“In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.8)

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परित्राणाय साधूनां
विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्
धर्म-संस्थापनार्थाय
सम्भवामि युगे युगे

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya
sambhavāmi yuge yuge

1. The knife cutting through a soda can

“Just how sharp is this knife, you ask. Buddy, can you bring that soda can over here? Do you ever have a difficult time cutting through an empty can? I know that you don’t, because who actually tries to cut one of these things?

“Nevertheless, our new knife has no problem. It glides right through the can. No effort. Did you see that? Why wouldn’t you want to buy these?”

2. The sealant plugging a tank of water

“Just how strong is our adhesive tape? Let’s go to this giant tank. It is filled with water. We will make a large hole on the side. Oh no! The water is leaking. This is going to turn into a disaster really quick. What can be done to avoid the damage?

“Never fear. Our tape to the rescue. Just take a small piece and apply it across the gap. Voila. The leaking stopped. Don’t worry, that tape will hold for a long time. Crisis averted.”

3. The brakes abruptly stopping a moving vehicle

“Go ahead, take it for a drive. You will like the smooth ride. We thought of every luxury you would ever want. Once you drive this, you will never want another vehicle.

“Oh look out! That car just pulled in front of you. See. Did you notice how the vehicle abruptly stopped? Literally, on a dime. That is how awesome the brakes are. The car can even sense objects that are in the rear. It will apply the brakes if you happen to forget.”

4. Headphones blocking out significant noise

“Are you working from home? Are the children driving you crazy? Spouse yelling and screaming the entire day? You just want some peace, am I right?

“Look no further than these noise-cancelling headphones. Try them on. Pick the loudest conditions. Notice how you can barely hear anything now. You are going to love these.”

5. Liquid protecting against heavy rain

“Seriously, you can forget about reaching for the button to turn on the wipers. This sealant is so amazing that the rain will not gather on the windshield. Test it out during the heaviest downpour. You will be amazed.”

…

To those familiar with the bhagavata culture of spiritual life, Hiranyakashipu and Ravana might as well be household names. They are like the Darth Vader character from the famous Star Wars films. They are two of the most well-known villains, who also happen to be historical personalities.

With respect to the present timeline of known history, those villains appeared in this world thousands of years ago. Hiranyakashipu was first. Ravana came later. They are known both for the ascendency and the tragic fall.

The fall was tragic for them, because they never saw it coming. They expected to remain on top, forever. That was the impetus for their work. They were trying to skirt the laws of nature, which stipulate that the body must continue to change, through until the time of death.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

If there are laws of nature, there must be a lawgiver. There must be someone who implements the principles. The smartphone functions through an operating system. Someone had to develop that system. They code the specific features. They fix bugs and develop upgrades.

Hiranyakashipu and Ravana first exploited the controllers of nature and then tried their best to supplant them. The highest lawgiver, the source of everything, became their enemy. They both wanted to eliminate the worship of this lawgiver, thereby pretending that He didn’t exist, at all.

Hiranyakashipu and Ravana were also of horrible deeds. They did bad things to good people. There was really no limit. Hiranyakashipu tried to kill an innocent five-year old boy, who happened to be his son. Ravana killed others and then ate them, as he was a Rakshasa by species.

Despite being the greatest villains known to this world, they are also praiseworthy. They can be glorified, in a genuine way. This is because their deeds were so horrible, their potency so great, their influence so dominating, that the perfect backdrop was created for the Supreme Personality of Godhead to act.

He does not need to be tested. We already know His greatness based on the intelligence embedded into every aspect of nature. Since He is without beginning, no one can say that He is dependent on anyone else. Since He is without end, He is known as ananta.

Since His features are impossible to accurately measure, He is known as Adhokshaja. Hiranyakashipu and Ravana give an idea into that potency, though. By their actions, they show just how great God can be, when He decides to appear on this earth, in the personal form.

Vishnu as Narasimha took down Hiranyakashipu without effort. Vishnu as Rama crossed an ocean by foot, using floating rocks to form a bridge. Rama defeated the ten-headed and twenty-armed Ravana in a fair fight.

These are not limits to the potency of Vishnu, but they highlight some of His abilities. This is especially important for those who are suffering from ignorance, who are having a difficult time believing that there is a single controller, that everything emanates from one individual.

Since the villains are connected to Vishnu in this way, they are part of the grand story. They are central characters to transcendental adventures, and in this way a person can look at those characters fondly. Despite being on the opposing side of devotional allegiance, they are connected to Vishnu all the same.

In Closing:

From Vedic history known,
Through wicked deeds shown.

Despite with villain the name,
Connected to Vishnu the same.

Though devotional life to oppose,
Worthy of praise those foes.

Since Hari’s dominance to show,
How His greatness to know.

Categories: the five

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