A World Devoid of God

"Who will take pleasure in residing in a dwelling where the heart dies within itself, which is devoid of delight, where the people are always agitated with anxiety and which is exceedingly disagreeable." (Women of Ayodhya describing life without Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, Sec 48)

We human beings tend to live in great anxiety. Described in Sanskrit as dukhalayam, this material world is a place full of miseries.

One need only watch the nightly newscasts to see evidence of this widespread anxiety. As recently as two years ago, the news media and most of the population of the U.S. were obsessed with the rise in price of gasoline. Having risen to almost 4 dollars per gallon, consumers were irate, alleging price fixing and collusion on the part of oil companies. “How will we survive?” they thought. The per barrel price of oil became the headline story each day in the news. Then all of a sudden, the gasoline price plummeted. Dropping to almost $1.50 per gallon, were people now satisfied? Definitely not, for the drop in oil price coincided with the collapse of the economy. Everyone merely shifted their anxiety from one area to another. When the economy will rebound, people will move on to worrying about national healthcare. If that problem gets solved, there will be worry about the rising power of foreign enemies. In this way, there are always problems, with people are always fearing the worst.

These problems are not new by any stretch of the imagination. Most people’s historical perspective begins from the day they were born. However, one can go back and read newspapers from the past and see that the same problems existed. There was always constant distress and turmoil relating to world wars, economic collapses, and the rise of brutal dictatorships. Yet did anything noteworthy ever result from these calamities? People were born, they became old, they contracted diseases, and they died. There is nothing new in that, for those things are guaranteed. Just as people say death and taxes are guaranteed, so are the fourfold miseries of life. Constantly worrying about the inevitable is essentially a waste of time.

Mankind’s real problem is its forgetfulness of God. Trying to find happiness in this material world, we are always making plans, adjusting our material conditions. These adjustments usually lead to more problems. The heavy metal band Metallica has an appropriate lyric line in this regard:

“This thorn in my side is from the tree I planted. It tears me and I bleed.” (Bleeding Me)

We constantly plant new seeds, hoping they will bear material fruits. Yet with every new plant comes thorns in the form of attachment and worry. Real happiness comes from God. According to the Vedas, Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are many different names for God all based on His different activities and achievements. He also comes to earth in many different forms, preaching different messages based on time, circumstance, and the population’s ability to understand spiritual knowledge. Though there are so many forms, there is still only one God whose original form is Krishna. The name Krishna means “all-attractive”, and we this beauty depicted in pictures of Him. Back when the Lord personally came to earth some five thousand years ago, He gave pleasure to all His closest associates. The people of Vrindavana had different relationships with Krishna, so they received transcendental pleasure in different ways. Krishna’s childhood friends loved spending time with Him, going out into the fields and playing games with the Lord. The cowherd girls loved taking care of Krishna and worrying about His welfare. Krishna’s parents took great pleasure in feeding their boy and watching Him grow up. When the time came for the Lord to leave Vrindavana for Mathura, all the townspeople were greatly saddened.

A similar situation occurred during the life of a previous incarnation of the Lord. In the Treta Yuga, Krishna came to earth in the form of Lord Rama, the greatest of warriors born in the most famous of royal dynasties, the Ikshvakus. As part of His pastimes, the Lord voluntarily accepted a punishment of exile given by His father, Maharaja Dashratha, the king of Ayodhya. As the Lord was about to leave, the citizens of Ayodhya, especially the women, were greatly saddened. Rama was their life and soul, the reservoir of all pleasure. They viewed life without Him as a life not worth living. The above referenced statement was made by the married women of Ayodhya, who were bewailing their misfortune to their husbands.

It should be noted that they weren’t lamenting over the loss of wealth or any other material possession. They weren’t sad about the falling price of a commodity. Those things didn’t concern them. They were lamenting due to the impending loss of their association with Rama, who was God Himself. This is the way mahajanas think, great spiritual personalities. They never want to be separated from the Lord. Now in actuality, the situation for these women wouldn’t end up so dire since all the citizens of Ayodhya would keep their minds fixed on the Lord during His absence. Fourteen years would pass this way, and then the Lord would triumphantly return, upon which time He would be crowned as the new king. The statement of the women of Ayodhya actually very accurately describes the situation in the Kali Yuga, the age we are currently living in.

We can very easily fix our current predicament. We merely need to follow the path set by the great devotees, including the women of Ayodhya. If we keep our mind fixed on the lotus feet of the Lord by constantly chanting His name, and worshiping His deity, then we can fill the void that is in our hearts. One can easily make a routine out of such service, for we can worship the Lord day or night, inviting our friends and family to join us. We can visit temples where we can take advantage of the association of fellow devotees. We can read books about the Lord and discuss His glories and pastimes with others around the world. There are so many opportunities available to us that we can keep ourselves connected with God all the time. Then we will be happy.

Fidelity

"Those women that although having always tended by their husbands, do not regard them during the times of adversity are in this world reckoned as unchaste." (Kausalya speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, Sec 39)

Chastity is considered a very important trait in a woman, even more so than in a man. If a woman is unfaithful to her husband, she receives greater scorn and ridicule from society than a husband would for being just as unfaithful. It is no doubt a double standard, but it is a fact that the adulterous activities of men don’t have the same stigma attached to them.

