“To Sita, who was speaking thus, who was emaciated by grief on account of Rama, and whose eyes were filled with tears, the monkey Hanuman spoke the following words.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 37.17)

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iti samjalpamānām tām rāma arthe śoka karśitām |
aśru sampūrṇa vadanām uvāca hanumān kapiḥ ||

From the acharyas in the Vedic tradition of bhakti, we learn that the grief suffered by Sita in the Ashoka grove is not ordinary. The outward symptoms may appear to be so. There was lamentation. There was concern over the uncertain future. As a result, there was no eating. The Ramayana says that her body was emaciated by grief. She would not accept any food offered by the Rakshasas in Lanka.

They were man-eaters, after all. The food they prepared was contaminated with their sinful ways, which started from the top. The leaders…

“Every religion has a tirtha. The Muslims have Mecca and Medina, and the Christians have Golgotha. Similarly, the Hindus also think they must travel very far to find a tirtha. But actually, tirtha-kurvanti tirthani: a tirtha is a place where there are saintly persons. That is a tirtha. Not that one goes ten thousand miles and simply takes a dip in the water and then comes back.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Journey Of Self-Discovery, Ch 6.4)

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You need association. The proper term is sadhu-sanga. Just as business professionals meet in clubs, groups and networking gatherings, so the people interested in advancement of the consciousness should congregate. Anyone sincerely interested in spiritual life, in following the rules and regulations, is either already a sadhu or on their way towards becoming one.

One translation for sadhu is saint. Meet with other saintly people. The good qualities…

“The Bhagavatam says: dharmam hi sakshad-bhagavat-pranitam—the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34 Purport)

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Is it faith? Do we argue with others on this basis? My religion is better than yours. My religion says this. Your religion says that. How to reconcile amongst the different holy books? What is the correct term for the Divinity? In whom to place all trust? Why are we here? Where will we go after death? Is it all just a way to cope with those things that can’t be explained?

The two words in the Sanskrit term that describes genuine religion help to clear up the confusion. Both are necessary. That is to say the…

“O son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.8)

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Friend1: Let’s talk about the different ways to realize God.

Friend2: Well, first define who is God.

Friend1: The Almighty. The Supreme Being. The one watching over us. The concept that explains the unexplainable. The origin.

Friend2: Don’t forget Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Friend1: Right, but let’s not get too technical here. The starting point is a person trying to connect with the spiritual. They want to realize the Divine.

Friend2: Okay.

Friend1: And so there isn’t just one path. Different people realize in different ways.

Friend2: Well, that is true based on understanding alone.

Friend1: What do you mean?

Friend2:…

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

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It’s not a competition. One team against another. The supporters defending their side, arguing against others they view as opponents. “My religion says this. My religion says that. Your religion is different.”

Genuine spiritual life should go beyond faith. Rather than a hope and a prayer that something is true, put every faculty gifted to the human being to use. In Sanskrit this way of life is known as sanatana-dharma, which has synonymous terms like bhagavata-dharma and bhakti-yoga.

1. Logic

Two plus two equals four. This is logical. The truth comes down first through the descending process of knowledge transfer. That is…

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.61)

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Friend1: You ever meet people who are against the idea of going to the temple?

Friend2: Because they don’t believe in God or that within the realm of religion they are not fond of that particular practice?

Friend1: The latter. They believe in God., but others broadcasting that information is like an affront to their sensibilities.

Friend2: You mean if I were to say I visit such and such place of worship every week, you would take offense. “Who are you to think that you are more religious than me?”

Friend1: That’s exactly it. The intention on your side is not to compare. You are engaging in basic…

“All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna is born of prescribed duties.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.14)

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Is religion legitimate or just a coping mechanism? Does following actually prevent harm in the future, specifically the unknown afterlife, or is this all just a way to keep people under control? Lying, cheating, stealing – these are bad on their own. You shouldn’t need to consult some ancient book in order to walk the righteous path.

Indeed, Vedic culture brings many rules and regulations. The initial reception may not be a welcoming one, even from people who are familiar with the idea of religion.

1. Strange

No one I know does these kinds of things. Who worries about eating meat? The animals are inferior beings. They are under the control of…

“O monkey, with a brilliant network of arrows the brave Rama, who is like the sun, will dry up the water that is the Rakshasa enemy.” (Sita Devi, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 37.16)

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śara jāla aṃśumān śūraḥ kape rāma divā karaḥ |
śatru rakṣomayam toyam upaśoṣam nayiṣyati ||

The kids were looking forward to playing outside. They had their gear ready. Homework was done. The winter just completed, so now there was no excuse. Every day, if possible, the father would take them out to the fields to kick around a ball or just run from here to there.

The problem is that it rained overnight. There is water everywhere. No way to tread through puddles on the grass. Mud would fly everywhere. Instead of considering the situation hopeless, there is a thought to go later on in the day. The conditions will…

“It is not possible for that best of men to be moved by danger. I know well of His energy, like Shachi knows with Indra.” (Sita Devi speaking to Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 37.15)

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na sa śakyaḥ tulayitum vyasanaiḥ puruṣa ṛṣabhaḥ |
aham tasya anubhāvajñā śakrasya iva pulomajā ||

Indrari. Surari. These are Sanskrit words used to address the bad characters from ancient times. There was a dividing line when the species first came to be. Two sisters were the origin. Diti and Aditi; the good guys sprung from Aditi and the bad from Diti.

The good guys are known as suras. A few English translations for this word are “god” and “demigod.” In scientific terms people of this category live mostly in the mode of goodness. Since they possess goodness at such a high level, the suras can…

“It is said in the Vedic literature that innumerable universes issue forth when Maha-Vishnu exhales in His yoga-nidra, and innumerable universes enter His body when He again inhales. We have to imagine that these universes, which, according to our limited knowledge, are expanded unlimitedly, are so great that the gross ingredients, the five elements of the cosmic manifestation, namely earth, water, fire, air and sky, are not only within the universe, but are covering the universe in seven layers, each layer ten times bigger than the previous one.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 32)

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“Give me a specific project to do and I’m okay. Straightforward and matching my skillset. It doesn’t necessarily have to be simple. I’m not asking for the easy road. The only issue I have is with distractions. Different components, where you can’t gather momentum in…