Monday, June 27, 2011

Taking and Giving

“Everyone is taking something from God, so why not give something? We are taking from Krishna so much light, air, food, water and so on. Unless these resources are supplied by Krishna, no one can live. Is it love to simply keep taking and taking and taking without ever offering anything in return? Love means taking and giving also.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Raja-Vidya, Ch 2)

At the heart of religious practice is the asking for benedictions from the object of worship. “Please Lord, let my team win the big game…Let me do well on this test…Ensure that my newborn child has a long and prosperous life…Let me never fall into poverty or be stricken with a terrible illness.” That these pleas are made is quite understandable and also indicative of a heightened level of consciousness. Only the fool, he who lacks even a basic understanding of the constant morphing of the nature around him and the guaranteed delivery of death, thinks that he can control everything through his own effort. Paurusham, or human effort, can only take us so far, for the higher powers are well beyond our control. Thus it is always beneficial to pray to God to help us through difficult situations. But we know from our own experiences that He has already given us so much. Therefore on the highest standard of worship there is both taking and giving. The taking part is easy, but the giving aspect is where we run into trouble.

Why are there problems with giving? The first issue relates to who should be on the receiving end of our donation of time, effort and money. Even in the non-profit sector of the economy, there have been many cases of fraud and abuse. If we donate our hard earned money to a worthwhile cause, we expect the recipient organization to utilize that money properly. Charitable organizations are expected to be legitimate, to deliver on their promises. When it comes to religion, giving to God is a little difficult because we aren’t necessarily sure who He is. There seem to be so many religions out there, with each group claiming that their worshipable figure is superior. Despite the apparent muddying of the waters, through careful analysis of how love works, we can make the right decision and thereby figure out to whom we should donate our valuable time and effort.

Real love operates through giving and taking from all parties involved. Just taking without giving is exploitation, a fact so nicely pointed out by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in his wonderful work, Raja-vidya, which is a summary review of the Bhagavad-gita, the famous Vedic scripture which presents concise and clear information on spirituality, the differences between matter and spirit, the effects that time has on the body, and most importantly, who God is and how man should worship Him. Since love involves both giving and taking, it would be safe to assume that a system of spirituality that incorporates these two activities to maintain a bond of love with the Supreme Lord would be a legitimate one.

Is there are any other way to worship God? Do any spiritual traditions espouse a belief that one should not love God? To test for validity, to see if the system in question incorporates love or not, we can review the common recommendations put forth. Based on the basic definition of a loving relationship, we can see that simply asking God for benedictions once a week in a place of worship doesn’t meet the standard of pure love. The consciousness of the worshiper in this case may be elevated and advanced beyond the animal’s, but the giving aspect is not there. We give to our children by taking care of them and sacrificing our money and time. The same goes with our spouse and elderly family members. Ironically enough, pets are given more attention than the Supreme Lord under the taking mindset. Prayers to God to grant wishes are made periodically, but pet owners bow down every single day to pick up the waste deposits left by their beloved animals.

Simple prayer seeking a personal benefit is not enough to constitute love. Another avenue of spirituality involves meditation. This is the path taken by those who are fed up with material existence, the constant ups and downs, the dualities that must be encountered on a daily basis, and the unwanted influence of the senses. Meditation is focus; reining in the mind from where it surely will wander off. But again, there is no giving in this discipline, as there is no identified recipient of the meditational efforts. Meditation practiced as yoga can involve different breathing exercises and sitting postures, but there is nothing offered for another entity’s benefit. This is the central component to the practice of giving in love; the offered item must be in the recipient’s benefit.

At this point, the astute observer may raise a few objections. “How can God be benefitted by anything we do? If He is God, shouldn’t He already have everything He needs?” As soon as we cross over this mental hurdle, we will be able to find the true pathway to spiritual freedom. In the Vedic tradition, the Supreme Absolute Truth, the person we refer to as God, is described as atmarama, or self-satisfied. He never lacks anything, but at the same time, He is full of bliss, or ananda. Therefore, by definition, He is capable of feeling pleasure and thereby being pleased. If God can be pleased, why can’t our efforts be the source of that pleasure?

