Everlasting Fame

“Oh Hanuman! Your magnificent glory is acclaimed far and wide all through the four ages and your fame is radiantly noted all over the cosmos.” (Hanuman Chalisa of Tulsidas)

Social networking websites have greatly increased in popularity. It seems that everyone has a MySpace, Twitter, or Facebook page. These sites make it very easy to connect with other people quickly and to share information and thoughts.

Of all these sites, Facebook has stood out as the premier social networking engine. Facebook allows you to upload pictures of yourself, describe your hobbies and interests, and make friends with a large network of people. Instead of having to contact all of your friends individually, you can just update your Facebook profile and broadcast updates about yourself to all of your friends. Your friends in turn can post responses to you or to your “wall”, creating a message board like atmosphere.

The popularity of Facebook lies in its ability to make anyone famous. We all want to be noticed and to matter. When something good happens to us, we immediately can’t wait to tell our friends. When we are sad, we take comfort in the soothing words and advice from our well-wishers. Similar to how the news media follows every move of celebrities, Facebook allows others to follow our every move. In this way, we can achieve fame and notoriety without ever having to leave our homes.

This fame and notoriety is no doubt very pleasing to us, but it has a very short duration. We are all destined to give up our current bodies at the time of death, and when we do, we give up our fame as well. From studying Vedic literature, we can see that the best way to have everlasting fame is to become a devotee of Krishna, or God. When we sincerely love God and devote ourselves to Him only, then He will automatically give us all the fame that we crave. There are many examples of this principle holding true, with four in particular that stand out.

When God advented as Lord Rama many thousands of years ago in Ayodhya, as part of His pastimes, He suffered through many trials and tribulations. One ordeal He endured was the kidnapping of His wife Sita by the demon Ravana. Though a prince and son of a great king, Lord Rama was serving His exile period in the forest at the time, so He had no army with which to attack Ravana and reclaim Sita. Instead, He enlisted the help of Vanaras, or human-like monkeys, which were dwelling in the forest. The foremost of the Vanaras was Lord Hanuman. Hanuman was a great devotee of Lord Rama and he played an integral part in helping the Lord defeat Ravana and rescue Sita. In reward for his devotion, Lord Rama blessed Hanuman and granted him the boon of remaining on earth for as long as the Lord’s story was still told and His glories still chanted. Hanuman had no desire for this fame, but the Lord granted it to him anyway. Hanuman is still worshiped to this day and his name is synonymous with love and devotion for Lord Rama.

When Lord Krishna personally came to earth some five thousand years ago, there was a great war that took place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra between the Pandava and Kaurava families. Lord Krishna was very fond of His cousin Arjuna, the leading warrior for the Pandavas, so He acted as Arjuna’s charioteer and guide. The great grandfather of both families,  Bhishma, was one of the leading fighters on the Kaurava side. Bhishma was eventually defeated by Arjuna in battle. While he was lying on the ground, his body pierced throughout with arrows, Lord Krishna instructed Yudhishthira, the eldest of the five Pandava brothers, to go to Bhishma and receive spiritual instruction from him. Bhishma was a great devotee of the Lord, and had his mind concentrated on Krishna while he was lying on the battlefield about to die. The Lord knew this and thus wanted Yudhishthira to question such a great devotee. The Lord could have taught Yudhishthira Himself, but He preferred to have Bhishma do it. God is always glad to give fame to His devotees. As much as His devotees like to please Him, the Lord prefers to give His devotees all the fame and glory.

Maharishi Valmiki, the great sage and author of the Ramayana, incarnated some four hundred years ago in India as Goswami Tulsidas. Tulsidas was a great devotee of Lord Rama from birth, and he dedicated his whole life to worshiping and writing about the Lord. His book, the Ramacharitamanasa, is revered to this very day. Tulsidas had no desire for fame or fortune. He wrote only for himself so that he could put his love for Lord Rama into words. The Ramacharitamanasa is the story of Lord Rama written as beautiful poetry in the mood of pure devotion. From reading his books, one will find that Tulsidas was one of the most humble and kind people to ever have lived. Because of his pure devotion, the Lord guaranteed him everlasting fame. His Ramacharitamanasa is today a staple in the homes of all Hindus in India. It is publicly recited during the auspicious times of the year relating to Lord Rama. Tulsidas’s poem praising Lord Hanuman, known as the Hanuman Chalisa, is equally as popular and is memorized and recited daily by millions of Hindus as well. All glories to Tulsidas.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, made the name Krishna known throughout the world. Instructed by his spiritual master to preach the teachings of the Vedas in English to the western world, Shrila Prabhupada came to America on a steamship from India in 1965. In the twelve years that followed, he authored almost one hundred books and started a worldwide movement dedicated to serving Lord Krishna that continues to this very day. Though the swami left this material world more than thirty years ago, he continues to teach through his books and recorded lectures. He is worshiped as the spiritual master in hundreds of temples throughout the world and in the homes of devotees. He also had no desire for fame and fortune. His only desire was to make the world love Krishna even more than he himself did. Krishna recognized this devotion and thus made him one of the most famous saints to ever have lived.

