certainly return here again. Then, O beloved Devi, having safely arrived here again, I will joyfully worship you, O Ganga, who are capable of fulfilling every desire [sarva-kama].” (Sita Devi praying to Mother Ganga, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 52.83-85)

For those growing up in a family which has a deep-rooted tradition in Vedic culture, demigod worship is regularly adhered to. This was the case with the Ikshvaku family, a dynasty of kings who ruled the world many thousands of years ago. Lord Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu, appeared as a prince in this dynasty a long time ago. His beautiful and chaste wife, Sita Devi, was wholly dedicated to virtue and the traditions of Vedic culture. She knew of all the proper rituals and functions to perform, and all the various devatas that needed to be worshiped. One time Lord Rama and Sita even worshiped Lord Vishnu on the night prior to Rama’s installation as the new king. The next day, however, Rama would be sent to the forest instead of becoming the new king. While roaming the forests, Sita would often pray to various sacred rivers and trees, which are also considered devatas in the Vedic tradition, and ask them to ensure Rama’s safe return to His kingdom at the expiry of His exile term. Sita was so wise that she didn’t initially take to worshiping these demigods, but rather she made a deal with them. She told them that if they came through for Rama, who was Vishnu, then she would worship them to their hearts’ content. Eventually all did end well, so Sita made good on her promise and regularly offered worship to Mother Ganga and various other demigods.

If we already have family traditions relating to demigod worship, there is no need to give them up. These traditions can be thought of as family heirlooms, magical keys which are passed down from generation to generation. For those who don’t grow up in this tradition, acquiring this type of key is not necessary, for worshipers of Krishna are bestowed the master key which unlocks every door, including the one to the spiritual world. In the performance of all of our activities, we should keep Vishnu’s satisfaction at the forefront of the mind. The demigods are the Lord’s closest aides and servants, so showing respect to them certainly will please Vishnu as well. In this age of Kali, there isn’t much time for religious practice, so whatever devotional efforts we do take up should be aimed directly at Krishna. Since devotional service satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the demigods automatically become satisfied as well. Goswami Tulsidas, the wonderful saint and exalted author of beautiful poetry devoted to Lord Rama, would often invoke the names of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, and Lord Ganesha at the beginning of his poems. He asked them not for any personal benefit, but rather to help him in his pursuit to please Rama.

In this way we see that there is no need for controversy as it relates to demigod worship. The devatas are certainly individuals just like the rest of us. They are not imaginary figures or elevated representations of Brahman. Since they are dear servants of the Supreme Lord, there is no reason to disrespect them. One should understand that any and all rewards received in life should be used for Vishnu’s satisfaction. This is the secret known to the bhaktas, the devotees of the Lord. They have been kind enough to share this secret through their teachings and their actions. We should make good use of this information by acting upon it.

Yajneshvara

“By performance of religious rituals one ultimately reaches the supreme goal of knowledge by understanding that Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the cause of everything.” (Shrila Baladeva Vidyabhushana, Govinda-bhashya commentary on Vedanta-sutra)

Many advanced transcendentalists and religious scholars downplay the need to perform Vedic rituals and sacrifices. To back up their position, they point to various statements in the Vedas that openly declare that simply performing rituals is not enough. This is indeed true in many instances since simply going through the motions of religious functions is a waste of time if it doesn’t lead one towards devotion to God. In truth, Vedic rituals can prove to be an invaluable tool in the arsenal of spiritual activities available to an aspiring transcendentalist. For this reason, these sacrifices and religious functions should not be neglected.

The performance of Vedic rituals is very important for people who are just starting off in religious life, i.e. the beginners. Those unaccustomed to spiritual life naturally have an affinity for material sense gratification, or karmic life. Almost everyone engages in a life of sense gratification, whereby they perform just enough work to maintain their bodies. When they are not working or sleeping, they are finding ways to enjoy their leisure time. In the modern age, television viewing is a popular pastime. The existence of cable and satellite television means that there are hundreds of channels to watch at any given time. Digital video recorders provide added convenience since they can record every episode of our favorite shows to be watched at a later time. This means that we can develop a love and attachment to various television shows and their characters.

