Science or Santa Claus

“Faith may be blind faith. Faith is not the real description of religion. Religion means the laws given by God, and anyone who follows those laws is religious, whether a Christian, a Hindu, or a Muslim.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Science of Self-Realization, Ch 6a)

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“One side has their argument. It seems logical enough to those who hear it in passing. That side just wants to love; that is the foundation of their opinion. Why would anyone deny them that love? I agree with your argument, but if you can’t explain it properly, it won’t hold any water. One side speaks to emotion and basic common sense, while all you can do is thump your Bible. How do you expect to ever persuade people that way?”

Indeed, when religion is deemed to be something only of faith, it is very easy to discount. The other side, which relies on sense perceptions alone, seems to have the upper hand. When you portray your opposition as fanatical or living in a fantasy land, it is much easier to win arguments. Real religion, however, is not based on faith alone. Faith will always be there, even in relationships where the other party’s presence is easily perceived, i.e. when faith apparently turns into reality. Faith thus doesn’t make religion unique. Real religion is scientifically based, as it has laws that apply to all time periods and to all people.

The arts can give a good reading on the pulse of the society at the time. Just seeing how religion is portrayed in television and film tells us all we need to know about the reason for its gradual decline in popularity. On the one side you have science. You have physicists, chemists, biologists and archaeologists combining together to understand the universe. They’ve made great strides over the past few thousand years, so they think they are progressing towards complete knowledge. With complete knowledge they’ll be able to live forever with endless enjoyment.

On the other side you have religion. Followers of religion are equated with those who believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. Therefore the dividing line is rather clear. Either you believe in science, which is logical and well-reasoned, or you believe in a God described in your scriptural work of choice. In the latter there is intolerance. You don’t accept anyone who doesn’t believe in your books. You act a certain way only because your book says to do so. You’re not very intelligent; otherwise you would take to science.

In actuality, the real fantasy is the belief that scientific study alone can bring happiness. The animal community doesn’t have the higher intelligence required to understand the atoms and other intricacies of nature. They only know eating, sleeping, mating and defending. At the same time, they find such things without a problem. They don’t have to study fossils. They don’t have to force themselves to eat healthy. They don’t have to worry about scientific advancement. They just live.

The materialist who relies solely on science has a very difficult time in life. Even if they live for one hundred years, the full duration is spent in worry. The mind is consumed with the fear of impending death, and so there is feverish study to try to prevent death’s destined arrival. Whether one lives for one hundred days or one hundred years, death will arrive all the same. If both the animal and the human being die, of what significance is the difference in intelligence?

God doesn’t have to be a figment of the imagination. He doesn’t have to be worshiped as a result of fear tactics alone. A wise person understands that there is an origin to all life. There is an original force, and since that force is much more powerful than anything else, what is the use in trying so hard to live forever in the present body? One who knows the spiritual science understands that every living entity does indeed live forever. The spirit soul’s existence cannot be eliminated. The influence may be lessened or increased depending on the time and circumstance, but the existence itself is never affected. The sun sometimes shines bright in the sky, while other times there is a cloud cover, but in either case the sun still exists. In the same way, the living entities are sometimes manifest, at which point we describe the initial entry as birth, and sometimes unmanifest, at which point we describe the exit as death.

“All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when they are annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.28)

The Vedas are the original spiritual science and the religion with the most detail provided. There is no need to rely solely on faith. Understand for yourself how you are not your body. From basic observation, come to the realization that sense pleasure is not the be all, end all. Today you are hankering for doughnuts from your favorite doughnut shop, but eating the doughnuts won’t give you lasting satisfaction. The next day you will be hankering for something else.

On the other hand, if your lone hankering is to serve God, you will always be pleased. You will automatically require much less in regards to personal comfort. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending will take place as a matter of fact, sort of like a routine. Right now, you don’t consciously think about taking a shower, driving to work, blinking, eating your meal until it is finished, or so many other routine things. They just happen on their own after a while. Your mind is focused on something else while all these things are going on.

If the mind is focused on serving God, then there is little concern for sense pleasures. This is real transcendence. Religion is portrayed as something to be laughed at precisely because of the challenge it presents to the standard way of life. Instead of the motto of “eat, drink and be merry,” in real religion it’s “simple living and high thinking.” The consciousness is the gateway to happiness, and in devotional service, which is the genuine religion, the consciousness is gradually purified. In material life, which is devoid of spiritual attention, the consciousness is only further degraded, implicating the worker in so many reactions of karma.

In devotional service one actually uses all that is around them to worship God. Thus even the scientific advancements can be used for good. It is the consciousness attached to a particular activity that determines whether the activity is auspicious or inauspicious. If there is only blind faith, where every pearl of wisdom that is not believed to be sourced in a sacred book is instantly rejected, then the consciousness isn’t very sharp. The same goes for rejecting the presence of God outright because one mistakenly thinks that such a belief must rely on faith and faith alone.

Science will get you a somewhat better understanding of the material nature that isn’t your ideal home, and Santa Claus can perhaps carry you through the younger years, before you wise up. Bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, will always be to your benefit because it is the culmination of all goals and desires. It is the purest version of activity, and it allows one to see everything with the proper knowledge. It brings a permanent result. Bhakti-yoga in the modern age starts and ends with the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Either material science you pick,

Or to thumping your Bible stick.

 

God painted as figment of imagination,

Fools are those involved in glorification.

 

But faith not foundation of religion real,

Not in ignorance to Lord must kneel.

 

From Vedas mystery of real God uncover,

Proper use of material nature then discover.

Discovering New Worlds

“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.8)

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“We’re fed up. We’ve had it here. We can’t stay here for another minute. The government is out of control. They take upwards of fifty percent of our income. They don’t let us practice our religion. There are no jobs anywhere. They just unilaterally passed a law where they can take ten percent of our bank account balance. There was no debate period either. This is blatant confiscation of property. Let us discover a new world, where we can live free.”

Indeed, such situations have been the cause of the discovery of new lands since time immemorial. In an ancient work called the Shrimad Bhagavatam, even simple village girls mention how citizens leave a country when the government stops offering protection. The human being is a free spirit, so its natural reaction is to flee when freedom is encroached upon. What’s forgotten in the heat of the moment, however, is that the same negative conditions gradually emerge in the new area, nullifying the prior difficult journey and subsequent discovery. The key ingredient that is missing is God consciousness, and when it exists any area can turn into the cherished panacea.

“It is very natural and psychological that a prostitute does not care for her paramour as soon as he loses his money. Similarly, when the citizens find that a government is incapable of giving them full protection, they leave the country. A student, after finishing his education, gives up his relationship with the teacher and the school. A rich man, after taking his reward from his worshiper, gives him up.” (Gopis speaking to Uddhava, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 46)

Why is God consciousness so important? Isn’t religion about faith? If I’m travelling to a new area, isn’t that putting faith in God? Why is that bad then?

Since it is believed that the truths of religion can’t be proved in a scientific experiment, the whole exercise is considered one of faith. Indeed, that is one of the ways to discount any of the things said in scriptural works. “Oh, that’s just what your faith says. My faith says something else and that person’s faith says something entirely different. Who are we to reconcile? Therefore let’s keep religion out of this. Faith has no business in public policy or in guiding human behavior.”

