(Continued)

 

Forgetfulness

 

We accept the body as our self, thinking, "I am this body." However, we are not the body but rather the owner of the body, just as we are not our apartment but rather the owner or resident of the apartment. The soul is called dehi, "one who possesses a body." When we study our body, we say, "This is my hand, this is my leg." We do not say, "I am this hand, I am this leg." Yet the illusion that we are the body persists. The body is nothing but a vehicle for the soul. Sometimes a new motorcar is wrecked in an accident, and the driver is overwhelmed with the sense of loss, forgetting that he is not the motorcar. That is the effect of ahankara, false ego, or false conception of proprietorship.

Because we are covered by ignorance, we have forgotten what our previous body was. Even in this life we do not remember that we were once babies on the laps of our mothers. So many things have happened in our lifetime, but we do not remember them all. If we cannot even remember things that have happened in this life, how can we remember our last life?

A person engages in sinful activities because he does not know what he did in his past life to get his present materially conditioned body, which is subjected to the threefold miseries--those produced by his own body and mind, those caused by other living entities, and those arising from natural disasters. As stated by Lord Rsabhadeva in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.4), nunam pramattah kurute vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti: a human being who is mad after sense gratification does not hesitate to act sinfully. Na sadhu manye: this is not good. Yata atmano 'yam asann api klesada asa dehah: because of such sinful actions, one receives another body in which to suffer as he is suffering in his present body because of his past sinful activities.

A person who does not have Vedic knowledge always acts in ignorance of what he has done in the past, what he is doing at the present, and how he will suffer in the future. He is completely in darkness. Therefore the Vedic injunction is tamasi ma: "Don't remain in darkness." Jyotir gama: "Try to go to the light." This light is Vedic knowledge, which one can understand when one is elevated to the mode of goodness or when one transcends the mode of goodness by engaging in devotional service to the spiritual master and the Supreme Lord.

 

Knowledge through Service

 

How service to the Lord and the spiritual master results in Vedic knowledge is described in the Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.23):

 

yasya deve para bhaktir

yatha deve tatha gurau

tasyaite kathita hy arthah

prakasante mahatmanah

 

"Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed." The Vedas enjoin, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: one must approach a spiritual master who has full knowledge of the Vedas and be directed by him in order to become a devotee of the Lord. Then the knowledge of the Vedas will be revealed. When the Vedic knowledge is revealed, one need no longer remain in the darkness of material nature.

According to his association with the material modes of nature--goodness, passion, and ignorance--a living entity gets a particular type of body. The example of one who associates with the mode of goodness is a qualified brahmana. Such a brahmana knows past, present, and future because he consults the Vedic literature and sees through the eyes of scripture (sastra-caksuh). He can understand what his past life was, why he is in the present body, and how he can obtain liberation from the clutches of maya and not accept another material body. This is all possible when one is situated in the mode of goodness. Generally, however, the living entities in this material world are engrossed in the modes of passion and ignorance.

One who is in the mode of ignorance cannot know what his past life was or what his next life will be; he is simply interested in his present body. Even though he has a human body, a person in the mode of ignorance and interested only in his present body is like an animal, for an animal, being covered by ignorance, thinks that the ultimate goal of life is immediate happiness--to eat and have sex. A human being must be educated to rise above this platform, to understand his past life and how he can endeavor for a better life in the future. There is even a book, called the Bhrgu-samhita, which reveals information about one's past, present, and future lives according to astrological calculations. Somehow or other one must be enlightened about his past, present, and future. One who is interested only in his present body and who tries to enjoy his senses to the fullest extent is understood to be engrossed in the mode of ignorance. His future is very, very dark. Indeed, the future is always dark for one who is covered by gross ignorance. Especially in this age, human society is covered by the mode of ignorance, and therefore everyone thinks his present body to be everything, without consideration of the past or future.

 

Chapter 10

The Next Life: It's Up to Us

 

The Yamadutas continued: "O best of the demigods, we can see three different varieties of life, which are due to the contamination of the three modes of nature. The living entities are thus known as peaceful, restless, and foolish; as happy, unhappy, or in-between; or as religious, irreligious, and semireligious. We can deduce that in the next life these three kinds of material nature will similarly act. Just as springtime in the present indicates the nature of springtimes in the past and future, so this life of happiness, distress, or a mixture of both gives evidence concerning the religious and irreligious activities of one's past and future lives.

"The omnipotent Yamaraja is as good as Lord Brahma, for while situated in his own abode and in everyone's heart like the Paramatma, he mentally observes the past activities of a living entity and thus understands how the living entity will act in future lives.

"As a sleeping person acts according to the body manifested in his dreams and accepts it to be himself, so one identifies with his present body, which he acquired because of his past religious or irreligious actions, and is unable to know his past or future lives." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.46-49)

 

Breaking Free of Past, Present, and Future Karma

 

Here the Yamadutas point out that the actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature are visible in this life. For example, some people are very happy, some are very distressed, and some are in mixed happiness and distress. This is the result of past association with the modes of material nature--goodness, passion, and ignorance. Since these varieties are visible in this life, we may assume that the living entities, according to their association with the different modes of material nature, will be happy, distressed, or between the two in their next lives also. Therefore the best policy is to disassociate oneself from the three modes of material nature and be always transcendental to their contamination. This is possible only when one fully engages in the devotional service of the Lord, as Krsna confirms in the Bhagavad-gita (14.26):

 

mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa gunan samatityaitan

brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

 

"One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." Unless one is fully absorbed in the service of the Lord, one will be subjected to the contamination of the three modes of material nature and must therefore experience distress or mixed happiness and distress, depending on the severity of one's sinful activities.

 

Changing Bodies

 

The Supreme Lord has appointed Yamaraja to decide the proper punishment for those who perform sinful activities. Thus at death each being is awarded a particular body in a particular place, according to his work. As Lord Kapila explains in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.31.1),

 

karmana daiva-netrena

jantur dehopapattaye

striyah pravista udaram

pumso retah-kanasrayah

 

"Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body."

We are changing our bodies every day, at every moment. It is called "growth," but actually it is a change of body. Growing means leaving the old body and accepting a new body. After some years we can see that a child has grown to boyhood, then to youth. That means he has changed his body. Similarly, when we find that the body is no longer inhabitable, we have to give it up and accept another body, just as we have to give up our clothes when they become old and worn.

This change is executed under the supervision of higher authorities (daiva-netrena). According to one's religious and irreligious acts, one has to accept a particular type of body in a particular position and suffer. Our sufferings are classified as adhibhautika, adhyatmika, and adhidaivika. Adhyatmika miseries are those caused by our own bodies and minds, adhibhautika miseries are those inflicted by other living entities, and adhidaivika miseries are those which are inflicted by higher authorities (devas) and which are completely beyond our control--such as earthquake, drought, flood, and famine. We cannot adjust these situations. In the same way, after death superior authorities will offer us a certain type of body, and we cannot say, "Oh no, sir, I do not want this body." We have to accept it.

 

Minute Independence

 

Due to repeated birth and death in so many material bodies, we have all forgotten that we are part and parcel of God, that we have an intimate relationship with Him, and that somehow or other we have fallen into this material world. It is very difficult to exactly pinpoint the origin of this forgetfulness. But even though we have forgotten Him since time immemorial, Krsna is so merciful that to remind us of our spiritual identity and our oneness with Him as His parts, He comes personally and teaches us what we have forgotten. And when He departs He leaves behind the scripture, especially the Bhagavad-gita, where He requests, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "Please give up all your nonsense and surrender unto Me. I shall give you all protection." (Bhagavad-gita 18.66)

Krsna is the father of all living entities. He is not happy that all these souls in the material world are rotting like hogs. Therefore He sends His representatives. In the case of Lord Jesus Christ, Krsna sent His son. Lord Jesus claimed to be the son of God. Everyone is a son of God, but this son was an especially favorite son, and he was sent to a particular place to reclaim the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead.

