what if this is all true?

I remember this story by Srila Prabhupada which gives me confidence in this process of Krishna Consciousness. Whatever I am writing is based on memory and has been paraphrased.

Srila Prabhupada was once questioned by a western skeptic about Krishna Consciousness. He asked “what is the use of all this austerity and chanting?....what if Krishna Consciousness is not really true and all of this is just imaginary?”. The man was implying that why are we wasting our time if none of this does not exist in the after world and that we are indeed missing on the enjoyments of this world.

Srila Prabhupada replied that at the least he lives a lifestyle where he is not entangled in too many difficulties (in the mundane sense) and hence happy materially. Srila Prabhupada, then, turned the question on this head and asked the man

“what if this is all true?...then what is your situation?”

The man of course was dumbfounded and could not respond.

So we can see here that this process of Krishna Consciousness even if imaginary and sentimental, teaches a human being to live a moral and ethical life (at the minimum). However, using the lives of great saints before us as evidence, we can easily conclude that there is a higher dimension that we can gain eternal happiness.

In order for us to gain access to that higher domain….there is no way but to let go of our current domain!

Hare Krishna

the essence

smartavyah satatam visnur vismartavyo na jatucit
sarve vidhi-nisedhah syur etayor eva kinkarah
Padma Purana

“Krishna is the origin of Lord Visnu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the sastras should be the servants of these two principles.”

Purport by HDG. Srila Prabhupada:

This verse is a quotation from the Padma Purana. There are many regulative principles in the sastras and directions given by the spiritual master. These regulative principles should act as servants of the basic principle—that is, one should always remember Krishna and never forget Him. This is possible when one chants the Hare Krishna mantra. Therefore one must strictly chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra twenty-four hours daily. One may have other duties to perform under the direction of the spiritual master, but he must first abide by the spiritual master’s order to chant a certain number of rounds. In our Krishna consciousness movement, we have recommended that the neophyte chant at least sixteen rounds. This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one wants to remember Krishna and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master’s order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential.

One may sell books or enlist life members or render some other service, but these duties are not ordinary duties. These duties serve as an impetus for remembering Krishna. When one goes with a sankirtana party or sells books, he naturally remembers that he is going to sell Krishna’s books. In this way, he is remembering Krishna. When one goes to enlist a life member, he talks about Krishna and thereby remembers Him. The conclusion is that one must act in such a way that he will always remember Krishna, and one must refrain from doing things that make him forget Krishna. These two principles form the basic background of Krishna consciousness.

meaning of surrender

dainya, ätma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
avasya raksibe krsna'-visväsa, pälana
bhaki-anuküla-mätra käryera svikara
bhakti-pratiküla-bhäva varjanängikära
sad-anga saranägati hoibe jähära
tähära prärthanä sune sri-nanda-kumära
(Saranagati Intro Song, Verse 3-5)

The six ways of surrender through saranägati are
(1) dainya- humility
(2) ätma-nivedana- dedication of the self
(3) goptrtve varana-acceptance of the Lord as one's only maintainer,
(4) the consciousness of 'avasya raksibe krsna'-'Krsna will surely protect me'-which is visväsa (faith) in Krsna's pälana (protection),
(5) bhaki-anuküla-mätra käryera svikara-execution of only those acts favorable to pure devotion,
(6) bhakti-pratiküla-bhäva varjanängikära-renunciation of conduct adverse to pure devotion.

Sri Nanda-Kumära, the youthful son of Nanda Mahäräja, hears the prayers of anyone who takes refuge in Him by this six-fold practice of surrender.

Bhaja Govindam

Oh…how can I forget!

Oh…Lord, I have forgotten that I am unworthy of your mercy but yet think I am qualified to chant your Holy name.

I react to the situations around me thinking I am worthy of better but actually I am just going through what I perfectly deserve. Oh Lord…please give me the brains to understand this properly…that I am not worthy of your Grace and that I deserve this suffering and much more for my past misdeeds.

For one who patiently withers the storm of his past misdeeds all the while meditating the glories of the Lord is sure to attain the attention of the Lord.

tat te nukumpam susumik samano
bhunjana evatma krpam vipakam
tad vag vapurbhir vidadhe namas te
jiveto yo mukti pade sa daya bhak
SB.10.14.8

"My dear Lord ,one who earnestly awaits You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while suffering the reactions from his past misdeeds, offering You obeisances from the core of his heart, is most certainly eligible for liberation for in fact it has become his rightful claim."