As it is an integral aspect of all relationships, faith does not make religion unique at all. Real religion must be scientifically based for it to be valid. Real religion consists of nothing more than laws and guiding principles aimed at achieving a better destination. There is always religion, though the ones that are manmade go under the umbrella of secularism. In secularism, some of the sins are discriminating against the races, failing to recycle, and not paying enough in taxes. In secularism, the aim is to exploit the material nature as much as possible without feeling guilty about it. Make the successful feel guilty, but the rest can be considered victims. In secularism, there are distinctions made between race, gender, ethnicity and nationality.

In real religion just the opposite conditions are present. The rules and regulations are not created by man. They are passed on since time immemorial. Man can’t even figure out when the original transfer of information took place. The laws passed down are applicable to any time period as well. Two plus two equals four. That is true today, it is true tomorrow, and it will be true a thousand years into the future. It was also true one million years ago. The same goes for the law of gravity, the properties of nature, and the tendencies of the different species.

The central truth of real religion is aham brahmasmi. This is a Sanskrit aphorism that means “I am a spirit soul.” There is no reliance on faith here; this is a truth understood through basic observation. We know that we look different today than we did when we first emerged from the womb of our mother. Yet our identity has not changed. Our body, therefore, cannot identify us. The body has completely changed and yet we are the same individual. Thus the vital source inside is what identifies us; not any external factors. To take identity only from external factors is thus a fallacy.

The individual is considered alive when there is a free spirit inside of the body. And we can tell the free spirit is there through involuntary movement and also through the presence of consciousness. And consciousness is never tied to any external condition. Think about this. Say that you work hard and achieve all your goals in life. At an old age you sit in your living room and watch television. How are you any different at that point than the person who didn’t really go for all of their goals but sits in the same situation? You have two people of an old age who are alive and generally in the same health. If they both took different paths in life but ended up in the same destination, it must mean that the paths relating to material acquisition are not that important. The rich man and the poor man both die. They also both grow old and contract disease. Therefore distinctions made off of opulence in terms of beauty, wealth, strength and fame should not be used for identification.

In real religion the ideal aim is pure God consciousness. No one will ever be happy without this condition achieved. Real God consciousness is the soul’s dharma, or essential characteristic. It is like the heat and light properties of fire or the wetness of water. You can’t take this property of the soul away, though you can mask it. The shade can somewhat hide the brightness of the lamp and the clouds can cover the sunlight. The light still exists in these situations, but to external objects there is some covering.

The situation with the conditioned living entities is similar. When the spirit soul is placed in a temporary and perishable body, the original dharma is covered up. While this has no bearing on the soul, it does influence the way the individual in the body acts. That effect is seen in consciousness. We get glimpses of the original consciousness when there is a desire for freedom. Thus the drive to discover new areas at least confirms the notion that without God consciousness one is not in line with their essential characteristic.

If that God consciousness is not created in the new area, the same unwanted conditions are sure to crop up again. Think of it this way: The place you’re desperate to leave was once not so bad either. But through time, with enough cheating and malfeasance, which were spurred on by the lack of real God consciousness, the place went from desirable to undesirable. The same thing will happen anywhere, even if the residence is in outer space.

On the other hand, if there is real God consciousness, any place can turn into Vaikuntha, or a realm free of miseries. Shrimati Radharani lives in Vrindavana in apparently unpleasant circumstances. The person she loves the most is not with her. He stays within her mind, but externally she must remain with people who are against the love of her life. And yet through constant thought of Him, which is known as yoga, she is always consumed with affectionate feelings. These are transcendental feelings since they relate to God. Radharani is always in complete God consciousness, so nothing can mask her immeasurable love for the Lord.

Shri Hanuman, another person who loves God without motivation and without interruption, finds happiness in a solitary cave. He doesn’t have a fancy house or a large bank balance. He doesn’t even have so many people around him for company. He simply chants the name of Rama over and over again and reads from the Ramayana. Rama is a powerful and descriptive name for God and the Ramayana describes the Supreme Lord’s pastimes on earth from an ancient time when He appeared as a pious prince named Rama.

In the present age of Kali, real God consciousness is virtually absent. New religions, or systems with guiding principles, are constantly created, with some even saying that sex between the same genders is a way to reach a good end. And one who argues against such a practice is considered intolerant. If what is wrong is considered right and what is right is considered wrong, how is anyone expected to be happy? The God consciousness that is inside all of us can still be reawakened, though. Through chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare,” our immediate surroundings can slowly turn into Vaikuntha. And with the improved surroundings we acquire the wisdom that allows us to maintain that peaceful existence wherever we go.

In Closing:

“That our government becoming oppressive we know,

So let us leave, to a new land we’ll go.

 

Religion in freedom can practice there,

For general welfare everyone will care.”

 

Before going stop for a moment and think,

How present land into oppression did sink?

 

Through historical accounts backtracking,

Understood that God consciousness lacking.

 

In new area maladies the same to arise,

If to God consciousness citizens not to rise.

 

Like Radha and Hanuman holy names take,

And into Vaikuntha your surroundings make.

Without Dependency

“The special qualification of the pure devotee is that he is always thinking of Krishna without considering the time or place. There should be no impediments. He should be able to carry out his service anywhere and at any time.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 8.14 Purport)

Go through the different scriptural works and you’ll find specific recommendations offered for receiving specific benefits. For instance, if someone has been giving you trouble, like a boss at work, there is a method for curtailing your anger and dealing with the belligerent party in a way that will neutralize them. If you’re down on your luck in personal affairs, wherein you’re trying to either find a spouse or beget children, there are rituals and regulations recommended. Each practice is specific to time and circumstance, and so we see the many different religions that are popular today. Yet the core foundational practice for the spirit soul, what it needs to find pleasure, cannot be checked by any condition. This practice can be implemented in any situation, a fact which reveals the supremacy of its original teacher, who also happens to be the beneficiary of that practice.

The original scriptural tradition of India is the Vedas, and its works are comprehensive and voluminous. There is no equivalent of a Bible in the Vedas because the entire purpose of the original books of knowledge is to glorify God. As one of the features of God is His possession of limitless, glorious attributes, how can He be described in just one or two works? There are original texts that are informative and concise, and then supplements are added on by future generations of learned men.

Each subsequent generation has their own worldview, which means they gain a new perspective to use in their glorification of God. In this way the Vedas constantly expand, with the original conclusion remaining the same. Combing through the vast Vedic literature, we see that there are recommendations for such things as finding wealth. “Do such and such ritual once a month in your home. Invite a brahmana [learned priest] or do the worship yourself. Gather specific paraphernalia, and chant specific mantras. Offer some food items, and at the end eat whatever is left over. By eating the remnants of sacrifice, you will get the boon you are looking for.”

“The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.13)

In the Bhagavad-gita it is explained that devotees eat the remnants of sacrifice, while non-devotees prepare food for only their own enjoyment. Sacrifice is borne of prescribed duties, so by performing them there is no sin incurred. A sin is a negative reaction, so the sacrifice thus avoids negative consequences. With the other route, you invite danger, and since the path is not sanctioned, the higher authorities cannot be blamed for the negative consequences that result.