But if the conditioned souls insist on staying here, what can Krsna or His servant do? They allow us to go on with our materialistic activities, because the first condition for getting out of the material prison house is that we must desire to get out. When we finally become disgusted with our predicament, we pray, "My dear Lord, I have served lust, anger, and greed for so long, but they are still unsatisfied, and now I have become disgusted with serving them. Now, my dear Lord Krsna, my intelligence is awakened, and I have come to You. Please engage me in Your service."

The living entity is the marginal energy (tatastha-sakti) of the Lord, which means he can choose to be controlled by Krsna's inferior, material energy or His superior, spiritual energy. We devotees have chosen to come to Krsna consciousness. In other words, we have agreed to surrender to Krsna and submit to the protection of His internal, spiritual energy. Surrender to Krsna begins with chanting the Hare Krsna mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The word Hare indicates the devotional energy of Krsna, Krsna means "the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead," and Rama means "the Supreme Enjoyer."

But there are many who will not come, because they do not agree to come under the control of Krsna's spiritual energy. But Krsna does not interfere. He says, "You may remain in the material world or come to Me--whatever you like." We have been given minute independence and the intelligence to discriminate between what to do and what not to do.

 

Wake Up!

 

The ear is the most important organ for learning what is to be done and what is not to be done for our ultimate benefit. We must hear from the superior authority. At night we sleep peacefully, unaware that someone might be coming to chop off our head. However, our sense of hearing is acute, even in the sleeping state. If someone cries out, "Wake up! Wake up! Someone is coming to kill you!" we can be saved. Similarly, we are sleeping under the influence of material nature. We seem to be awake and acting, but prakrti (material nature) is doing the acting--not us. We are being forced to act according to our association with the different modes of material nature. Although we are in the sleeping condition, our ear does not sleep, and it helps us to rise out of ignorance. If we hear from the right person--the spiritual master--and from the Vedic scriptures, we can awaken to our original, constitutional position as eternal servants of Krsna. The first prescription is sravanam, hearing about Krsna. If we simply hear about Krsna, we will automatically wake up. The injunction of the Vedas is uttisthata jagrata prapya varan nibodhata: "Wake up! Get up! Understand the great benediction you have in this human form of life. Now utilize it and get free from the clutches of the material modes of nature." In the Bhagavad-gita (7.14) Krsna explains how to do this:

 

daivi hy esa guna-mayi

mama maya duratyaya

mam eva ye prapadyante

mayam etam taranti te

 

"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered to Me can easily cross beyond it." Surrender to Krsna and be Krsna conscious. In the human form of life, that is our only business.

 

Chapter 11

The Realm of the Senses

 

The Yamadutas continued: "Above the five senses of perception, the five working senses, and the five objects of the senses is the mind, which is the sixteenth element. Above the mind is the seventeenth element, the soul, the living being himself, who, in cooperation with the other sixteen, enjoys the material world alone. The living being experiences three kinds of situations, namely happy, distressful, and mixed.

"The subtle body is endowed with sixteen parts--the five knowledge-acquiring senses, the five working senses, the five objects of sense gratification, and the mind. This subtle body is an effect of the three modes of material nature. It is composed of insurmountably strong desires, and therefore it causes the living entity to transmigrate from one body to another in human life, animal life, and life as a demigod. When the living entity gets the body of a demigod, he is certainly very jubilant, when he gets a human body he is always in lamentation, and when he gets the body of an animal he is always afraid. In all conditions, however, he is actually miserable. His miserable condition is called samsrti, or transmigration in material life.

"The foolish embodied living entity, inept at controlling his senses and mind, is forced to act according to the influence of the modes of material nature, even against his desires. He is like a silkworm that uses its own saliva to create a cocoon and then becomes trapped in it, with no possibility of getting out. The living entity traps himself in a network of his own fruitive activities and then can find no way to release himself. Thus he is always bewildered, and repeatedly he dies.

"No living entity can remain unengaged, even for a moment. One must act by his natural tendency according to the three modes of material nature because this tendency forcibly makes him work in a particular way. The fruitive acts a living being performs, whether pious or impious, are the unseen cause for the fulfillment of his desires. This unseen cause is the root of the living entity's different bodies. Because of his intense desire, the living entity takes birth in a particular family and receives a body like his mother's or father's body. Thus the gross and subtle bodies are created according to his desire.

"Since the living entity is associated with material nature, he is in an awkward position, but if in the human form of life he is taught how to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee, this position can be overcome." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.50-55)

 

The Demands of the Senses

 

These verses describe how the living entity becomes entangled in the material body due to the interaction of the material modes of nature. Everyone engages in work with his hands, legs, and other senses just to achieve a certain goal according to his concocted ideas. In this way one tries to enjoy the five sense objects, namely form, sound, taste, aroma, and touch, not knowing that the actual goal of life is to satisfy the Supreme Lord. Because of disobeying the Lord, the living entity is put into material conditions, and he then tries to improve his situation according to his whims, not caring to follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nevertheless, the Supreme Lord is so kind that He comes Himself to instruct the bewildered living entity how to act obediently and then gradually return home, back to Godhead, where he can attain an eternal, peaceful life of bliss and knowledge.

In the material world the living entity has a body that is a very complicated combination of the material elements, and with this body he struggles alone, as indicated in verse 50 by the words ekas tu. For example, if one is struggling in the ocean, he must swim through it alone. Although many other men and aquatics are swimming in the ocean, he must take care of himself, because no one else will help him. Therefore this verse indicates that the seventeenth item, the soul, must work alone. Although he tries to create society, friendship, and love, ultimately no one can help him but Krsna, the Supreme Lord. Therefore his only concern should be how to satisfy Krsna--how to surrender to Him and evoke His mercy. That is also what Krsna wants. As He says in the Bhagavad-gita (18.66), sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "Just give up all kinds of concocted religion and surrender to Me."

People bewildered by material conditions try to be united, but although they strive for unity among men and nations, all their attempts are futile. Everyone must struggle alone for existence with the many elements of nature. Therefore one's only hope, as Krsna advises, is to surrender to Him, for He can help one become free from the ocean of nescience. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore prayed:

 

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram

patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

krpaya tava pada-pankaja-

sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya

 

"O Krsna, beloved son of Nanda Maharaja, I am Your eternal servant, but somehow or other I have fallen into this ocean of nescience, and although I am struggling very hard, there is no way I can save myself. If You kindly pick me up and fix me as one of the particles of dust at Your lotus feet, that will save me."

Similarly, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings, anadi karama-phale, padi' bhavarnava-jale, taribare na dekhi upaya: "My dear Lord, I cannot remember when I somehow or other fell into this ocean of nescience, and now I can find no way to rescue myself." We should remember that everyone is responsible for his own life. If an individual becomes a pure devotee of Krsna, he is then delivered from the ocean of nescience. Thus his life becomes successful.

 

Pain and Pleasure

 

Actually, there is no pleasure in the material world; everything is painful. Everyone is trying to be happy by sensual activity, but the result is unhappiness and frustration. This is called maya, illusion.