In America, most fifth grade students are introduced to literature through reading classic novels, with one of them being The Scarlet Letter. The basic plot of the novel is of a woman who gives birth to a child through an adulterous relationship. She wears a scarlet cloth on her gown in the shape of an uppercase letter A, standing for adultery. In this way, she is publicly ridiculed for her unchaste act. This was quite customary during the Puritan period, as adultery was never taken lightly, for it even led to punishment by death for some. The Vedas also have a very strict definition of adultery. Up until recent times, if an unmarried woman spent a night at another man’s house, she was considered unfit for marriage. In the past, the concept of boyfriend/girlfriend didn’t exist, and if a man did have a female lover who wasn’t his wife, that woman would be considered a prostitute.

Adultery is never looked upon favorably in any religion. The Ten Commandments list adultery as one of the prohibited acts for man. The reasoning for this is pretty straightforward. Truthfulness and honesty are considered virtues. If someone is honest towards us, we know that we can trust them. Trust and fidelity form the basis of contracts and agreements, which allow for economies to function smoothly. Trust brings security, which leads to peace of mind, which leads to happiness. Marriages and friendships are relationships where trust is of utmost importance. If you can’t trust your friends, then who can you trust? The same principle holds true with our spouse. The husband or wife is our most intimate friend, someone we spend our nights with, the person we wake up next to in the morning. If we can’t trust them, then we might as well be sleeping with an enemy. People that trust each other and honor that trust at all times, they will have unbreakable bonds, whereas others will not.

When Lord Rama, the incarnation of God in the Treta Yuga, came to earth as the son of the pious king Dashratha, He was married to a beautiful and virtuous princess named Sita. An incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, Sita Devi was completely devoted in thoughts, words, and deeds to Rama. Twelve years into a marriage which they were enjoying very much, the Lord was ordered to leave the kingdom of Ayodhya and live as a recluse wandering the forest for fourteen years. Sita Devi insisted on accompanying Him, and right before leaving, Rama’s mother Kausalya gave Sita some words of advice. The above referenced statement was a portion of her words of wisdom directed at her daughter-in-law.

The husband, Lord Rama, had hit upon hard times, so Kausalya wanted to remind Sita to stand by Him now more than ever before. Her basic point was that the chastity of a woman isn’t only determined by faithfulness relating to acts of physical love, but also by faithfulness of mind and spirit. As the saying goes, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”, the wife is the better half of the husband. In times of adversity, the husband relies on the support of the wife to get through the rough patches. For this reason, the shastras, or scriptures, declare that a wife should always support her husband no matter what, and by acting in this manner, she becomes free from all sins. Sins can be negated in one of two ways. If one acts according to one’s dharma, or duty, then all sins are nullified. The other way is to devote all of one’s activities towards pleasing God.

Lord Rama was God Himself, so by supporting her husband, Sita was transcending sin in both of the above mentioned ways. God is our original friend, someone with whom we’ve had an eternal relationship. We have come to forget about this relationship due to our contact with material nature. Becoming embodied in this world, we are forced to live by the governing qualities of goodness, passion, and ignorance. Instead of faithfully serving our Supreme Master, we have become accustomed to serving our senses, which are always pulling us in every which direction. This sort of behavior is the very definition of infidelity. God is by definition our master, and we are born to be His servants. Those honoring this relationship will bask in spiritual bliss for all of eternity, whereas others will be forced to repeat the cycle of birth and death.

By chasing after material wealth and prosperity, we have become unfaithful to God. Playing the lottery, slot machines at casinos, and high stakes poker are all ways that we seek to get rich quickly. However, those who have attained wealth are still not happy, for people are always hankering after things they want, and lamenting over the things they don’t have. That is the nature of desire. We cannot become free of desires, but instead, we can shift the focus. We don’t need to artificially renounce things, for if we keep Krishna at the center of our lives, we can be engaged in all sorts of activities and still be faithful to the Lord. The great kshatriya warrior and cousin of Lord Krishna, Arjuna, fought valiantly in a war that saw millions of casualties, yet he incurred no sin since He was acting in accordance with his prescribed duties.

Sita Devi was always there for Lord Rama, no matter what the situation. She would later be kidnapped by the Rakshasa demon Ravana. Rama easily could have let that go, choosing to find another wife, but He instead decided to march to Ravana’s kingdom and rescue His wife. If we are faithful to God, then He will always be there for us, either in person or in spirit, through the good times and the bad.

A Flourishing Society

"There can never be a kingdom where Rama is not the monarch. That forest where Rama will reside will flourish into a monarchy." (Sage Vashishta, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, Sec 37)

In the modern age, the most popular style of government is the democracy. People hail a system where leaders are elected directly by the population through free and fair elections. Countries such as India, the United States, and many others have all adopted this style of government, or something very similar to it.

Most people are very proud to live in democratic countries. This style of government doesn’t come easy, for in India, the great Mahatma Gandhi went to great lengths with his nonviolence movement to secure the democratic style of government. Similarly in America, the colonials started a rebellion against the British monarchy, which led to the Revolutionary War. Even recent wars have dealt primarily with the issue of democracy. Democracy is generally viewed favorably since it facilitates the natural yearning of the human spirit to be free.

The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, say that the best form of government is that which has God at its center. The Shrimad Bhagavatam advises that one shouldn’t accept the role of a leader unless they can make their dependents Krishna, or God conscious.

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

In this regard, any form of government that neglects service to God, or worse, rejects the notion of a Supreme Controller, that form of government will be doomed to failure.