But what if we reference one of these ancient religious texts and find that we don’t have the tools necessary to perform the sacrifice that we want? Say that we want a beautiful wife and we’re told to worship Lord Shiva. What if we don’t know how to worship him? What if we don’t have the items to conduct the worship? And what about the specific fasts? If I already don’t eat spinach, what will avoiding spinach during a specific month of the year do for me?

The rituals and regulations exist for a higher purpose. They are meant to purify our existence, to keep us on the regulated path of life. Nevertheless, attaining the highest benefit in life is not dependent on any specific ritual. Rather, only love is required. And since love is the universal language, it can be spoken by any person, of any age. In divine love, the heartfelt offerings are made directly to the Supreme Lord, the original person.

To love God properly, you should know how to address Him. To address Him properly, you should know some of His features. His all-attractiveness is His most inclusive feature, with a close second being His ability to give transcendental pleasure. Hence the names “Krishna” and “Rama” are most appropriate for Him. His energy is what carries out His work, so through chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, one addresses God perfectly.

This mantra can be chanted in a specific way, such as while seated in a sanctified area. But at the same time, it can also be chanted anywhere. The name is what makes the process effective. This name is learned through hearing, so anyone who is fortunate enough to hear the aforementioned mantra is very fortunate. Those names automatically satisfy every other sacrifice, as the boon of pure love for God is the final target, the objective of all objectives.

Question: Won’t general prayer do the same thing? Why do I have to chant?

Hints of devotional service are seen in all religious traditions. The weekly visit to the church and the daily prayers offered to the higher being indicate devotion. Yet again, these practices have some type of dependency. What if there is no house of worship? What if you can’t find an area for prayer? The name, on the other hand, can be chanted at any time, and at any place. It can be sung to melodies as well. Kirtana-yoga is thus a wonderful way to practice this chanting, wherein there is congregational singing of the holy names in a call-and-response fashion.

The holy name is everything, and through sole dependence on it in bhakti-yoga, one realizes God. Through avoiding sinful activities like meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex, the consciousness is cleared all the more, giving more sweetness from the transcendental chanting. The fact that a single sound vibration can deliver God’s personal presence shows His supreme benevolence and how He is the ultimate well-wisher for every single person.

In Closing:

Religious traditions there are many,

Rituals and regulations thus plenty.

 

Some help to get a beautiful wife,

Others remove obstacles from life.

 

But know that there is a final goal,

Rituals thus like spiritual bridge’s toll.

 

Highest system has no dependence,

Is practiced regardless of residence.

 

All practices satisfied through holy name,

Hear and chant it for God’s company to gain.

Looking In All The Wrong Places

“You are air, fire, water, and You are the moon! You are the supreme controller and the grandfather. Thus I offer my respectful obeisances unto You a thousand times, and again and yet again!” (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.39)

In the human being there is an inherent understanding of the existence of a higher force who has supremacy over all. The problem is that without the required approach towards a bona fide spiritual master, the search for the supreme force will lead us to all the wrong places. So many gods are then created, and when they fail to live up to their billing, as is guaranteed to happen, the search continues elsewhere, with the clock eventually running out at the time of death. Then the cycle begins anew, with the future circumstances uncertain because of the intricacies of karma.

“The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.9)

Karma is fruitive work. The work has one or many outcomes. There is the intended result and also the unintended consequences. For instance, when we plant a seed, we hope to get a flower or a tree with fruits. What we don’t intend is to miss out on other work. We also don’t desire to be pricked by the many thorns on the trees. These thorns will get in the way of the harvest, mixing the pleasure of enjoying the fruit with the pain of the sides of our body being torn.

Karma’s effects continue into the afterlife, so depending on the state of being at the time of death, the next state can be anywhere. Think of it like getting on an elevator and not knowing to which floor it’s going. You could be going up or down, or possibly staying on the same floor. As the spirit soul has specific qualities inherent to it, there will be a push towards a specific type of activity. If the ideal target is not found, the search will continue, with more and more outcomes accumulated through karma.

And what exactly is it that we’re searching for? The dharma of the soul is service. Dharma is an essential characteristic. The dharma of fire is its heat and light, of water its wetness, of winter its cold conditions, and so on. The soul is the essence of identity, and in its constitutional position it is subordinate to the highest spirit soul, the person most of us refer to as God. In a conditioned state, where the individual soul is encased in material elements, the original dharma is covered up. The tendency towards service in the submissive attitude remains, but since there is a covering, the path towards knowledge is skewered. The light of wisdom is refracted and thus one drifts away from the ideal service instead of towards it.

As an example to illustrate the fact, think of the situation that occurs when gasoline prices rise. It is obvious to anyone who follows the stock market that there is volatility in commodities trading. You have thousands of people making thousands of decisions based on a host of different reasons. These decisions then affect the price of a commodity, as a price is nothing more than an indication of information, acting like a newspaper report or biography specific to a commodity or business. A rise in price reports specific information about a commodity and a fall something else.

And yet when oil prices rise suddenly, there is a clamor to find out how to change the momentum through a single person’s effort. “Who is it that is causing the price to rise so rapidly?” is the questioned asked. The mistaken notion is that one person controls the price. Even famous television news personalities make this error, completely ignoring the decisions of the aforementioned traders.

Obviously there is no single entity responsible for the price of a commodity that is bought and sold by so many people. Even the large oil companies have to bend to the demands of the buying public and the futures traders. The companies also compete with one another, so it is in their interest to sell gasoline for as low a price as possible, as this will drive the competitors into a loss scenario and hopefully out of business.

But the tendency towards thinking that one person is in charge of something as large as oil exists for a reason. Deep down the individual knows that they can’t influence much. Even the leader of a nation, who has the bully pulpit and can thus reach a wide audience with their public speeches, must rely on the confidence of the constituents to get anything meaningful done. Though we know that there are higher powers that be, to think that another human holds the post of “all-powerful” is incorrect.

“I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 9.18)

The highest living entity is really in charge, but He is not an ordinary person. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna says that He is responsible for the creation, its subsequent maintenance, and its eventual destruction. This takes place in a repeating cycle, and since no one can even fathom the full breadth and scope of the universe, Krishna is automatically the most powerful person. To deny Krishna’s supremacy is easy to do with words, but we know for a fact that the macrocosmic form does exist and that its interior elements operate on their own. We don’t control the sun. We don’t manage the revolution and rotation of the earth. And yet somehow we think that a man can be God?

We can test the idea that Krishna is the real God by seeing the benefits that result from acknowledging His supremacy. That acknowledgment can take place in many different moods, with love being the foremost. Love of God is the real meaning to surrender, as in that voluntarily accepted subordinate state there is vulnerability and full reliance on the more powerful force. This situation is ideal for the spirit soul, as it reawakens the original dharma. To feel that helplessness regularly the devotees chant the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

The manmade gods require constant attention simply to provide a reciprocal benefit. As they are not all-powerful, they cannot possibly distribute benefits without cessation. Meanwhile, in chanting the holy names in a humble mood of devotion, the benefit is the continued ability to chant in spite of what the outside conditions may be. Married or single, poverty stricken or wealthy, young or old, Hindu or Christian – devotional service can continue without interruption and without motivation. This paradoxical combination exists with the devotees, who show the way towards the real controller.

In Closing:

To find superior being inherent need,

Towards person after person search to lead.

 

But of these all-powerful are none,

Supreme Controller there is only one.

