Waves of Devotion

I have almost completed six years of faithfully putting out Monday Morning Greetings without fail. I will happily continue that service, but now if something comes up that makes it difficult to complete the weekly post, rather than do a marathon to finish it, I will just draw from what I wrote six years ago, confident that it will still seem fresh to my reader. That certainly won’t happen often. I just enjoy the challenge of writing a weekly post based on a new thought or realization. Well, here is one posting from five years ago:

The Four Pillars of Peaceful Life

There are four foundations of life that a traditional society automatically provides its community so that people can focus on spiritual life and not preoccupy their minds with worry. They form the basis of a peaceful life.

1. Where one will live
2. Whom one will marry
3. What one’s occupation will be
4. Who one’s guru is

I will discuss each individually, but first I ask you to reflect. Are these things settled in your life? If not, how much time and mental energy do you spend to fulfill the ones not settled? If they are fulfilled, how much struggle did you face to achieve that? And finally, if they have been provided, how grateful are you to the culture and people who have facilitated that?

Where you are going to live:

Tejiyas dasa, a close godbrother of mine, whom Srila Prabhupada asked to start the kisān (farm) movement and who seems to know as much about economics as anyone, once shared with me an insight gleaned from his study of real economics (sustainable living). He told me that just by being born, living, and dying in the same place, at least 90 percent of one’s economic and social problems are solved. Without elaborating more deeply, just starting life without a mortgage by being gifted a residence by your parents (the traditional system), having a lifelong community support program, and being assured protection and care in old age (and innumerable other advantages), one is gifted a substantial financial, social, and emotional advantage in life. Life’s natural struggles are difficult enough without having to find out where home is. You are lucky if you have never had to negotiate the problem of where you should live.

Whom you are going to marry:

I listened to a thought-provoking talk by Professor Barry Schwartz called “The Paradox of Choice.” Professor Schwartz showed that although modern life offers us more choices, decisions are increasingly more difficult to make, because we are constantly agonizing over which choice gives us the most enjoyment.

What caught my attention most was Schwartz’s statement from personal experience that every five years, he gives 25 percent less homework to his students, because the students have become increasingly preoccupied with thinking about, maintaining, and finding a boyfriend or girlfriend. There is so much mental energy that goes into such endeavors when there is not a system and culture in society to fulfill the most fundamental need for a lifelong partner. A culture that facilitates finding a suitable partner at an early age is, although not perfect, still a blessing. How fortunate not to have to waste our mental energy in such endeavors!

What your occupation will be:

One of the most important aspects of life is finding an occupation that not only reciprocates our economic needs but is also fulfilling. Again without going into the details, varṇāśrama (the social/economic system of ancient India) provided full employment to it citizens, with training and work according to one’s qualification. Work that both reasonably reciprocates one’s needs for maintenance and is suitable to one’s psychophysical nature can be one’s joy in life, not just a chore. Such work also facilitates one’s spiritual life, which often entails some tapasyā, discipline, as after work one can enter one’s practices with a peaceful mind. Oppressive work demanding long hours and travel and less-than-ideal work conditions exhausts one. When one returns home from such a job, the last thing one has energy for is the discipline of spiritual practice. Rather, for relief, one gravitates to the couch, the TV, and, often, a beer. One is fortunate to find one’s occupational calling. Tradition, especially varṇāśrama, did a much better job of doing that.

Who your guru is:

There is an old Indian saying: Don’t go to a village that doesn’t have a river, a doctor, or a brāhmaṇa (spiritual teacher). Previously, most villages and towns in India had bona fide teachers from authentic spiritual lines who were thoroughly trained. Today, even if one transcends the propaganda of mass media that increasing material life is one’s goal, it is still difficult to find a bona fide teacher, and even if one does find one and has minimal self-discipline, there are still so many cheaters in the name of spirituality. To find one’s path and teacher is the greatest fortune.