These are just some of the examples of famous devotees. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to “declare it to the world that My devotee shall never perish.” So let all devotees of the world unite and spread the glories of Lord Krishna on Facebook and every other social networking site. This will be most beneficial to us, for it will give us everlasting fame. If we love Krishna and are truly devoted to Him, then He will surely make all our wishes come true.

Better Than a Superhero

 “O Sita, there is none who can defeat your husband. There is not the least doubt in this. Worshipful madam, the celestials, animals, birds, and others…there is none among them who can withstand Rama, who equals the lord of celestials, Indra, in warfare. In fact there is none who can do away with Rama in battle.” (Lakshmana speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, Sec 45)

The latest Batman movie to be released, The Dark Night, set records for box office attendance. Based on the fictional superhero character of the same name, previous Batman movies also enjoyed similar successes with movie goers. The Star Wars and Lord of the Rings movies were so popular that they spawned multiple sequels. The Spiderman movies are another popular series. It seems the best way to ensure a box office hit these days is to come out with a fantasy movie involving one or more superheroes.

The Star Wars movies hold their own unique place in our culture. The first movie, released in 1976, was so popular that people eagerly anticipated the five movies that followed over the next thirty plus years. Fans would camp out in movie theater parking lots just so they could be the first ones to see the new movies. Others would dress up as their favorite characters as a sign of loyalty and adoration. Fans would go back to the theaters to see the same movie two and three times. They just couldn’t get enough.

The popularity of these and other movies involving superheroes shows our natural affinity towards strength and courage. We like to see the good guys win. We understand that we are mere mortals and have limited abilities, so we are drawn to those who can rise above the limitations of ordinary human beings. Superheroes have extraordinary powers that enable them to defeat enemies of immense strength. Movies like Spiderman, Superman, and Batman show ordinary people doing extraordinary things through their special powers. The heroes struggle through adversity, but never give up, and always win in the end. We see evil all around us in our daily lives and we feel helpless in stopping it. Superheroes give us hope that maybe someone is out there who can protect us and give us peace of mind.

Though these stories are very nice and uplifting, they are nonetheless fictional. They were drawn up by the imagination of writers and comic book creators. Once the movie ends, we go back to our normal lives, where superheroes don’t exist. All hope is not lost however.

Many thousands of years ago, there was a great demon by the name of Ravana who was wreaking havoc throughout the world. He had performed many great austerities in order to please the demigods and they rewarded him with special powers. According to the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, the demigods are elevated living entities who manage the affairs of the material world. They are not God, but they have been deputed by Him to handle different departments relating to karmic activity, similar to the way a President will have a variety of Cabinet secretaries handling specific areas of government. The demigods grant benedictions to pretty much anyone who pleases them to their satisfaction. In Ravana’s case, He was given ten heads and granted the boon that no demigod, celestial being, or animal could defeat him. Lost in the jubilation of his new found powers, Ravana forgot to ask to be immune from human beings. Ravana belonged to the Rakshasa race, people who lived off eating flesh and drinking wine. He was an enemy to devotees of God and he persecuted them every chance he could get. Ravana steadily rose to power as a result of the boons he received. The demigods were all afraid of him, as were the great sages, or brahmanas, living in the forests.