 

This the spirit soul inherently knows,

Intelligent person towards Krishna goes.

 

At start difficult for fact to believe,

So take confidence from divine gift to receive.

The Remainder

“I do not see there any of the ornaments that previously fell, but there is no doubt that these are the ornaments that did not fall.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 15.44)

tatra yāni avahīnāni tāni aham na upalakṣaye |
yāni asyā na avahīnāni tāni imāni na samśayaḥ ||
tatra yaani avahiinaani taani aham na upalakSaye |
yaani asyaa na avahiinaani taani imaani na samshayaH ||

Simultaneously providing further insight into the keen intellect possessed by Shri Ramachandra’s most dedicated and faithful servant, this verse allows us to see the remaining pieces of the puzzle put together by Shri Hanuman. And there is no doubt that the situation was like a puzzle, with scrambled pieces of information scattered here and there. In front of him was the daughter of King Janaka, the beloved wife of the Supreme Lord in the guise of a human being. But the problem was that she didn’t look overly divine. You worship in the temple in a specific way, particularly for the benefit of the attendees, but the keen observer can notice the divine presence even outside of the temple.

What do we mean by this? Deity worship is a staple in the Vedic tradition, which is no different from any other system of spirituality except for the level of detail provided. “Faith” is the term commonly used to distinguish between believers and nonbelievers, but in reality there is no reason to base the difference on faith alone. Moreover, there is really no difference between the various “faiths”. Spirituality is presented as a science in the Vedic tradition, and surely there is trust involved in initially accepting the highest truths, but then again the same trust is already extended to the research of scientists. They make the equations and run the experiments, and we believe their claims based on the validity of the results.

In the same way, the core basis for spiritual life – the difference between the individual and their body, coupled with the relationship to the higher individual – can be accepted off faith in the beginning. One group labels the higher entity “God”, while another gives Him more descriptive names. The rules and regulations are crafted to match the time and circumstance. This gives the people of the time the best way to progress towards a purified consciousness, wherein they are only thinking of the higher entity and how to please Him. This highest engagement, known as bhakti-yoga, cannot be checked by any material condition. Whether single or married, in love or scorned, or happy or sad, that service can be offered and the results can manifest from within.

Deity worship is one of the central components of the Vedic tradition because it allows for worship to continue in a regulated manner, for the natural tendency is to forget God and worry about problems of temporary significance. The deity is not crafted on a whim; its features are drawn out by the verses of the sacred texts. And these works weren’t made up; they document what exalted personalities saw. They are like diaries in a sense. Hence the art of deity worship is wholly authorized, and its benefits redound to all areas of life.

A difficult hurdle in the spiritual path is the concepts of “I” and “Mine”. Going hand in hand with these flawed mindsets is the notion that the individual alone can shape their destiny. “Let me just do x and y and hopefully that will turn things around. If I only act a certain way then she’ll love me and I can live happily ever after. If I eat a certain kind of food every day then I will avoid disease.” Of course full control is not possible in these areas. No matter how hard we may try, sometimes the results aren’t what we want.

In deity worship, the starting point is surrender, acknowledging that there is a higher entity in charge of distributing the results to action. For this surrender to take place, the worshiped figure should be in a position of prominence; hence the deity is typically placed on a throne inside of the temple and then opulently adorned. God is certainly everywhere, but the temple is like one of His homes that He has kindly agreed to reside in. He stands out in the temple because He is meant to be worshiped by all those who enter. Thus to even the common person, recognizing the divine figure within the temple is not that difficult.

Contrast this with what Hanuman faced in Lanka. He was in this grove of Ashoka trees, sent to look for Shri Rama’s beloved wife. We know today that Sita and Rama are worshiped as God and His energy in so many temples around the world. We also know that Rama was the eldest son of the King of Ayodhya, Maharaja Dasharatha, and Sita the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. Therefore in temples the divine pair is opulently adorned, smothered in beautiful flowers, and offered so many nice things like lamps, water, food preparations and prayers.

This atmosphere in Lanka was not like a temple, though there was a temple-like area in this grove. Hanuman spotted a woman from afar, and he thought she might be Rama’s wife, but she was in a broken down condition. Sighing uncontrollably due to separation pain and also fear of the uncertain future, she was worn thin. Her dress was also dirty from having touched the earth, and her ornaments looked darker because they had been worn for an extended period of time. Yet Hanuman did not give up hope. He continued to look and see if he could get past the external conditions, which were inauspicious.

In the above referenced verse from the Ramayana, we see that Hanuman compares what he sees on this woman to what was seen back on Mount Rishyamukha. A beautiful princess had been taken away through the work of a fiendish ogre named Ravana. The demon had an aerial car that he used to travel back to Lanka, and one time this woman was seen bewailing as she was being taken away. She dropped some of her ornaments on the mountain, which was inhabited by monkeys at the time. Hanuman was one of those monkeys, and it was with his group that Shri Rama later formed an alliance.

These ornaments were seen a long time back by Hanuman. And now he had to determine whether or not the ones that fell matched the ones currently worn by the princess. From the above quoted verse we see that Hanuman determined that the match was there. Whatever this woman was wearing right now was whatever would be left over based on what was dropped previously. Hence Hanuman used the match as further evidence to support his assertion that this distressed woman was indeed Rama’s wife.

The incident proves once again why Shri Rama entrusted Hanuman with such a difficult task. More than just physical dexterity was required to succeed in locating the missing princess. The proper application of intellect was also necessary in this endeavor. When it comes to God and incidents about Him, Hanuman is always an eager listener. Therefore he soaked up the necessary information just from hearing. Of course in the modern age man’s brainpower has diminished to the point that we forget what we heard only moments prior. Hence the most effective method of religious practice today is the constant chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. And to gain further confidence in the ability of chanting to deliver the highest benefits, the mind can always remember Hanuman and how he is so dedicated in trying to please Sita and Rama.

In Closing:

Of her ornaments princess in the sky bereft,

Some fell while others on her body left.

 

Shri Hanuman, of bravery and powerful might,

Of fallen ornaments previously got sight.

 

In Lanka, princess from afar he saw,

Thought she was Sita, but vision had flaw.

 

With images from past and present to take,

A pattern match Hanuman would have to make.

 

Hanuman chosen because of intellect so keen,

In finding Rama’s beloved brightly this was seen.

Personal Relationships

“Although one has affection for many persons, different types of ecstatic love awaken according to the nature of one’s personal relationships.” (Lord Chaitanya, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya 4.171)

According to the Vedas, the core properties of the individual are eternality, knowledge and blissfulness. The individual in this respect is the self, or atma. The self is distinguished from the visible features, which are sort of like a covering. One woman wears a thousand dollar handbag while another wears one that is fifty dollars, but this discrepancy does not make one person different from the other. At the core they are both spirit soul, transcendental to their outer coverings. Though there is the core property of blissfulness, how it manifests can vary, which ultimately means that the relationship to the Supreme Soul is not always the same. The relationship is nevertheless personal, and thus a source of the highest pleasure.

Lord Chaitanya, a preacher incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, displayed supreme wisdom on practically every subject. He was God Himself appearing on earth to distribute the nectar that is divine love, bhakti-yoga. This is the original occupational duty, that which awakens and maintains the original consciousness. Therefore it is not surprising that one who practices bhakti, free of any impure motives, can speak eloquently and accurately on a variety of subjects.

