“My husband Rama is famous throughout the world. He is pure, truthful, and very gentle. He is mighty-armed, has wide eyes, and is always busy working for the welfare of all living beings [sarva-bhuta-hite-ratah].” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 47.11)

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रामेति प्रथितो लोके गुणवान्सत्यवान्शुचिः
विशालाक्षो महाबाहुस्सर्वभूतहिते रतः

rāmeti prathito loke guṇavānsatyavānśuciḥ
viśālākṣo mahābāhussarvabhūtahite rataḥ

“Listen, I get it that you are trying to present Krishna consciousness as something more than religion. You encourage people to maintain their current faith, if they so choose. There is no requirement of exclusivity. You don’t have to sign one of those professions of faith, which looks more like a hostage statement, that you see in some of the homeschool groups. I hate to pick on them, but I was aghast when I first read such requirements. You want me to hang out with your people, to take you seriously, and then you maintain that I must renounce any other way of understanding the universe outside of your view, which is narrow and based on dogmatic insistence? No, thanks. I’ll be fine without you.

“Your appeal tends to be more logical. You present the eternal religion, which is sanatana-dharma, as a living, breathing exercise. It is bhakti-yoga. It is a pursuit. It is a challenge. It is a field of study. It has stages. There is the potential for progression. In fact, that is how you can tell if you are doing things correctly, by measuring progress. The avatara of Shri Rama once kindly asked an ascetic about her progress, to give a sort of informal checklist to compare against. I find that helpful, indeed.”

कच्चित्ते निर्जिता विघ्नाः कच्चित्ते वर्धते तपः
कच्चित्ते नियतः क्रोध आहारश्च तपोधने
कच्चित्ते नियमाः प्राप्ताः कच्चित्ते मनसः सुखम्
कच्चित्ते गुरुशुश्रूषा सफला चारुभाषिणि

kaccitte nirjitā vighnāḥ kaccitte vardhate tapaḥ
kaccitte niyataḥ krodha āhāraśca tapodhane
kaccitte niyamāḥ prāptāḥ kaccitte manasaḥ sukham
kaccitte guruśuśrūṣā saphalā cārubhāṣiṇi

“Have you conquered all the obstacles in the way of your practice of austerities? Has your practice of austerity and penance steadily increased? O lady who possesses asceticism for wealth [tapodhane], have you been able to control your anger and your eating? Have you observed all the regulative principles and have you achieved happiness of mind? O lady who speaks beautifully, has your service to your guru been fruitful?” (Lord Rama speaking to Shabari, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 74.8-9)

“Here is the problem I am having. I know that my progress is halted. I have the sincerity. I want to succeed. I want to purify consciousness. That’s just the thing. I am failing. My consciousness is so focused on past transgressions. The wrongs committed against me. The abuses. The insults. The unexpected turns, the betrayals from people who are supposedly my friends and family.

“I cannot let those memories go, no matter how much I try. What is the solution? Am I doomed? Is there no hope? I want to move on, but I am still so surprised by what went down that I am trying to make sense of it all.”

We can consider our thought patterns as falling into two categories. In the above review, we go over things that we don’t like. In this case, it is people. The ones who wronged us. The ones who interfered for no good reason. The ones who tried to embarrass us. The ones who displayed a level of cruelty never before considered. We would not believe it if we had not seen it with our own eyes.

To find the second category, we simply flip the relationship. We think of those who have done good to us. These are the people that we like. These are the experiences that we look forward to, in trying to replicate a cherished memory from the past. My enemies are those who wish me harm. My friends are those who wish me well.

It may be that the first category wins out, in terms of priority. We dwell too much on the negative. We take the positive for granted. What we fail to consider is that we might be within the same categories for someone else. That is to say, someone holds on to a memory about something we did. We abused. We scorned. We cheated. Of course, we do not remember, but the person on the other side cannot forget.

Then we have the people who like us. They remember our birthday. They phone when something good happens. They might even share bad news, knowing that we can likely cheer them up. They sometimes openly state how lucky they feel to have a friend like us.

Now, imagine if you will, a single individual who fits into the “good” category. He does this not only for me, but for you, as well. He is good to everyone, in fact. Whether a person is my friend or my enemy, a compatriot known since childhood or a total stranger, this one individual is good to that person. This one individual is wishing well to every living being, in fact, since time immemorial. He is not relegated to a myth or an abstract, either. Sita Devi, the daughter of King Janaka, one time remarked how Rama is always wishing well to everyone.

The same Rama, in His form of Krishna, recommends remembering. Just always think of God the person. Chant His glories. Meditate. Recall fondly. In case we have a difficult time remembering, there are sacred texts to consult. There are principles to ponder. There are exercises to conduct, to see if the principles play out in the practical sense.

मन्-मना भव मद्-भक्तो
मद्-याजी मां नमस्कुरु
माम् एवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवम्
आत्मानं मत्-परायणः

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.34)

This remembering is another way to implement bhakti-yoga. I might be stuck on a negative memory from the past, but the Supreme Lord is still wishing me well. He is doing the same for those people that I do not like. He is trying to lift up the fallen, the forgotten, and even the supposedly elevated. There can never be a better friend, and thus there can never be a better person to remember. By trying to connect with Him, we will eventually reach Him.

In Closing:

From the negative to deliver,
Bhakti’s path consider.

Where even explicitly to teach,
That eventually to reach.

By remembering so,
His glories to know.

Because shastra to bring,
Eternally to sing.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, meditation, poem, poems, poetry