Lord Buddha understood the nature of material pleasure. In his youth he was a prince, enjoying great opulence and sensual pleasures, but he renounced it all. Sitting down in meditation, he stopped all sensual activities, which subject one to the pains and pleasures of this material world. He gave up his kingdom just to teach that sensual activities do not help us attain salvation. Salvation means to get out of the clutches of the pleasure and pain of this world.

Buddhism is concerned largely with the predicament of the body. Due to the interactions of the three modes of material nature, which are acting on our material bodies, we experience various pains and pleasures. Buddhism teaches that one can be relieved of these pains and pleasures as soon as one dismantles the combination of the material elements in the shape of the physical body. Nirvana, the goal of Buddhism, is the state attained when a person has finished with the material combinations. After all, pains and pleasures are due to possessing this material body. However, Buddhist philosophy does not provide information about the soul, the possessor of the body. Thus Buddhism is imperfect.

Buddhist philosophy is incomplete, but that does not mean Lord Buddha did not know the complete truth. A teacher may have received his Masters degree, yet he still teaches the ABC's to his students. It is not that his knowledge is limited to the ABC's. Similarly, any especially empowered incarnation (saktyavesa avatara) will preach God consciousness according to time, place, and circumstances. The teacher holds his Masters degree, but the students may not be qualified to receive the high instructions that the teacher is competent to teach.

Therefore there are different schools of religion, like Buddhism and Sankaracarya's Mayavada philosophy. Both the Buddhists and the Mayavadis encourage their followers to try to get free of pain and pleasure, which are due to sensual activities. No genuine philosopher urges his followers to pursue sensual activities. Buddha finishes with matter: to achieve nirvana one must first dismantle the material combination of the body. In other words, the body is a combination of five material elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether, and this combination is the cause of all pain and pleasure; so when the combination is at last dismantled, there will be no more pain and pleasure.

Sankaracarya's philosophy is to get out of this combination of material elements and become situated in our original, spiritual position. Thus the Mayavadis' motto is brahma satyam jagan mithya: "Brahman, the Absolute, is true, and this material creation is false." Sankaracarya rejected Buddha's philosophy, which gives no information concerning the spirit soul. Buddha's philosophy deals only with matter and the dissolution of matter; thus the goal of Buddhism is to merge into the voidness.

Both Buddhism and Mayavada philosophy reveal only partial truth. Sankaracarya's Mayavada philosophy accepts Brahman, spirit, but does not describe spirit in its fullness. Mayavada philosophy teaches that as soon as we become cognizant of our existence as Brahman (aham brahmasmi), then all our activities come to a stop. But this is not a fact. The living entity is always active. It may seem that in meditation one can stop all sensual activity, but still one is meditating, and that is also action.

While meditating on Brahman, the Mayavadi thinks, "I have become God." In one sense, of course, it is correct to think, "I am one with God," for as spirit souls we are all one with God in quality. But no one can ever become quantitatively one with God. In the Bhagavad-gita (15.7) Krsna declares that the living entities are "part and parcel of Me." Krsna is completely spiritual (sac-cid-ananda), so each particle of spirit must also be sac-cid-ananda, just as a gold earring is qualitatively one with the gold in a gold mine. Still, the gold earring is not the gold mine.

So the Mayavadis' mistake is to think that the part can become equal to the whole. They presume that because they are part and parcel of God, they are God. Therefore the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32) describes the impersonalists as avisuddha-buddhayah: "Their intelligence is impure; they are still in ignorance." Mayavadis believe that by accumulating knowledge they become one with God, and thus they address one another as "Narayana." That is their great mistake. We cannot become Lord Narayana. Narayana is vibhu, which means "very big" or "infinite," whereas we are anu, infinitesimal. Our spiritual magnitude measures one ten-thousandth of the tip of a hair. Therefore how can any sane man claim that he has become God?

Sankaracarya gave a hint about Brahman, teaching everyone to think, aham brahmasmi, "I am the spirit self, not the material body." The Vedas agree. One who is situated in mukti, or liberation, understands perfectly, "I am not this body; I am pure spirit soul." But that is not the end of self-realization. Next one has to ask, "If I am an eternal spirit soul, what is my eternal spiritual activity?" That eternal activity is devotional service to Krsna.

In the Bhagavad-gita (18.54) Lord Krsna describes how Brahman realization leads to devotional service:

 

brahma-bhutah prasannatma

na socati na kanksati

samah sarvesu bhutesu

mad-bhaktim labhate param

 

"One who is transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me."

Often big svamis talk about attaining "Brahman realization" but do not remove themselves from worldly pleasures and pains. They involve themselves in humanitarian activities, thinking, "My fellow countrymen are suffering; let me open a hospital" or "They are uneducated; let me open a school." If someone is really on the platform of brahma-bhutah, why would he accept any particular place as his country? Actually, as spirit souls we do not belong to any country. We get a body, and as soon as the body is finished, the connection with a particular country is also finished. The symptom of lamentation reveals that the so-called liberated person has not been cured of his attachment to worldly pleasure and pain. That means he has not become joyful, because one who is joyful does not lament. So many learned sannyasis have fallen down to material activities because they have not in fact realized Brahman. It is not so easy. As already explained, the influence of the modes of nature is very strong. The living entity entangled in different types of fruitive activity is like a silkworm trapped in a cocoon. Getting free is very difficult unless one is helped by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

Spiritual Senses

 

Real knowledge is attained by applying the senses in the service of Krsna. At present, our mind and senses are absorbed in bodily designations, such as "I am American," "I am Indian," or "I am English." In this consciousness we think that we should apply our senses in the service of our relatives, our society, our nation, etc. But these are temporary circumstances. Our real position is that we are Brahman, pure spirit soul. As long as we think of ourselves as belonging to some temporary designation, we cannot become a devotee of Krsna.

As we have pointed out, Brahman realization is not the end of spiritual knowledge. There are three stages of self-realization: Brahman, or the realization that one is not this body but a spirit soul; Paramatma realization, or understanding the Lord within the heart; and Bhagavan realization, realizing the Lord in His personal form as Sri Krsna.

Beyond Brahman is Paramatma realization, realizing Krsna in the heart as Supersoul. Brahman is like the sunlight, but Paramatma realization is like seeing the sun globe itself, the source of the sun's rays. Going still further, one can enter into the spiritual planets of Vaikuntha and see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. This is the ultimate stage of self-realization and is like meeting the sun-god himself. The sunlight, the sun globe, and the sun-god are one and inseparable, yet they are simultaneously different. The sunlight is the impersonal effulgence of the sun, the sun globe is its localized aspect, and the sun-god is the personal source of both the sun globe and the sunlight. In the Bhagavad-gita (4.27) Krsna confirms that He is the source of the Brahman effulgence: brahmano hi pratisthaham. "I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman." And in the Isopanisad (15) a devotee prays,

 

hiranmayena patrena

satyasyapihitam mukham

tat tvam pusann apavrnu

satya-dharmaya drstaye

 

"O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Please remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee."

So Brahman realization is not enough. A sick man's fever may go down, but he may not yet be cured. He is finally cured when he is not only safe from fever but fully recovered and back to his normal, active life. Otherwise there is danger of relapse. Likewise, understanding "I am a spirit soul, not the body" does not mean one is cured of illusion. Only when a person fully understands that he is the eternal servant of Krsna and he acts on that understanding is he truly self-realized.

 

A Special Concession for All People

 

In the present age, for all people the best path to achieve self-realization is to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The conditioned souls in this Age of Kali are so engrossed in sinful activities that it is impossible for them to follow the Vedic injunctions in a systematic way. The chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is the special concession of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu--Krsna Himself--who appeared five hundred years ago just to deliver the fallen souls by inaugurating the sankirtana movement, the movement of the congregational chanting of the Lord's holy names. Lord Caitanya would often quote the following verse from the Brhan-naradiya Purana (3.8.126):

 

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

"In this age the only way to attain salvation is to chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way, no other way, no other way."

