“Tulsidas understands that all his shortcomings are due to himself and all his good qualities due to Rama. By knowing this, even in Kali Yuga good things will easily happen for you and you will be fearless in this world.” (Dohavali, 77)

Download this episode (right click and save)

निज दूषन गुन राम के समुझें तुलसीदास।
होइ भलो कलिकाल हूँ उभय लोक अनयास ॥

nija dūṣana guna rāma ke samujheṃ tulasīdāsa।
hoi bhalo kalikāla hū~ ubhaya loka anayāsa ॥

“As far as I see it, there are two extremes when it comes to ascribing blame for bad things that happen. We are defining bad as anything unwanted. More than your basic lying, cheating, stealing, or general criminal behavior, the analysis is based on the specific struggles involving adversity or times of difficulty.

“On the one side you have the person who blames God for everything. They are quite angry at Him, you see, to the point that they vow to never worship, to never pray, to never recommend religious life to any person who is on the fence.

“They are angry with the troubles they have encountered. They blame God because it seems that the events are out of human control. The tragic passing of a family member. The loss of a job. The onset of disease. The dictates of oppressive governments. The cheaters getting ahead, while the honest rot in a jail cell on fabricated charges, with no trial date pending to prove their innocence.

“On the other side you have the person who credits God with everything good in their life. If there are any shortcomings, they put the blame on themselves. You see this sentiment expressed in one of the poetic couplets composed by Goswami Tulsidas.

“He says that Rama should receive the credit for anything good. The bad stuff is due to the individual. The recommendation is for every person to keep this in mind. When within the otherwise dark age of Kali, everything will work out. As long as you understand Rama is on the side of good, that God is aligned with conditions that we would consider to be favorable, there will be no reason to remain fearful.

“I don’t find either argument to be logical. If you are going to blame God for the bad stuff, then why not give Him credit for the good? If you think He is only responsible for your praiseworthy attributes, why does He escape blame for the bad things that you do?

“Do you understand what I am saying? Do you know what I mean? I would think that some balance is warranted. Find middle ground. Do not be swept away by blind sentiment. Do not intentionally choose to be ignorant.”

To help us understand the position of the Vaishnava saint, we can take the example of a student taking instruction from a teacher. The specific discipline involved is not that important for the analysis. For our example, we could take athletics, such as training for an Olympic competition.

In the beginning, the student makes so many mistakes. They are clumsy. They lack proper coordination. They are careless. To make matters worse, their work ethic is poor. They show up late to training sessions. They do not take the process seriously.

That same student later becomes a decorated champion in the field. They break all the records. They earn more medals than anyone in history. They excel to such a degree that no one would believe the story of their failure in the initial phases.

This champion athlete gives all the credit to their teacher. They say that whatever good is there is due to the instruction received. Everything bad was there from the start. The athlete remembers the previous condition. Success did not suddenly make them forget.

The Vaishnava saint follows a similar path. They accept the mercy of the guru, who they view as the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord. The saint may offer sentiments along the following lines:

“You have no idea how bad I was. I could share with you some of my shortcomings, but I am even embarrassed to reveal them. We would be sitting here for days, and you would be amazed at my striking lack of character.

“My guru essentially pulled me out of that mess. They rescued me. There is no other way to put it. I am much happier today. I see things in a different way. I have tasted something higher. Everything you read about in Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic texts is true. Through the helping hand of the Divine Controller, the impossible can become possible. Just look at me.”

In Closing:

Viewpoint as achieved concluding,
But success not my outlook deluding.

Struggling desperately at the start,
Only from assistance to depart.

The bad the fault of my own,
Myself to blame alone.

Now that in triumphant way,
All from Sita-Rama to say.

Categories: questions

Tags: bhakti, dohavali, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, yoga