Democracy may seem very appealing, but it has serious drawbacks. Since leaders are elected by popular vote, it is very easy for a spiritually ignorant person, a shudra, to be elected to high positions. If the people are led by shudras, then they will naturally inherit the qualities of ignorance. In essence, the blind will be leading the blind. This very situation exists today throughout the world. World leaders are completely focused on the gross material body, viewing sense gratification as the highest aim in life. This then leads them to focus all their policies around this principle. As a result, taxes become very high, with wealth being forcibly taken from one group explicitly for the purpose of giving it to another. This system of legalized theft and coercion leaves everyone unhappy. The victims of higher taxation naturally have reason to be angry, and the recipients of the redistributed wealth are no better off since they are living as dependents. Even in countries where there is great economic prosperity, the citizens are still always on edge, thinking that their comfortable life may disappear at any moment. In kingdoms and dictatorships, the situation is just as bad. Again, shudras run the government, this time forcibly imposing their will upon everyone. The citizens live in constant fear of the iron fist of government.

When Lord Krishna incarnated on earth as Lord Rama, He agreed to spend fourteen years in the forest as an exile from His kingdom of Ayodhya, which was ruled by His father Maharaja Dashratha. Rama was given the order to leave by Dashratha, which then led to an uproar amongst the citizens. The events took place during the Treta Yuga, when society in general, was very pious. They all recognized Rama to be someone very special, so they were greatly distraught upon hearing of His plight. Vashishta, Dashratha’s royal priest, declared that there would not be a kingdom if Rama were to leave. He declared that wherever Rama would go, that’s where the kingdom would be.

Vashishta is a very famous sage, so when He speaks, people should listen. Rama was God Himself, so naturally there will always be peace and prosperity wherever He goes. This notion held true as Rama traveled the forest with His wife Sita and younger brother Lakshmana. The trio travelled throughout India in their fourteen years in the forest, visiting hermitages of great sages. One sage after another declared that their penances and austerities had borne fruit since they were able to have darshana of the Lord. A pious brahmana or sage has their mind always fixed on God’s lotus feet. They devote their lives to performing tapasya, or voluntary austerities aimed at making spiritual advancement. For the great sages living in the forest, their service to the Lord didn’t go in vain, as they got to receive Rama personally as their guest in their homes. Forest life is meant for the wild beasts and other animals. Civilized people live in kingdoms or in areas with organized governments. Yet since Rama was in the forest, the real kingdom was with Him.

The lesson we should take away is that a particular style of government isn’t so important. Whether we live in a democracy or a monarchy, the key is to always be thinking of God, chanting His glories, reading books about Him, and offering Him our prayers. If a leader can follow this path, then his citizens will always be happy. Rama means “one who gives pleasure” and the Lord did just that wherever He went during His time on earth. Vashishta wasn’t able to convince the Lord to change His mind about living in the forest. The great sage and the rest of the citizens of Ayodhya would have to deal with separation from the Lord for fourteen years. Luckily for them, Rama’s younger Bharata ruled the kingdom during that time with great reverence for Rama. So even in God’s absence, the people were always thinking of God, dedicating their lives to serving Him, and for this reason the kingdom remained intact. Though the Lord isn’t physically present before us today, He has kindly appeared in the form of His holy name. There is actually no difference between God and His name, so if we always chant it in a loving manner, we can have direct association with Him.

High Class Respect

"No brahmana will dwell in your dominion; such is the ungracious deed you are going to do.” (Sumantra speaking to Kaikeyi, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, Sec 35)

In the classical Vedic system of varnashrama dharma, society is to be divided into the four varnas of brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, and shudras. The brahmanas are the priestly class of men, thus they occupy the top post in this system. Since they dedicate their lives to studying about God and serving Him, they are held in the highest esteem. Their functions include officiating sacrifices, studying the Vedas, and preaching the glories of the Lord to the rest of society.

Since we are all born with different qualities due to our past karma, not all of us can have the same level of intelligence and piety. Some people will be more pious than others, just as some people are stronger than others. Through the varnashrama system, it isn’t required that everyone become brahmanas, for only a small portion of society need be in the mode of goodness. Material life is governed by three gunas or qualities (goodness, passion, and ignorance). Brahmanas live in the mode of goodness, and this is why they are given so much respect. Just as a university professor can teach classes of up to five hundred students, a single brahmana can properly instruct many people on all aspects of life. For this reason, society only needs to have a few bona fide brahmanas occupying high positions in order for there to be peace and prosperity. In the ancient Vedic times, the government was run by kshatriyas, or the warrior class of men. Since kshatriyas generally live in the mode of passion, they relied on the advice and consent of brahmanas in their governance. Every king kept at least one royal priest who was consulted on all matters. The brahmanas were so highly respected that the kings would always follow their advice without question. Through this system, the rest of society functioned properly, as everyone was well acquainted with dharma, or religiosity.

When God incarnated on earth in the form of Lord Rama, He appeared as the son of the great King Dashratha of Ayodhya. Rama was the eldest son, so He was next in line to be king; however He was passed over in favor of His younger half-brother Bharata. Dashratha’s youngest wife, Kaikeyi, who was also Bharata’s mother, insisted that her son be the new king and that Rama be forced to live in the forest for fourteen years. Dashratha had been aided by Kaikeyi on a previous occasion, which prompted him to offer her any two boons of her choosing. Kaikeyi waited for an opportune moment to cash these favors in, which the king was then forced to oblige. The kshatriya code of conduct states that a king must always adhere to his word, otherwise chaos will ensue in society. It is quite common for politicians to lie today, but kshatriya kings refrained from such behavior, for they didn’t want the rest of society to take up dishonesty as a way of life.