Lord Vishnu, God Himself, was informed of the situation by the demigods. To relieve their stressful situation and give protection to the sages, He decided to incarnate on earth as a human being in the form of Lord Rama. He appeared as an ordinary human being, who was the kindest, nicest, most courageous, and the most dedicated to dharma, or righteousness, of all people. He had no desire to please Himself in any way. He was completely dedicated to those who were dependent on Him. The name Rama actually means “one who gives pleasure”. At the request of His father, the king of Ayodhya, and step-mother, the Lord spent fourteen years as an exile from His kingdom. His wife Sita and younger brother Lakshmana insisted on accompanying Him to the forest, for they didn’t want the Lord to suffer alone. God actually never suffers, but since He was playing the role of a human being, He agreed to put Himself into stressful situations for the benefit of others. One day while they were living in the forest, a demon by the name of Marica appeared in front of their cottage in the guise of a deer. Sita was very much enamored by the deer and requested Rama to catch it for her, with its life in tact if possible. The Lord chased the demon a long way, finally piercing it with an arrow. As Marica gave up his life, he revealed his original Rakshasa form, and cried out for help in the voice of Rama. Sita, hearing this and getting worried, told Lakshmana to see if Rama was alright. In response, Lakshmana, in the above referenced quote, reminded her that Rama was unconquerable in battle and that the sound must have been an illusion. Nevertheless, as events played out, Lakshmana would end up leaving Sita’s side to go check on His brother, which gave Ravana the opportunity to kidnap Sita and take her to his palace.

Already an exile ranging the forest, now the Lord had to deal with the abduction of His most beautiful and chaste wife. Rama persevered and with the help of the Vanaras, monkey-like people dwelling in the forest, He was able to defeat Ravana in battle and rescue Sita, proving Lakshmana’s words to be true.

We needn’t look to movies or comic books to find a superhero. Lord Rama is the ultimate protector, with powers greater than those of any fictional character. God comes to this earth from time to time specifically so we can have someone to look up to and worship. In times of trouble, we need only turn to Him, as He is the most powerful and most courageous. The lessons from Lord Rama’s story are timeless. The Star Wars movies depicted material advancement in the modes of warfare. Even with advanced weaponry, Darth Vader’s empire was defeated by the powers of good, represented by the Jedis. Similarly, Ravana’s great powers achieved through great boons were no match for Rama’s army, consisting of monkeys hurling rocks and trees. The monkeys, headed by Rama’s greatest devotee Hanuman, were fighting for the good guys, with God on their side, so their victory was guaranteed. Ravana’s demon army cast many illusory spells and used trickery as their weapons. Lord Rama and His brother Lakshmana used simple bows and arrows to defeat them. That is the power of God. He can turn a simple arrow into something more powerful than the strongest nuclear weapon.

God is eternal and so are His various forms. Lord Rama’s activities are still celebrated to this day in India and throughout the world. We are eternally indebted to Maharishi Valmiki and Goswami Tulsidas for giving us the story of the Lord in such great detail. We should all read the Valmiki Ramayana or Ramacharitamanasa at least once in our lives. The story is so wonderful and moving, that we’ll never get tired of reading it. Though the actual events occurred many thousands of years ago, through the power of His holy name, Lord Rama is still with us, helping us fight the Ravanas of today. Let us always remember the Lord, chant His name, and offer Him our prayers. By so doing, our lives will become perfect.

Ramayana of Tulsidas

 

Title: Shri Ramacharitamanasa

ISBN: 8120804430

Author: Goswami Tulsidas, translated by R.C. Prasad

Versions: Print

Synopsis: This is probably the greatest book ever written. The Ramacharitamanasa, or the “Holy Lake of the Acts of Rama”, is the biography of Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Krishna, written by Goswami Tulsidas several hundred years ago. The original story of Lord Rama was written by Maharishi Valmiki during the Lord’s time on earth. Tulsidas’ version is similar in spirit, but more of a devotional work and doesn’t contain as much detail as Valmiki’s. Considered an incarnation of Valmiki, Tulsidas wrote the Ramacharitamanasa in a dialect of Hindi so as to make it more accessible to the people of His time. The writing is beautiful and one who reads this book with firm faith will be a devotee of Lord Rama forever. Already a staple in the homes of most Hindus living in India, this version, translated into English, gives everyone a chance to enjoy the wonderful pastimes of the Lord, His wife Sita, His brother Lakshmana, and His devotee Hanuman.

The Spiritual Master

“O Rama, there is no one more fortunate on this earth than You since you have Vishwamitra as Your spiritual master.”

Sage Shatananda speaking to Lord Rama (Valmiki Ramayana, Balakanda)

In this material world, the spiritual master is our link to God. God isn’t always directly physically present on this earth, so it is through the spiritual master that we can understand Him.