To repeatedly attempt to put a smile on the face of the highest authority figure is the ideal role of the subordinate energy expansions emanating from the Absolute Truth. In His original form, God is described by the Sanskrit word Krishna, which means “all-attractive”. He is the reservoir of all energy, and the multitudes of tiny sparks represent His energy expansions; therefore there is an inherent relationship between the two distinct entities. When the sparks act in the service of the source, there is bliss and harmony for both parties. The source of energy feels the greatest pleasure when there is a loving relationship established with any and all of His sparks. Krishna’s most exalted associates are those who fully utilize their loving potential to seek the Lord’s pleasure. They not only take from Krishna, but they also constantly give Him so much through their loving glances, kind prayers, and overall dedication of time, effort and personal interaction.

Krishna transcends all sectarian and sentimentalist boundaries because of the universal nature of the engagement that seeks to please Him: bhakti-yoga, ordevotional service. The religion of love is superior to any form of regulative practice because it is complete in every way; it is free of any defects and does not espouse any type of exploitation. Without establishing a loving relationship with the Supreme Being, there will always be a higher floor of spiritual practice to which one can ascend. The proof of Krishna’s divinity and His supreme status come from the results of practicing bhakti. For instance, we know that we love our paramours, friends and relatives because of the pleasure we derive from the give-and-take exchanges we have with them. Similarly, the love offered to Krishna brings the highest pleasure; therefore it can be understood to be the most advanced type of interaction, as one who is linked in consciousness to Krishna no longer has fear of punishment for transgressing the rules and regulations that go into establishing that relationship.

The beauty of devotional service is that it is not checked in any way. Our relationships with the creatures roaming the earth must end at the time of death, and they can also be dissolved prior to that through a disagreement or a failure of obligations expected from the counterpart being met. But with the Supreme Lord, the opportunities for service are endless. The most notable spiritual sparks, those who are purely Krishna conscious at all times, are so infused with love that not even Krishna can stop their donations of affection and surrender of their heartfelt emotions. Only in divine love is this powerful force witnessed, as no ordinary object could stir such passions within the individual that they continue with their service day after day, life after life.

With respect to Krishna being beyond requiring service, we can look to the interactions of the young child with their parents to see how superiors can be pleased. A young child will often paint pictures, make drawings, or create sculptures in school and then bring them home to the parents as a gift. “Mom, I made this for you. Dad, I hope you like this.” When these offerings are made with love and affection, the delight felt by the parent is unmatched. The constitution of the gifts is meaningless, as the parents already have everything they need in life. The child is incapable of making anything very wonderful, but just the sincere thought and the desire to give something to the elder is so nice and heartwarming that the parent becomes endeared to the child forever.

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

In a similar manner, Shri Krishna, as the original father, is endowed with every attribute of opulence imaginable; thus He doesn’t require anything for His happiness. But if we, His children, out of love, offer Him a fruit, flower, a leaf, or some water, the Lord kindly accepts it. Indeed, He dashes to wherever the offering is made, enjoying the gift as if it were the sweetest nectar to be found in the world. Those whose eyes have not yet been anointed with the salve of transcendental love will never be able to understand how this works. Indeed, it takes steady practice in bhakti to become firmly convinced of Krishna’s statement in the Gita where He confirms the pleasure He derives from the sacrifices made by those who love Him.

Donations of time and money to our fellow man can bring personal satisfaction for some time, but with Krishna the giving can be endless. More than anything else, the one thing any person can sacrifice, irrespective of their position in life, is time. Time is best sacrificed when a good portion of the day is spent reciting the Lord’s names. In this regard, no sacred formula is more infused with the loving spirit, one that both takes and gives, than the maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. What is the difference between chanting Hare Krishna and asking God for benedictions? In an ordinary prayer, the central component is taking. The desire to get something serves as the most common impetus for the initial jump into spiritual life. In the conditioned state, the living entity believes there is a difference between material and spiritual life. Typically, the material aspect of life takes precedent, and when there is trouble, as there is guaranteed to be, the toggle is switched to spiritual life, wherein the higher power is sought out for benedictions or the alleviation of distress.