Most television shows don’t stay on the air for very long. There is fierce competition between the major networks, which means that if a new show doesn’t garner high ratings in the beginning stages, it is likely to be cancelled very quickly. Even the shows that prove to be successful only last at most eight to ten years. One of the most popular television sitcoms in history, Friends, ran for ten seasons; Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond for nine seasons, and Cheers for eleven. The typical television season spans twenty-two episodes, which means that a long lasting show will likely eclipse the two hundred episode mark. Taking the sum total of all the episodes of all the famous television shows will leave a fan with a lifetime’s worth of television viewing. Most of these shows are available on DVD now, meaning that we can watch all our favorite episodes over and over again.

Television viewing, done in moderation, isn’t overly harmful. People work hard during the day, so they like to relax at night. Television is nice because it lets the mind escape from the daily pressures of life. Too much television viewing, or sense gratification in general, can be harmful to us because it robs us of precious time. In the grand scheme of things, our time on this earth is very short. The Vedas tell us that this particular creation will last for billions and billions of years. Many of us fear what will happen to our souls after death. Where will we go and for how long? An equally relevant question can be asked about our past. Where were we before our current life? The earth has been around for billions of years, so what were we doing during all that time?

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.12)

The Vedas, the original scriptures for mankind, help us answer these questions. Since Vedic wisdom emanates from Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it represents the most authorized form of knowledge. Unlike scientific theories and hypotheses, the Vedas represent undeniable truths of life expounded by the Supreme Lord Himself. To help future generations of man, the Lord kindly imparted this wisdom to several exalted living entities in the past, who subsequently passed down the same knowledge to their disciples. Thus the Vedic literature that we see today, consisting of the Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, etc., contain the same information that God Himself spoke to Lord Brahma at the beginning of creation.

“Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.9.33)

The central teaching of the Vedas is that we are not our bodies. Life is indeed short, but the lifetime of our soul is not. The events we refer to as birth and death are in actuality just changing of material bodies. Death represents the shedding of our current set of clothes, and birth represents the assumption of a new set. The spirit soul remains intact throughout this whole process. These events of birth and death continue in a repetitive cycle due to the living entity’s desires and work. Essentially, it is up to us as to whether we want to continually die and take birth again.

To break free of this cycle, we have to simply change our desires. This is the benefit of human life. Other species have no ability to understand desires and work. They simply act off their animal instincts. A pig, cow, or bird has no idea that it is going to die. It has no understanding of the difference between matter and spirit. Only human beings can understand this fact. We are so smart that almost all of us eventually realize that life is short and that we will be forced to die on day. However, knowing this fact and acting on it are two different things.

Many of us choose to deal with the death issue by ignoring it. “Sure, I’m going to die, but so what? Why do I want to obsess over something so grim? Let me just live my life and enjoy every possible moment.” This mindset may appear to be logically sound, but its major flaw lies in the fact that death doesn’t represent the end. God is very nice. If we want to stay here in this material world and enjoy, He will gladly let us do so. Once our current body becomes old and useless, He lets us assume another one and start our activities all over again.

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

Perfection in life can only be achieved when one understands who God is and what their relationship is with Him. Lord Krishna says that anyone who thinks of Him at the time of death will immediately be granted liberation from the cycle of repeated death. Not only will their soul never return to the material world, but they will also enjoy eternal association with God in the spiritual world. This is the real definition of liberation. We may try to enjoy in various ways here on earth, but real enjoyment can only be of the spiritual variety. God is the supreme spirit, so through association with Him we can enjoy pure transcendental bliss.

There are various transcendental mellows that one can experience with Krishna, but before we can associate with Him, we must purify ourselves. Karmic activity is very hard to break free of, for it is what we have been accustomed to throughout our many lifetimes on earth. This is where Vedic rituals come into play. Knowing that loving God is the true purpose of life is one thing, but actually realizing this fact is another. Theoretical knowledge serves as a good foundation, but this knowledge is worthless if we don’t use it for our benefit.

“Regulated activities are prescribed in the Vedas, and the Vedas are directly manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Consequently the all-pervading Transcendence is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 3.15)

To help us get on the path towards liberation, the Vedas prescribe two important regulative functions: tapasya and yajna; austerity and sacrifice. There are many different kinds of austerities and sacrifices, but the most important ones are those done for the satisfaction of Lord Vishnu, or God. Vishnu is a direct expansion of Lord Krishna, thus the two names can be used interchangeably when referring to God. Tapasya isn’t meant to be a method of torture. The great acharyas have recommended that we refrain from meat eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex life. Abstention from these activities serves as the primary form of austerity. Also, on specific religious holidays people are advised to fast for a set duration of time or to avoid certain kinds of food. The performance of tapasya is aimed at curbing the influence of the senses. Our minds are always hankering and lamenting, and if we always act on our desires, our senses will never be controlled. Tapasya helps us regulate our senses so that we can better focus on serving God.