One time Lord Chaitanya noted to His dear disciple Sanatana Gosvami that a person may have affection for a variety of people, but that the love awakens based on the nature of the personal relationship. As an example, I might hold affection for several important people in my life. I love my parents automatically. To me, they are the people I have known the longest. I don’t know when I started loving them, but it’s not something I think about. Loving them means that when they are in distress, I am in distress. If I can do anything to remove their distress, I will feel better. It also means that when they are happy, I am happy.

I also love my wife. She is a paramour, the “love of my life” so to speak. I enjoy her company, as we connect on an emotional level. Whether I am sitting with her in a religious function, watching a program on television, or just taking a walk and holding hands, I feel comforted knowing that I am in a loving relationship. Obviously my affection manifests differently with her than it does with my parents. I may purchase a luxury car for my parents to drive, whereas I will purchase an expensive necklace for my wife. Love exists in both instances, but the activities are dependent on the nature of the relationship, which in either case is personal.

This information applies to the realm of divine love as well. Without knowledge of the properties of the soul and the existence of the Supreme Soul, the mind will speculate as to the nature of the Absolute Truth. Whether it be at a marriage reception or just a simple get-together, you’ll see a variety of speculation on all topics when a group of people assemble. There is no definite conclusion reached, as each person’s opinion is as valid as another’s. When the topic turns to spirituality, the conclusions can run the gamut of thought. “God is an angry man who will punish the sinners for ignoring Him. God wants you to do good to others. God is a formless energy. Every person is God, so service to man is the highest occupation. The path to heaven goes through just one man, so anyone who doesn’t believe in Him is destined for hell.”

In the Vedic tradition, the truth about the Absolute Truth is passed down through a chain of disciplic succession which, not surprisingly, originates with God. The information is not accepted through casual arguments, where mental speculation is the cover charge. Rather, in a state of humility, by kindly approaching a bona fide spiritual master and attentively listening to what he says is the truth, life’s mysteries are solved. Even when God Himself speaks, the same conditions must exist for the information to be transferred properly. This is what occurred one time on a battlefield, where two people briefly changed roles, going from friends to teacher and student.

“I have in the past addressed You as ‘O Krishna,’ ‘O Yadava,’ ‘O my friend,’ without knowing Your glories. Please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love. I have dishonored You many times while relaxing or while lying on the same bed or eating together, sometimes alone and sometimes in front of many friends. Please excuse me for all my offenses.”  (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.41-42)

Arjuna and Krishna were friends, so good friends in fact that Krishna agreed to be Arjuna’s chariot driver for an upcoming war. This was the war to end all wars, and it would see the deaths of hundreds of millions. But prior to the war’s commencement, Arjuna grew hesitant to fight due to misplaced affection. Krishna is God Himself, so after being asked, He assumed the role of teacher to dispel Arjuna’s doubts. There was no arguing on Arjuna’s side. He didn’t present his own theories and claim that Krishna’s were bogus. Rather, he submissively heard from the Lord, processed the information, and then decided for himself whether or not Krishna was correct.

What did Arjuna learn? Devotion to God in full surrender is the ultimate path in life. It is so perfect that it guarantees to provide the proper result in any situation. It proved successful for Arjuna during a fight, and prior to this it helped a troubled princess avoid nudity in public. Draupadi was being disrobed in an assembly by wicked-minded kings, as her husband Yudhishthira had lost her in a game of dice. No one else was helping her, so Draupadi finally called out to Krishna, who rescued her by assuming the form of a cloth and making sure that it never came off of the beautiful princess in the assembly.

Arjuna and Draupadi represent but two examples of surrender in devotion. In both cases there was affection, but it manifested according to the nature of the relationship. After accepting Krishna’s instruction, Arjuna returned to being the Lord’s friend. Draupadi was a dedicated servant in mind, as was the exalted Shri Hanuman during Krishna’s time on earth as Lord Ramachandra, the valiant prince of the Raghu dynasty. Shrimati Radharani serves Krishna in the mood of conjugal love, while Yashoda and Nanda offer parental affection.

In each of these instances we see there is a personal relationship, which means that God is not impersonal. He is not an aged, angry man either. He is all-pervading, so even one who denies His existence is still serving Him in some way. Hatred rooted in envy is the inverse of the loving spirit, sort of like looking at an image in a mirror. Though the image is reversed, it doesn’t mean that the original image is invalid. In a similar way, just because someone hates God or claims that the Lord doesn’t exist doesn’t mean that they are not offering service. The personal relationship in these instances is with the external energy, the material nature. God’s personal presence is absent in the external energy, so the relationship is not fruitful for the living entity, who is left with pain and misery sprinkled with brief bouts of pleasure.

The personal relationships of bhakti-yoga can be awakened instantly by chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The various processes of religion, the rituals and regulations, the do’s and don’ts of spiritual life presented by respected teachers, are all meant to bring one to the platform of divine love, which then creates a relationship that is deeply personal. The devoted soul connects with God whether in a crowded assembly or in a solitary room, whether wide awake or fast asleep. In that personal relationship of choice the Supreme Lord’s association is relished, and the devotee’s protection is fully accounted for.

In Closing:

To beloved children life’s lessons are told,

With the paramour her hand you will hold.

 

To parents service you will give,

With friends in equality to live.

 

Relationships there are all kinds,

But always personal touch you’ll find.

 

Spiritual life to operate in the same way,

With Supreme Lord Krishna you can play.

 

Draupadi as servant, Arjuna as friend,

Bhakti-rasa spiritually lonely heart to mend.

Glass Half Empty

“Even where there are hundreds of good qualities, a critic does not consider them. Rather, he attempts by some trick to point out a fault in those attributes.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya 8.81)

Are you a “glass half full” or “glass half empty” kind of person? When you see a glass that has half part liquid and half part air, which way do you lean? What is your perception? With the critic, even if in mathematical terms the majority of the container is liquid, they will point out the empty portion and lament the situation. If the glass can be blamed for the perceived deficiency then all sorts of criticism will be leveled. Never mind the good qualities, just the bad will be pointed out. This is a misguided use of the verbal capabilities of the living spirit, who in the human form has the potential to acquire the highest intelligence. With that sharp brain an endless amount of words can be strung together to offer praise to the person whose divine qualities are impossible to fully enumerate.

Think about it for a second. In whichever field of endeavor you are interested, the person at the top has some type of flaw. For instance, in the sports world, there are athletes who are considered the “greatest of all time”. Yet there are still dissenters who will disagree with the claim. They will point to flaws, deficiencies in the athletes in question. The boundaries are not limited to the field of play either. If it should be discovered that a famous athlete has been excessively unfaithful to his wife, he will be ridiculed in public. He will lose his lofty status, and his personal shortcomings will be used to attack his standing in the sport.

Nothing is easier than criticizing. You can be sitting on a park bench and watching people go by and find endless things to criticize. “Oh look at that person walking their dog. Why do they even have a dog? Are they that lonely? They worship a dog instead of God? They’re too low to attract the companionship of the opposite sex? And why are they bringing that dog towards me? Can’t they just leave me and everyone else alone?”