Rama was the most beloved of all people in Ayodhya. Everyone wanted Him to be the new king. When they heard of the exile punishment, they become very angry. Sumantra, the charioteer of the royal family, in the above referenced quote chastised Kaikeyi for her wicked ways. He warned her that no brahmana would want to live in a kingdom which forsakes Rama, or God. This was meant to instill fear in her, for a kingdom lacking brahmanas was surely destined to fail. Rama was God Himself, so naturally the brahmanas wouldn’t be happy seeing Him treated in such a way. They dedicate their whole lives to serving Him. Most of us are involved in fruitive activity, seeking after wealth, fame, a beautiful wife, and a happy family life. Brahmanas forsake all of those things in favor of humbly offering their obeissances day and night to the Supreme Lord Krishna. They would rather leave than stay in a place where God isn’t respected.

In today’s society, true bona fide brahmanas are very hard to find. As predicted by Markandeya Rishi in the Mahabharata, this age of Kali has caused society to become topsy-turvy. The shudras, those who are untrained in any Vedic discipline, function as the leaders of society, whereas the priestly class of men is shunned. Things are so backwards now that the religious leaders have lowered themselves from their exalted position. They are now reduced to paying homage to those in society who lack even the basic fundamental understanding of the Vedas and God.

A recent example was seen with Notre Dame University and U.S. President Barrack Obama. Notre Dame is a Catholic university, famous for its high ethical standards. Yet they recently presented President Obama with an honorary doctorate degree. Now these sorts of things happen quite often these days. Colleges invite well-known celebrities to their campuses to give speeches, and they honor them with honorary degrees. This case was noteworthy since President Obama is strongly pro-choice, meaning he supports a person’s right to choose to kill an unborn child in the womb. The Vedas prescribe that all innocent life should be protected, not only those of humans. Go-raksha, or cow protection, is the principle duty of the vaishyas, the third varna. Vaishyas are the equivalent of today’s capitalists, so we can see that even the lower classes are given great responsibilities which they must uphold. Cow protection is a must, to say nothing of unborn children.

Notre Dame University, supposedly a religious institution, had no problem honoring a person who held views so contrary to the basic doctrine of all religions and human decency. It must be noted that President Obama is definitely not the only politician to hold the pro-choice view on abortion. Even amongst those politicians who are staunchly against abortion, a majority of them still turn a blind eye to the horrific practice of sending innocent cows to the slaughterhouse by the millions each year.

Most of today’s political leaders aren’t very God conscious. That lack of respect for God has trickled down to the rest of society as well. For this reason, in this age there is only one dharma for everyone to follow and that is the chanting of the holy name of God: “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Our leaders may not be teaching us about God, but if we constantly chant His name, we can be in direct contact with Him. Krishna is the original name of God, meaning “all-attractive”. Anyone, be they a Christian, Jew, Hindu, or Muslim, can chant His name and derive the same spiritual benefit. There is no difference between God and His name, so if we all practice saying His name on a regular basis, we can again create an atmosphere where He is respected. Such a situation will make everyone happy.

Taking On Our Sins

"Oh son, oh beloved Raghava, difficult is the task you are going to perform, for compassing my good in the next world, you are ready to repair to the very woods." (Maharaja Dashratha speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, Sec 34)

Lord Rama had just been requested by His father, Maharaja Dashratha, to spend fourteen years in the forest as an exile. Dashratha was the king of Ayodhya and Rama, an incarnation of the Supreme Lord, was his eldest son and next in line for succession to the throne. Rama was to be installed as the new king, but events took a dramatic turn in the opposite direction.

Dashratha had three wives, something not uncommon for kshatriya kings. In previous times, kings were very pious, and were thus allowed to have multiple wives. According to Vedic philosophy, one should only have sex with one wife’s during the time of the month when the wife is fertile. Sex is intended only for procuring progeny and any other type of sex is categorized as illicit. Since the sex drive is so strong in males, kshatriya kings were allowed to marry multiple times so that they could satisfy their sexual urges and not commit sin at the same time. Dashratha’s youngest wife was named Kaikeyi; she was the mother of Rama’s younger brother Bharata. Kaikeyi was initially very happy upon hearing the news that Rama would be installed as the new king. The Lord was very much loved and adored in Ayodhya, and all three of His mothers viewed Him as their own son. However, due to the influence of her servant Manthara, Kaikeyi fell prey to jealousy and resentment. She requested the king to instead install Bharata and at the same time send Rama to live in the forest as an exile for fourteen years. On a previous occasion, Kaikeyi had saved Dashratha during a battle he was contesting with the asuras, or demons. Being very pleased, Dashratha offered her any two boons of her choosing. Kaikeyi wisely took a rain check on those boons, waiting until the time was right to use them.