Hare Krishna

Shelter

No I am not talking about the shelter band…!

I am talking about how to take shelter unto Krishna. I lately had a conversation with my wife on this point. What it means to take shelter at the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord. It is very natural for us to use our intellect and resources to solve daily problems. But Krishna Consciousness is about taking shelter unto Krishna.

Normally…we take shelter of anything when there is a need. Similarly, normally we take shelter unto the Lord when we are in distress and there are three fundamental types of distresses in this material world.

Suffering from the body and mind – Adhyatmika
Suffering caused by other living entitities (other humans, plants and animals) - Adhibhautika
Suffering from natural causes such as earthquake, famine etc – Adhidaivika

Taking shelter of the Lord is good whether we are in distress or not. However, the issue I would like to raise is “how”. How to take shelter? Normally, we do something to satisfy our needs. In this case, however, taking shelter of the Lord is not to satisfy our need (although that is not prohibited). The true way per the teachings of our acharyas of our line is we should take shelter of the Lord not in the mood to save us from difficulty but to “be an instrument of His will”. This mood will please Krishna the most. Of course, taking His shelter will give relief to our material problems but it may not please Krishna completely. So if our purpose in this life is to please Lord Govinda…then we should seek shelter to be an instrument of His will. This also means the outcome of our problem may not be materially solved. In other words, by taking shelter (in the proper way) may not relieve us of our material problems. We may even end up in more distress.

Therefore, taking shelter is not to pray to Krishna to help solve our material problems but to pray to be a humble instrument of His will (irrespective of the outcome of our problem).

We learn from our acharayas. Aspiring to become a pure devotee should be our sole purpose of life. Below is Lord Chaitanya’s prayer

ashlishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam
adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparaha
Sikshashtakam verse 8

I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

Hare Krishna

A Perfect Action!

One of the biggest mental block for me is how can there by so much cruelty in this world "sanctioned” by the Lord. We study in the scriptures that Krishna is the ultimate doer in the performance of any “action”. The individual soul desires a particular action and the supersoul has to sanction it. Therefore the supersoul is the ultimate doer.

Trying to logically explain these apparent contradictions is a seeming impossibility. The laws of karma are so subtle and precise. In other words, we may not know the exact reason for these “bad” activities. Why God allowed so many children die in the tsunami tragedy? Why God allowed so many people die in the massive Gujarat earthquake? Why are animals slaughtered in the millions everyday around the world….so on and so forth.

We may not know the exact reason for a tragedy but the scriptures teach us that within the material manifestation, the laws are set up in such a way that we will get what we deserve. The laws are precise and very subtle. Therefore…yes, there are problems at an individual level and at a community level. But these problems are just a feedback of our own wrong doing. At the mundane level these tragedies are indeed a tragedy (as we just witness the destruction of the body). However, at the spiritual platform, these are just reactions caused by our own actions (as the soul is indestructible).

So the only way to not suffer (material problems) is by undoing the chain of action and reaction (cycle of karma)...and the way to do that is to "not act" (inaction) at all. But how can we “not act” (inaction) as we have to perform some act daily? Srila Prabhupada comments in one of his purports in the Bhagavad Gita “He (Arjuna) appears not to have understood that work in full knowledge is nonreactive and is therefore the same as inaction”. So any activity that yields no reaction is considered action in full knowledge. What type of action yields no reaction? Krishna explains that to Arjuna

yoga-sannyasta-karmāṇaḿ
jñāna-sañchinna-saḿśayam
ātmavantaḿ na karmāṇi
nibadhnanti dhanañjaya
BG 4.41

One who acts in devotional service, renouncing the fruits of his actions, and whose doubts have been destroyed by transcendental knowledge, is situated factually in the self. Thus he is not bound by the reactions of work, O conqueror of riches.

There lies the secret to all our actions. If our act is an expression of devotion to that Supreme Personality Govinda, then we can be relieved of all our reactions. This to me is a Perfect Action. I would like to footnote that any whimsical action cannot be offered as an expression of devotion to the Lord but should follow proper authority and the scriptures.

As devotees of the Lord, we should try to educate people of this knowledge (by distributing Srila Prabhupada books). Only this can transcend a living entity above the chain of action and reaction (karma). If not there will be tragedy and more tragedy.

Hare Krishna