Even a saintly man can be criticized for no reason. A long time back Lord Chaitanya was criticized by someone for eating too much. The Lord was in the renounced order of life, which meant that nothing He did was for sense gratification. A sannyasi gives up connection to family and home, and voluntarily takes up the life of a mendicant. There are several purposes fulfilled with this. Detachment automatically develops, as the true aim of life is to think of God at the time of death. This thinking leads to the highest end in the afterlife.

A sannyasi is also free to travel, which means that he can disseminate Vedic wisdom to a large number of people. Since he has no possessions, he doesn’t have to worry about ego. Materially speaking, everyone is superior to the sannyasi, so there is no question of jealousy. Ah, that is with the exception of those who are competitors in spiritual life. The competitor who is unsure of their standing will look for ways to criticize another sannyasi’s behavior. Lord Chaitanya always limited His eating, not taking too much food and not seeking out areas where He knew He could get food without a problem.

Since He was God Himself, others had a spontaneous love for Him. And what can we really offer God anyway, as He has everything? Using Mahaprabhu’s sannyasa position to their advantage, devotees would often give so many nice food preparations to Lord Chaitanya to eat. Is God so rude as to refuse such offerings made with love? If we visit someone’s home and they keep giving us palatable food to eat, will we not feel bad saying ‘no’? Thus sometimes Lord Chaitanya would eat a lot just to satisfy His devotees.

A person named Ramachandra Puri once criticized Him because of this eating, and Lord Chaitanya’s associates did not like this. Lord Chaitanya was full of good qualities. He spread the glories of bhakti-yoga throughout India, and in due course of time that divine influence would extend to the entire world. He was kind, sweet, respectful, and never committed sin. Even His apparent overeating on occasion was an indication of His unmatched kindness. Yet the critic, who is so insecure of their own abilities and practices, will always find some kind of fault, even with God.

The behavior is a symptom of a tainted consciousness, one which is still materially attached, falsely thinking the self to be the only enjoyer. When operating under a pure ego, the individual knows that they are a servant of God and that the faults in others are but a result of the influence of the material energy. The true paramahamsa extracts the divine influence even in areas where it is apparently absent. The devotee finds millions of ways to praise God and His children, and thus the tendency to criticize gets reversed, pointed in the right direction.

How to bring about that transformation? Lord Chaitanya, the person unfairly criticized on that one occasion, showed the way, as He constantly chanted the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. This one prayer offers praise perfectly to God and His energy, which represents the height of the devotional attitude in full humility.

Even if the devotee should offer criticism, it is done with the right purpose. Every person’s birthright is to love God without motivation and without interruption, and so if the mind is leading us down the wrong path, if someone rightly points out our flaws and then offers viable solutions, the criticism is actually a kind of praising of the devotional spirit. To denounce the mindsets of “I” and “Mine” is to praise the attitude of full surrender, which is known as sharanagati. There is real bliss with this attitude, and through the example of Lord Chaitanya we are shown just how to reach that platform of surrender.

In Closing:

Though water there is plenty,

Critic sees glass half empty.

 

Despite perfect balance of sweet and salt,

Critic always to find some kind of fault.

 

Lord Chaitanya criticized once for what He ate,

Consumed devotional offerings, plate after plate.

 

Tendency to criticize can be turned around,

By producing and hearing transcendental sound.

 

In devotional attitude find always something to praise,

Innumerable glories of Lord who with devotees always stays.

Leftovers

“Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu considered, ‘Where has such a taste in this prasada come from? Certainly it is due to its having been touched by the nectar of Krishna’s lips.’” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya 16.94)

One of the benefits of visiting a temple where Shri Krishna or one of His non-different expansions is worshiped is the prasadam distribution. The deity is non-different from the worshiped personality, as the process is authorized since time immemorial. At the end of the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Krishna Himself briefly touches on the principles behind deity worship and how it is to be performed. Even prior to that time, the tradition of worshiping a statue made of wood, stone, or resin existed, and when performed properly the worshipers derived tremendous transcendental benefits. The combination of sincerity and purity in items offered returns a potent potion to feed the spiritual hunger that everyone has inside of them.

How do we know there is a spiritual hunger? Material hunger can never bring full satisfaction. This is because our identity does not come from the material elements that surround the soul. The eyes, ears, legs and hands are body parts, so they help us to act, feel and will, but they do not determine our existence. Any one of these parts can go out of commission, either temporarily or permanently, and that automatically doesn’t stop our existence. Relying solely on sense satisfaction fails to bring real pleasure, as the soul inside is what craves ananda, or bliss.

Spiritual hunger is fed through yoga, or connection of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul. As this connection is difficult to maintain in a land where the inferior energy known as material nature is mistakenly assumed to be superior, there are various tools of implementation to help the suffering individual. Deity worship is one such tool, and when it is utilized as part of an overall discipline of bhakti-yoga, it alone can lead to perfection.

Can you have deity worship outside of bhakti? Bhakti is love of the divine variety. It is different from what we normally consider to be love, which is usually lust or some emotion tied to the ego. For instance, we think we love someone else, but usually the sentiment is tied to an emotional response we receive. Our significant other makes us feel good. They act in a way that brings pleasure to the heart; hence we think we love them. But when they cease to behave in such a manner, the loving sentiment changes. Therefore the original emotion can not be classified as real love, which cannot depend on reciprocation.

Real love exists only in bhakti, which is devotion to God. You can have devotion to many other divine figures, but that sort of relationship is similar to the friendships we form in everyday life. Worshiping a deity of a divine personality who provides temporary material rewards is akin to conducting a business transaction; so bhakti in this case is absent.

In the deity worship authorized by the respected figures who take charge in teaching bhakti-yoga, the sole desire is to love God. Even if there is impurity mixed in at the beginning, since the object of worship is God Himself, the original Personality, eventually the impurities will be removed, provided the worship continues in sincerity and in an authorized manner.

To stand in front of the deity and stare at it is one way to worship. Another way is to offer obeisances, such as bowing down in front. Another way is to offer prayers, sort of like talking to God. Part of this worshiping process, which is known as archanam, is offering pure items to the deity’s liking. In the Vedic tradition the Supreme Lord in His original form is known as Krishna, and He has kindly told us what items He prefers.

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.26)

In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says that if someone offers Him a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or some water with love, He will accept the offering. Krishna doesn’t require food to eat, as He is entirely self-sufficient. If He so desires, He can create thousands of fruit bearing trees in an instant. He can also create a mechanism to pick the fruits and bring them to Him. With the offerings from the devotees, Krishna does not consume everything. In fact, to the worshiper, it appears that Krishna doesn’t eat at all, as the food remains right where it is.

But in reality, the Supreme Lord puts His glance on the food, and it is considered eaten by Him. What gets returned to the worshiper can be considered leftovers. Normally, such a practice is quite repugnant, akin to getting back a sandwich that is half-eaten by someone else. The food has been in someone else’s mouth and it has their saliva on it, so why would we want to touch it?

But with Krishna prasadam, the same contact has a purifying effect. Indeed, such remnants are available from the spiritual master’s food as well, offering the disciple a wonderful chance to make rapid progress in their devotional practices. The anchor that keeps one firmly fixed to the material creation is the false ego, which takes the individual self to be the enjoyer and the material elements to be a vehicle for that enjoyment. Under a pure ego, the individual rightfully identifies as a servant of God and then uses the same material nature for the Lord’s pleasure. The spiritual master is God’s representative, so he is to be treated as good as the Lord, though he is never actually equal to Him.

