Establishing the truth
Undoubtedly understanding God is the goal of life. All good qualities, ethics, morality, rules and laws come from God consciousness. But who is God? Someone who tells us to kill the infidels and entices us to enjoy virgins in heaven? Or one who send the sinners to hell eternally? Or one who is the most beautiful and charming and whose love overflows to the extent of being subservient to the love of his followers? I’d choose number three please. And which one offers the most comprehensive, detailed, scientific description of who God is and how his energies work? You can compare the different teachings and judge for yourself. So let us say that Krishna is the most precise and detailed understanding of God. If that is so, then how do we apply the principles of the bhakti scriptures and advance on the path? Well, by chanting the holy names of Krishna. Hare Krishna hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. It is said that just by chanting these names one can realise God.
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
‘In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.’
So simple. Three names. You do not need to be a scholar. But you do need to be a saint. But that will come in time as one’s heart becomes purified by chanting the holy name.
This world is such an illusion. Nothing is what it seems. We see bodies but actually the soul is the prominent force, which we cannot see. Everything is made of various elements to which it eventually returns - cars. houses and everything else do not stay that for long. So they will be earth, metal and other core elements again. So we need to untangle the illusory knots of this world. We need to perceive the truth. Our illusion is dispelled when we no longer want to be illusioned, but that goes hand in hand with realising God. He is the light and our illusion is the darkness.
kṛṣṇa — sūrya-sama; māyā haya andhakāra
yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa, tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra
“Kṛṣṇa is compared to sunshine, and māyā is compared to darkness. Wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be darkness. As soon as one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the darkness of illusion (the influence of the external energy) will immediately vanish.
Everything is designed in this world to bring us deeper into illusion, but we must resist that downward slide. But other than calling out to Krishna there is no hope.
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi
mayi sannyasya mat-parāḥ
ananyenaiva yogena
māṁ dhyāyanta upāsate
teṣām ahaṁ samuddhartā
mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt
bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha
mayy āveśita-cetasām
But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pṛthā – for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.
As Krishna is the air, the light, our breath, our emotions, our thoughts, electricity, everything, we are wholly dependent upon him. Of course we have our free will, but the appropriate use of it it to engage ourselves in Krishna’s service.
ṛte ’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta
na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ
O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.
The dividing line between reality and illusion is our remembering Krishna. It’s that simple. But of course there are depths to our Krishna consciousness. There is a huge difference between the krishna consciousness of a new bhakta and Srimati Radharani.
Ourselves and tattva
Understanding the supreme reality is no small feat. Most people do not even spare it a thought. To understand it in theory is one thing, and to realise it is something quite different. A life dedicated to realising the ultimate truth is a life well spent. When I lived with Buddhist monks in India when I was 18 I learned that they were endeavouring for enlightenment. I thought “That is a worthwhile goal of life.” Many of us are in a doped, subdued state of life where we don’t think. We don’t realise that everything we are endeavouring for with be lost today or tomorrow. We don’t realise that the people that we serve don’t really care about us. In other words, we are lost. Often it is only when things get really bad that we question “What am I doing? Is there something higher? What is life about?” And if we are fortunate we may come into contact with someone who can provide some spiritual direction. At that time the soul begins to awaken and realise he was living a nightmare up until this point. If he is educated properly by Vaisnavas he will learn that everything is the energy of God, and that God is present everywhere. When he sees like that, he is moving into the light from the darkness. However many inauspicious tendencies will remain in his heart - the desire to enjoy separately from God, the desire to be in the centre, the illusion that we are in control. As long as these tendencies are there he will not be able to completely realise the truth. Our heart must become clean. We msut see God or His energies at every moment. Our desires must be pure. Then God can be realised. And when we realise God then the soul experiences the happiness he has been searching for lifetime after lifetime. That happiness makes anything bodily seem irrelevant, like an elephant trampling on flowers. In that state of mind he begins to pick up pace and run towards God with outstretched arms. Love is developing. No the love of this world which is a mutual deal - “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”. Not an exchange of facilities or some sort of compromise. This is pure love, like the love of a parent. The father loves his son, he wishes him the best and does expect anything in return. God loves us like that, because we are eternally his. He has just been waiting for us to turn back to him.
