It is fashionable to think of God in quirky ways. In April of 2001, Lisa Miller wrote in The Wall Street Journal: “the number of those (Americans) who say no standard definition ‘comes close’ to their notion of the deity has more than doubled in the past 20 years, according to market-research firm Roper Starch Worldwide Inc.” But in 1972 Srila Prabhupada told us, “Because it is science, so either in America or in India or in England, everyone will accept ‘Two plus two equal to four.’ That is science. Science is true everywhere. Not that ‘I can imagine my God according to my whims; you can imagine your God…’ That is going on. No, how you can imagine? There is no question of imagine.” (Excerpted from a lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam in Los Angeles.)

There are many verses scattered throughout the Vedas which indicate that bhakti destroys all types of karma, or karmic reactions. Here’s one verse, spoken by Krsna Himself, which supports this view: “My dear Uddhava, just as a blazing fire turns firewood into ashes, similarly, devotion unto Me completely burns to ashes sins committed by My devotees.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.19)

Sometimes Vaisnavas tend to disregard the qualifications of devotees and the knowledge that the mode of goodness (satya) is an indication one is progressing on the path. Sometimes it’s even useful to read the Ten Commandments, remembering that even Srila Prabhupada referred several times to the sixth one. Here they are as recorded in the Encyclopedia Brittanica: 1) You shall have no other gods before me. 2) You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 3) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 4) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. 5) Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 6) You shall not kill. 7) You shall not commit adultery. 8) You shall not steal. 9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10) You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

Srila Prabhupada often quoted Canakya. This indicates that Srila Prabhupada was really into sadacara or “good behavior.” He included one of the maxims he often mentioned in his tenth Canto: “According to moral instructions, one should not neglect to extinguish fire completely, treat diseases completely, and clear debts completely. Otherwise they will increase and later be difficult to stop.” (10.4.37/purport).

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura simply defines a saint thus: “He who is constantly absorbed in discussing about Sri Hari is a saint. One who is constantly engaged in serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a saint. One who in all his endeavors tries to serve Krsna is a saint.” (from his Will)

In the Srimad Bhagavatam and in the Caitanya Caritamrta, Srila Prabhupada makes it clear that 25% of the jivas are in the material world while 75% are eternally liberated, or living in the `tripada vibhuti.” This indicates that free will exists eternally and that a fourth of all living entities always voluntarily chooses the path of material enjoyment.

(The following article was posted in the “Meditations” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 1 September 2003.) According to World Bank figures: * More than 1 billion live on less than US$1 a day – that’s poverty by many standards. * 3 billion live on US$2 per day * More than 1 billion don’t have access to clear water * 3 billion do not have sanitation facilities * 2 billion don’t have access to power * 1% of the world’s population can’t read * Less than 1% has access to the Internet. Not that the World Bank can be trusted as unerringly accurate, but these statistics are food for thought. Do the rich get richer and poor poorer? It would seem so. Maybe life’s just not fair. After all, none of us remembers asking to be born. The age old question is why many live short painful lives and others are born with silver spoons in their mouths. Why the massive inequalities? Why are there always more poor than rich? Recently I was invited to speak to a class of 17-year olds in a New Zealand school. The course was history and the subject that day was ‘war’. An inconclusive discussion ensued about ‘innocent Iraqis’ and ‘innocent’ people in the New York’s trade towers dying by the thousands. Then I broached the subject of karma. The class, for the first time, went silent and began to listen. The students seemed to realize that karma might be the answer to one of the most perplexing problems of all time, namely, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” In that classroom a new topic of interest has been floated, and the pupil’s awareness extended. Every generation seems to claim ownership of different events in history. Yet many think any time in which they live is pivotal and important, so the global technology revolution is seen to make this era unique. On the other hand, many teenagers say that the end of history coincided exactly with their arrival on earth. Beyond, but not opposed to these radically different positions, is that we all come into this world as a result of prior actions in previous lives, and personal and global circumstances reflect this. By knowing how to overcome and transcend our not so apparent birth ‘rights’ we can become free from resentment or fatalism, discover what we have to learn, and positively work for change.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is known, among other things, for saying ‘daso smin,’ or ‘I am your servant.’ He is reported to have said this even to his disciples. The reciprocation that takes place between Krishna and his devotee or between Krishna’s servants and one another is nicely encapsulated in this excerpt from one of Srila Prabhupada’s Nectar of Devotion lectures in Vrndavana on 23 Oct 1972: “But the spiritual master does not think of himself as Hari. Although he’s offered the respect of Hari, he thinks himself as humble servant of Hari and all others. A spiritual master takes his devo…, disciples as his spiritual master. That is the position. He thinks that “Krsna has sent me so many spiritual masters.” He does not think himself as spiritual master. He thinks himself their servant. Because they have to be trained. Krsna has appointed him to train them. Therefore he thinks himself as servant of the disciples. This is the position. So when one is advanced, he can see the importance of devotees.”

In a life member’s home, Srila Prabhupada used the phrase “diversity in unity” to expertly explain acintya bhedabheda tattva. He said, “But still there are specific differences. That is called visista. One with specific difference. And the Mayavadi philosophers, they say, ‘No, there is no specific difference.’ This is maya. But we Vaisnava, we don’t say that. That sunshine is sunshine, sun globe is sun globe, and Sun-god is Sun-god. But taken together, they are all one. Diversity in unity. That is visista-advaitavada. So actually, all the Vaisnava acaryas, Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, Nimbarka, and Visnu Swami, there is no difference of opinion, but they have explained the Absolute Truth more vividly in their own angle of vision. Otherwise there is no difference. They never say that God and the living being are one. They will never say that. That is not Vaisnava philosophy.” (14 April 1975, Hyderabad).

In the material world perfect cannot be more perfect or most perfect. In the spiritual world perfection knows no such limits.