King Dashratha didn’t want Rama to leave His kingdom since he was very attached to the Lord. Rama was his favorite son, and he couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from Him. Yet Dashratha had made the promise to Kaikeyi, so he couldn’t go back on his word. In the Vedic system, a kshatriya, one in the warrior/administrator class, must always stand by his word. Since he is the leader of the people, the king must be honest and stand by his word, for the citizens will follow his lead. If a leader is a habitual liar, it is only natural that the citizens will follow his lead. Untruthfulness also makes it more difficult to administer justice since people can always point to the king’s impious behavior as an excuse for their own actions.

In the above referenced statement, Dashratha refers to the fact that Rama’s going to the forest will compass his own good in the next life. The laws of karma are absolute and apply to everyone engaged in material activities. Karma means fruitive activity, or work performed which has a material effect attached to it, be it positive or negative. If one is pious, they are rewarded with elevation to the heavenly planets, and similarly one must suffer in the hellish planets if they are sinful. Either way, residence in heaven or hell is temporary, and once one’s merits or demerits expire, the soul is again given a material body in the material world. By Lord Rama acceding to the king’s requests, He was ensuring that His father’s word would remain intact.

Lord Rama very easily could have ignored or rejected His father’s order. It is very customary for children to be rebellious from time to time and go against the wishes of their parents. Parents ask us to take out the garbage or do our homework or clean our room, and we often scoff at them. No one likes being told what to do by their parents, but the instructions are usually for their own good. Lord Rama never went against His father’s wishes. In the Vedic system, the mother and father are the first objects of worship for a person, followed by the guru or spiritual master. Our parents are our first teachers, and they provide us complete protection in our childhood. They are worthy of our respect and adoration simply based on that fact. Honoring our parents also teaches us how to respect others and not be so selfish. The first tenet of spiritual realization is referred to in Sanskrit as aham brahmasmi, meaning “I am a spirit soul.” Everyone naturally associates their identity with their material bodies. A person is thinking “I am Indian, I am American, I am a man”, etc. In actuality, we are none of these things since this body is only temporary and gets discarded at the time of death. The soul is eternal and never dies, thus it represents our real identity. Human life is the opportunity to realize this fact, though it is not very easy to realize. Therefore the Vedas give us the guidelines on how to break free of the material mentality so we can reach the stage where we identify with the soul within. These guidelines are collectively known as dharma, and they include the worship of one’s parents and their instructions. Since honoring the mother and father is in line with dharma, there is no sin in following their instructions. Lord Rama is God Himself, so by definition everything He does is above sin.

The Lord appeared to be following the orders of His father, but in reality He was showing us His grace. If one is a surrendered soul, as was Dashratha, God immediately takes responsibility for that person’s fate. This was the last instruction given by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita:

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Bg. 18.66)

One who becomes a pure devotee of Krishna is at once freed from all the reactions of their sins. They are guaranteed to return home after this life, back to Godhead. Dashratha would not survive Rama’s exile, for he gave up his body shortly after the Lord’s departure for the forest. He quit his body while thinking about the Lord, which is the best way to die. One’s consciousness at the time of death determines their fate in the next life.

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Bg 8.6)

“Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail…” (Bg 18.65)

The lesson here is that we should all become devotees of God. That is the highest dharma. Dashratha was a very pious king, part of a long line of kshatriyas rulers known as the Ikshvakus. In the Kali Yuga, it may not be possible to become as pious as he was. However, if we follow the great king’s example and love God with all our heart, then the Lord will dedicate Himself to compassing our good, just as He did with Dashratha.

Road Trip

  “A man who reads this Ramayana story, which leads to long life, will, after death, rejoice in heaven together with his sons, grandsons, and kinfolk.” (Narada Muni speaking to Maharishi Valmiki, Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kand, Sec 1)

Few things in life can be as exciting and liberating as the “Road Trip”. When we get group of friends together and take a long distance journey in a car, the possibilities are endless. New adventures are on the horizon and no one quite knows how events will play out. Therein lies the appeal of the road trip.

Life in the material world can get to be boring very quickly. In any stage of life, but especially in our adolescent and young adult years, our days can become very regimented and stressful. As students, we are required to get up early to attend school and as soon as we come home, we are forced to complete our homework or study for exams. There are vacations every now and then, but the majority of the year is spent in school. As adults, the typical job requires us to go to the office from 9 am to 5 pm. When we come home, we are too tired to do anything fun. We usually just relax and wait for the next work day to arrive.

From time to time, we want something different in our lives, something to get us excited. Weekends offer some hope, but even those days can become boring. Two days out of each week just isn’t enough time to do anything really fun and worthwhile. The road trip is our chance to be spontaneous and add a little unpredictability to our lives. On a road trip, anything can happen since there aren’t any set plans. We may have a certain destination that we are traveling to, but there is no set itinerary. We can stop off anywhere we want for lunch and dinner, or we may take various detours along the journey to see interesting sights. The beauty of the road trip is that you’ll never know where you might end up or what you might be doing. In the television sitcom Friends, there was an episode where two of the male characters, Chandler and Ross, were excited because their friend Gandalf was coming to town. In this particular episode, they both happily uttered the phrase, “Dude…We are so gonna party!” in anticipation of their meeting with Gandalf. Gandalf was known as the Party Wizard to his friends because they could never predict where he was going to take them, thus both Chandler and Ross were very eagerly anticipating the prospect of another wild night of partying with him.