Atma
What if you were more than you realised? What if your life spanned more than the temporary appearance of this body? What if deep fulfilment and pleasure was possible without payment and without any material facilities? The Vedas (ancient Eastern writings) say that we are beyond this body and the greatest pleasures are attainable if we develop our consciousness. We may all have experienced the limitations of materialism. When you get that new laptop/phone/car does the satisfaction and pleasure last long? Or do you find yourself longing for the next new purchase? Is our sexual appetite ever satiated or does it continue forever? The Vedas explain that life is meant for experiencing higher pleasures, and that these pleasures belong to the soul. This happiness is not limited, and it is not temporary. It is not dependent on material circumstances such as nice weather or beauty. It is accessible at all times, at all places and without interruption. And that pleasure is also tied to existence. That spiritual pleasure helps us to realise our inherent nature, whereas material, bodily pleasures cover our awareness and make us forget our real identity. The part that most people don’t like is that realising ourselves also involves developing our relationship with God. Just as when the sun rises we see the sun, the world around us and also ourselves, when we come closer to God everything around us becomes clear. Have you ever felt lost, or confused? Have you ever felt directionless, wondering what your life is ultimately about? That is because materialistic life does not have a lasting goal - on the material platform everything is inevitably lost, whereas on the spiritual plane we understand that progress continues over lifetimes, and that our identity is above this temporary body. What is the meaning of a sandcastle built on the beach and then washed away by the waves? We understand that our ultimate goal is to return to our original, eternal home, a place where there is no death, no ignorance, no confusion and full of relationships that are based on pure, unadulterated selfless love.
We often think that deeper happiness lies elsewhere - somewhere that we have not yet discovered. A new country, a new dress, a new partner. The grass really is greener on the other side. And we also think that if we try some kind of therapy then we will solve our problems. Some people also believe that when we die we get free of our problems - that’s why some people commit suicide. But actually we need to go deeper. And not just deeper into our psyche, but deeper into our real identity. Scientists do not understand consciousnees - it is a mystery to them. They do not know where it comes from, how it is it generated, how it functions. It is beyond material science’s tools. But the Vedas explain that consciousness, or awareness, comes from the soul. The soul is considered to be more powerful than the Sun. And until we come to the platform of the soul, perfect happiness cannot be reached. And when we come to the platform of the soul, perfect happiness begins. But it goes on eternally, forever becoming deeper and more relishable. It is explained that happiness in this world is like chewing something that has already been chewed before - tasteless. And we then continue chewing it. The taste becomes less and less. Spiritual life is just the opposite. In the beginning spiritual practice may not afford the practitioner much taste at all, but as he progresses his taste becomes deeper and deeper, to such an extent that he does not want to eat or sleep, only to meditate on his beloved deity. He goes beyond the constraints of this world and of this body and reaches the spiritual sky, the higher reality. So what we experience here is just a reflection of this true reality. Imagine trying to eat a reflection of an apple? There will be no taste. That is our situation in this world. We must connect to the real substance, not the reflection. and when we experience the reality we will rejoice in the taste, the relief, the clarity, the freshness. Our taste for the impermanent will fade away and we will be left with the truth. This is the teaching of the Vedas and the ultimate success of the soul.
It is considered very embarrassing for the mighty soul to be engaged in petty sensory activities that actually are befitting the animals. Sniffing around other animals and barking and fighting, This is animalistic. But until we reach the life of the soul, this is what occupies our mind. It is as if we have been overtaken by a ghost. It is like the material energy haunts us and takes away our real intelligence. We are dictated to by this energy and blown around in different directions. We may think that we are independent but actually when we are not conscious of our connection with the Supreme then we are puppets in the hands of the inferior or material energy, and in this way the goal of our life, true happiness, is thwarted. Who can be happy if they are very unclean? Or if they don’t know who they are? No one. So the Vedas are there to direct one to one’s real self-interest - realisation of one’s very self. Unfortunately we are preoccupied, or rather obsessed or addicted to various unpalatable things(3). When one is addicted to some substance it is very difficult to divorce oneself from it. It takes great willpower and discipline. Similarly for us to overcome our love for sensual pleasures (which are the cause of our distress) and to elevate ourselves to the spiritual platform takes great determination. But it is said: spiritual life is difficult, but material life is impossible. Why is material life impossible? Is there not value to our lives here? Our families, our nations, our goals? Certainly it is not all worthless, but it is all temporary. And when something disappears after a short time, it is almost as if it never existed. The problem is that this is normal for us. It is difficult for us to imagine a reality that is eternal, and we may even think that it is good that life is temporary because we don’t want to suffer unendingly. That is like a diseased man in a hospital not being aware that people are living happy, healthy lives beyond his hospital room. When we base our views on the experience that we have gathered of this world it is limited and faulty. When we base our worldview on what an infallible source says, then we can have faultless knowledge. It is said that the Vedas are perfect as they oroginated from God. Scientists present their theories as absolute reality, only to change them after a short period of time. But the Vedas have remained the same for eons, and are just as relevant now as they ever were.