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 7.16)

When Hare Krishna is chanted properly, the mood is one of love, where giving is as important as taking. Krishna’s name can be recited at any time and in any fashion, such as through singing or writing. Kirtana is typically equated with singing the glories of the Lord with others, but the word’s real meaning is “to describe”. Therefore even writing about the wonders of vishnu-bhakti, or devotional service, and the worthiness of worship of the recipient of the service, Shri Krishna, is considered kirtana. Chanting Hare Krishna itself is the very embodiment of describing the Supreme, as the name automatically carries with it the forms, pastimes, and attributes of the Lord.

The maha-mantra’s superiority over other religious formulas is found in the motive of the actor. There is no desire for alleviation of distress, the merging into an energy of nothingness, release from the cycle of birth and death, or the procurement of a grand opulence. Rather, when the mood of devotion reaches its peak, the motive of the actor is as pure and simple as the young child’s mindset is when offering service to the parents.

Bhakti-yoga is the religion of love because the fuel for action is the desire to associate with the reservoir of all pleasure, to be engaged in His service all the time, and to be allowed to continually glorify Him through kirtana. From these properties bhakti’s supremacy is fully established, and so is that of its prime beneficiary, Shri Krishna, who is actually not different from any other person’s conception of God. Whether we view the Lord as being impersonal, dull matter, nature, an old man with a beard, or a punishing force who tortures us in a lake of fire should we not accept Him, Krishna’s supreme position remains unchanged. But only through bhakti can we get a glimpse into the Lord’s true nature and thus derive the full benefit of our existence, which is to experience ananda of the spiritual variety. Rather than continue to exploit the wonderful benedictions already provided to us by the greatest order supplier, through a simple shift in consciousness, through both taking and giving, we can experience the full spectrum of enjoyment that spiritual life has to offer.

தவளைகளின் உடற்தோலில் இருந்து புற்று நோய்க்கான மருந்து

தவளைகளின் உடற்தோலை புற்று நோய் மருந்தாகப் பயன்படுத்த முடியும் என குயின்ஸ் பல்கலைக்கழக ஆய்வாளர்கள் நிரூபித்துள்ளனர்.

ஒரு வகை தவளையின் தோலைப் பயன்படுத்தி 70 வகையான நோய்களைக் குணப்படுத்த முடியும் என ஆய்வாளர்கள் சுட்டிக்காட்டியுள்ளனர்.

லண்டனில் நடைபெற்ற மெடிக்கல் பியுச்சர்ஸ் இனோவேசன் மருத்துவ விருது வழங்கும் விழாவில் குறித்த ஆய்வாளர்களுக்கு விருது வழங்கப்பட்டது.

குயின்ஸ் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் பேராசிரியர் கிறிஸ் ஸோவ் தலைமையிலான ஆய்வாளர்கள் குழு, தவளைகளின் உடற்தோலைக் கொண்டு மருந்துகளை தயாரித்துள்ளது.

குருதிக் கலன்களின் வளர்ச்சிக்கு தவளைகளின் தோல்களில் காணப்படும் புரதப் பொருள் உதவியாக அமைகின்றது என கண்டு பிடிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

குருதிக் கலன்களை வளர்ச்சியடையச் செய்யவும், புற்று நோய்க்கட்டிகளை அழிப்பதற்வதற்குமான மருந்துப் பொருட்களை வெக்ஸி மன்கீ ப்ரொக் (றயஒல அழமெநல கசழப) தவளைகளின் உடற் தோலைப் பயன்படுத்தி தயாரிக்க முடியும் என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

குருதிக் கலன்களின் ஊடாகவே அநேகமான புற்று நோய்க்கட்டிகள் உருவாவதாக ஆய்வாளர்கள் சுட்டிக்காட்டியுள்ளனர்.

