Five Interests Shared By Every Rational Person

“The man who reads and recites this narration of the Ramayana will be blessed with a long duration of life and after death will be welcomed and respectfully received in the heavenly region, along with sons, grandsons, and relatives.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kand, 1.99)

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एतदाख्यानमायुष्यं पठन्रामायणं नर:
सपुत्रपौत्रस्सगण: प्रेत्य स्वर्गे महीयते

etadākhyānamāyuṣyaṃ paṭhanrāmāyaṇaṃ nara:
saputrapautrassagaṇa: pretya svarge mahīyate

1. Alleviating their suffering in life

“Why am I suffering so much? I am in constant pain. I realized this morning that the condition has been steady. Since before I can remember, I was struggling. We tend to look back fondly on our childhood. We yearn to return to those days, but I have memory of that period. I remember being so scared, afraid of the future. We only now wish to return because we know that everything turned out alright, more or less.

“I would like to know both the cause of the suffering and the remedy. And don’t tell me about diet and exercise. I am looking for a long-term solution, where I can handle whatever comes my way. I get it that there are always short-term remedies. That appears to be the problem; everyone only focuses on the short-term.”

2. Finding direction

“Which way am I supposed to go? There is a common theme to these commencement speeches. No matter the speaker, they tend to focus on the boundless potential that the graduates have. The sky is their limit. They can ascend to new heights. They can break down boundaries previously considered rigid and strict.

“Okay, I get it that there is potential, but how should that be utilized? There are so many different directions to go. We have considerable history upon which to draw. I see people who are wildly successful in their industries who then succumb to sadness, despair, and depression. Is that what lies ahead? There must be a direction through which meaningful progress takes place. Progress of the general human condition.”

3. Finding purpose

“Why am I here? Seriously, think about it. Just to sit on the couch and watch television? Just to take interest in events of the temporary? If you think about it, everyone is already gone. The people alive today are simply manifest before us. They will disappear one day. They were not known to us prior to their birth.

“Why did we take birth? Why are we compelled to suffer? We have to sleep at night. We have to eat. We have to tolerate the changing of seasons. We have to stay composed through the ups and downs. For what, though? Seriously, what is the best use of my time?”

4. Making sense out of difficulty

“How can people be so cruel? Have you ever thought about that? The complete lack of compassion, care, and concern has really become evident to me in recent years. Everyone is in it for themselves. Do they not see that there is this equality that runs through the entire universe? No one is really better than anyone else, considering that everyone is forced to live within the parameters of nature.

“I am up today and you are down. Tomorrow, the roles reverse. Why should one person put another into trouble? Why should people behave callously towards dependents, such as children and animals? There has to be a reason for this difficulty. There has to be a way to understand, and once armed with that understanding there has to be a way to share the knowledge with others.”

5. Living without offense

“How do I live properly? I am not referring to the purview of the corrupt government. People like to make fun of the concepts of political correctness and ‘wokeism,’ but I think those are merely outgrowths of an inherent desire to please others. We do not wish to intentionally offend. If others are offended by our actions, by our deeds, by our words, by our jokes, then maybe we should try to go in a different direction. Perhaps we should be more mindful of our speech.

“How can we apply that mentality across an entire lifespan? How do we respect others but maintain focus on our personal interests? How do we avoid conflicts? To whom should we assign our loyalty? Who should have top priority when it comes to our actions on a daily basis?”

…

The premise to the discussion is that nary an individual will be interested in the science of self-realization. Though the presentation is impressive, with its thoroughness, conciseness, and appeal to a struggling individual, a work like Bhagavad-gita still has esoteric terms that the average person might not immediately understand.

“Ishvara (the Supreme Lord), jiva (the living entity), prakriti (nature), eternal time and karma (activity) are all explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Out of these five, the Lord, the living entities, material nature and time are eternal.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Introduction)

Who actually ponders such issues on a daily basis? Who even can identify that such issues need to be addressed? They are instead concerned with the next election, the next season to the professional sports league, the next year in the academic calendar for their children, the price of basic goods and services, and maintaining safety in their neighborhoods.

From the above review, we see that people still tend to share interests that are both abstract in nature and larger in significance. That is to say, those interests are not isolated to a specific situation. Choose an arbitrary point in the timeline of recorded history and we will find people concerned with the same issues.

This is one way to understand the appeal of shastra, which is the scriptural component of the Vedic tradition. The knowledge passed along is actually wisdom. The knowledge applies to the long-term interest, shreyas, though there are also hints and suggestions on how to satisfy short-term interest, preyas.

Narada Muni gives the highest endorsement to the Ramayana poem, which is like an historical narrative originally composed in the Sanskrit language. If we are interested in the proper way to live, the Ramayana provides the best example. It is the story of the ideal man, carrying out ideal responsibilities, through anything but an ideal path.

Nothing goes smoothly for the main character, Shri Rama. Responsibility is more difficult to satisfy when there are accompanying hardships. When there is adversity. When there is interference. When the obstruction comes from unexpected sources. When the reality of the situation triggers sadness, despair, and disappointment. After all, when even a loving family can turn against you, what hope do any of us have in this world?

The hope is the same hero to that work. The hope is Shri Rama, who can be remembered today, tomorrow, and into the infinite future. As Goswami Tulsidas describes, even our past births, the many moments that have already been lost, can be purified through association with that beloved prince of Ayodhya, who is the protector of Sita and the eldest brother who leads Lakshmana, the fiercest of warriors.

बिगरी जनम अनेक की सुधरै अबहीं आजु
होहि राम को नाम जपु तुलसी तजि कुसमाजु

bigarī janama aneka kī sudharai abahīṃ āju
hohi rāma ko nāma japu tulasī taji kusamāju

“The many past births you spoiled can be rectified right now, today, if you start chanting Shri Rama’s holy name and renounce bad association, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 22)

In Closing:

In path of dharma proceeding,
As elder brother leading.

An example upon which to look,
Who hardships voluntarily took.

Such that despite trouble and dismay,
Relief to find even today.

Many past births spoiled already,
But purified through remembrance steady.