“Driven by a virtuous or evil purpose, each living entity performs some work, which has consequences associated with it. After death, the same person steadily reaps all those auspicious and inauspicious results.” (Hanuman speaking to Tara, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 21.2)

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गुणदोषकृतं जन्तुस्स्वकर्म फलहेतुकम्
अव्यग्रस्तदवाप्नोति सर्वं प्रेत्य शुभाशुभम्

guṇadoṣakṛtaṃ jantussvakarma phalahetukam
avyagrastadavāpnoti sarvaṃ pretya śubhāśubham

“Listen, forgive my ignorance on the following subject. I am not affiliated with such groups. I have nothing against them. If anything, I applaud their efforts. I sort of envy their membership in a mostly supportive community. I wish there were similar formalities available in my situation, in where I live at the moment. I like this idea of people dressing up, showing up to a house of worship once a week, to sort of get their credit for attendance. Let’s be honest; most of the attendees are not paying attention. The wives are happy for some peace and quiet. The husbands are thinking about the professional sporting matches airing on television later in the day.

“The question that struck me recently is the use of the building for the other six days in the week. Just what takes place there? The line of demarcation, if you will, gets drawn on Sunday. That is what separates the saved from the sinners. If you are saved by professing your faith on one day and meeting with the parole board, so to speak, what happens during the other days? What are people doing?

“One guess is that the priests are always around to offer guidance. They help people who are struggling. Okay, but isn’t the primary focus on sin? Basically, the members would ask the priest whether a certain challenge or issue would incur sin. I am thinking of divorcing my wife, for instance. I am shunning my family member who follows a sinful way of life. I yelled at my children this morning. I told a lie at work. These sorts of things. The priests handle such issues. Is that what happens? I can only guess.

“More importantly, why isn’t there something similar in the Vedic tradition? The books of the Vaishnavas focus on transcending good and bad. We are supposed to be above the petty outlook of seeing friends and enemies. We are supposed to see with a transcendental vision. Why can’t we give people more practical advice? Something that clears confusion, especially when we are uncertain about what to do.”

विद्या-विनय-सम्पन्ने
ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि
शुनि चैव श्व-पाके च
पण्डिताः सम-दर्शिनः

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 5.18)

Often times, the impetus for checking in with the priest is to shift the burden. After all, if someone else has blessed or condemned a specific behavior, then I am no longer responsible. It is like my way out of jail. I can claim innocence on the matter, if anyone should ever bring it up. I am intentionally turning off common sense, logical deliberation, and rational thought.

As the foundation of Vedic teachings is the imperishable nature of the individual as spirit soul, the tendency to worry so much about the dividing line between heaven and hell is absent. If I reach heaven, I do not necessarily stay there. If I mess up and suffer in a hellish existence in the future, I will have a chance to come back. This is not to say that I want to behave badly, but the larger focus is on stopping the material existence altogether.

To the average person, karma is the belief that our deeds come back to us. Charity returned as good fortune. Miserliness returned as hard times. Shri Hanuman explains karma in the sense that our good and bad deeds, guna and dosha, determine our future existence. This should give comfort to those grieving the loss of a close friend or family member. The departed have simply moved on to another place. The previous karma determines the nature of that next existence.

The acharya is not meant to serve as a life coach in the sense of improving performance at an occupation, in learning how to lead others, in trying to enjoy as much as possible. The acharya shows the way in finding transcendence. When someone is done with the ups and downs, when they have exhausted their sins from this life and previous ones, they are ready to be guided by someone who knows how to reach the imperishable realm.

येषां त्व् अन्त-गतं पापं
जनानां पुण्य-कर्मणाम्
ते द्वन्द्व-मोह-निर्मुक्ता
भजन्ते मां दृढ-व्रताः

yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.28)

True worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in knowing who He is or at least trying to understand Him in truth, involves setting aside duality. The Sanskrit word is dvandva. Accessing the local priest to solve every one of my insignificant issues falls squarely in the realm of dvandva. I shouldn’t need my guru to tell me to turn off my smartphone when I am trying to meditate. It shouldn’t require an intervention from spiritual authorities to establish a routine of waking up at the same time each day and following some spiritual activities, like worshiping the deity, offering lights and incense, and reading from sacred texts.

Otherwise, such knowledge is readily available. In the realm of duality, there is no shortage of guidance. Hardly anyone is trying for transcendence. Barely anyone knows that transcendence is what matches their constitutional position. We are spirit soul, and so we should try to live in a spiritual way. That is the ultimate pursuit in sanatana-dharma, to get moksha, which is release from conditioned living.

In Closing:

I need some coaching in life,
Like in how to handle my wife.

Or what time to awake,
Whether this substance to take.

Why not advice with Vaishnavas found?
Because with something profound.

That dualities finally to forsake,
And drive towards moksha to make.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, hanuman, karma, life, poem, poems, poetry