What if I don’t have a spouse or a job or have not found my place? Of course, ultimately, whatever God sends or doesn’t send our way is meant to bring us closer to Him. Krishna has a unique way to bring each of us closer to Him. We should have full faith in that. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try for a stable life. Just as it is one’s duty to try to both maintain one’s health and to see disease that comes one’s way as God’s mercy, one must reasonably endeavor to stabilize one’s life and at the same time accept one’s lot in life.

We sometimes dismiss traditional society when we feel that its principles are not intelligently applied, but we should never lose sight of its wisdom. They offer the basic foundations for a peaceful life. We should understand their value and appreciate the culture that provides them.

Thinking about happiness again. Isn’t that what’s on most people’s minds? For me, at least today, I thought about it more in terms of a philosophical inquiry than as a personal issue. And the first thing about the subject that strongly came to my mind is that happiness ultimately comes down to consciousness. That thought inspired me to write about happiness in terms of consciousness under the heading “It’s the Consciousness, Stupid”. It’s a good title, because although it should be obvious that happiness ultimately resides in the mind, we repeatedly hanker and search for more stuff in the pursuit of fulfillment, including position and prestige. I will begin by writing two entries on this subject today, beginning with the incident that inspired me to write about this in the first place.

Theodicy and It’s the Consciousness, Stupid

The thirty-year-old son of someone I knew in India died unexpectedly. The father was heartbroken, but due to his stature in learning he could still be reasonably philosophical. After pouring his heart out about the death of his son and the pain that he and the child’s mother felt, he shared the following verse:

“No one knows, O Lord, what is the intention behind Your actions, which cause great confusion to mankind. We know You to hold no one in favor or disfavor, the appearance of partiality in You is a false belief of mankind.” (Bhag. 1.8.29)

Another friend reading his post texted me:

“This verse?
Intrigues me.
Your meditations on it?”

An edited transcription of my response:

This is the way I think we should meditate on it: I think the main difficulty in understanding tragedy in relation to God is that we tend to judge whether someone is merciful only in terms of the facility they give us to control and enjoy the world. Therefore, when the world moves against our control and consequent enjoyment, we tend to think that God, the controller of the world, is not merciful. I think the vantage point of the Absolute Truth is quite different. He doesn’t see mercy in terms of giving us power and more enjoyment, but in terms of positively changing our consciousness, which often requires circumstances that do not conform to our attachments and thus cause us to suffer. Karma, even when it is tragic, is still God’s mercy, because karma is the creation of circumstances, often very challenging, to teach us things that we were incapable of learning by just hearing philosophy or by getting good advice. Of course, such trying circumstances are often very difficult to understand, especially at the time they are happening. If, however, we live a life of dharma, we may be blessed with the vision to clearly see how everything that happened to us, especially our trials and tribulations, did in fact elevate our consciousness. If you still have a problem understanding that circumstances need to be challenging to change us, just meditate on someone you desperately want to change, or even someone you just can’t stand. Now, ponder what it would take to elevate that person’s consciousness to a state of contentment and complete selflessness. Would it be your words of wisdom or would God have to teach them some life lessons? Is it possible they would need some challenges or even trauma to make the seismic change in them that you perceive is needed? And while thinking about that we can also think what God would have to do to change us. I think you get the idea. So those are my thoughts.

Of course, these issues can go deeper and raise other questions, but I am convinced that if we ever hope to reconcile the tragedies in this world with the concept of an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent being, we first need to shift our concept of seeing mercy from giving one the ability to control and enjoy to helping one elevate their consciousness.

Purpose in Life: It’s the Consciousness, Stupid

Another thought on consciousness: It is not stuff that gives meaning to life. This should be evident in the lives of the rich and famous, many of whom seem lost. Contrast that with the lives of the very simple and pious, many of whom have found deep meaning and purpose by living in a place where their simple contribution is valued by their family and community.

So, yes, it’s the consciousness stupid, and I still have to remind myself of that every day.

“…the most radical question which anyone can be asked is not how much their possessions cost, but whether they have found something of value – that is, something that makes living worthwhile.”