குருதிக் கலன்களை கட்டுப்படுத்துவதன் மூலம் புற்று நோய்க்கட்டிகளை தடுக்க முடியும் என தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

குருதிக் கலன்களுடன் தொடர்புடைய பல நோய்களுக்கு சிகிச்சை அளிக்கும் போது இந்த தவளைத் தோல் மருந்துகளை பயன்படுத்த முடியும் என சுட்டிக்காட்டியுள்ளனர்.

காயங்கள், உறுப்பு மாற்று அறுவை சிகிச்சை, இருதய நோய், நீரிழிவு போன்ற நோய்களின் போது எதிர்காலத்தில் இருந்த மருந்துகளை பயன்படுத்த முடியும் என ஆய்வாளர்கள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

இந்த மருத்துவக் கண்டுபிடிப்பை பொதுவான மருந்துப் பொருளாக அறிமுகப்படுத்துவதற்கு இன்னும் பல தடைகள் தாண்ட வேண்டிய நிலை காணப்படுவதாக சுட்டிக்காட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது.

டைப் 2 ரக நீரிழிவு நோயைக் குணப்படுத்த முடியும்

டைப் 2 ரக நீரிழிவு நோயைக் குணப்படுத்த முடியும் என புதிய ஆய்வுகள் சுட்டிக்காட்டுகின்றன.

எட்டு வார காலத்திற்கு தொடர்ச்சியாக உணவுக் கட்டுப்பாட்டை பின்பற்றுவதன் மூலம் இந்த வகை நீரிழிவு நோயை முழுமையாக கட்டுப்படுத்த முடியும் என பிரித்தானியாவின ஆய்வாளர்கள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

நாளொன்றுக்கு 600 கலோரி அளவான உணவுகளை உட்கொள்வதன் மூலம் நீரிழிவு நோயை குணப்படுத்த முடியும் எனக் குறிப்பிடப்படுகிறது.

இந்த சிகிச்சை அளிக்கப்பட்ட 11 பேரில் ஏழு பேர் நீரிழிவு நோயிலிருந்து பூரணமாக குணமடைந்துள்ளனர்.

இந்த சிகிச்சை முறைமை நிரந்தரமான தீர்வாக அமையுமா என்பது குறித்து விரிவான ஆய்வுகள் நடத்தப்பட வேண்டுமென தெரிவிக்கப்படுகிறது.

பிரித்தானியாவில் டைப் 2 ரக நீரிழிவு நோயுடைய 2.5 மில்லியன் மக்கள் வாழ்ந்து வருவதாகக் குறிப்பிடப்படுகிறது.

கடுமையான உணவுக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு முறைமைகளின் மூலம் நீரிழிவு நோயைக் கட்டுப்படுத்த முடியும் என சுட்டிக்காட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது.

உணவுக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு சிகிச்சையை பெற்றுக் கொண்டோரின் குளுக்கோசின் அளவு மற்றும் கொழுப்பின் அளவு கனிசமான அளவு வீழ்ச்சியடைந்துள்ளமை கண்டு பிடிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

விண்கல் ஒன்று பூமியை நெருங்கி வந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறது

பூமியின் தென் முனையை நோக்கி மிக நெருங்கி வந்துக்கொண்டிருக்கும் விண்கல் ஒன்றை விஞ்ஞானிகள் அடையாளம் கண்டுள்ளனர்.

ஆபத்தான விண்கற்கள் ஏதேனும் பூமியை நெருங்குகிறதா என்பதை கண்காணிக்கும் மெக்சிகோவைச் சேர்ந்த விண்வெளி ஆராய்ச்சி நிறுவனம் ஒன்று இந்த விண்கல்ளை அவதானித்துள்ளது.

மெக்சிகோவைச் சேர்ந்த இந்த நிறுவம் கடந்த புதன் கிழமை விசேட தொலை நோக்கியின் துணையுடன் விண்கற்களை அவதானித்துள்ளது.

2011 எம் டி என பெயரிடப்பட்டுள்ள இந்த விண்கல் நாளை பூமியின் மேற்பரப்பில் இருந்து சுமார் 11 ஆயிரம் கிலோமீற்றர் தூரத்திற்கு நெருங்கி வருவதாகவும் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இந்த வேளையில் விண்கல் பிரகாசமாக தெரியும் எனவும் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளது.

