“Tulsi says that having pure love for Sita and Rama, without thinking of self-interest or supreme interest, is a reward superior to the four rewards of life. That is my opinion.” (Dohavali, 60)

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स्वारथ परमारथ रहित सीता राम सनेहऽ
तुलसी सो फल चारि को फल हमार मत एहऽ

svāratha paramāratha rahita sītā rāma saneha’
tulasī so phala cāri ko phala hamāra mata eha’

1. A new flag

“Yes, I changed my profile picture. When are you going to do the same? Yes, I think it is totally fine for tournaments to ban players from that particular country. That country is not innocent, you know. They invaded another country. They are the worst of the worst. Everyone has to support the victim. Don’t give me that nonsense that the victim country is just as corrupt, that the leader has cancelled all elections, that there are bioweapons labs hidden throughout. That is just propaganda from the aggressors. I am surprised you would be so gullible as to fall for it. Get your mind right or else we can no longer be friends.”

2. QR Code on the forehead

“Did you get it? How about the booster? Well, if you didn’t, you are only harming yourself and those around you. Don’t give me this nonsense of doing research. Stop telling me about the ingredients. I don’t care if there is fetal bovine serum inside. We need to heal. None of us are safe until all of us are safe. Stop endangering society. Do what the experts say. Stop trying to be so smart. The more people that follow, that do as they are told, the faster we will be out of this mess. Get in line or we can no longer be friends.”

3. Face coverings

“What do you think you are doing? Haha, real funny. You say that you are breathing freely, without obstruction, as you have always done. Haven’t you heard the latest directive? We have to wear two of these coverings now. You say that your lungs feel funny within a few minutes of putting them on? That is all in your head. Get over it! Why didn’t we do this before? Well, we didn’t have a virus like this before. It is new. Anyway, stop being a renegade. You will not be allowed anywhere near me unless you put on one of these. Well, sure you can take it off to eat. Or if you need to cough or sneeze. Have some common sense, please! Unless you decide to be respectful, we can no longer be friends.”

4. Electric car

“Our planet cannot tolerate the abuse much longer. I am doing my part to save humanity. I will never need to purchase petroleum ever again. How cool is that? Yes, it takes a while to charge. No, I never thought about how much damage is done to the environment to produce sufficient electricity. At least we are not drilling into the earth for it. Anyway, you better get with the times. These things are the future. No, I am not aware of what happens to the batteries once they break down. I am sure the environment will be just fine when these things are disposed of. Stop asking so many questions. Are you my friend or not?”

5. Fists in the air

“These people are literally being hunted down by the police. The least we can do is show solidarity. When I passed by their demonstration on the street the other day, I honked. I showed them the sign, with my fists up in the air. I care. I have compassion. I am not cruel. You ask what else I am doing. Isn’t that enough? Why aren’t you showing sympathy? What makes you say that the leaders of this movement are frauds, that they are pocketing the money and buying mansions? Stop being a conspiracy theorist. Just get in line and follow along. Get yourself educated on the matter. If you continue with your nonsense, we cannot remain friends.”

…

Dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. These are the four rewards of a human existence presented by the Vedic science. They are rewards in the sense of something to strive for. They are like the trophy handed to the winner of a race. They are like the remuneration for a job successfully completed. They are the goals to target; at least for those who have intelligence.

What do these four Sanskrit words translate to? Artha is interest, and it is often compared to economic development. Kama is gratification of the senses, or, in other words, basic enjoyment. Moksha is the ultimate release, in finally becoming free of the cycle of birth and death. Moksha means that the individual will never have to work towards objectives again. They will never again be subjected to the dualities of success and failure. Since they will be released, they will no longer have to suffer in the prison-like conditions of the material world.

These three terms make sense, in that any person can understand them. Acknowledging their presence is not difficult, either. But what about dharma? This translates to religion, duty, honor, righteousness, or even a code of conduct. Why would this be considered a reward? Are not the people chasing sense gratification automatically rejecting religion? Is not economic development, in earning money, at odds with doing the right thing all of the time? Moksha is becoming free of the entanglement, but isn’t religion the most entangling thing there is, with its many rules, rituals, and regulations?

We see from the above review that dharma is a fixture. No matter how much a person says they detest religion, God, or the overall concept of Divinity, there will always be right and wrong. The rules might be isolated to a particular situation. The regulations might be rooted in complete ignorance of the matter at hand. The people imposing the specific dharma might be duplicitous, dishonest, and cruel. It does not matter, as there is always some kind of dharma at play. The people following that particular dharma might insist that others follow, as well.

The leading teachers of the Vedic tradition explain that dharma can only be one. Any other version of it can be a derivative, only. Such as the dharma for the stri, who is the woman. There is dharma for the kshatriya, who is the warrior. There is dharma for a particular age, such as the chanting of the holy names in Kali Yuga: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

The individual implementations are always for fulfilling the highest objective; thus making dharma one. Shrimad Bhagavatam explains that dharma in the sense of religion is that which brings the individual closer to loving God. In this way, there is only one real religion. It is not based on country of origin, language, or institutional affiliation. This dharma also never changes, which explains why real religion can be known by the Sanskrit term “sanatana-dharma.”

स वै पुंसां परो धर्मो
यतो भक्तिर् अधोक्षजे
अहैतुक्य् अप्रतिहता
ययात्मा सुप्रसीदति

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati

“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.6)

Goswami Tulsidas explains that this love of God is so powerful that the four rewards of life no longer become important. Along with the four rewards, there are the concepts of svartha and paramartha. These are interests related to the temporary life experience and that which will be experienced in the afterlife. Tulsidas says that if you love Sita and Rama, who are the feminine and masculine sides of God, who are always together, then you have reached the summit of living. You no longer have to worry about different kinds of rewards or meeting different kinds of interests.

In Closing:

Even dharma as reward known,
By recent implementations shown.

How friend with finger in the face,
Forced to comply or association erased.

Despite constant shifts only ever one,
Where love of Supreme Lord to come.

When dedicated Sita and Rama for,
No concern to rewards numbering four.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, dharma, hare krishna, life, poem, poems, poetry, religion