We can see the power of chanting the holy name of Krsna by studying the Krsna consciousness movement. In this movement all kinds of sinful activities are being given up by persons who have been addicted to bad habits ever since they were living in the wombs of their mothers. This is their good fortune. As Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 19.151),

 

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

 

"The living entity is rotating in different lives and in different bodies, transmigrating from one situation to another throughout the universe, but if he is fortunate and gets the mercy of Krsna, he will get a bona fide spiritual master, from whom he will receive the seed of the creeper of bhakti, devotional service." If he is truly intelligent, he will sow that seed in his heart and water it. If you sow a seed in the earth, you must water it so that it will fructify. Similarly, once the seed of bhakti has been sown in the heart, it has to be watered properly. What is that water? Sravanam kirtanam: hearing and chanting the glories of Krsna is the watering process that will make the seed of devotional service grow.

By cultivating devotional service to Krsna, we can get out of our unfortunate position in the material world, which Krsna has certified in the Bhagavad-gita as duhkhalayam, a place full of miseries. In other words, by taking shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna in the shape of chanting and hearing His holy name, we will not have to undergo repeated birth and death in this miserable material world.

 

Body of Desire

 

The Srimad-Bhagavatam describes in detail how a conditioned living entity takes birth. According to his karma, the living entity is put into the semen of a particular father, and the living entity's gross material body is manifested from the union of father and mother. During sexual intercourse, the mentalities of the father and mother are combined when the father's semen and mother's egg mix, and this combination is acquired by the child.

Each of us has a different type of body: no one's body is identical to anyone else's. The different types of bodies have a cause, and that cause is karma. According to one's previous activities, one develops a certain kind of subtle body--made up of mind, intelligence, and false ego--and on the basis of the subtle body one gets a particular gross body. As Lord Krsna states in the Bhagavad-gita (8.6):

 

yam yam vapi smaran bhavam

tyajaty ante kalevaram

tam tam evaiti kaunteya

sada tad-bhava-bhavitah

 

"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail." The character of the subtle body at the time of death is determined by the sum total of one's activities during one's lifetime. If a human being is taught to change his subtle body by developing Krsna consciousness, at the time of death his subtle body will create a gross body in which he will be a devotee of Krsna--or if he is still more advanced, he will not take another material body at all but will immediately get a spiritual body and thus return home, back to Godhead. This is the perfection of human life.

 

Chapter 12

Bewildered by Desire

 

The Yamadutas continued: "In the beginning this brahmana named Ajamila studied all the Vedic literatures. He was a reservoir of good character, good conduct, and good qualities. firmly established in executing all the Vedic injunctions, he was very mild and gentle, and he kept his mind and senses under control. Furthermore, he was always truthful, he knew how to chant the Vedic mantras, and he was also very pure. Ajamila was very respectful to his spiritual master, the fire-god, guests, and the elders of his household. Indeed, he was free from false prestige. He was upright, benevolent to all living entities, and well behaved. He would never speak nonsense or envy anyone.

"Once Ajamila, following the order of his father, went to the forest to collect fruit, flowers, and two kinds of grass, called samit and kusa. On the way home he came upon a lusty fourth-class man (sudra) shamelessly embracing and kissing a prostitute. The sudra was smiling, singing, and enjoying as if this were proper behavior. Both the sudra and the prostitute were drunk. The prostitute's eyes were rolling in intoxication, and her dress had become loose. Such was the condition in which Ajamila saw them.

"The sudra, his arm decorated with turmeric powder, was embracing the prostitute. When Ajamila saw her, the dormant lusty desires in his heart awakened, and in illusion he fell under their control. As far as possible he patiently tried to remember the instructions of the sastras not even to see a woman. With the help of this knowledge and his intellect, he tried to control his lusty desires, but because of the force of Cupid within his heart, he failed to control his mind." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.56-62)

 

Brahminical Qualifications

 

The order-carriers of Yamaraja, the Yamadutas, are explaining the factual position of piety and impiety and how a living entity is entangled in this material world. Describing the history of Ajamila, the Yamadutas relate that in the beginning he was a learned scholar of the Vedic literature. He was well behaved, neat and clean, and very kind to everyone. In fact, he had all good qualities. In other words, he was a perfect brahmana. A brahmana is expected to be perfectly pious, to follow all the regulative principles, and to have all good qualities. The symptoms of piety are explained in these verses.

Apparently Ajamila followed the rules and regulations of celibacy as a perfect brahmacari and was very softhearted, truthful, clean, and pure. How he fell down in spite of all these qualities and thus came to be threatened with punishment by Yamaraja is described here.

Because Ajamila was born into a brahmana family, he was naturally sruta-sampanna. Sruta means that by hearing the Vedas, Ajamila was rich in Vedic knowledge. In India brahmanas are called panditas, "learned men." A brahmana cannot be a fool and a rascal. Therefore one who has no knowledge of the Vedas cannot be a brahmana. Simply reading the Vedas from a scholastic viewpoint is useless. One must practically apply the knowledge of the Vedas. Armchair Vedantists smoke cigarettes while reading Vedanta, but that kind of study is useless. We have seen many so-called sannyasis talking on Vedanta, smoking all the while. Ajamila was not that type. He was a scholar of Vedic literature, and he was very well behaved. A brahmana must study the Vedas under the guidance of a spiritual master, and after the purificatory process of upanayana-samskara, he becomes dvija, or twice-born. At that time the sacred thread is offered to such a person. This is the sign by which we can understand a person has formally accepted a spiritual master. It is a kind of badge.

One who is not twice-born is unqualified to understand the Vedas. It is not that just because one happens to know a little Sanskrit he becomes expert in Vedic knowledge. Many foreign scholars have translated the Vedas, but we do not accept their translations as bona fide, because a student of the Vedas must be dvija. When a person has become truthful, able to control his mind and senses, clean, simple and tolerant, full of knowledge, and able to practically apply knowledge in life, and when he has full faith in God, Krsna, he is dvija. Such a person can be said to have become a duly qualified brahmana, and he is able to study and understand the Vedas.

Ajamila was not only born in a brahmana family, but he was qualified in Vedic knowledge. In his youth he studied the Vedas completely. He was silavan, "very gentle." He was also sad-acara, which means he observed the habit of keeping clean and rising early in the morning to attend Vedic temple ceremonies, such as mangala-arati. He was a reservoir of good qualities. We too can be sad-acara if we practice devotional service regularly, including daily attendance at mangala-arati and chanting sixteen rounds of the Hare Krsna mantra on beads. These practices will gradually cleanse us of material contamination.

Upon accepting initiation from the spiritual master, one takes a vow to perform these spiritual activities daily. Even the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana, who were liberated personalities, regularly chanted the maha-mantra many times daily, and they never failed to offer their obeisances to the Deity and the devotees. Raghunatha dasa Gosvami would offer obeisances flat on the ground (dandavats) many times daily. These activities indicate that the Gosvamis were dhrta-vrata, accustomed to taking vows with great determination and carrying them out. Without practicing austerity and penance with firm determination, we cannot approach God. One who is serious about making spiritual advancement has to accept all these regulative principles.