Yajna is the performance of sacrifice. Most Vedic sacrifices include some type of fire ceremony, with oblations of clarified butter, or ghee, poured into the fire while auspicious mantras are recited. One of Krishna’s names is Yajneshvara, meaning the lord, or controlling power, of sacrifice. To those unfamiliar with Vedic customs, such sacrifices may seem strange. “Oh these are just rituals. Every religion has their own rituals.  They must not be that important. What’s more important is to study Vedanta or other highly philosophical Vedic texts.” Yajnas certainly do appear ritualistic, but they actually serve a great purpose. While tapasya involves abstention from activities, yajna involves actively engaging oneself in religious life. It is the nature of the spirit soul to be active, meaning we must always be doing something. Rather than waste our time on useless activities, the Vedas advise that we perform sacrifices so that we can always stay connected with God. Human beings are creatures of habit. The more accustomed we get to performing sacrifices, the more likely we are to think about God, which in the end, is the whole point.

It is very difficult to control the mind and to have it constantly focused on spiritual matters. By engaging in religious activities, we give the mind more events and experiences to use as reference points when contemplating matters relating to the soul and God. Religious leaders around the world advise their members to visit church every Sunday. This certainly isn’t a bad thing since going to church helps a person think about God. If it’s a good thing to think about God once a week, wouldn’t it be that much better to think about Him every day? This is the opinion of the Vedas. To help us think about God every day, the scriptures provide us a multitude of religious rituals and other rules and regulations to follow.

The current age we live in is not very conducive to the performance of elaborate sacrifices or the adherence to strict rules and regulations. In the Kali Yuga, the recommended sacrifice is sankirtana-yajna, or the congregational chanting of the Holy names of God, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The beauty of this sacrifice is that anyone can perform it. One doesn’t have to be an expert brahmana or even a Hindu to chant Krishna’s name. There is only one God, and He is for everyone. Therefore the name of Krishna is open to everyone to chant, regardless of their age, caste, nationality, or ethnicity.

This chanting should be taken up by every person. It is a great way to spend our time. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada advised everyone to chant the Hare Krishna mantra at least sixteen rounds a day on a set of japa beads. Chanting, along with visiting temples, adhering to regulative principles, reading Vedic literature, and eating Krishna prasadam are enough to secure liberation in one’s current lifetime. These activities, which collectively make up the discipline known as devotional service, are all aimed at pleasing the Supreme Lord. Devotional service helps us use our time constructively. By following the regulative principle in the beginning stages, we are sure to be rewarded one day with pure love for God, or Krishna-prema.

Worship in Goodness

 “That thing which falls to my lot on the destruction of friends and adherents, I never accept, even like food mixed with poison.” (Lord Rama speaking to Lakshmana, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, Sec 97)

Lord Rama, God Himself, here definitively declares that He rejects any offering made to Him that comes at the expense of His devotees. God must be worshiped in the mode of goodness, sattva-guna. Worshiping God in any other way is not sanctioned by the shastras.

According to Vedic philosophy, the material world is governed by three qualities, known as gunas. These qualities manifest as the modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance. Every conditioned living entity possesses a combination of these qualities. Just as an expert chemist can concoct various combinations of chemicals to create a multitude of compounds, material nature gives the jiva soul up to 8,400,000 varieties of species to take birth in depending on the precise combination possessed of the three mode of nature. By saying that someone possesses a particular quality of nature, it means that they perform activities in that particular mode. For example, people who possess the mode of goodness perform acts that are in knowledge, i.e. in line with the injunctions of the scriptures. Activities performed for the purpose of cultivating spiritual knowledge constitute the mode of goodness.

“The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one’s existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity; nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation, tranquility, aversion to faultfinding, compassion and freedom from covetousness; gentleness, modesty and steady determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from envy and the passion for honor—these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.” (Bhagavad-gita, 16.1-3)

The mode of passion includes any fruitive activity, meaning anything we do for our own personal benefit. This makes up the majority of the work that most of us perform. Going to school, working hard at the office, eating food that we like, and playing sports are all part of the mode of passion. The mode of ignorance, or darkness, is any activity performed that is lacking in goodness or passion. Sleeping unnecessarily, eating too much, being intoxicated all the time; these are all in the mode of ignorance.