மெக்சிகோ விண்வெளி ஆராய்ச்சி நிறுவனத்தின் இந்த அவதானிப்பை இங்கிலாந்தின் விண்வெளி ஆய்வு மையமும் உறுதிப்படுத்தியுள்ளமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

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Tell Me What To Do

“Knowledge, jnana, means understanding our relationship with Krishna. A wise man asks, ‘What is my duty to Krishna?’ Once we understand our relationship with Krishna and our duty to Him, we naturally become reluctant to engage in material activities. This is called vairagya, detachment from material activities. Jnana and vairagya can be awakened by bhakti-yoga.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Teachings of Lord Kapila, Ch 18)

When first presented with spiritual teachings, the attentive listener, the person on the receiving end of the valiant preaching efforts of the ebullient and sometimes boorish devotee of a worshipable personality, can have one of two reactions. Especially when information is presented by followers of the Vedas, the ancient system of spirituality passed down since time immemorial through a tradition of hearing wisdom and subsequently acting upon it, the choice of action is a pass/fail one; black or white, fight or flight, yes or no, etc. Those who are emphatically opposed to the teachings calling for complete and total surrender unto a supreme personality presented before them might have the reaction of, “No way, Jose! Not me. This stuff might be important to you, but I can’t believe what you’re saying. I already have my God and I’m fine with Him.” But then there is the inquisitive soul, he who has some interest in hearing more about this Supreme Person whose name is Krishna and who always carries a flute and wears a peacock feather in His hair. Just hearing descriptions of His glorious nature is enough to reel in the sincere soul who is looking for a bona fide spiritual path to follow, one that becomes a way of life and thus provides the topmost transcendental bliss. In these cases, the initial reaction of the recipients will invariably be, “Okay, I’m ready to surrender to Krishna, but now what? What do I do? What is my responsibility to Him?”

By delving further into the matter, we can see that responsibilities of any kind share a common trait. In the realm of spirituality, this trait’s importance becomes more pronounced. From studying example after example of different activities, a pattern starts to emerge. We see that duty is accepted to maintain a predominant characteristic, be it a personal quality, situation, or relationship. For instance, the husband has the duty of protecting the wife and taking care of the family interests. The inherent quality of a marriage is that husband and wife are together in each other’s company. Therefore the natural obligation handed to both parties is that they do whatever is necessary to maintain the defining characteristic of the relationship. Any new responsibilities that emerge will be derived from the ideal condition. The husband must earn a living to support the family; the wife must take care of the children; the husband must ensure that his wife is well taken care of in health; the wife must ensure that the family life is peaceful, stable and welcoming to outside guests, etc. Thus we see that so many duties and responsibilities come about on their own simply through understanding the nature of the relationship, the ideal condition.

Along the same lines, the individual living being gets their predominant characteristic from their relationship to the Supreme Lord. This should make sense after all, as God is the original creator, the source from which everything spiritual and material emanates. The Bhagavad-gita, the concise treatise on spirituality espoused by Krishna Himself and which follows the Vedic system, says that the spirit soul, the individual autonomous unit of energy within any form of gross matter that is deemed living, never takes birth and never dies. The spirit souls are sanatana, or eternal, just like the person to whom they are intimately related. It appears that we have a contradiction here, as by saying that the spiritual energy comes from some place, it implies that spirit souls have a beginning, and thus the stipulation of no birth loses its meaning. The actual situation can be thought of in this way: The spirit souls come from God, and since the Lord has no birth or death, the souls can also be considered eternal. These sparks forever exist, so their individuality is always there, even when it lies in a dormant state, such as during the time it may spend in the light of Brahman, the brahmajyoti.

Vedic teachings are precisely geared towards enlightening the wayward souls on their proper identity. In the absence of this sound instruction, identification will be taken from outer features; hence the existence of practices like racism, nationalism, sectarianism, ethnocentrism, and so many other “isms”. All of the equality movements that have sprung up over the course of human history are aimed at eliminating some level of false identification, but unless and until the relationship with the Supreme Lord is defined, which obviously can’t happen until the Supreme Person Himself is properly understood and identified, no mentality can be considered all-inclusive.

