“There are seven kinds of mothers according to Vedic injunction: the real mother, the wife of a teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a king, the wife of a brahmana, the cow, the nurse, and the mother earth. Because Putana came to take Krishna on her lap and offer her breast’s milk to be sucked by Him, she was accepted by Krishna as one of His mothers.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 6)

Not chosen randomly. Not merely a corresponding regulation, similar to what other spiritual traditions follow, with just a different animal put in place. Not a spot reserved for protection, rotating based on the time and circumstance.

The protection of cows in the Vedic tradition is based on a simple identification. Due to the cow’s importance from providing milk, it is treated as a mother. Any civilized person would protect their mother. They…

“That mighty one, anxious to see you, is seated on the ashrama like to Indra on the summit of Mount Meru.” (Hanuman speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 37.23)

tvat darśana kṛta utsāham āśramastham mahābalam |
puraṃdaram iva āsīnam nāga rājasya mūrdhani ||

Break away from the daily grind. A change of pace. Something new. Something different. Why not take a trip? Visit an exotic destination. Tour a famous landmark. Soak in the beauty of this creation, found in something as basic as the tree and as complex as the expansive mountain range.

Something is considered attractive precisely because it attracts. Different tourist destinations bring in people from around the world. There is interest due to the attractiveness. It would make sense, then, that a person would want to have a meeting with the Almighty. This is known as darshana, or a vision. He is supposed to…

“O Vaidehi, you shall today see Rama along with Lakshmana, joining in determination like Vishnu killing the Daityas.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 37.22)

drakṣyasi adya eva vaidehi rāghavam saha lakṣmaṇam |
vyavasāya samāyuktam viṣṇum daitya vadhe yathā ||

Though Lord Vishnu is known as the maintainer, He is actually the origin of everything. The unmanifest material substance, pradhana, cannot do anything on its own. It is like having a sofa in the living room. If the desire is to move it someplace else, outside intervention is necessary. Paurusham, human effort, of some kind is necessary.

That Sanskrit word is based on purusha, which is person, enjoyer, male, or spirit. The original purusha is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One of His many names is Vishnu. Purusha is dominant over prakriti, and since no one is superior to Vishnu, He is the original purusha to everything…

“O Maithili, I shall restore you today to Shri Rama, who is staying on Mount Prasravana, like the fire-god bringing offerings placed in fire to Indra.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 37.21)

aham prasravaṇasthāya rāghavāya adya maithili |
prāpayiṣyāmi śakrāya havyam hutam iva analaḥ ||

Get the place ready first. Even if it’s a cold January day, listen to the advice. Keep the windows and doors open. Proper ventilation is required. It’s going to get hot and smoky. Make sure there are enough grains for every person in attendance. Too much is the better option, since you don’t want to run out.

Secure the area underneath. You don’t want the carpet to get burned. You don’t want the flooring ruined. It’s not every day that you set up a fire in the living room. Consult a qualified priest, who can recite the Sanskrit mantras properly. Be prepared to sit on…

“Taking you on my back, I will certainly cross over the ocean. Indeed, I have the power to carry Lanka along with Ravana.” (Hanuman speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 37.20)

tvam hi pṛṣṭha gatām kṛtvā samtariṣyāmi sāgaram |
śaktiḥ asti hi me voḍhum lankām api sarāvaṇām ||

It’s been a difficult time lately. It’s the first child, so all the mistakes are made here. Like being on call for your job for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, sometimes the parents reach a breaking point. In this situation the mother needs some rest. Just a four to five hour stretch where she is not bothered.

You dutifully step up. The father will watch the child. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s not. When the baby plays on the floor or goes outside for a walk, no problem. When they cry uncontrollably, you have to quickly…

“Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everything. In this way the Supersoul exists.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.14)

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Friend1: Let’s start with the acceptance of the historical accounts in Vedic literature.

Friend2: There is doubt on that front?

Friend1: Well, you know how people are. Something thousands of years old, written in a difficult to understand language, Sanskrit, describing extraordinary people and amazing events – there is bound to be skepticism.

Friend2: That’s what leads to labels like mythology and the like.

Friend1: Exactly. That is what I am getting at. So for this discussion let’s say that I am not one of those people. I don’t think the Mahabharata and Ramayana are mythology. I am accepting everything, as it is.

Friend2: Alright. What is the point to the discussion, then? You must have some argument against.

“The Blessed Lord said: O sinless Arjuna, I have already explained that there are two classes of men who realize the Self. Some are inclined to understand Him by empirical, philosophical speculation, and others are inclined to know Him by devotional work.” (Bhagavad-gita, 3.3)

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Friend1: What do you say to the people who insist on empirical evidence?

Friend2: For what? If I’m sitting down to eat pizza, I will surely insist on something in front of me, that I can experience with the senses.

Friend1: For proof of the Divine. Spiritual life. The aim of religion. God, or whatever the preferred term.

Friend2: You want the quick answer or should I work through an example?

Friend1: Umm, can you do both?

Friend2: Let’s do the example first. We’ll start with the premise that God exists. Even if you are a skeptical person…

“Or I shall release you even today from these miseries caused by the Rakshasas. Do you ascend my back, O irreproachable lady.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 37.19)

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athavā mocayiṣyāmi tām adya eva hi rākṣasāt |
asmāt duhkhāt upāroha mama pṛṣṭham anindite ||

There is the tale of two friends. One eats healthy. They don’t indulge in pizza, ice cream, large meals at restaurants and the like. The outside establishments intentionally add more fat to their dishes in order to enhance taste. Patrons have made the decision to leave the home, to have a night out, so why should there be austerity? The items on the dessert menu often have as many calories as the entrees served during the meal.

This friend monitors their caloric intake. They exercise on a regular basis, and as such they appear to be relatively fit. They are…

“Rama will arrive here as soon as he hears from me, with a great advancing military force filled with monkeys and bears.” (Hanuman speaking to Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 37.18)

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śrutvā eva tu vaco mahyam kṣipram eṣyati rāghavaḥ |
camūm prakarṣan mahatīm hari ṛkṣa gaṇa samkulām ||

You come into this world alone and you leave it the same way. It is the consciousness at the individual level which determines the next destination. It is not what others think of you. There is no way for another person to force that change in consciousness to a desired configuration.

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.6)

Spiritual life is at the individual level, so why the emphasis on accepting a spiritual master? If everything…

“The king went and received blessings and then paid so much honor and respect after that. When he saw Rama, he experienced a happiness one hundred times that of Brahman realization.” (Janaki Mangala, Chand 5.2)

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Friend1: This is a basic contradiction.

Friend2: What is?

Friend1: What I’m about to bring up.

Friend2: Okay. What do you mean by basic?

Friend1: That it’s easy to understand. It’s ideal for the example, to study, explain, what have you. You don’t need to go to something more complicated.

Friend2: I’m assuming this has some relevance to spiritual life.

Friend1: Of course. I’m not going to bring up a contradiction for no reason.

Friend2: Great.

Friend1: So I get the idea of dispassion.

Friend2: Vairagya.

Friend1: Be renounced. It doesn’t have to be some type of formal renunciation, where you put on a specific outfit and…