Ajamila possessed all brahminical qualifications, and he knew all the necessary mantras, such as the Gayatri mantra and the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Also, he was always rendering service to his guru. That is the first qualification of a brahmana. In Vedic times, every high-caste family performed a fire sacrifice in the morning after taking a bath and chanting Vedic mantras. Agni (the sacrificial fire) was continually lit. They offered oblations to the fire, to the guru, and then to all the adult members of the family. Thus they daily offered respect to their father and mother and to the spiritual master. Nowadays this is not done, but in the Vedic system this was the first business of the day.

A good example of this practice of respecting elders is Yudhisthira Maharaja, the great saintly Pandava king. After the battle of Kuruksetra, Yudhisthira and his four brothers would go every day to offer their respects to their paternal uncle, Dhrtarastra. Dhrtarastra had contrived many plots to destroy the Pandavas, finally declaring war on them, but the result was that every one of his hundred sons died. Even after he lost the war, he still refused to welcome his nephews, the sons of his brother Pandu. This was a great insult to King Yudhisthira. One day Dhrtarastra's younger brother, Vidura, a great Vaisnava, went to Dhrtarastra and said, "My dear brother, you are so shameless that first you declare war against the Pandavas, and now that you are an old man, still you do not receive King Yudhisthira as your guest, yet you live in his house at his expense. Are you so shameless, my dear brother?" Vidura spoke in this way just to help Dhrtarastra break his attachment to family life. Dhrtarastra was an old man, and all his sons were dead, but still he sat in his household arrangement, eating nicely prepared food. From this we can understand that family attachment is very strong. Vidura chastised Dhrtarastra: "You are coughing up mucus because you are very old, and your liver is weak. You will die very soon, yet you are still sitting in your comfortable chair, just like a dog. Have you no more shame than a dog, which always sits waiting for his master to feed him?"

Upon hearing Vidura's harsh words, Dhrtarastra's hard heart softened, and he replied,"Yes! My dear brother Vidura, please let me know what I should do."

Vidura said, "Come with me immediately to the forest. For the remaining days of your life, just engage yourself in Krsna consciousness. Come with me." So without telling anyone, Dhrtarastra left with Vidura, and Gandhari, Dhrtarastra's faithful wife, followed. Together they went to the forest to finish their life in meditation on the Lord.

When King Yudhisthira came to offer his obeisances in the morning and saw that his uncles were not there, he became anxious, considering that Dhrtarastra was an old man. At that time the great sage Narada Muni appeared and informed him, "Do not worry. Dhrtarastra and his wife, Gandhari, have been brought to the forest by your uncle Vidura."

This story from the Srimad-Bhagavatam illustrates the system of offering respects to the elderly members of the family. After the morning's duties are performed, next one must go and offer obeisances to the spiritual master and the elderly persons in the family. One must also offer respects to a guest. Usually we know when a certain guest is coming to our home and can make preparations beforehand, but sometimes it happens that someone comes unexpectedly, and he too must be received with respect. And when it comes to eating, the head of the family should feed the older members first, then his children and other members of the family. He will eat last, and before he eats his food he should stand in the road and call out, "If anyone is hungry, please come. I still have not taken my food, and you are welcome!" Some remnants of food should be kept at home in anticipation of unexpected guests. The Vedic principle is that when someone comes and begs, "Sir, I am hungry," a man must give the hungry guest his own food even if he himself remains hungry. That is real grhastha-asrama. I have seen that a young man will not smoke in the presence of an old man without permission, even if they are strangers. So a young man will show consideration even to an older stranger, what to speak of his father or elder brother. In Vedic society, any older man is offered respect. These principles are not hard and fast, but this is Vedic custom.

Thus Ajamila was trained in his youth to offer respect to the spiritual master and his elders. This is one of the symptoms of sad-acara. Gentleness is another symptom. In other words, he was friendly to all living beings. A real brahmana is the friend of everyone, even an ant.

In this regard there is a story about Narada Muni and a hunter. Once Narada Muni was passing through a forest near Prayag and saw that many animals were lying half-dead. Feeling compassion for the suffering creatures, he cried out, "Who is the culprit who is killing these animals, leaving them to die in this way?"

The barbaric hunter Mrgari answered, "Dear sage, please let me do my business. If you have come here to beg for a deerskin, I shall give it to you."

But Narada said, "I haven't come to beg anything from you, but to ask why you are only half-killing these animals. It is a great sin. It is better that you kill them outright."

Mrgari replied, "My father taught me to kill them like this. I did not know it is sinful."

Narada said, "Yes, it is very sinful. You will have to suffer very much for it."

The hunter became thoughtful and asked, "What should I do?"

Narada Muni advised him, "Give up this nonsense business."

Mrgari protested, "Then how shall I eat?"

But Narada Muni said, "I shall provide you with food."

The hunter agreed, "All right, if you give me food, I can give up this business."

Narada Muni then requested Mrgari to sit down on the bank of the Ganges and chant Hare Krsna before a sacred tulasi plant. Narada Muni went to the nearby village and announced that a pure Vaisnava was now chanting nearby on the bank of the Ganges. Upon seeing Mrgari sitting and chanting peacefully, the village people said to one another, "He has given up his hunting business and is chanting Hare Krsna." They began coming regularly to the bank of the Ganges to visit Mrgari. Someone brought rice, someone brought dal, and someone else brought fruit. The food began to pile up.

The hunter Mrgari wondered, "Why is Narada Muni sending me so much food? I have only myself and my wife to maintain." Thus he began distributing the food. Chanting Hare Krsna and distributing prasadam daily, he became a perfect Vaisnava. (This is the system introduced in this Krsna consciousness movement--chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and distributing prasadam. In every temple of Krsna we do this.)

After some time, Narada Muni called upon his friend Parvata Muni and said, "I have a very nice disciple who was a hunter. Let us go and see how he is doing." Parvata Muni agreed. When the two sages approached Mrgari's house, they saw that he was jumping this way and that. Upon seeing Narada Muni, he prepared to offer obeisances at his feet, but before he did so he took the edge of his dhoti and gently brushed away the ants crawling on the ground so as not to crush them. He had been jumping because he was trying to avoid stepping on the ants. This was the very man who a short time before had been tormenting all kinds of animals, yet now he was not prepared to kill even an ant. That is the nature of a Vaisnava.

So, Ajamila had this quality of gentleness, which is prominent in brahmanas. Also, despite all his training, Ajamila was not proud. He was free of ahankara, or false ego. The very word ahankara means "I am doing this, I am doing that, and therefore I have become so big." Ajamila was free of this attitude. Nor was he envious. In these degraded times, everyone is envious of one or more persons. But brahmanas like Ajamila are free of this propensity. Only when one has acquired these brahminical qualities and is accustomed to brahminical habits can one expect to be liberated from material bondage.

 

Ruined by Sex Attraction

 

Unfortunately, as related in these verses, Ajamila lost his brahminical status. Once, as a young man, Ajamila went to collect flowers and other articles for Deity worship. His father ordered him, "Bring all these things from the forest." While coming back, Ajamila came upon a fourth-class man and a prostitute, who are vividly described here. Drunkenness was sometimes manifest even in bygone ages, although not very frequently. In the present Age of Kali, however, such sin is to be seen everywhere, for people all over the world have become shameless. Long ago, when Ajamila saw the scene of the drunken sudra and the prostitute, he was affected, although up until then he had been a perfect brahmacari. Nowadays promiscuity is visible in so many places, and we must consider the position of a brahmacari student who sees such behavior. For such a brahmacari to remain steady is very difficult unless he is extremely strong in following the regulative principles. Nevertheless, one who takes to Krsna consciousness very seriously can withstand the provocation of sin.