(3) Prabhupada told the story about his God-brother's preaching in Burma. The local people couldn't tolerate the smell of ghee cooking, which we think is such a sweet smell, but they would take dead animals and preserve them in such a way that their flesh became liquified and they would drink that as a very special beverage.
Echo his mood
The material world is a strict place. Death, disease and multifarious issues frustrate its inhabitants on a moment-to-moment basis. And if we are sentimental, it does not fit the mood, in that we have to be in tune with our surroundings; that is called being sane - otherwise psychotic if we are not in touch with reality. So our mood also has to be strict. We can’t be wishy-washy or overly sentimental. In fact in the Vedic scripture it is explained that the guru should always chastise his disciple, otherwise the disciple will not develop. So to help people we have to help them adjust navigate correctly the stringent material energy. For example, why should we invest our heart in other living entities when we know they will die today or tomorrow? People’s lives are destroyed when they become attached to someone or something that dies, or when they love someone and that person leaves them. But if they invested their love in Krishna, they would become supremely happy.
Downward spiral
Is the world going to pot? Yes. Why? Because resources are not being used int eh service of the Lord. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita ‘All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.’ (Bg 3.14) So Krishna provides us with what we need when He is satisfied with our service to HIm. Who is serving HIm right now? Well we could say that different religions are serving Him, and they are to some degree. But if we look at the general direction the world is going, we can see that it is becoming more and more degraded.
Real achiever
Do you ever feel that whatever you do, you haven’t done enough? Whatever tasks you accomplish, you have never finished, and that this could go on forever? Because that is actually the case. If you wash the dishes, you still need to tidy the living room. When you have paid your taxes, you still need to fix the car. So is life supposed to be an unending list of tasks to perform? Actually nothing we do in this world has any real significance unless it is connected to sat, the eternal. Because it is all temporary. Even attaining the oneness of spirit is temporary because it is not the eternal nature of the soul. So if you want real happiness and satisfaction, connect your activities with that Supreme Person, because that is the eternal position of the soul. In the spiritual world we eternally serve Him, and we can also serve Him here.
Madness and Matter
Everyone in the material world is mad. To think that we are this material body is madness. To think that gratifying our body, gross or subtle, or gratifying others’ bodies will make us happy, is madness. Basing our lives around making money is madness. Life is about self realisation, or understanding the truth. But we are so caught up with material desires that we become blinded and swept away by the modes of material nature. The material energy will never make us happy, in fact it will cause us unlimited suffering, but we have such faith in it because we have decided not to have faith in Krishna. when we reject Krishna we are immediately covered by the material energy and thrown into the hard struggle for material existence. We think it normal to struggle day in and day out with money. health, relatives, our minds, politics, disease and death. But we are only subjected to these things because we have rejected Krishna. How can one be successful in this world? Not by trying to survive or make as much money as possible, but by serving the supreme lord. That is the only result that will remain with us.
The pitfalls of being a people pleaser
How to not please anyone - try to please everyone. Or rather, anyone except Krishna. Who really loves us? Krishna. Why? Because He actually knows us. Everyone else sees us as a husband, a father, a son, but not as who we really are. Krishna knows us in truth. It is a very hard life when we try to please people. When they are dissatisfied they will label us in so many ways. But when we devote our time and energy to pleasing Krishna, we make real progress. Nobody else knows our intentions, or the effort we put in . It all goes unnoticed and unappreciated. People have so many expectations of what we should do in our different roles. And usually they want the maximum return they can get. his goes for family, work. Only when Krishna is in the centre do we know how to deal with people properly. When someone is a devotee of Krishna then we deal with them in the correct way - with great respect, humility etc.