Just as all our activities can be classified into one of these three modes, so can every religious function we perform. Being religious can have many different meanings depending on who you talk to, but in the Vedic definition, the quintessential religious act is the sacrifice, or yajna. The reason religious activities are classified as sacrifices is that, by nature, we are all accustomed to act for our own self interest. This is the definition of karma. We perform an action which then has a commensurate reaction, either good or bad. If we perform pious activities, good things will happen to us, and if we are sinful, then the reverse is true. The Vedas refer to religion as sanatana dharma, meaning the eternal occupation of man. Our business is to know God, and then to use that knowledge to serve Him. So in essence, religion is the antithesis of fruitive activity or karma. Religiosity is meant to serve as a sacrifice of material activity. Each step we take closer to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we take one step away from the clutches of maya. This is why the highest perfectional stage in life is the sannyasa ashrama, the renounced order of life. This is the last of the four ashramas, where one lives a completely renounced life, depending on Krishna for everything.

“Of sacrifices, that sacrifice performed according to duty and to scriptural rules, and with no expectation of reward, is of the nature of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 17.11)

Yajna, or sacrifice, is very important, but not all yajnas are the same. They also can be classified into the different modes of nature. The main point to understand is that Lord Krishna can only be worshiped in the mode of goodness. There is only one God even though He has many different expansions, forms, and names. Krishna is the original form, with Lord Vishnu being His primary expansion. For governance of the material world, the Lord expands Himself into the three guna-avataras: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Lord Brahma is the avatara for people in the mode of passion, Lord Shiva for those in the mode of ignorance, and Lord Vishnu for those in the mode of goodness. Lord Vishnu is considered superior since He is a direct expansion of Krishna and thus in the mode of goodness.

“According to the philosophy of achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, Lord Shiva is not different from Lord Vishnu, but still Lord Shiva is not Lord Vishnu, just as yogurt is nothing but milk and yet is not milk nevertheless. One cannot get the benefit of milk by drinking yogurt. Similarly, one cannot get salvation by worshiping Lord Shiva. If one wants salvation, one must worship Lord Vishnu.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 17.100)

Aside from Lord Shiva and Brahma, there are many other chief deputies, known as the demigods. They are sort of the Cabinet or government officers who have been invested with various responsibilities by Krishna.

“Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 7.23)

Generally speaking, those who are less intelligent worship the demigods. For example, the great demons Ravana and Hiranyakashipu both performed great austerities in order to please the demigods. They performed these austerities not out of any love or concern for the demigods, but only to receive material boons. That is why demigod worshipers are generally considered unintelligent. Religion is meant to be performed out of pure love for God, and not for any material benefit. Realizing this can take time, so one is given a chance to gradually progress in spiritual life by performing sacrifices for various demigods and by performing other fruitive religious activities. Nevertheless, the great demons of the past never worshiped Lord Krishna or Lord Vishnu because their prayers for material boons would have gone unanswered.

There was a famous incident with the great Narada Muni that illustrates how worship of Lord Vishnu works. A pure devotee of the Lord, Narada travels the three worlds providing spiritual guidance to one and all. He lives the life of a perfect sannyasi, which requires having no connection with women. On one occasion, however, he felt victim to amorous love and desperately wanted to get married to a certain princess. She had a svayamvara ceremony, where she got to choose who she would marry. Narada Muni prayed to Lord Vishnu to ensure that the girl would pick him. The Lord used some word jugglery to trick Narada into thinking that his prayers would be answered, when in reality, the Lord agreed to do what was best for Narada. When the time came to choose, the girl looked at Narada Muni and saw the face of a bear. She immediately eliminated him from the candidacy.

This is the Lord’s mercy to His devotees. If a devotee prays for a material reward, and the Lord decides that it is in the best interest of the devotee, He will happily oblige. He is never required to answer prayers made for a personal benefit. Demigods on the other hand, must reward their devotees, regardless of the motives. Ravana and Hiranyakashipu both had ill motives, for they were great enemies to the sages of the world. Regardless, the demigods had to provide them what they wanted.