In our Krsna consciousness movement we prohibit illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. In Kali-yuga, a drunken, half-naked woman embracing a drunken man is a very common sight, especially in the Western countries, and restraining oneself after seeing such things is very difficult. Nevertheless, if by the grace of Krsna a man adheres to the regulative principles and chants the Hare Krsna mantra, Krsna will certainly protect him. Indeed, Krsna says that His devotee is never vanquished (kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati). Therefore all the disciples practicing Krsna consciousness should obediently follow the regulative principles and remain fixed in chanting the holy name of the Lord. Then there need be no fear. Otherwise one's position is very dangerous.

Ajamila had vowed to follow the regulative principles of spiritual life. But as we see, even when one is highly qualified there is the chance of a fall. Seeing the low-class couple engaged in public sex proved to be his downfall. Everyone knows that a husband and wife have sexual intercourse, but this should be done privately. Sex in public is animalistic. Similarly, sex with many partners is illicit. Nowadays illicit sex is common throughout the world, especially in the Western countries. A young girl thinks, "I will find a suitable man, attract him, and have sex, but I won't marry him right away. I will test this man, then that man. When I have found the one who makes me happy, then I will marry." This is the mentality of a prostitute. And similarly, the young boys are hunting for many sex partners. These are commonplace activities in Western countries, where the boys and girls receive no spiritual training.

In such a cat-and-dog society, there can be no peace. All the leaders talk about peace, and they meet in peace conferences, but there can be no peace from conferring and passing resolutions. There cannot be peace unless the whole social structure is reformed, and that can be done only by Krsna consciousness.

Krsna consciousness is cultivated by good association, just as a degraded mentality is a result of bad association. As Lord Rsabhadeva says in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5. 2), mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimuktes tamo-dvaram yositam sangi-sangam: "If we want to open the door to liberation, we should engage ourselves in the service of the mahatmas, the pure devotees, but if we want to open the door to hellish life, then we can associate with those who are very attached to women." The lusty people of today's so-called civilized society do not care for Krsna consciousness. They do not care for their elderly family members. They indulge in sex in the street, on the beach, in the cinema. Sex is advertised constantly to attract the attention of the people. In this way materialistic atheists add fuel to the fire of lust, and people are going to hell.

So, Ajamila became degraded by seeing a low-class couple embracing. Because both the sudra and the prostitute were drunk, their eyes were rolling, and the prostitute's clothes were loose. Nowadays it has become fashionable to wear revealing clothing, but this practice is abominable. It simply makes the body more attractive for sex indulgence. It is said that if one's body is smeared with turmeric, it increases the lusty desires of the opposite sex. The word kama-liptena indicates that the sudra was decorated with turmeric smeared on his body. Because the sudra and the prostitute were rascals, they were not ashamed. They exhibited themselves freely, not caring for public criticism. They were laughing, smiling, singing, and embracing, and the young Ajamila saw everything when he passed by on the road.

In modern times sexual affairs of this kind are regularly shown in the cinema, and thus it is not hard to guess what kind of character is forming in the young men and women of today. By seeing these activities only once, Ajamila fell down. In this way Ajamila's spiritual education and training were finished. He was stunned and bewildered. When Cupid attacks, all one's education, culture, and knowledge are lost. Therefore one has to avoid this free-mixing, lusty society. Canakya Pandita advises, "Always avoid associating with persons too attached to sense gratification. Rather, associate with those who are engaged in the devotional activities of spiritual life." For this reason boys are sent to the gurukula, the house of the bona fide spiritual master, who trains them in spiritual life from the age of five.

Unless one is very strong in knowledge, patience, and proper bodily, mental, and intellectual behavior, controlling one's lusty desires is extremely difficult. Thus after seeing a man embracing a young woman and practically doing everything required for sex, even a fully qualified brahmana, as described above, could not control his lusty desires and restrain himself from pursuing them. Because of the force of materialistic life, to maintain self-control is extremely difficult unless one is specifically under the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service.

 

Chapter 13

Ajamila Begins His Degraded Life

 

The Yamadutas continued: "In the same way that the sun and moon are eclipsed by a low planet, the brahmana Ajamila lost all his good sense. Thus he always thought of the prostitute, and within a short time he took her as a servant in his house and abandoned all the regulative principles of a brahmana.

"Ajamila began spending whatever money he had inherited from his father to satisfy the prostitute with various material presentations so that she would remain pleased with him. He gave up all his brahminical activities to satisfy her. Because his intelligence was pierced by her lustful glance, Ajamila engaged in sinful acts in her association. He even gave up the company of his extremely beautiful young wife, who came from a respectable brahmana family.

"This rascal Ajamila, although born of a brahmana family, lost his intelligence because of the prostitute's association, and thus he earned money somehow or other, regardless of whether properly or improperly, and used it to maintain her and her children. In this way he spent his long lifetime transgressing all the rules and regulations of the holy scripture, living extravagantly, and eating food prepared by a prostitute. Therefore he is full of sins. He is unclean and is addicted to forbidden activities.

"Ajamila did not undergo atonement. Therefore because of his sinful life, we must take him into the presence of Yamaraja for punishment. There, according to the extent of his sinful acts, he will be punished and thus purified." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.63-68)

 

We must serve . . . but whom?

 

As mentioned before, Ajamila was trained as a proper brahmana from birth, and thus he was properly situated in service to his spiritual master, elders like his father, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But due to his association with a prostitute, he gave up his brahminical engagements and became a servant of Lord Krsna's illusory energy, maya.

There are two kinds of servants: maya's servants and Krsna's servants. Every living entity is originally a servant of Krsna. Lord Caitanya Himself affirms this: jivera 'svarupa' haya--krsnera 'nitya dasa.' "The constitutional position of the living entity is to be an eternal servant of Krsna." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.108) In this world, everyone is trying to be a master. Individually and collectively, everyone is trying to assert, "I am the lord of all I survey." But this attitude is futile, because by nature everyone is a servant. Instead of becoming a servant of Krsna, we have become the servant of our senses. In either case we are servants. Therefore, those who are really intelligent think, "If I have to work as a servant, why not be a servant of Krsna?" Only the Krsna conscious devotee is sane, because he accepts his natural position as a servant of Krsna.

Worship of Lord Krsna, or Visnu, is the actual goal of Vedic civilization, but the so-called Vedantists do not accept this. They divert their attention to the worship of demigods and advise that one may worship any of them. No! Even demons (asuras) sometimes worship demigods. Ravana was a great devotee of Lord Siva, but he was an asura. Similarly, Hiranyakasipu was a great devotee of Lord Brahma, but he was also an asura. Anyone who is not a devotee of Lord Visnu is an asura. That is the verdict of the Vedas. Ajamila was a brahmana, which means that he was a servant of Narayana. In other words, he was a Vaisnava.

A Vaisnava is one who recognizes that Lord Krsna is the supreme proprietor and enjoyer, and that everyone else is His servant. Just as the master is the enjoyer of his entire establishment, so Krsna is the enjoyer of everything and everyone in both the material and spiritual worlds. Actually, no one else is the enjoyer--no one else is in the position to enjoy. Krsna is the only enjoyer.

When we forget our relationship with Krsna as His eternal servitors, we become servants of our senses. Following the dictation of our senses, we enter into the darkest regions of illusion and are subjected to the punishment of Yamaraja. Sometimes our conscience forbids us, "Don't do this," but we surrender to our lust and greed, and thus we do it anyway. Krsna is within our heart, also dictating "Don't do it," yet still we do it. This kind of service to our senses simply brings suffering. Since we must serve, why not serve Krsna? Why should we serve our senses, which are never satisfied anyway? We should become servants of God; that is the perfection of life. Otherwise we shall be obliged to become servants of our senses and suffer.