Going on road trips and partying may bring us short term excitement, but there was one road trip in particular that still brings pure bliss to millions of people around the world.  This was the journey taken by Lord Rama many thousands of years ago in India. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, descends to earth from time to time to reinstitute the laws of dharma as He states in the Bhagavad-gita:

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

As Lord Rama, God took the form of a kshatriya prince dedicated to dharma and to serving and protecting His devotees. Rama was the rightful heir to the kingdom of Ayodhya, ruled by His father Maharaja Dashratha, but due to unforeseen events, the kingdom was bequeathed to His younger brother Bharata. Along with this decision, the Lord was also ordered to spend fourteen years in the forest as an exile. Now He hadn’t done anything wrong, but Dashratha’s youngest wife Kaikeyi, who was also Bharata’s mother, was afraid that Rama would try to usurp the kingdom from her son. Thus she ordered the exile and the Lord happily obliged. God is always full in six opulences, with renunciation being one of them. Prepared to set out for the forest by Himself, His wife Sita Devi and younger Lakshmana both refused to let Him go alone.

The trio finally set out for the forest, but they had trouble shaking the town residents. Everyone loved Rama, for He was a flawless human being who was kind and compassionate towards all. The citizens of Ayodhya loved Him so much that they were willing to abandon their homes and spend the exile period in the forest with Him. As pious souls, they were firmly attached to God and they felt there was no pleasure in a life without Him. They all wanted to be part of the road trip, but Rama knew that forest life would be very difficult for them. Akin to living a life of homelessness, the woods were reserved for people who had their senses under complete control, such as the yogis and renounced brahmanas. Lord Rama did not want to cause His fellow citizens any pain, so He devised a way to escape from their company. Early on in their journey, Rama and His party awoke early in the morning while the citizens who had followed them were still sleeping. The Lord advised the royal charioteer, Sumantra, to make two sets of tracks with his chariot so that the citizens would not be able to tell which way the group had gone. This plan worked, as the townspeople were unable to find Lord Rama when they awoke, thus they retreated back home.

The citizens of Ayodhya didn’t have the benefit of following the Lord, for they had to wait fourteen years for His triumphant return. However, due to the mercy of the great sage Maharishi Valmiki, all of us can come along on Lord Rama’s road trip. The Valmiki Ramayana has all the details of the Lord’s journey, with His glorious pastimes described in great detail. In their fourteen years in the forest, Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana engaged in many insightful and delightful conversations. They visited various hermitages, receiving the blessings and benedictions of the great sages. Lord Rama and Lakshmana killed many a Rakshasa, including Ravana, who was the most powerful of all. It was in the forest that they made friends with the Vanaras, including Rama’s greatest devotee, Hanuman. The stories are timeless and they wrap the soul in a blanket of pure bliss. There is no greater feeling in life than to have association with God, and thanks to Valmiki, we can all enjoy His association. The Ramayana is the spiritual trip of a lifetime.

The Holy Lake

“All of these subjects in the Ramayana seem very pitiable, and they may appear very distressing to the reciter, but actually they are not. Otherwise, why would Hanuman, the great devotee of Lord Ramachandra, read daily about the activities of Lord Ramachandra, as described in the Ramayana itself?” (Shrila Prabhupada, The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 34)

We are very fortunate to be living in the times that we do. Life expectancy is on the rise, technology is improving at an astounding rate, and there is such an abundance of food that most people are obsessed with trying to lose weight. The internet allows us to communicate with one other in an instant without ever having to pick up a phone or write a letter. Airplanes and cars let us travel around the world, visiting new places and meeting new people. We indeed have a lot to be thankful for.

These material comforts are all very nice, but the thing we should be most grateful for is the existence of the Vedas, and especially the Ramayana. The Vedas tell us that each person is born with three primary debts. Many of us accumulate debts in our day to day lives such as mortgages, auto and school loans. In a similar manner, just by taking birth, one automatically owes a debt to their parents and their forefathers, referred to as the pitrs. If it weren’t for our forefathers, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to take birth in the family that we do. The second debt we owe is to the demigods. Also known as the devatas, the demigods are in charge of managing the material world. Goddess Durga, Lord Indra, Ganesha, Shiva, etc. all bestow various material boons to those who please them. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sanctions all the gifts given by the demigods, so one should know that nothing in this world can come of its own volition. We all need to eat. The food that gives us energy can only grow as a result of the rain provided by the demigods. A smart person realizes that everything in this creation belongs to God.

“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, Bhagavad-gita, 3.12)

The third debt we owe is to the great rishis, or sages of the past. Most people seek out the four rewards of material life: dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), kama (sense gratification), and moksha (liberation). The great sages, however, seek a higher form of knowledge. They dedicate themselves to serving Lord Krishna, writing books about Him, and teaching others the science of self-realization. Lord Chaitanya, Krishna’s incarnation who appeared on earth some five hundred years ago, ordered two of His main disciples, Rupa and Sanatana Goswami, to write books about devotional service. Those who followed in their line have also written many books about Krishna and how to love Him. This is the mercy of the saints. They have no selfish motives. Their only business is to serve Krishna. They abandon all hopes of finding happiness in the material world. They have the gift of transcendental knowledge, and they are so unselfish that they are willing to share that information with others.

