“The demoniac, taking shelter of insatiable lust, pride and false prestige, and being thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work, attracted by the impermanent.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 16.10)

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काममाश्रित्य दुष्पूरं दम्भमानमदान्विता:
मोहाद्‍गृहीत्वासद्‍ग्राहान्प्रवर्तन्तेऽश‍ुचिव्रता:

kāmam āśritya duṣpūraṁ
dambha-māna-madānvitāḥ
mohād gṛhītvāsad-grāhān
pravartante ’śuci-vratāḥ

Do they not see what is going on? Do they not notice the pattern? What is happening to them right now is literally what was perpetrated by them upon others. Upon unsuspecting victims. With no remorse. With no retrospective, after the fact, taking into consideration the feelings of the victims. Rather, they moved on to something else, immediately. Suddenly, when they are on the receiving end of the same treatment, they do not like it. They vehemently object. Bhagavad-gita gives insight as to the reason.

Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is kind enough to carve out a section for drawing the dividing line between good and evil. The Sanskrit words are daiva and asura. Sura can also be used in place of daiva. Notice that the second term is merely the negation of the first. Sura is the root or pivot to the discussion. Sura does not mean that a person will always be good. It means that this is their general tendency, that they try to align with righteous principles, dharma. The suras certainly slip up every now and then. To commit mistakes is one of the defects every human being is born with.

Take the concept of a sura, who is daiva [divine] in nature, and simply invert it. For instance, instead of patience being a virtue, impatience becomes the only way of life. Instead of striving to rise above the temporary, which is known as asat in Sanskrit, always associate with the temporary. Make that your only goal in life. Once you achieve it, since it by definition lacks lasting substance, simply move on to something else which is temporary.

Krishna describes this difference in a conversation with the bow-warrior named Arjuna. The description is more for other people, since Arjuna receives the assurance that he already has divine qualities. Arjuna is not prone to the asura way. He is actually a defender of dharma. He goes into battle against those who carry the asura-mindset. These battles are necessary because the asura tends to encroach upon the property and life of others, without just cause.

Simply to satisfy their senses, they will steal another man’s wife. Simply to increase their wealth, they will confiscate resources from another person. The wealth is to boost their pride. They create a prestige which is false, due to the impious behavior. The end is always destruction. They are fortunate if that occurs within their purview, such that they might see the folly of their ways. If the destruction occurs later on, then they spent an entire lifetime chasing after something which was not real.

Ironically, the asura insists upon sura-like behavior within their own circles. You see, the thief does not like it when others steal from them. If a band of thieves has kept their stolen goods in a safe place, they would not like it if one of the members breaks the agreement. There is mutual assurance that no one will take more than their share. But what exactly is a just share for something secured through unjust means? Why should there be honor among thieves?

The asura takes from others. If others should take from them, there is hell to pay. That is how we know they are an asura. The way of the asura is the way towards continued birth and death. The human birth is meant for escaping that cycle, to finally find a way out. The tendencies of the sura are conducive towards meeting this objective. The divine qualities lead to liberation, while the demoniac qualities keep the individual grounded in a temporary reality.

दैवी सम्पद् विमोक्षाय
निबन्धायासुरी मता
मा शुचः सम्पदं दैवीम्
अभिजातो ऽसि पाण्डव

daivī sampad vimokṣāya
nibandhāyāsurī matā
mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm
abhijāto ‘si pāṇḍava

“The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the demonic qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Pandu, for you are born with the divine qualities.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 16.5)

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada says that the situation is not fixed for an entire lifetime. That is to say, even if a person is born an asura and has spent a lifetime in unclean activities, they can turn things around. The sura-like individual, who is divine in nature, daivim, through their influence has the potential to lift others out of darkness.

Otherwise, all hope would be lost. There would be no reason to correct others. There would be no need for shastra, which governs, corrects, and guides. Whether I am born with the daiva qualities or have been stuck in the asura tendencies since before I can remember, there is hope. Prior to even giving the breakdown between good and bad natures, Krishna revealed the secret. A person who knows that Krishna is the topmost person, Purushottama, knows everything necessary for success in life. This is a great secret, but it is kindly revealed to Arjuna. Because of the grace of Vyasadeva and those following in his line, the same secret is available to us, who are living today, who are struggling to determine right and wrong.

यो मामेवमसम्मूढो जानाति पुरुषोत्तमम्
स सर्वविद्भ‍जति मां सर्वभावेन भारत

yo mām evam asammūḍho
jānāti puruṣottamam
sa sarva-vid bhajati māṁ
sarva-bhāvena bhārata

“Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything, and he therefore engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.19)

In Closing:

Placed in world to be,
So good and bad to see.

Even thieves together banding,
On equal share agreement landing.

Not liking when the rule to break,
Despite originally from others to take.

Better just Krishna as Supreme to call,
Carrying highest secret of all.

Categories: religion

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