Addiction and Krishna Katha
One has to be wise how they spend their time. we have to maintain ourselves, but we must also devote time to hearing and chanting about Krishna. And when we perform our activities we look for a result. I need to clean the windows. Now I have cleaned them, but when we hear about Krishna we find that we never finish. The job is never done. When you eat you feel satisfied and can continue with your day. That is the problem with Krishna katha - it is never enough. In fact Narada Muni asked Krishna for this benediction - that one never become satisfied with the amount of Kṛṣṇa's mercy, devotional service or prema they have received. They should always desire more. Kṛṣṇa replies that this is already the very nature of His mercy, bhakti and prema! In other words, the more a devotee tastes Kṛṣṇa's sweetness, the more he desires to taste it. There is no final point of satiation. So don’t be surprised if when you chant you are never satiated. The gopis go so far as to criticise Krishna katha. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī says that “When just one drop of the nectar of hearing Krishna's pastimes enters the ear, one's attachment to worldly duality is destroyed. Then people suddenly give up home and family and wander about like birds, living as beggars.” Beware.
Whose nature
Growing food in your garden is an enriching experience! Why? Well there is a whole world out there. When you begin to grow food you will find out that as soon as there is something edible everyone becomes interested. By that I mean the birds, squirrels, slugs and everyone else. The food that you grow will also not look like the food that you buy. This year I grew carrots but planted them too densely in a pot. the result? Tiny, tiny carrots. And that helps us to realise that food is a living thing. The plants are alive. It is not just a product we purchase. We also experience the abundance of nature. When fruits ripen on a tree for example, you can often be overwhelmed by the quantity. You may need to preserve some or give some away as otherwise they will just rot on the tree or fall to the ground. We also become much more conscious of the environment around our garden. Is it raining? Is it sunny? Is there frost? Otherwise, we’d probably just be inside turning the heating up or down. Having to relate to our plants makes us more conscious. More conscious of nature. And perhaps when we become more conscious of nature we may marvel. We may think how wonderful! How has this all come about? Because the fact is this is all a gift from its creator. None of these complex ecosystems materialised from an explosion, or just randomly for no reason whatsoever. The creator through his infinite artful gestures created this in such a sublime, aesthetic, precise and wonderful way. Let us be grateful, and conscious that this is his gift and blessing upon us.
Jaiva Dharma thoughts
I have been hearing Jaiva Dharma by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and have found it quite thought provoking in the following manner:
The structure of society at the time the book is set is quite different from our devotional society at present. There are many babajis mentioned and they seem to occupy a space in society that sannyasis usually occupy nowadays.
The qualification of practitioners mentioned is significantly higher than what we are accustomed to. The immediately take to the practice of chanting 128 rounds and advnace very rapidly.
Bhaktivinoda Thakur has a different style and mood than Srila Prabhupada in my humble opinion although both are stellar
Bhaktivinoda Thakur speaks about the tatastha sakti as being more than just the jivas, as the origin of the jivas
He also uses terminology that is different to what we are accustomed to, sanskrit terms that are very interesting
Rasa
Krishna is the ultimate tasty thing. We are all looking for something interesting, something exciting, something relishable, and we look for this at every second. We are naturally selfish in that manner. But we only become fully satisfied when we taste Krishna. As we advance in spiritual life we realise that actually everything is Krishna – maya tatam idam sarvam[1]. And we realise that everything we find interesting or valuable is in fact Krishna - rte ‘rtham yat pratiyeta[2]. So instead of trying to enjoy Krishna’s energy, and connecting to Krishna in an indirect way, why not go straight to the source? And we will find that if we connect to Krishna directly our enjoyment will be much greater. Infact devotees who connect to Krishna experience so much happiness it overwhelms them, just like Daruka, who became so overwhelmed by ecstasy in serving Krishna that it disturbed his service. [3]
[1] B.g 9.4
[2] SB 2.9.34
[3] aṅga-stambhārambham uttuṅgayantaṁ
premānandaṁ dāruko nābhyanandat
kaṁsārāter vījane yena sākṣād
akṣodīyān antarāyo vyadhāyi
— Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 3.2.62
Literally, the important parts are aṅga-stambha-ārambham, “the beginning of the stunning/paralysis of the limbs”; premānandam, “the bliss of prema”; dārukaḥ na abhyanandat, “Dāruka did not welcome it”; kaṁsa-arāteḥ vījane, “in fanning the enemy of Kaṁsa [Kṛṣṇa]”; and antarāyaḥ vyadhāyi, “an obstacle was produced.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda translates it:
“Śrī Dāruka did not relish his ecstatic feelings of love, for they caused his limbs to become stunned and thus obstructed his service of fanning Lord Kṛṣṇa.”