One who becomes a servant of Krsna becomes a gosvami, a master of his senses. The title "Gosvami" indicates one who refuses to follow the dictations of his senses. Instead he follows the dictation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami did. "Gosvami" is not a caste title. Before becoming a gosvami, Rupa Gosvami served the Mohammedan government as a minister and was consequently rejected by the Hindu brahmana society. But when he gave up the dictation of Nawab Hussain Shah to follow the dictation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord made him a gosvami.

All genuine gosvamis are also vairagis, renunciants. But if one is unable to be a real vairagi, then he must become a grhastha (householder). It is not that one may pose himself as a brahmacari or a sannyasi and at the same time indulge in illicit sex secretly. That is abominable. If a genuine householder practices karma-yoga, giving the results of his activities to Krsna, he will eventually attain the platform of perfect renunciation. He should not desire to enjoy the fruits of his activities but should instead work as a matter of duty, thinking "Krsna wants this--Krsna will be satisfied by my doing this--and therefore I must do it." This is the right attitude for a devotee. Arjuna was unwilling to fight for his personal interest, but when he understood that Krsna wanted him to fight, he took it as his duty: "It must be done. It does not matter whether I like it or not. Krsna wants it, and therefore I must do it." That is the attitude of a renounced devotee of the Lord.

In the Bhagavad-gita (18.66) Lord Krsna instructs His disciple Arjuna, "Just surrender unto Me, and I shall protect you from all sinful reactions." And Arjuna accepts Krsna's instruction with the words karisye vacanam tava: "I will do as You say." (Bhagavad-gita 18.73) If we follow Arjuna's example, we will be in direct contact with Krsna, and we will be able to surmount all difficulties in both our spiritual and material life. We hear the instructions of Krsna via the unbroken chain of disciplic succession (guru-parampara). Acceptance of these instructions is called siksa, or voluntarily following the instruction of the spiritual master. The independent nature of the living entity is that he does not want to follow the instructions of another living being, however pure. But when one voluntarily agrees to obey the orders of the spiritual master, one is following the orders of Krsna, and thus one's life becomes perfect.

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.17.27) Krsna says,

 

acaryam mam vijaniyan

navamanyeta karhicit

na martya-buddhyasuyeta

sarva-deva-mayo guruh

 

"One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods." Thinking the spiritual master an ordinary person and envying him are causes of a devotee's falling down. Devotional service requires training under the guidance of a spiritual master, and this guidance is received when one surrenders to the spiritual master, inquires from him, and renders service to him. But these are impossible for one who envies the spiritual master.

 

Ruined by a Prostitute . . . Saved by the Holy Name

 

Ajamila was trained as a brahmana, but he lost his position as a brahmana by associating with a prostitute, so much so that he forgot all his brahminical activities. Nevertheless, at the end of his life, by chanting the four syllables of the holy name Narayana, he was saved from the gravest danger of falling down. As Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita (2.40), svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat: "Even a little devotional service can save one from the greatest danger." Devotional service, which begins with chanting the holy name of the Lord, is so powerful that even if a person falls down from the exalted position of a brahmana through sexual indulgence, he can be saved from all calamities if he somehow or other chants the holy name of the Lord. This is the extraordinary power of the Lord's holy name. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is advised that one not forget the chanting of the holy name even for a moment: satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah.

There are so many dangers in this material world that one may fall down from an exalted position at any time. Yet if one keeps himself always pure and steady by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, he will be safe without a doubt. Ajamila did not do this, and therefore he lost all his brahminical qualities by the association of a prostitute. Especially mentioned here is the effect of eating food prepared by a prostitute. Food prepared by an unclean, sinful woman is extremely infectious. Ajamila ate such food, and therefore he became sinful.

Also mentioned here is Ajamila's misuse of his inheritance. Customarily everyone is eligible to inherit his father's property, and Ajamila also inherited the money of his father. But what did he do with the money? Instead of engaging the money in the service of Krsna, he engaged it in the service of a prostitute. Therefore he was condemned. How did this happen? He was victimized by the prostitute's dangerous, lustful glance.

A chaste and faithful wife will give birth to good sons, who will then offer oblations to their forefathers and thus deliver them if by chance they have fallen into a hellish condition. The very word putra ("son") means "one who can deliver his forefathers from hell." Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed this by His example when He went to Gaya to offer oblations to His forefathers. Even today there is a Visnu temple in Gaya where such oblations are offered at the lotus feet of Lord Visnu. There have been cases where one's father or mother took the body of a ghost at death, and after oblations were offered at the lotus feet of Lord Visnu at Gaya, the father or mother was delivered. However, anyone who becomes a Vaisnava offers oblations to Visnu at every moment, and thus his forefathers are automatically delivered. If one son in the family becomes a Vaisnava, he can deliver fourteen generations of ancestors and fourteen generations of yet unborn descendants. This is confirmed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

As sense control is the beginning of pious life, illicit sex is the beginning of sinful life. One should not engage in illicit sex, or sex for any reason except having a child with one's wife. Marriage is meant for begetting children, and in that sense it is a religious institution. Lord Krsna confirms this in the Bhagavad-gita (7.11): dharmaviruddho bhutesu kamo 'smi. "I am sex that does not contradict religious principles." Caitanya Mahaprabhu had a devotee named Sivananda Sena, who was a family man. Sivananda used to come with all the devotees every year to see Lord Caitanya in Puri, and he came together with his wife and children. Once he came to see the Lord, and his wife offered her respects. At that time she was pregnant, so Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised Sivananda, "This time when you get your child, you should give him the name Paramananda dasa." Caitanya Mahaprabhu knew that pregnancy resulted from sex, but He did not condemn sex in this case, as it was conducted according to scriptural injunction.

On the other hand, there is the case of Junior Haridasa. He was a sannyasi, a renunciant, who was an intimate associate of the Lord. Once he merely desired sex and did not actually partake of it, and immediately Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His Paramatma feature, could understand this. The Lord then asked His other associates not to allow Junior Haridasa to come before Him anymore. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Ramananda Raya, and other intimate associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested, "Junior Haridasa is Your eternal servant. Somehow or other he has committed this offense, but kindly excuse him." Still, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was firm in this respect and immediately replied, "If you like Junior Haridasa so much, better you remain with him, and I will go away." From that moment, nobody ventured again to request Caitanya Mahaprabhu to excuse Junior Haridasa. When Junior Haridasa became hopeless in his efforts to be excused by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he went to Prayag and drowned himself in the confluence of the rivers Yamuna and Ganges. Although Lord Caitanya knew about this incident, after some time He inquired of His associates, "Where is Junior Haridasa now?"

They replied, "Sir, You did not accept him, and so he has committed suicide."

Lord Caitanya said, "Yes, very good. This is very good."

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was sometimes harder than stone and sometimes softer than a flower. That is the behavior of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sivananda was a bona fide grhastha, obeying the rules and regulations of householder life, whereas Junior Haridasa merely desired sex, but because he was in the renounced order of life he was condemned. A sannyasi gives up his family and takes a vow to abstain from sex, but if he again takes to sex he commits a very great sin.

So, Ajamila was victimized by illicit sex with a prostitute. There are many instances throughout the world in which even a purified person falls victim to attraction by a prostitute and spends all his money on her. Prostitute-hunting is so abominable that sex with a prostitute can ruin one's character, destroy one's exalted position, and plunder all one's money. Therefore illicit sex is strictly prohibited. One should be satisfied with his married wife, for even a slight deviation will create havoc. A Krsna conscious grhastha should always remember this. He should always be satisfied with one wife and be peaceful simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. Otherwise at any moment he may fall down from his good position, as exemplified by the case of Ajamila.