―Alister E. McGrath, Northern Irish theologian, scientist, and public intellectual

Sri Radha Made Simple [1]

1. In this world everyone is seeking happiness, and that pleasure is ultimately found in love. If that is the guiding principle in this world, why should it not be part of its source, the ultimate reality?
2. If there is love in the spiritual realm, there also must be beauty, for love means to offer the best.
3. This correlation between happiness, love, and beauty is the key to understanding Sri Radha.
4. Sri Krishna is the Supreme Enjoyer. His happiness is therefore love and the personification of that love is Sri Radha, who must also be the reservoir of all beauty and good qualities, which are the concrete expression of love.
5. For example, flowers are a common way to express love. They are fragrant, colorful, and may be soft and smooth, but offering them in love is not just a sensual experience, for getting a gift of flowers and experiencing all its wonderful attributes is also the experience of love from the person who has offered those flowers.
6. Krishna’s pleasure potency is called hlādinī śakti, the essence of which is Krishna prema (love of Godhead), and when that love is heightened to the highest degree, it is called mahābhāva. Sri Radha is mahābhāva svarūpa, the form of the highest love (and pleasure).
7. Even Sri Radha’s many ornaments and decorations, which She adorns only for the pleasure of Krishna, are composed of and expressing mahābhāva. Thus Krishna’s experience of Sri Radha is the experience of His greatest love and pleasure.
8. As Sri Radha is an expression of God’s own potency of love, we cannot imagine the intensity and greatness of Her qualities. Although there is no limit to Her love and qualities, descriptions of them can give us some idea. For example, here is a description of Sri Radha’s beauty from Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi:

“The beauty of Śrī Radha’s smile defeats the beauty of a blue lotus. The beauty of Her face defeats the beauty of a forest of blue lotuses, and the luster of Her body puts gold in a painful situation.”

9. Only someone who is impersonal is not conquered by love. As Krishna is the Supreme Person, He is responsive to and con- quered by true devotion. As Sri Radha is the highest form of love, Her twenty-fifth transcendental quality is that She always keeps Krishna under her control.
10. How is this relevant to us? Srila Prabhupada instructs us:

“Rādhārāṇī, the symbol of the topmost bhakti, is so powerful that She has purchased Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, Vrajavāsīs take shelter of the lotus feet of Rādhārāṇī, for if She recommends, ‘O here is a nice devotee,’ Kṛṣṇa must accept Him.” (Teachings of Queen Kuntī)

[1] Today is Radhastami, the appearance day of Sri Radha. Every Radhastami I will reprint this article on Sri Radha.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find a topic for this Monday Morning Greetings. When one finally did come to mind, and it came time to write something down, somehow nothing came to mind. This happened repeatedly. Only when my older brother Barry called with the news that my mother, already past her one-hundredth year, had passed away a few hours earlier, did I understand why. This Monday Morning Greetings was to be reserved in her honor. I always thought that when she passes away, I would just reprint my article “The Mother, The Mind and Food,” which glorifies motherhood. There was a problem with that. I just reprinted it a month ago in honor of her hundredth birthday. Fortunately, there is another story glorifying motherhood that just came to my mind. I pray that retelling it is relevant to honor her passing.

Over twenty-five years ago I lived in Vrindavan on the roof of a funky house on the other side of the backside wall of Bon Maharaja’s college, a large institution that was directly across from the ISKCON gurukula building. One evening as I was leaving my house to visit the Krishna-Balarama temple for ārati, I saw the great Odia Vaiṣṇava and scholar, Dr. Fakir Mohan, briskly walking by on the path. We had a relationship for many years, so I was eager to greet him and thus quickly caught up to him. Evidently, something was on his mind, because just after he smiled to acknowledge my greeting, he immediately sought my help: “Where is Bhakti Caitanya’s house? I heard Partha Sarathi Goswami is staying there.” Fakir Mohan Prabhu had this penchant to seek out and honor all Vaiṣṇavas, even those much junior to him like ISKCON gurus and sannyāsīs, so I directed him and accompanied him to Bhakti Caitanya’s house.