The flaws in the mindsets that are supposedly based on spirituality are revealed when inhumane practices like animal slaughter and terrorism follow. Those eating the meat of slain cows and even those running the slaughterhouses may be avowed followers of a particular faith, people who openly claim to believe in God, but since they engage in sinful activity by killing innocent members of the Lord’s creation, it can be understood that they have not been made aware of the properties of individual spirit and the soul’s ability to reside in up to 8,400,000 different life forms, including those belonging to the animal kingdom.

Similarly, the religious zealots engaged in blowing up buildings, setting off bombs in crowded places, and holding innocent women and children hostage to further a political purpose actually have zero understanding of spirituality. Based on their concocted theories and their own prejudices, they use religion as an excuse to further their personal interests which are driven solely off the animalistic mindset.

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.19)

The comparison to the animal species is appropriate because only in the human form of body can the soul develop a consciousness that is wise enough to even ponder the question of identity. Indeed, anyone who asks the question of “Who am I?” is considered very wise according to the Vedic estimation. Out of the few who will ask this question, an even smaller percentage will take the necessary steps to understand their true position and what that means. Again, out of the small amount of the inquisitive population that will take the necessary steps to try to understand the Supreme Spirit, an even smaller number will actually understand that God is the most attractive person possessing the attributes of beauty, wealth, strength, fame, renunciation and wisdom to the fullest degree and simultaneously, thereby making Him ever worthy of the name of “Krishna”.

Let’s say that a soul has been fortunate enough to cut through all the noise and see through the pretenders espousing versions of spirituality that fail to be all-inclusive in their practices and ideology. Let’s say that a person even accepts Krishna, or some other non-different expansion of the same personality, as God. Then what? What are they to do? After identifying who Krishna is, what steps need to be taken? The relationship between individual spirit and Supreme Spirit is nicely summarized in the philosophy of Lord Chaitanya known as achintya-bhedabheda-tattva. We label this philosophy as belonging to Shri Gaurahari, the preacher incarnation of Godhead, only because He was the first one to openly identify it and preach exclusively off of it. Indeed, since God and His infinitesimal sparks are sanatana, the relationship between them cannot be explained in a philosophy or truth which is conjured up within the mind. Rather, Lord Chaitanya was just kind enough to reveal the ultimate truth to everyone and then show us how to act off of it.

His philosophy states that the individual souls are simultaneously one with and different from the Supreme Lord. And lest we rack our brains for the rest of our lives trying to understand how this is possible, Lord Chaitanya says that this simultaneous oneness and difference is inconceivable to the mind, or achintya. The proper course of action is to act off of this disposition rather than take to understanding the specific truths and laws of nature that go into its construction. Generally, on the lower stages of spiritual understanding, when the sincere soul is not yet ready to fully surrender their thoughts, words and deeds to Krishna, individual components like jnana and vairagya are required to help further increase devotion. Jnana is knowledge, such as understanding the differences between matter and spirit, the workings of the universe, and the eternality of individual spirit. Vairagya is renunciation, giving up those engagements which further solidify the animal tendencies inherited at the time of birth. These two components are very helpful in making progress in spiritual understanding.

When one takes directly to serving Krishna and agrees to abide by their duty to Him, both jnana and vairagya come automatically. Since there is a simultaneous difference and oneness in makeup between us and Krishna, there is a natural relationship that results. Krishna is superior and we are inferior, so it would stand to reason that we would act as His servants and He would accept our kind efforts. As the reservoir of pleasure, Krishna, or God, is meant to always be pleased, for His happiness is shared with His devotees. Though the relationship with God never changes, when the bond is not identified, the actions undertaken by the individual soul don’t lead to Krishna’s direct pleasure. Therefore the inherent duty of every spirit soul roaming this and every other universe is to maintain the link in consciousness with the Supreme Spirit through expressive acts of love and devotion.