When Krishna appeared on earth as Lord Chaitanya, He relished the role of servant of God. He would take the prasadam of Lord Jagannatha at the temple in Puri. Due to the intoxicating taste, Lord Chaitanya would know that the food had indeed touched Krishna’s lips. This is the magic that exists in all aspects of bhakti-yoga, as the names of the Supreme Lord also originally descend from the Lord’s lips. So, by chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, one can relish a similar taste, except this time the tongue produces the nectar and the ears then consume it. This mantra is regularly heard in Krishna temples, where sumptuous prasadam is also available, allowing any person to rapidly progress in meeting life’s ultimate aim.

In Closing:

The gift of the tongue let me not waste,

Krishna’s prasadam daily let me taste.

 

Food that Krishna’s lips have touched,

Carries transcendental potency much.

 

The Lord glances and then leaves behind the rest,

Acquiring taste then that is the best.

 

Not a tale, this explanation with sincerity buy,

Visit Krishna temple and for yourself try.

 

Same potency in holy names to hear,

Chant often and bring nectar to the ear.

Send and Receive

“Let others worship the Vedas and the Upanishads, and let others worship the Mahabharata if they are afraid of material existence and want to become liberated from that condition. But as far as I am concerned, I wish only to worship Maharaj Nanda, because the supreme absolute Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is crawling in his courtyard as his own child.” (Prayer by a brahmana, The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 43)

There are different avenues available to reach transcendental enlightenment. Not all paths have the same procedures, but nevertheless the ultimate aim is the same. Just as the different grades of an elementary school may teach specific things pertaining to the academic level of the students, the various paths of spiritual life are tailored to meet the specific qualities of the participants. The elementary school’s objective is still to push through all the students, from the first grade all the way up until the last. In the same manner, the study of Vedanta, the absorption of Vedic history, and the steps taken to bring about the Brahman realization are all meant to lead to an eventual goal, a resting place where there is nothing but pleasure.

What is study of Vedanta? Try to picture the ultimate system of knowledge. In school you learn your ABCs, and then you add on to that with mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, and other subjects. As an adult, you will have to earn a living, so the little pieces of information are intended to form the fortified structure that is the intelligent brain. The mature human being relies on this brain to carry it through the rest of life, as in childhood the guidance of the authority figures was there.

Vedanta is the summit of knowledge. It is the highest education because its principles penetrate to the lowest level as far as relevance goes. For instance, learning a specific alphabet can help you form words to use in communication and it can also help you to understand what others are saying in communication. Thus the alphabet itself is a fundamental tool, a foundation for something larger.

Vedanta studies the difference between matter and spirit. As all the things we see around us are a combination of these two factors, Vedanta has applicability to all aspects of life. The unexplainable is even addressed. Life and death, time and space – these mysteries are studied in great detail by the philosopher who approaches one who knows the essence of the individual’s identity, the atma, or soul. Spirit is the core unit of all autonomous life, and whatever is not spirit is known as matter. Matter is also considered maya, or an energy. When the knowledge of the spirit’s presence is absent, that maya is illusion; it erroneously becomes the basis of identity.

Study of Vedanta through consulting the Vedas, the Upanishads, and historical texts like the Mahabharata helps the individual to become Brahman realized. Brahman is the sum collection of all particles of spirit. Each one of us is Brahman, but in delusion we think that we are maya. We think that the material elements surrounding our soul represent our identity, when in fact we are nothing but pure spirit.

Though Vedanta means the ultimate knowledge, it is not the end of understanding. Knowledge should bring a shift in activities. The core property of the soul is blissfulness, and in the individual soul that bliss is awakened through service. There is a higher soul, who is the source of all the individuals in fact. His core property is also blissfulness, but He feels it through accepting service. Thus there is a sender and a receiver. When the sender mistakenly thinks they are the receiver, they live in delusion.

The bhaktas, or devotees, don’t shun Vedanta philosophy. They may well be aware of their identity as Brahman, but to them real pleasure comes from directly offering service to the higher soul, the original receiver. In addition, the bhaktas offer worship to other servants, who send so much love to the same receiver. An example of one such servant is Nanda Maharaja, the king of Gokula.

Nanda is both a historical personality and a person who resides eternally in the spiritual sky of Goloka Vrindavana. The higher soul is known as Krishna in the Vedic tradition because of His all-attractiveness. He accepts service from others through situations that He creates. In order to receive, He must have a physical location. For a physical location He must have a perceivable form. This stands the principles of Vedanta on their head, for we are taught that spirit is formless. The spirit soul inside the body does not have a form; it only looks like it does because of the outer covering, which is maya.

Yet the highest soul does have a form, though He is not limited to only one. This paradox is understood only by the devotees; mere logic and mental speculation will never solve this puzzle. Nanda Maharaja is Krishna’s foster-father, and in Vrindavana Krishna rolls around on the ground, like an innocent child. Nanda offers devotion in the mood of parental affection, so there is some fear involved. There is the fear that Krishna will be in danger, that if intervention from the parents doesn’t arrive the young boy will be harmed.

But we know that God can never be harmed. He is always full of bliss and knowledge, sach-chid-ananda. The seemingly helpless condition is created by Krishna on purpose to allow the senders to be confident in their position. If they were to view God with a reverential attitude, the tendency towards adopting the receiver attitude would strengthen, thereby leading to an unhappy state. Know that Vedanta philosophy, or any religious study for that matter, is meant to culminate in a state of devotion similar to that seen in the pleasure-land of Vrindavana-dhama. As Nanda is the king of that wonderful place, he is forever worthy of honor.

In Closing:

Vedanta knowledge certainly is great,

Takes intelligence to a higher state.

 

Upanishads and sankhya also wonderful,

Full of philosophy and truths meaningful.

 

But only one person does it for me,

He plays in Vrindavana for parents to see.

 

Just a tiny child, not very tall,

In the courtyard of father He crawls.

 

Worthy of honor is King Nanda,

Daily he gets to see son Krishna.

The Highest Dharma

“Merely by chanting we can have all the advantages of personal association with Krishna. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is not only considered to be a realized soul but an incarnation of Krishna Himself, has pointed out that in this age of Kali, although men have no real facilities for self-realization, Krishna is so kind that He has given this shabda (sound incarnation) to be utilized as the yuga-dharma, or way of realization of this age.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Beyond Birth and Death, Ch 5)

Dharma is a word that descends from the Vedic tradition. At its root it means a defining characteristic. That definition actually applies to all the uses of the word, as the ideal feature of an object is then what determines virtue, right and wrong, etc. Dharma is thus more commonly equated to religion, which is the system of maintenance aimed at awakening the defining characteristic of the practicing individual. But dharma is often qualified with other terms, showing that there are copycat versions of the system of maintenance, that is there exists smaller, more streamlined practices aimed at keeping different types of characteristics. Yet through all the variety, the original dharma remains the same, and its effectiveness is the most far reaching as well.

No matter what your level of intelligence with respect to spiritual matters, you will follow some type of dharma. Just getting up at a certain time each day represents a system of maintenance aimed at furthering a specific condition. If, as a family man, I arise at a specific time so that I can wake up my children, the rule is instituted for a purpose. The ideal condition is to wake the children up before school, giving them a proper breakfast and making sure that they catch the bus or get dropped off to the school building on time. Thus my time for waking up is part of a smaller dharma that I follow.