When we arrived, Partha Sarathi Maharaja immediately got down from his seat, paid his obeisances and offered Prabhu a seat opposite him. They chatted for a while, and then on Maharaja’s request, Prabhu began to sing “Mangala Gitam” with heart wrenching devotion, a favorite of his that expresses Śrī Radha’s feelings of separation when Śrī Krishna mounts Akrūra’s chariot to leave Vrindavan. I was expecting this wonderful exchange between these Vaiṣṇavas to continue, so I was a bit disappointed when Partha Sarathi Maharaja apologetically excused himself: “My mother, aunt, brother, and younger sister are visiting and staying next door in the MVT. I left home over twenty years ago, so my family is excited to spend time with me. I must take leave now. In fact, I am already a bit late.” Neither Maharaja nor I were expecting Prabhu’s response: “I will also come! I will also come!” The enthusiasm of his entreaty was quite compelling. We thus took off together to the MVT.

As we entered the apartment where his family was staying, Partha Sarathi Maharaja’s stately mother from Oxford, the wife of a retired Royal Air Force commandant, came out of her bedroom to greet us. However, before Partha Sarathi Maharaja could introduce us, Prabhu was already on the ground in deep meditation offering her his prostrated obeisances. When he finally began to slowly rise, Maharaja, almost embarrassed, began to introduce Prabhu so that she would not misunderstand the status of this elderly man at her feet. “This is Dr. Fakir Mohan Prabhu, the former chairman of the department of Sanskrit of Utkal University, a bhāva bhakta—a devotee of the highest devotion, a naishtika brahmacārī—a life-long celibate, and a sangeet acharya—a master of devotional music.” Dr. Fakir Mohan looked sheepishly at Maharaja’s family almost as to pardon himself, “Excuse me, but this is our culture.” He then immediately corrected himself, “No, we feel it!” He then began to quote from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam how when one becomes a pure devotee fourteen previous generations become liberated. He went on for some time supporting his deep reverence for Maharaja’s mother with unfailing logic and śāstra.

I can’t gauge the power of my own devotion to influence generations of my family, but I am confident that to whatever extent I have remained fixed in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s service, my mother, who selflessly sacrificed her life for my care, and whose deep affection for me continued until the end of her life, will certainly be the recipient of his mercy. I will end with just a few indications of that fact.

In our tradition, visiting the holy land of Vrindavan is indeed God’s grace. In 1982, my mother and father visited me in Vrindavan, a visit which changed their whole perspective on Krishna consciousness. I remember calling her the following year. When she asked where I was, and I informed her I was calling her from Vrindavan, the emotion of her reply struck me. With deep affection she inquired, “How is my Vrindavan?” And she continued from those days on to have unbounded respect and affection for the devotees of Krishna, who showered their affection on her.

I returned after one month from Colombia this Friday. The first chance I got to pay my mother a visit just happened to be Janmāṣṭamī, this past Monday. My mother has been confined to a reclining chair in her home with one assistant for several years, but especially the isolation of the first year of COVID had taken a toll on her physical and mental health. I was thus pleasantly surprised when I entered her room. She calmly turned her head, greeted me with a truly beatific smile, and informed me that she was very happy and had no complaints in life. When I left her room, I related to her caretaker and the devotees picking me up the same thing: “I have never in my life seen my mother so peaceful and vibrant. I think she will live many more years.” She passed from this world shortly after on Wednesday morning.

I am not so confident in my own devotion to elevate generations of my family, but I am confident that somehow Krishna blessed my mother for whatever service I have offered at the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda. To me that is the only explanation why I was fortunate to be directed to visit her on her last days in this world, and why inexplicably a deep inner peace entered her heart just before she left reflected in a beatific smile. I thus remember her in gratitude. May she rest in peace.