“Valmiki Muni meditated for fifty thousands of years, and then he wrote Ramayana. The Ramayana is not an ordinary book. You see? Therefore Ramayana is so much popular in India. Before the appearance of Rama, he wrote Ramayana, all the activities of Rama. So this Valmiki Muni… And what this Valmiki Muni was? This Valmiki Muni was a dacoit, a plunderer. He used to plunder, I mean to say, innocent men on the road, kill him and take everything. That was his business. But by chance, he was associated with Narada Muni, and he rectified him. This is the process. When a devotee meets even a dacoit like Valmiki Muni, he becomes… Narada Muni elevated so many fallen souls. This Valmiki Muni was also. So he was given this mantra, ‘Rama.’ He could not chant it. Then he was advised to just the opposite, mara. Mara means dead body. So mara mara mara. Three mara means one ‘Rama" is there. So in this way he was initiated and he became a great sage. For sixty thousands of years he meditated simply on ‘Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama.’ And when he was liberated, he wrote this Ramayana.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Lecture, New York, Dec 23, 1966)

Maharishi Valmiki wrote the original Ramayana, the historical account of the life and pastimes of God’s incarnation as Lord Rama. The story lives on to this very day. Set in the Treta Yuga, the Ramayana enlightens us on the true meaning of life; love and devotion to God. The Lord advented specifically to reinstitute religious principles and to give protection to His devotees.

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend Myself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.” (Bg 4.7-8)

By reading the Ramayana, we can follow along with the Lord’s every move. The work may seem long to some, but to devotees, it couldn’t be long enough. Material facilities may seem to improve our lives on the surface, but they actually cause us to be bound to them, which can lead to pain and misery. The Ramayana, along with other Vedic texts, is our escape valve.

“If you read Valmiki Ramayana, that is also as good as reading Bhagavad-gita.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Lecture, Durban, Oct 9, 1975)

We are greatly indebted to Maharishi Valmiki for writing this work and allowing us to lose ourselves in the holy lake of Rama’s acts. Goswami Tulsidas also wrote another wonderful book about Lord Rama called the Ramacharitamanasa.  The Lord may not be physically present before us, but reading about Him allows us to be directly connected to Him. It’s the greatest gift that we can receive.

A Divine Vision

“Being installed this day, do you following in the footsteps of your fathers and grandfathers cherish and protect us. With you taking the reins of government, we shall live more happily than we did under your ancestors. We seek not earthly comforts or the highest things in this life, for our only wish is to see Rama installed in the kingdom. There is nothing more pleasing to us than the installation of the highly energetic Rama on the throne.” (Citizens of Ayodhya offering benedictions to Rama prior to His installation as king, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand Sec 17)

The king of Ayodhya, Maharaja Dashratha, had announced that his eldest son, Rama, God Himself in human form, would be installed as the new king. On the day of the installation, Lord Rama travelled from His residence to the king’s, and the town citizens praised Him as He went by.

One of the first kings ever was Maharaja Ikshvaku. He was highly pious, considered the lord of earth. From him descended a long line of pious kings, of which Dashratha was one. Not having any sons, the king performed a great sacrifice which awarded him four sons, of which Rama was one. Dashratha’s favorite son from the outset, Rama was loved and adored by all. The king couldn’t wait until the day would come when Rama would succeed him on the throne. One day, after properly consulting the learned brahmanas of the kingdom, Dashratha decided the time was right to crown Rama as his successor.

We can understand from the above referenced verse that the citizens of Ayodhya were highly advanced devotees for they were given the opportunity to directly witness Lord Rama’s pastimes. In the modern day governments of the world, leaders of democratic nations are elected to their posts directly by the citizens. A simple majority vote is usually required to win office, meaning that even the most popular of leaders doesn’t enjoy universal favorability. In America, polling firms take daily tracking polls of a president’s favorability rating. As long as a president is approved of by at least fifty percent of those polled, he is considered to be popular. That still means almost half the population isn’t happy with the job the president is doing.

This was not the case during Lord Rama’s time. The people knew that the Lord loved them all equally and that He didn’t favor any one group over another as leaders do today. They all approved of Him. As a prince following the duties of the kshatriya order, Rama would have to punish people from time to time. Yet even those people couldn’t find any faults in Him.

“I do not find any such man in this world, even amongst great enemies, who, forsaken for heinous sins, can cite, even in His absence, any fault of Him.” (Lakshmana speaking to Kausalya about Lord Rama, Vm, Ayodhya Kand, Sec 21)

As stated previously, Lord Rama was born into a very auspicious family, which had a great heritage dating back many generations to King Ikshvaku. They were all extremely pious men who were dedicated to dharma, or religiosity. The citizens were well aware of the family history, but still they were the most pleased when Rama was to be installed.

The attitude of the people also represents the highest form of devotion to God. People who turn to God can be classified into one of four categories:

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me-the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita 7.16)

Most of us fall into either the first or second category. We ask God for things: “Please take away my pain. God, give us our daily bread. God, why am I in such distress?” Undoubtedly, it is always beneficial to us anytime we can think of God.. However, true love means wanting more for the person you love than you want for yourself. The citizens of Ayodhya didn’t want anything from Lord Rama. Instead they only wished to see Him happy, in the same way that a parent wants more for their children than they want for themselves. The citizens had completely renounced all worldly comforts. Their happiness was tied to God’s. Achieving this state of mind means one has perfected their life.

As it turned out, Providence would play its role, and Rama would be denied the kingdom on that day. Banished to the forest by his father, the citizens would have to suffer the pains of separation from the Lord for fourteen years. Fear not, for Rama would triumphantly return and fulfill the wish of his devotees. The lesson we take away from this is that God always hears us. If we truly love Him and always think of Him, then He’ll deliver us from any calamity.

