“How can I ensure that the purpose of my task does not get destroyed? How shall I avoid mental disparity, and how do I ensure that my crossing of the ocean does not go for naught?” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 2.41)

Download this episode (right click and save)

न विनश्येत्कथं कार्यं वैक्लब्यं न कथं भवेत् |
लङ्घनं च समुद्रस्य कथं नु न वृथा भवेत् ||

na vinaśyetkathaṃ kāryaṃ vaiklabyaṃ na kathaṃ bhavet |
laṅghanaṃ ca samudrasya kathaṃ nu na vṛthā bhavet ||

“I recently came across a recommendation from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, describing how Krishna consciousness is not based on a bureaucracy. If we have a governing board determining everything, then people lose their individuality. They turn into dependents of a greater entity; they have no incentive to do anything on their own.

“Rather, Krishna consciousness is about making people independently thoughtful and competent in all departments of knowledge and action. I found this sort of mission statement to be fascinating, but at the same time reassuring. It would make sense that if we are striving to know Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we would automatically know more about the world in which we live.

“At the same time, how do we square the independent thinking with dependence on the spiritual master and parampara? Do the two not conflict? Are we not supposed to avoid mental speculation? Should we not pass along the knowledge as it is originally received, without deviation?

“Do you know what I mean? Where do we draw the line between independence and fidelity to the tradition? I acknowledge that today there is certainly too much bureaucracy in many places. As soon as you voice an independent thought, you get sanctioned by the institution. The smart people keep quiet, as a result. The institution is thereby left with blind followers, who show no signs of intelligence, as evidenced by the questions they ask after a class.”

We can take any sphere of influence involving dependence to understand the two competing concepts. On the one side you have dependence. We can take a role such as housewife. They are subordinate to the husband. They cook and clean all day while the husband is at work. The housewife manages the household. They take care of the kids. They get no payment for this work, though there is no clocking in or checking out. There is barely any time for rest.

At the same time, the housewife in this case has a large degree of independence. They can choose what to purchase from the supermarket. They are in charge of the menu at home, since they are the ones cooking the meals.

They decide how the children will be dressed, what activities they participate in, what time they go to bed in the evening, and so forth. The housewife decorates the home and aside from maybe the nearby mother-in-law, there is little oversight to the proceedings. The husband takes satisfaction in knowing that everything is taken care of.

In the same way, if we are dependent on the acharya and their teachings, we can still utilize our intelligence for fulfilling the goal of consciousness of the Divine. It is not that we sit quietly like a fool and pretend to not know how to do anything.

We see the historical case of Shri Hanuman in his travels to Lanka. There was one mission: find Sita Devi. This mission was for pleasing God directly, in His avatara of Shri Rama. There were no specific instructions provided to Hanuman beforehand. The leader of the Vanaras, Sugriva, had full trust in that son of the wind. There was firm faith that if anyone were to succeed, it would be Hanuman.

अतिबल बलमाश्रितस्तवाहं
हरिवरविक्रम विक्रमैरनल्पैः।
पवनसुत यथाऽभिगम्यते सा
जनकसुता हनुमं स्तथा कुरुष्व।।

atibala balamāśritastavāhaṃ
harivaravikrama vikramairanalpaiḥ।
pavanasuta yathā’bhigamyate sā
janakasutā hanumaṃ stathā kuruṣva।।

“O very powerful one, I depend on your might. As you are the best of the monkeys, O son of the wind, do you exert yourself in such a way that by using your extraordinary strength and bravery, O Hanuman, the daughter of Janaka may be found.” (Shri Rama speaking to Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 44.17)

Though he is well-known for his heroic exploits, such as crossing an ocean, turning the tables on villains who set his tail on fire, and carrying a mountain in his hand, Hanuman also thinks independently. He is competent in areas of espionage, pacification, statecraft, and linguistics.

Hanuman is so intelligent that he periodically applies self-evaluation. He checks to see whether things are going according to plan. Does he need to make adjustments? Does he have to change course? Is he on the right path, set to meet the target deadline?

Hanuman considers his great accomplishments and worries over how to make the significance last. He wants everything to be worth it, to see to the completion of the mission for pleasing both Sita and Rama. At times, he has no one to fall back on, but he remains steady in the path, taking strength from the devotional link.

In Closing:

When on disaster’s brink,
Relying on devotional link.

Since no one else there,
Of pressing time aware.

Though for others’ sake to apply,
Hanuman on independence to rely.

Meaning that both possibly true,
Full faith and awareness too.

Categories: questions

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