In the above referenced statement, Lord Rama is declaring that He never accepts anything offered to Him if it comes at the expense of His devotees. In today’s world, we see many deplorable acts committed in the name of religion. Terrorism, cow slaughter, and even abortion are either sanctioned or not protested by many of the world’s religious leaders. Based on Lord Rama’s statement, we can understand that these religions, as they are espoused today, cannot be considered bona fide.

Religion means to know and love God. Any religious system which aims to achieve this end can be considered bona fide, and any other system must be considered bogus. The proper way to follow religious principles is through the execution of devotional service, also known as bhakti yoga. Bhakti means love and yoga means linking one’s soul with God. We living entities are spirit souls who are part and parcel of God, but God is the Supreme Soul who is so great that He can easily expand Himself as the Supersoul residing in the hearts of every living entity. Devotional service means dedicating all our actions to God. The Vedas describe the Lord atmarama, meaning one who is self-satisfied. That being the case, how can we make someone who is in need of nothing, happy?

God is generally neutral towards all living entities, but He makes an exception for His devotees. His love for His devotees cannot be put into words. Just by judging the actions He performed during His various incarnations, we get a slight glimpse into just how great that love is. Lord Rama’s activities were all performed for the benefit of His friends, family, and dependents. In fact, the above referenced statement was made to pacify Lakshmana, who had become angry upon seeing Bharata approaching their camp. Lord Rama was Krishna Himself in the guise of a kshatriya prince. He, His wife Sita Devi, and younger brother Lakshmana, were serving out an exile term in the forest when Rama and Lakshmana’s brother, Bharata, came to see them. Bharata wanted Rama to come back to the kingdom of Ayodhya and ascend the throne, but Lakshmana was unaware of this, so he was initially suspicious. In order to quell Lakshmana’s anger, Rama informed him that there was no need to be violent against Bharata. The Lord never wants to gain something, in this case the kingdom, at the expense of His devotees. Bharata was just as devoted to Rama as Lakshmana was.

Since God isn’t always physically present before us, the best way to perform devotional service is to serve His devotees. The bona fide spiritual master, the guru, is the true representative of Krishna. Surrendering everything unto the Lord, the spiritual master humbly asks others to become Krishna conscious, for he knows that this will make Krishna happy. Pure devotees return to one of Krishna’s spiritual planets at the time of death, so the spiritual master tries to turn as many people into devotees as possible because it will mean that Krishna will be able to reclaim so many lost souls.

To act in concert with God’s interests, we simply have to pass on the teachings of the great acharyas. Vyasadeva, Goswami Tulsidas, Shrila Rupa Goswami, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and other great Vaishnava saints have all passed on volumes and volumes of written instruction on the science of devotional service. To serve them, we simply have to induce others to follow their teachings. Love Krishna, chant His holy names, and be happy.

Krishna has declared many times that pleasing His servant means pleasing Him. Lord Chaitanya, Krishna’s most recent incarnation, taught us to think of ourselves as the servant of the servant of God. This is the proper method of worship. We actually cannot approach God directly in the beginning stages. The spiritual master is the via-medium. If we please the devotees, God will be happy with us and accept our offerings.

Fasting

“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)

Lent is the holy period in the Catholic calendar where someone gives up something, a form of sense gratification which is usually meat eating, voluntarily. The Lent period lasts for forty days, so those accustomed to regularly eating meat scramble to find ways to adhere to the fast.

Lent is generally viewed unfavorably by the younger generation. “Why is God punishing us? Why can’t we just eat what we want?” These are some of the questions posed by followers of the faith. In actuality, most people don’t even adhere to the regulations of Lent. Those who are aware of it, often look for loopholes and excuses to continue their meat eating. “Oh fish doesn’t count. I can eat that. I can most certainly eat eggs. What about chicken? That’s not really meat right?” The Catholic Church had a long-standing rule stating that people couldn’t eat meat on Fridays. That rule has since been abolished due to the fact that no one was following it.

The concept of fasting is present in all major religions. The Muslims have the Ramadan Holiday where one is prohibited from taking food during daylight hours. The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, probably have the most comprehensive list of fasting regulations. Those of us who grew up in Hindu families are very familiar with many of them. Our parents and elder relatives were always abiding by some type of fast. “Oh today is Tuesday. I don’t eat on Tuesday…I can’t eat anything with salt in it today…I can only eat fruits and drink water today.” These were some of the statements we commonly heard as children growing up. It seemed very puzzling to us, since we generally just ate whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. What was the point of starving yourself? Many Hindu women even fast for Teej, which is an annual holiday dedicated to ensuring a long life for husbands.

