“Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.25)

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यान्ति देवव्रता देवान्पितॄन्यान्ति पितृव्रता: ।
भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम् ॥

yānti deva-vratā devān
pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām

1. Give him food

“Dude, have you seen that guy? He is really struggling. He sleeps on the streets. He hasn’t showered in weeks. I don’t know what is wrong with him. We have to help. Let’s bring him some food. Not just tonight, but on a recurring basis.”

2. Give him clothes

“Dude, that can’t be good for the health. That person seriously stinks. You can smell them from a mile away. I think we need to give him some new clothes. Nothing crazy expensive. Buy something from the nearby outlet center. Whatever you choose will be a vast improvement from what he is wearing right now.”

3. Give him a house

“Dude, it is freezing outside. That guy has been living on the streets for six months now. He has turned a cardboard box into a home. He got a bonfire going, along with some friends. The way they eat is known as dumpster-diving. We can’t let this continue. Let’s find some place that he can move into.”

4. Give him a job

“Dude, why don’t we find him a job? Don’t you know someone who would be willing to help out? Aren’t there community welfare projects to help people get back on their feet? If the government can’t help someone like this, what are they doing with all of that tax revenue?”

5. Remind him of his link to wealth

“You guys might be crazier than the person you are trying to help. Did you know that he is the son of such and such business mogul? That’s right, the kid is loaded. Simply bring him back home. The father has been desperate to have the son return. This homelessness is utter nonsense. There is no reason for the sadness and despair. We should all be so lucky.”

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada uses this brilliant comparison to help support the claim that the lost souls in the material world are suffering from madness. They are trying to make a permanent settlement in a place that is otherwise built for reformatory purposes.

We can think of it like sending someone to a rehabilitation center. Perhaps they are a famous musician. Maybe they are the most well-known host with a show on the radio. Within the journey to stardom, they had to pay a price. They had to make compromises. They had to find ways to cope with the pressure.

They ended up getting addicted to harmful substances. The addiction was so strong that only a complete disconnect from their profession would help. They would check in to a rehab center, to undergo therapy in a group, with other patients.

A sane person would not try to make the rehab center their permanent home. They would not try to set up shop and never leave. They would understand that they can take whatever they have learned inside and apply it on the outside. Hopefully, they never have to return. They will be cured to the point that they no longer suffer from the addiction.

The material world is similar, but larger in scope. It is like the prison facility with the widest surface upon which to roam. The walls are high. Those walls are difficult to scale, durgam. Those walls are essentially paid for by desire.

Consciousness is the determining factor, measured at a particular time. When the moment for quitting arrives, there is a decision to be made. Either stay or go. Sure, there is some variety, nuance, and detail to staying in the material world.

A person can go up, as in reaching the heavenly planets. They can fall down, being condemned to hell. They can stay in the same place, with rebirth on earth. They can reach the highest planet in the material world, but there is the same vulnerability to birth and death. It is the same as thinking a permanent settlement can be made within the madhouse.

Those who are devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead reach the highest destination. They go to Krishna’s realm after quitting the body. Upon reaching that place, they never have to leave. It is like the wealthy person’s son finally returning home. They can share in their father’s wealth. They do not have to needlessly struggle.

Shri Krishna sends His representatives to reclaim the fallen souls. Those representatives instill and push forward a culture of living, a way of life to cover every issue, every question, and every area of uncertainty. This way of life is known as dharma, and it has universal applicability, irrespective of time and circumstance.

That is to say, dharma is the same today as it was ten thousand years ago. Dharma is the same for the young and for the old. For the man and for the woman. The exact implementation may vary, depending on the circumstances, but the underlying purpose is always the same. To connect with God, to serve Him, and to seek nothing in return. To have pure love and devotion for the one who reciprocates on an unimaginable scale.

In Closing:

On an unimaginable scale,
Reward for following trail.

By the representatives led,
Who spiritual needs fed.

Krishna reciprocating in kind,
A permanent home to find.

That in wealth the entire time,
No more this madhouse of mine.

Categories: the five

Tags: god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, poverty, religion