In all areas of life, we require a teacher. We are all born not knowing anything. After taking our first birth from our parents, we gradually were taught how to crawl, walk, talk, and even eat properly. Our parents taught us right and wrong, good and bad, and how to behave properly. In many ways, we are the reflection of our parents. Children with good parentage usually grow up to be good standing citizens. From youth to young adulthood, we attended school and were educated by our various teachers. If not for them, we would probably not grow up to be productive adults.

In different areas of work, we require training from those who are already expert in their particular fields. Aspiring doctors require training from experienced doctors. Students finishing law school require the guidance of experienced lawyers to learn the trade. So in this way, we can understand that a good teacher is required for success in any endeavor

The spiritual master, or guru, is required for anyone who is seriously seeking self-realization and understanding of God. A qualified spiritual master is one of saintly character who has completely surrendered Himself to Lord Krishna. He knows nothing else but Krishna and through his saintly character, he voluntarily teachers others about Krishna.

From our education on material subjects, we can try to understand God, but our attempts will always fail. God cannot be understood through mere mental speculation. He can only be known through the grace of one who has completely surrendered himself to God. By agreeing to serve the spiritual master humbly, we take our second and more important birth and begin our spiritual understanding.

When Lord Krishna appeared on this earth, He even accepted a spiritual master, Sandipani Muni, just to set an example for us. The Lord taught us to be very humble to saintly people, and to learn spiritual knowledge from them. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but he pretended to be subordinate in knowledge to brahmanas in order to show them proper respect.

In the Ramacharitamansa of Tulsidas, Maharishi Valmiki gives a vivid description of a devotee of the Lord. One of the points he makes is that a devotee loves his guru even more than God Himself. The reason for this is that the spiritual master teaches us about God, and without him, our lives would be meaningless. This underscores the importance of the guru. When Lord Ramachandra was a youth, he and his brother Lakshmana were trained to be the highest skilled kshatriyas, or warriors, by the sage Vishwamitra. Lord Rama was God Himself, but He also humbly submitted Himself before Vishwamitra and voluntarily accepted him as His spiritual master. Vishwamitra was so pious that he was fortunate enough to have God Himself as a disciple. Yet Vishwamitra was held in such high regard by other sages that these sages considered Rama and Lakshmana to be the fortunate ones. Such is the glory of a saint!

In the Vedas, it is said that one of the highest rewards of life is to have association with a saintly person. One doesn’t have to be born in a high class family or possess immense riches in order to make spiritual progress. One simply has to be fortunate enough to come in contact with a saintly person, and then have the good sense to humbly serve that person through taking instruction from them. Anyone who is purely devoted to Krishna is considered a saint and a spiritual master. The perfect spiritual master for this age is A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Though Shrila Prabhupada physically left this earth more than thirty years ago, we can still approach him through his books and recorded lectures. He continues to preach to this day, so we should make the most of this auspicious human form of life by reading his books and following his teachings. In this way, we please the spiritual master, and through his grace, we return back to Godhead.

 

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Lord Ramachandra

   Lord Ramachandra, also referred to as Lord Rama, is the incarnation of Krishna that appeared in Ayodhya during the Treta Yuga. According to the Vedas, the universe is constantly created and destroyed and each creation is divided in to four yugas, or time periods; Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and the Kali Yuga which we are currently in.

The reasons for the Lord’s advent were many and they differ slightly for each creation. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that "whenever there is a decline in religion, I personally come Myself to restore the tradition of the Vedas and to protect My devotees”. Prior to Lord Rama’s advent, there was a very powerful demon named Ravana who was wreaking havoc throughout the world and disrupting the sacrifices of the saintly people on earth. The sadhus of the world prayed for the Lord to personally come and save them and he answered their prayers.

There was a great king who ruled over Adyodhya at the time by the name of Dashrath who was very pious and respected by all. His life was perfect except for the fact that he had no son to whom he could pass down his kingdom. On the advice of his priest Vasishtha, Dashrath performed a yajna (Vedic sacrifice) for Lord Vishnu, and in due time his wives gave birth to four beautiful sons named Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna.

Lord Rama performed many glorious pastimes during His time on earth, but His most celebrated pastime was Hs slaying of the demon Ravana, who had abducted His wife Sita. Stories related Lord Rama’s life are beautifully told in the original Ramayana, written by Maharishi Valmiki, who was instructed to write the Ramayana by his spiritual master Narada Muni. Other historical accounts of Lord Rama’s life can be found in almost all of the Puranas (ancient Vedic stories), including the Mahabharata and the Shrimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). Around five hundred years, Goswami Tulsidas wrote his own poem detailing the pastimes of Lord Rama, called the Ramacharitamanasa, also known as the Tulsi Ramayana. In this beautiful work, Tulsidas references all the stories of Lord Rama contained in various Vedic literatures, but especially the Valmiki Ramayana and the Brahmananda Purana, and merges them to tell the story of the Ramayana in a mood of devotion and love, and for this it is considered to be one of the most important Vedic literatures.

