THE STORY is about someone who ventures to the high Himalayas to visit a bearded holy man in a cave. The man asks, “How can I become a millionaire?” The sage replies, “If I knew the answer to that, you think I’d be living here?” This parable’s ostensible message is that renouncers are all misfits and ne’r-do-wells. They inhabit remote retreats because they can’t make it in the ‘real world’. In short, they’re losers. And buried within is yet, another theme: holy people should not possess anything of this world. Their wisdom thrives on isolation. The stereotypical rishi or saint has to remain aloof, even geographically, from all things physical. Renunciation is scary, but on the other hand, it’s alluring to some, because they think it entitles them to give up everything, including responsibilities, duties, and obligations. It holds out freedom from care. And a carefree life is always desirable. I have seen men in expensive silk suits but with newly shaven heads, find their way to Tirupati’s inner sanctum to pray fervently to Lord Venkateshwara for success in business. Maybe they think a shaved head attracts God’s attention. And I have seen poor people in orange riding in cars, using computers and cell phones advertising high-tech, spiritual museums in Delhi. So how does the Gita define renunciation? The sixth chapter, first verse contains the word sanyasi, which usually translates as one ‘in the renounced order.’ The text says that one who is “unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated, is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic, not he who lights no fire and performs no duty.” An even more famous verse (2.47) says that one has the right to perform duty, but not to enjoy the fruits of action. These two apparent opposites, duty, and renunciation, action and inaction, meet in the Gita, telling us exactly what renunciation is. According to this book; even a character as un-yogic as Arjuna – householder prince, and warrior, – still becomes an ideal renunciant, through things as spiritually unlikely as friendship, royalty and warfare. This is the deeper meaning of sanyasa. It’s not the occupation, color of cloth, or the length of facial hair that determines who’s a sadhu. Sanyasa is no more than that consciousness that divests itself of undue attachment. A person on this level of consciousness indeed walks on holy ground. (The writer is an emeritus member of the ISKCON Governing Body Commission)

The Hindustan Times published an article (written by me) on 15 October 2001. The heading was “MEDITATIONS” — Mukunda Goswami Love of God Is the Basic Essence of All Religions SO MANY times one has heard people attributing the reason for an action for God. In the name of Him, so many poor innocents were killed, so much terrorism perpetrated. But such people seldom realize that mixing terrorism with God makes a sickening brew. Let’s know this for a fact: terrorists don’t believe in God unless there is a God who encourages the sudden and unexpected killing of civilians, workers, and children. God and the soul are correlative terms: atma and paramatma in classical parlance. Terrorists can garner fame and recognition from their peers, but the most dangerous sorts are those who live to die heroically by killing an unsuspecting “enemy.” Such persons, we learn, think that salvation means more sex, more drugs, and more fame — all in an afterworld and all for the pleasure of God. But we shouldn’t be surprised, for nonsensical notions of God are nothing new to human beings, especially in a secular world where God and the Devil can change positions at the drop of a sabre. But along with theology, all religions profess common decency. The Bhagavat Purana, for example, explains the original human nature is to be sattvic, and that only later during the initial process of creation do the modes of passion (rajas) and ignorance (tamas) pollute this seminal nature. That same Purana says that ideal human nature includes knowledge and renunciation. Although God is invoked as the ultimate sanctioning agent in many conflicts, wars are fought over land, economic power, and political or tribal supremacy. At least, holy wars like those in the Mahabharata history didn’t embrace kooky concepts of God. But that was five thousand years ago when civilians were spared the untimely death at the hands of cowards. Today’s wars increasingly involve private citizens and are often fought in the name of God. And when it comes to terrorism, non-military personnel are almost exclusively targeted. Sadly, an extreme form of nationalism has given rise to popular usage concepts of `heathen,’ and kafir. This being so, gratuitous violence against those who are `different’ is the next step. But religion – of any stripe, in any country – espouses love of God as its ultimate teaching and this is meant to transcend all confessions. In Bhagavad Gita, God specifically advises us to develop qualities of “peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, and wisdom” and that we should “give up all varieties of religion (sarva-dharman) and surrender unto Me.”

On 01-Oct-2001, The Hindustan Times (reputed to be India’s largest English language daily – the website is www.hindustantimes.com) ran my article on the environment as follows: It says Meditations | Mukunda Goswami and at the bottom of the article, in italic letters: “The writer is an emeritus member of the ISKCON Governing Body Commission.” –Published in the Hindustan Times on 01-Oct-2001 MEDITATIONS | Mukunda Goswami Environmental pollution is a spiritual problem THE CLAIM is that all our environmental problems can be solved by listening to the compelling call of our own timeless culture. What message—buried within Indian culture-is so simple, yet so profound, that it can “fix” the unfixable? In its very first mantra, Isha Upanisad, a frequently read Vedic text, reminds us that everything animate and inanimate within this universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. Therefore, one should only accept those things which are set aside as one’s quota, and not accept other things. Pollution, as stated in the scriptures, is a direct result of “over-consumption,” which in turn is a product of greed, and greed is generated by materialism combined with secularism. There is something deep within each of us that seems to baffle our hopes for a more livable world. At the root of the problem is a relentless, almost unconscious drive to have and enjoy more than we really need. Environmental pollution is a spiritual problem, and it demands a spiritual solution. The greatest barrier to an ecologically balanced environment is a materialistic worldview that defines the individual as a biochemical machine operating in a godless, soulless universe. Unfortunately, this widespread theory forms the basis of most modern scientific thought. It is known as “reductionism.” Reductionism has given rise to a civilization driven to exploit the earth’s resources and creatures without restriction. Indian culture teaches that we live in a world designed by God. Individuals, who are aware of God, don’t want to possess, control, or enjoy more than they actually require. Vedic wisdom instructs that God, is the ultimate proprietor of everything and that each living being on earth, according to its needs, has inherent rights to his or her share of this planet’s God-given resources. These principles are part of nature’s system of inviolable higher-order laws, including the law of karma. A practical outline for a natural, ecologically sound way of life may be found in the Hare Krishna movement’s books of Vedic knowledge, which recommend the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra for transforming consciousness from material to the spiritual. With the right formula, we can transform our environment. If awareness of our position in the world and the message of Bhagavad-gita and Isha Upanisad are rightly understood, the consciousness of our world can change, and when consciousness changes, everything else changes for the better. — The writer is an emeritus member of the ISKCON Governing Body Commission.