Add meaning
Do many people live a life devoid of true meaning? I believe so. When we consider that everything we do in this world on the material platform is temporary and will be taken away from us, then the meaning to our actions is certainly diminished. We do not bring anything into this world with us, and we cannot take anything with us. So to find real meaning we have to do something that remains. As the soul is eternal, activities in relationship to the soul are also eternal.
Peace and happiness
How does one achieve supreme peace? By understanding one is beyond this world. By understanding nothing in this world can affect him. Nothing will change him; he is eternal and eternally satisfied in his relationship with God. We don’t need any material things. Brahma bhuta.
There are so many conditions to our consciousness. Such as our body, also our conditioning, the authorities we have heard from, our worldview, our mind, expectations. But we have to make our lives in line with sastra; in line with Krishna’s desires. Then we will be truly happy.
Final salvation
How can one not glorify the Supreme Lord? He is supremely attractive. He is supremely sweet. He is supreme truth. Reality is seeing him. Love is loving Him. He is divinely alluring. We call out to Him, the Supreme Male and ask him to embrace us, to engage us in his service. What else could satisfy one? We should know; we have tried many avenues of pleasure. But how many options are there? Eating, sleeping, mating and defending in different countries, different species, at different times and with different people. But what does it all mean? It is all a trap, an illusion. A mirage in the desert, a false reality projected in a dark room. A carrot strung up in front of the donkey.
The SPG
Sri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I offer my humble obeisances unto Him. To derive ultimate benefit from this human form of life, the living entity must connect with the Supreme. Unfortunately, the living entity is filled with material desires and with ignorance, causing him to act under the spell of the modes of material nature. How unfortunate! He travels through many species of life desiring to enjoy, but instead suffers. If somehow or other he comes in contact with devotees, he can reach the end of all his suffering. The end to his suffering comes when he falls in love with God. At that point he is no longer concerned with his suffering or enjoyment – he only wishes to please the Supreme Lord. How wonderful!
The Sublimity and Rarity of Bhakti Yoga
Yesterday we had our annual Ratha Yatra festival, and I was speaking to guests explaining the event. How does one explain Ratha Yatra? These people don’t believe in God, have never heard of Krishna, are breaking all the regulative principles…what a sublime task. I usually explained it in terms of us bringing God closer into our hearts. If only they knew…If only they knew that God is a person, that he is a young blackish boy dallying in the groves of Vrindavana. But who knows this? Even brahmanas in India do not necessarily understand Krishna. And how rare it is that this knowledge is disclosed. We take it for granted as members of ISKCON that Krishna is God, Radha is His lover etc. But this knowledge is very rare. How fortunate we are!
Perspective
Our main duty is to develop Krishna consciousness. To become more Krishna conscious. If we are conscious of Krishna we are awestruck by how wonderful he is. We realise we have no problems. We realise that there is no hope on the material platform. We realise that the soul has no issues. So what do we need? We don’t even need to feed ourselves. The only thing we should do is to be Krishna conscious.
Whenever I get involved in daily life I have to focus on that, and that means forgetting other things. Then I am in anxiety and try to do what is best for survival, but our survival is already there on a different platform. The soul has no death. So if we are established on that platform understanding the soul is eternal and perfect and we have an eternal perfect relationship with Krishna, then life is just like a game. Like playing a computer game – doesn’t really matter if the character dies, because you know you’re outside of the game.
Reality check
What is reality? Do we even ask that question? Why not? If we do we will find that the Vedic literature has a very interesting take on it. Everything is a transformation of God’s energy. And this world is designed in such a way as to confuse us. Our bodies look like us. Earth looks like a table. Flesh and blood looks like an enjoyable woman. Why is it this way?
Nature robotics
We live a strange life; almost half robotic. We stare at screens, tap away, press buttons and rarely go outside; quite dystopian. We suffer different mental illnesses just due to the fact that we have divorced ourselves from nature. And why? Because the world is driven by making money. Who needs motorways and aeroplanes and factories and nuclear power plants? Society was doing just fine without all of these for thousands of years. Simple living is what is needed - growing food locally in small communities where everyone knows each other and small cottage industries. The real progress is in our consciousness, not in what new ‘breakthroughs’ we can make.