Lord Rama is considered an avatar of Vasudeva (Lord Krishna), and thus there is no difference between Him and God. He is usually worshipped along with His wife Sita, younger brother Lakshmana, and His greatest devotee Hanuman, collectively known as the Ram Darbar. Lord Rama played the role of a perfect human being, a role model for everyone. He was an ideal son, husband, friend, and king. He had no other interest in His mind other than to please His devotees and to serve them. Recitation of Lord Rama’s name is the only means of salvation in this age of Kali as it will immediately remind us of His beautiful form and wonderful pastimes.

 

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Goswami Tulsidas

Goswami Tulsidas was a great devotee of Lord Ramachandra (Lord Rama) who appeared in India in the 16^th century. A true saint, he is best known for the books that he authored, the most famous of which was the Ramacharitamanasa.

The original story of Lord Ramachandra, an incarnation of Lord Krishna or God, was written by Maharishi Valmiki during Lord Rama’s appearance on earth in the Treta yuga, and this story is famously known as the Valmiki Ramayana.  Stories relating to Lord Krishna and His incarnations are also found in many other Vedic literatures, such as the Puranas, all of which are written in the Sanskrit language. Sanskrit, known as the language of the gods, is a very difficult language for people to understand in this age of Kali. Tulsidas wanted to make Lord Rama’s story more accessible to today’s society. He wrote the Ramacharitamanasa, also known as the Tulsi Ramayana, in Awadhi, which is a dialect of the Hindi language. His version is based off the historical accounts of Lord Rama found in all the Vedic literatures, but is especially based off the Valmiki Ramayana and the Adhyatma Ramayana found in the Brahmananda Purana. Tulsidas’s Ramayana is written in a mood of pure devotion, using beautiful poetry, making it a wonderful read for anyone.

In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to “declare to the world that My devotee never perishes.” The popularity of the Ramacharitamanasa is proof of that. Tulsidas’s work is a staple in the homes of all Indians. It is recited regularly during the holy periods of the year relating to Lord Rama.

Aside from the Manasa, Tulsidas also authored several other shorter works relating to Lord Rama, including the Vinaya Patrika, Dohawali, and the Kavitawali. In addition, he is the author of the famous Hanuman Chalisa, a poem which glorifies Lord Rama’s greatest devotee Lord Hanuman.

Tulsidas belonged to the Ramananda Sampradaya, which has a hint of impersonalist philosophy. The Vedas describe the Supreme Absolute Truth as “nirguna”, which means attributeless. Impersonalitsts misinterpret this to mean that God is only an all pervading spirit, or Brahman, and not a person. Nirguna actually means that God is formless in that He doesn’t have a material form, but He is still an individual separate from us. From reading Tulsidas’s works there is no mistaking that he is a pure devotee of God’s form as Lord Ramachandra. In fact, Tulsidas boldly declares that God’s name is even more important than God Himself, since His name directly brings us in touch with Him. He teaches that we should be constantly engaged in reciting the Lord’s name and in this way our lives will be perfect.

Several English translations of his works are available, but sadly they usually include impersonalist and atheistic interpretations which distort the original meanings. Tulsidas’s works must be presented in their original form, with the original meanings preserved. Tulsidas was a great devotee of Lord Ramachandra and his writings leave no doubt about that. He taught devotion to God and nothing else. Krishna’s Mercy is dedicated to honoring Goswami Tulsidas by distributing his works and presenting his teachings without deviation.

 

Krishna’s Mercy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving the gift of Krishna to one and all.

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Book Distribution

Understanding the constitutional position of the soul and its relationship with God is a very complex philosophy that is described at great length in the ancient Vedic texts of India. The great saints of India, such as A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Maharishi Valmiki, Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, and Tulsidas have all written extensively about Krishna.

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Their works are considered sacred texts and are unmatched in their quality. Krishna’s Mercy attempts to distribute as many of their books as possible by promoting the books in our newsletters, writing blog articles discussing teachings found in their books, providing links on our website to purchase their books, and through book donations to local libraries and bookstores.

 

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

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