Lest we think we are being forced into worship and being made subjects of an all-powerful ruler, the service mentality is already present within everyone. Irrespective of the engagement and the identified beneficial condition, there is always service required to maintain the utmost characteristic. The example of the marriage was mentioned previously, but we can also use any relationship to see that the pattern followed is the same. In the office environment, the subjects, i.e. the workers, are employed to maintain the profitability of the company. From this simple relationship come many new responsibilities, smaller tasks and obligations that must be met. The CEO works to accept the service from the workers and also to maintain the good standing of the company. The politician acts in the interest of the constituents, the students for the pleasure of the teacher, the police officer to protect the distressed citizen attacked by rogues and thieves, the disciple to glorify and please his spiritual master, etc.

If service is present in every field of endeavor not related to spirituality, why should it be absent in maintaining the link to the one person who is superior to everyone else? My duty to Krishna is to maintain the link to Him in consciousness through acts of devotion that are collectively known as the discipline of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Bhakti-yoga’s quintessential activity, the one behavior that best solidifies the understanding of the individual and their unbreakable friendship to the Supreme Person, and also the one practice wholly recommended by Shri Krishna Chaitanya, is the chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. This mantra is directly tied to Lord Chaitanya, as He was kind enough to remove the cloak of secrecy previously tied to it and reveal it to the rest of the world. Many mantras of the Vedic tradition are rightly reserved for specific students and rituals that are difficult to complete. But the maha-mantra addresses the Lord in a mood of love and devotion, and most importantly, it contains His two most potent names, Krishna and Rama. These sound vibrations describe God’s features as the all-attractive personality and the entity who provides transcendental pleasure to His devotees. These names also reference two forms of Godhead that are non-different from one another.

“The living entity is an eternal servant of Krishna, the Supreme God.” (Lord Chaitanya, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 20.108)

Shri Shri Nimai Nitai chanting and dancing

Based on the example set by Lord Chaitanya, we see that everyone’s duty is to regularly chant the maha-mantra, at least sixteen rounds a day on a set of japa beads if possible. In the Vedic system, when the guru initiates a disciple he chants a specific mantra on a set of beads and then hands those beads over to the disciple to use in their spiritual practice. The idea is that the beads become empowered by the representative of the Lord, a spiritual master who appears in a chain of disciplic succession which has as its source Shri Krishna. With the recommendation of chanting Hare Krishna sixteen rounds daily, there is tremendous potency already built in. We can think of the sixteen rounds recommendation as having been personally empowered by Lord Chaitanya Himself, for He knew that future generations would have a difficult time answering the question of, ”What is my duty to Krishna?” This chanting regulation is sufficient in taking up a significant portion of each day, thereby allowing the sincere soul to gain both knowledge and renunciation through the simplest and most effective of practices.

Once the bhakti mindset, that of pure love and devotion for Krishna, envelops the sincere soul, the subsequent occupational duties seemingly emerge on their own. The humble devotee takes whatever steps are necessary to maintain the fidelity of their relationship to Krishna. This means that whatever is favorable towards the furthering of Krishna consciousness is accepted, and whatever leads to a return to the conditioned life that proved miserable for so many lifetimes is rejected. Refraining from the sinful engagements of meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex, the steady devotee’s mind becomes free to always think of Krishna and relish His pastimes that continue to occur throughout the innumerable universes in existence. Right now, somewhere in space, Krishna is appearing from the womb of Mother Devaki and asking Vasudeva to transfer Him to Vrindavana. Somewhere Krishna is lifting the mighty Govardhana Hill and protecting the residents of Vrindavana from the torrential downpour instigated by Indra. Somewhere Krishna is speaking the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna, and somewhere the Lord is enjoying pastimes with the gopis and their leader, Shrimati Radharani. If we make chanting Krishna’s names our main occupation, we can be assured that wherever we go and whatever we do, the sound vibrations emanating from the spiritual sky can be heard, even in a land seemingly divorced of its relationship to God. Hearing God is as good as seeing Him, so following bhakti principles will allow any space to be turned into a spiritual land very quickly