God is the Most Magnanimous

"O Lakshmana, do you together with me rule this earth. You are my second self; and this good fortune has taken possession of you as well. Do you, O Sumitra’s son, enjoy every desirable thing and the privileges pertaining to royalty. My life and this kingdom I covet for your sake alone." (Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Sec 4)

Every now and then God personally comes to earth to deliver His devotees, giving them protection from the asuras. According to Vedic teachings, since the beginning of creation, there has been an ongoing war between the daivas and asuras. The daivas are those who believe in God and the asuras are God’s enemies, the atheists. The atheists are very attached to sense gratification, taking this gross material body to be the be-all end-all. They view the daivas as a threat to their sinful way of life, thus they are always harassing them. The attacks of the asuras take various forms, sometimes they declare that God is dead, other times they say that He is impersonal and that we are all God, so we have no need to worship a Supreme Being. When they really feel threatened, the asuras revert to using force against the devotees.

This was the case many thousands of years ago, when a demon named Ravana had risen to power. A Rakshasa by birth, Ravana performed the severest of penances to gain the favor of the demigods. The devatas, or demigods, are God’s deputies in charge of running the material world. One of their prime duties is to grant material benedictions to those who please them. These boons are granted to anyone who properly worships them. Lord Shiva known as Mahadeva, or the great demigod, has a reputation for being easily pleased. Regardless of the person’s character, Lord Shiva will grant boons to those who pray to him and perform austerities. Ravana pleased not only Lord Shiva, but many other demigods. He received various boons, such as having ten heads, and being invincible in battle against any demigod. In his haste for acquisition of power, Ravana neglected to ask for immunity from human beings, thinking there was none who existed that could defeat him. Taking advantage of this oversight, the demigods went to Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Lord Himself, and asked Him to relieve their distress by ridding the world of Ravana.

The Lord kindly obliged and took birth as a human being by the name of Rama, the eldest son of the king of Ayodhya, Maharaja Dashratha. Ravana was not only very powerful, but he used his strength to harass the great sages living in the forests. During that time, the saintly people, the rishis, mostly lived in the forest, for that environment was better suited for their spiritual activities. Ravana and his band of Rakshasa demons went after these saints, killing them and then feasting upon their flesh. The atheists are always merciless, having no compassion even on the kindest of people. Lord Rama was born in a very famous family, known as the Ikshvakus. Not only were they all great kings, but they were terrific fighters, the highest of the kshatriya race. God specifically chose to take birth in this dynasty due its reputation and high standing.

When He reached an appropriate age, Lord Rama was set to be installed on the throne as the new king of Ayodhya by His father. Rama was eldest son and the most beloved of all the people, so the king desired very much to pass down the kingdom to Him. The news was spread throughout the city and everyone become very excited. When Rama was told of the news, He went to His younger brother Lakshmana and spoke the above mentioned verse. When God comes to earth, His closest associates come with Him. In Shvetadvipa, a planet in the spiritual world, Lord Narayana takes rest on Ananta Shesha, the serpent who holds all the planets of the universe on his unlimited hoods. Narayana is served by Goddess Lakshmi, His eternal consort. When the Lord took birth as Rama, Shesha and Lakshmi also took birth in the forms of Lakshmana and Sita respectively. From their childhood, Lakshmana was inseparable from Rama, for he would always follow his elder brother like a shadow.

When we devote ourselves completely to God, He recognizes our love and reciprocates. Being installed as the new king was the highest of honors bestowed on Lord Rama, but He made sure to include His younger brother. He never wanted Lakshamana to feel slighted in any way. Obviously Lakshmana was also very happy on this occasion and needed no consolation, but the Lord, out of His generous nature, told Lakshmana that the two would rule the earth together. Sometimes when one ascends the ladder of fame and fortune, the “little” people are sometimes forgotten. The new fame and celebrity can cause relationships with friends and family to change. But God always loves His devotees, no matter what. Lord Rama wanted to assure His younger brother that he would also enjoy all the luxuries associated with being king.

Even though God separates Himself from His devotees from time to time, they are never without Him. Lord Krishna had to leave the gopis of Vrindavana and later on He had to leave His friends Arjuna and Uddhava. Lord Rama was forced to abandon His wife Sita, who had done no wrong. Sometimes His duties require Him to follow a certain path, but He never forgets His devotees. They are always thinking of Him and He is always with them in spirit.

“The yogi who knows that I and the Supersoul within all creatures are one, worships Me and remains always in Me in all circumstances.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.31)

God is always looking to glorify His devotees first, thus this behavior on the part of Rama towards Lakshmana wasn’t very surprising. Lord Krishna delivered the message of the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna, so as to give him everlasting fame as a great devotee. Hanuman was deputed to find the whereabouts of Sita and to destroy Lanka at the behest of Lord Rama. For this reason, he is loved and adored to this very day. Bhishmadeva’s devotion to Krishna was rewarded at the time of his death, when Krishna granted him the opportunity to give spiritual instruction to Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandava brothers.

“Krishna wanted the Pandavas to hear from Bhishma, who alone was able to give such great instructions even at the time of his death. So, Krishna likes to glorify His devotee.” (Shrila Prabhupada)

Though we may suffer through hard times or witness the calamities of others, we should never forget that God is nice. Any service rendered to Him never goes to waste.