Fasting is rooted in the concept of tapasya. Tapasya means austerities or the voluntary acceptance of penance. This isn’t any ordinary type of penance either. Tapasya is meant specifically to be for spiritual advancement, a completely religious activity. Tapasya works because it involves serving the Lord. As living entities, our natural instinct is to serve ourselves. Not necessarily selfishness, but acting in our own self-interest. The entire free-market capitalist system is built around this notion. People acting in their own self-interest, which leads to an overall favorable condition economically. The Vedas, however, tell us that this life is meant for serving Krishna, or God, and not our senses. It is for this reason that tapasya was introduced. Breaking free of the bodily concept of life is very difficult. Everyone is identifying with their gross material body, something which they are forced to give up at the time of death. I may be an Indian in this life, but in my next life, I can very well be born as an American or a Muslim. Knowing that fact, our nationality, skin color, or ethnicity isn’t important. At our core, we are spirit souls, aham brahmasmi. As spirit souls part and parcel of God, our business as human beings is to reconnect with Him. That is the ultimate aim of life. In order to truly realize this fact, we have to break free from our attachment to sense gratification. Austerities help us do that.

There is a common expression that says “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Though not true in all circumstances, with respect to tapasya, it is generally the case. By periodically abstaining from certain kinds of food, or all food in general, we actually become stronger because our minds become clearer. Many of us spend some time during the day thinking about what to eat for lunch or dinner. “Oh where should I go for lunch? I just went to such and such a place yesterday. I feel like something different today.” Even if we are eating food that we like, we tend to get sick of eating the same thing over and over again. We’re always looking for ways to satisfy our taste buds. Thinking about food may seem harmless, but that time could be better spent thinking about God. This is where tapasya comes. If we spent the day fasting, we most certainly would think about our hunger during the day. Now ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a good thing, since we would be unnecessarily causing ourselves stress. However, if we fast for God, then anytime we think of our hunger during the day, we immediately will think of Him. That is always a good thing. Sometimes men will get into fights or brawls and receive bruises and other wounds as a result. Most men love to show off these wounds to others, because it is a symbol of their toughness and what they went through. In a similar fashion, the hunger pains as a result of fasting for Krishna is a sort of war wound, something we receive as a result of our dedication to the Lord. It is something we can be proud of.

The major occasions for fasting coincide with the appearance day anniversaries of the Lord and His associates. Krishna Janmashtami is generally considered the most important day of the year for followers of the Vedic tradition since it marks the appearance day anniversary of Lord Krishna. Since Mother Devaki gave birth to Krishna at midnight, devotees usually observe a complete fast on Janmashtami leading up until midnight. People fast for the occasions of Rama Navami and Radhashtami in a similar manner. There are so many specific fasts prescribed in the Vedas for different purposes, but the two most widely observed regular fasts are Ekadashi and Purnima. The entire Vedic calendar revolves around the lunar cycle, so Ekadashi and Purnima are specific days in that cycle. Purnima represents the full moon day, and followers of the Satyanarayana Vrata fast specifically on these days. Devotees perform Katha of Lord Shri Satyanarayana, and then eat the prasadam that is offered to Him. Ekadashi is another specific day in the lunar cycle, an occasion observed specifically by Vaishnavas, or devotees of Vishnu. In a strict sense, devotees are supposed to observe a completely fast on this day, but the regulation has been loosened a bit. Generally, devotees simply abstain from eating grains (rice, bread, etc.) and beans on this day.

Vedic literature is full of people performing tapasya and receiving a benefit as a result. Mother Parvati performed severe austerities in the forest for many years and was rewarded by getting Lord Shiva for a husband. Lord Rama and Sita observed a fast the night before the initial date set for the Lord’s installation as successor to His father, the king of Ayodhya. In this way, God and other great personalities set a good example for the rest of us to follow. If one can fast without inflicting too much pain on oneself, then it is definitely worth trying. Tapasya is one of the most important tools in a transcendentalist’s arsenal. It can help us break free of the repeated cycle of birth and death, and bring us back home after this life, back to Godhead.