Coupled with the time of waking up is the time of falling asleep at night. If I have to wake up at a certain time, I need to fall asleep a set number of hours prior in order to avoid lethargy in the morning. Oh, and to sleep on time, I need to make sure to eat dinner at a specific time also. The body needs enough time to digest properly, and if I eat right before sleeping, the night of slumber will not be so pleasant. In order to eat on time, I need to prepare dinner a set number of hours before. For that to happen, I have to go to the store to get the ingredients for the dinner. The food items need to be bought in a certain amount, perhaps even in bulk. Then I need an area to store the food.

Oh, and by the way, I need a house for all of this activity to take place in. For a house, I need a job, and for a job I need an education. To have children to wake up in the morning, I need to be married, or at least have a significant other. To get married, I need to take care of my physical appearance, which may mean working out at a gym. Again, to pay for all these things, I need to earn and save money.

In this way, we see that from one desired condition, so many other dependent conditions are created. The entire system turns into a dharma because it has corresponding rules and regulations to meet the ideal characteristic. If we go back to the beginning point, which was arbitrarily selected in this example, we can turn the condition upside down and still have a dharma. If our desire is to not wake up at a certain time, to sleep as long as we want, that too is a guiding principle. It is a type of dharma aimed at meeting a condition, though the result isn’t always as favorable. If I oversleep, I will miss out on other aspects of life and be more tired throughout the day. Thus the original dharma will have to be changed, with a different one adopted to meet the newly desired condition.

It is in this area that we see the flaw, or at least the limitation, to the smaller dharmas. There are problems we see in life that we want to fix. We see the damage that smoking cigarettes causes, so we start a campaign to stop smoking. We’ll air advertisements on television with young children speaking of how they are afraid of losing their parents to death because they smoke. The cigarette manufacturers will get sued for turning a huge profit off of the voluntary purchase of cigarettes made by others. Of course ignored through all of this is drinking alcohol, which can kill a person in an instant through a bad decision.

Another person sees environmental destruction and takes up the cause to stop pollution. Another person sees women abused in relationships and decides to hold an annual walk to stop domestic violence. A victim of cancer starts an organization to bring awareness to the society at large of cancer and other deadly diseases, with the hope that others will donate money to help find cures.

Through it all, the original dharma, the set of procedures which gave birth to the original word, is still the most effective. The spirit soul is the identifying agent within all life forms. That is the basis for dharma. The most inclusive characteristic will be the most ideal condition to be reached. At its core, the individual is a spirit soul, and the soul is full of knowledge, bliss and eternality. The ideal characteristic resulting from these properties is the desire to serve. “I think therefore I am”, is a profound realization, but it is still incomplete. “I want to serve therefore I am a spirit soul, part and parcel of God”, is more accurate.

In sanatana-dharma, or the eternal occupational duty of the soul, the right procedures are adopted to maintain that ideal characteristic. In the smaller dharmas there is also service. The defect, however, is that the service is not directed at the ideal beneficiary. It is for this reason only that the manmade systems of maintenance are adopted and then quickly discarded. Moreover, one person’s system may not be helpful to another person. If one person wants a big-box retailer to open up a shop in the local neighborhood to create jobs, their desire will clash with the shop owner who doesn’t want the new competition to put him out of business. The attention given to stop cancer does not help the person who wants to stop domestic violence. Each of these smaller dharmas is limited in their influence and thus automatically inferior to the highest dharma.

The soul’s ideal characteristic is to serve the Supreme Soul. Since so many other systems of maintenance are created, the qualification of sanatana or bhagavata is typically added to the original dharma. With that distinction, the spirit soul offers service to God in a mood of love.

But then the concept of God seems rather vague. If God is everything, why can’t He be the environment? Am I not serving God by stopping pollution? Therefore isn’t environmentalism a type of bhagavata-dharma?

To dispel doubts and remove confusion, the authorized scriptures give concrete information about the Supreme Soul. God is certainly everything, and the sum collection of stuff is one way to visualize Him. Nevertheless, that sum collection is just matter, which is lifeless without the injection of spirit. The Supreme Soul is spirit at the core, and so are the living entities. Thus spirit should serve spirit. When the spirit soul encased in matter serves the material energy, there is no question of dharma. Real dharma relates entirely to the qualities of the spirit soul, and these qualities can never leave the individual. In this way bhagavata-dharma never changes; it never has to be rejected once adopted in earnest.

The guiding principles of bhagavata-dharma bring about the ideal condition, thus offering a way for others to test whether or not the principles themselves are dogmatic or scientific. If I see that the system of maintenance I follow keeps the ideal characteristic I’m looking for, I know with faith that the path I’m on is correct. With bhagavata-dharma, the ideal condition is to be serving God, who is described as Bhagavan, which means one who possesses beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge and renunciation to the fullest degree and at the same time. Service to such an entity results in everlasting pleasure and an endless desire to continue in that service.

The lesser issues are simultaneously solved through bhagavata-dharma. We saw that through the one desired condition of wanting to get the kids ready for school, so many other necessary conditions were created and addressed. In the same way, if our primary aim is to connect with God, the other activities will be shifted to accommodate that goal. The single best way to connect with God in the present age is to chant His names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Hear these names, believe in their power, and recite them with firm faith, confidence and love. The holy name is so powerful that you don’t need to know who it addresses in the beginning. Just make a routine of chanting this mantra, taking special attention to hear the words.

There are accompanying regulations to the chanting routine, such as avoiding meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex. Food intake seems to be pretty easy to control, as you can just change what you eat. But what about controlling sexual urges and sleeping habits. How are we supposed to sleep less when rest is something we need? What to do when we have the urge for sex life? As service to God is the ideal characteristic for the soul, bhagavata-dharma is meant to be a fulltime engagement. Seems weird at first, because how are we going to worship God if we have so many other things to do throughout the day? Well, just as the lover struck by Cupid’s arrow can’t help but think of their paramour throughout the day, the devoted soul keeps the Supreme Lord within their consciousness at all times. That presence is safeguarded through regular chanting and hearing about the divine pastimes found in sacred texts like the Ramayana, Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam.

From that properly situated consciousness, so many new ways to practice devotion are found. In the ideal state, even sleeping turns into a time of devotion, as does the union of the sexes. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says that He is the sex life that doesn’t go against religious principles. This means that sex life to propagate children who will grow up to practice bhagavata-dharma is completely in line with piety. From that ideal condition of loving God, the proper care for innocent women, the environment, the body, the mind, and so many other aspects of life is automatically found. Thus bhagavata-dharma is always supreme, and it never goes bad on the shelves of the spiritual storehouse that is the Vedic tradition. Know that at any time you can find the holy name and turn your life around.

In Closing:

Slumber at proper time you take,

So that children in morning you can awake.

 

Food, family and your beautiful home,

Need wife and job, can’t do it all alone.

 

Around ideal conditions this all does revolve,

Make regulations for different issues to solve.

 

But that which touches on spirit is the best,

Goes to essence, thus incorporates all the rest.

 

Highest dharma is God’s names always to chant,

Hear the words even if believe in Him you can’t.