Considering the abominable character of Ajamila, the Yamadutas were perplexed as to why the Visnudutas had forbidden them to take such a man to Yamaraja for punishment. Since Ajamila had not undergone atonement for his sinful acts, the Yamadutas thought he should be taken to Yamaraja to be purified. Punishment by Yamaraja is a process of purification for the most abominable sinful persons. Therefore the Yamadutas requested the Visnudutas not to obstruct their taking Ajamila to Yamaraja.

 

Chapter 14

Betrayed by Leaders

 

Sukadeva Gosvami said: My dear king, the servants of Lord Visnu are always very expert in logic and argument. After hearing the statements of the Yamadutas, the Visnudutas replied as follows:

"Alas, how painful it is that irreligion is being introduced into an assembly where religion should be maintained! Indeed, those in charge of maintaining religious principles are needlessly punishing a sinless, unpunishable person.

"A king or government official should be so well qualified that he acts as a father, maintainer, and protector of the citizens because of affection and love. He should give the citizens good advice and instructions according to the standard scriptures and should be equal to everyone. Yamaraja does this, for he is the supreme master of justice, and so do those who follow in his footsteps. However, if such persons become polluted and exhibit partiality by punishing an innocent person, where will the citizens go to take shelter for their maintenance and security?

"The mass of people follow the example of a leader and imitate his behavior. They accept as evidence whatever the leader accepts. People in general are not very advanced in knowledge by which to discriminate between religion and irreligion. The innocent, unenlightened citizen is like an ignorant animal sleeping in peace with its head on the lap of its master, faithfully believing in the master's protection. If a leader is actually kindhearted and deserves to be the object of a living entity's faith, how can he punish or kill a foolish person who has fully surrendered in good faith and friendship?" (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.1-6)

 

Logic and Reason

 

The Visnudutas, like all genuine servants of God, understood everything according to logic and reason. The instructions of Krsna are not meaningless dogma. Religion often gives rise to dogmatism, but the author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja, urges us to try to understand Lord Caitanya and the philosophy of Krsna consciousness according to logic. In other words, do not follow blindly, on the basis of sentiment alone. One who fails to apply logic can easily be misled by unscrupulous persons. For example, some so-called missionaries advertise that man can become God, and they attract millions of sentimental followers. But how is it possible? Where is there evidence of any man becoming God? This false propaganda is not at all logical. One should use his intelligence to understand Krsna consciousness.

However, once we have accepted the philosophy of Krsna consciousness and taken initiation from a bona fide spiritual master, we cannot argue with him. We cannot challenge. To do so would constitute an offense and a fall from spiritual principles.

 

The Duty of Governments

 

The Visnudutas accused the Yamadutas of violating religious principles by attempting to drag Ajamila to Yamaraja for punishment. Yamaraja is the officer appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to judge religious and irreligious principles and to punish the sinful. However, if completely sinless people are punished, the entire assembly of Yamaraja is contaminated. This principle applies not only in the assembly of Yamaraja but throughout human society.

Upholding religious principles is the duty of the king or government. Unfortunately, in the present age, Kali-yuga, people have lost their intelligence, so they cannot differentiate between dharma and adharma, religion and irreligion. The courts do not know whom to punish and whom not. For example, out of compassion for all the fallen souls, Vaisnavas go out to preach the principles of Krsna consciousness, but unfortunately, because of the influence of Kali-yuga, even though these Vaisnavas have dedicated their lives to preaching the glories of the Lord, they are sometimes harassed and punished by courts on false charges of disturbing the peace. This age, Kali-yuga, is very bad. We can only take shelter of Krsna and always chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

The Visnudutas chastised the Yamadutas for violating the principles of justice. Such corruption of the judicial system is very prominent in Kali-yuga. The judicial system is meant to provide for execution of justice, yet false witnesses and bribery make it difficult. With money, almost anyone can get a favorable judgment in court. If the justice system is corrupt, life becomes extremely troublesome. The government is supposed to offer the citizens protection, as parents do for their children. A small child is completely dependent on his father and mother, thinking with full faith, "My father is here, my mother is here--I am safe." But if the father and mother are corrupt, where is the protection for the child? Similarly, if the whole government is corrupt, where is the protection for the citizens?

Whatever the heads of society do, people generally follow. The government or king is like a father to the citizens. A father will never tolerate the killing or injuring of his children. He will give up his own life trying to attack the person threatening his children. Yet today crime is rampant. The government spends billions of dollars, but the citizens have no security in their lives. The government is answerable to the citizens because it must protect and provide for them. If the government is incapable or corrupt, then what is the position of the citizens?

The king, or in modern times the government, should act as the guardian of the citizens by teaching them the proper goal of life. The human form of life is especially meant for attaining self-realization, realization of one's relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The duty of the government, therefore, is to take charge of training all the citizens in such a way that they will gradually be elevated to the spiritual platform and realize their relationship with God. This principle was followed by kings like Maharaja Yudhisthira, Maharaja Pariksit, Lord Ramacandra, Maharaja Ambarisa, and Prahlada Maharaja.

Unfortunately, today's government leaders are generally dishonest and irreligious, and thus all the affairs of the state suffer. In the name of democracy, rogues and thieves fool the innocent populace into electing them to the most important posts in the government. Recently this has been proven in America, and as a result the citizens condemned the President and dragged him down from his post. This is only one case out of many.

In Kali-yuga, people have no shelter. Due to corrupt government, they are uncertain of their lives and property. The mass of people should always feel secure because of the government's protection. Therefore, how regrettable it is for the government itself to cause a breach of trust and put the citizens in difficulty for political reasons. We saw during the partition days in India that although Hindus and Muslims had been living together peacefully, manipulation by politicians suddenly aroused feelings of hatred between them, and thus the Hindus and Muslims killed one another over politics. This is a sign of Kali-yuga.

Another symptom of Kali-yuga is the abominable practice of animal slaughter. In this age animals are kept nicely sheltered, completely confident that their masters will protect them, but unfortunately as soon as the animals are fat, they are immediately sent for slaughter. Such cruelty is condemned by Vaisnavas like the Visnudutas. Indeed, hellish conditions of extreme suffering await the sinful men responsible for such cruelty. One who betrays the confidence of a living entity who takes shelter of him in good faith, whether that living entity be a human being or an animal, is extremely sinful. Because such betrayals now go unpunished by the government, all of human society is terribly contaminated. The people of this age are therefore described as mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah. As a consequence of such sinfulness, men are condemned (mandah), their intelligence is unclear (sumanda-matayah), they are unfortunate (manda-bhagyah), and therefore they are always disturbed by many problems (upadrutah). This is their situation in this life, and after death they are punished in hellish conditions.

Although Ajamila was not punishable, the Yamadutas were insisting on taking him away to Yamaraja for punishment. This was adharma, contrary to religious principles. The Visnudutas feared that if such irreligious acts were allowed, the management of human society would be spoiled. In modern times, the Krsna consciousness movement is trying to introduce the right principles of management for human society, but unfortunately the governments of Kali-yuga do not properly support the Hare Krsna movement because they do not appreciate its valuable service. The Hare Krsna movement is the right movement for ameliorating the fallen condition of human society, and therefore governments and public leaders in every part of the world should support this movement to completely rectify humanity's sinful condition.

To Next Part