The Real Protector
Date: 2005-01-19 Author: Shyam Sundara das
Hare Krishna dear devotees, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev.
While I was passing through many temples of demigods viz., Siva, Anjaneya, Ganesha and Goddess Durga and so on, I got confused as to whom I should really surrender and pray for any benediction. By the mercy of Lord Krishna when I opened SB 10.2.26, my doubt got vanquished miraculously and the Lord's merciful answer is elucidated below through His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada:
"Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary." Worship of demigods may be useful for a limited time, but the result is antavat, perishable. This material world is impermanent, the demigods are impermanent, and the benedictions derived from the demigods are also impermanent, whereas the living entity is eternal (nityo nityānaam cetanas cetanānām). Every living entity, therefore, must search for eternal happiness, not temporary happiness, The word 'satyam param dhīmahi' indicate that one should search for the Absolute Truth, not the relative truth.
While offering prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nrsimhadeva, Prahlad Maharaja said "bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ pitarau nṛsiṁha nārtasya cāgadam udanvati majjato nauḥ" Generally it is understood that the protectors for a child are his parents, but this is not actually the fact. The real protector is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. " taptasya tat-pratividhir ya ihāñjaseṣṭas tāvad vibho tanu-bhṛtāṁ tvad-upekṣitānām" - If neglected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a child, despite the presence of his parents, will suffer, and a patient, despite all medical help, will die.
In this material world, where there is a struggle for existence, men have invented many means for protection, but these are useless, if the Supreme Personality of Godhead rejects them. Therefore, the demigods purposefully say " satyātmakaṁ tvāṁ śaraṇaṁ prapannāḥ - Real protection can be obtained from You, O Lord, and therefore we surrender unto You". When we approach the Lord with this mood, He declares in Ramayana,18-33 of Yuddha-Khanda:
sakṛd eva prapanno yas tavāsmīti ca yācate abhayaṁ sarvadā tasmai dadāmy etad vrataṁ mama
If one surrenders unto Me sincerely, saying 'My Lord, from this day I am fully surrendered unto you', I always give him protection. That is My vow.
On reading the above transcendental fact from Srila Prabhupada's purport, as an aspiring devotee I surrender from this moment to the Lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna for the real protection.
From a psychological point of view also Karmis or those people who worship demigods for fruitive results are on a bodily platform. Because they tend to go to the demigods so that they can get something without much effort. Like, say, it is quite prevalent at least in India for people to worship a particular demigod for a few weeks or months with certain paraphernalia to achieve something they desire. The main idea is that once they get what they desired, they can peacefully forget about that demigod and enjoy what they got. Whereas with Lord Krishna it doesn't work that way. He wants us to surrender fully and perform devotional service unendingly and if we do so, He also bestows us with unending bliss. And the devotees, since they are on the spiritual platform, they know for sure that they will exist eternally, hence they perform service eternally unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev, Shyam Sundara das Chennai. The Real Protector
Date: 2008-08-19 Author: Narahari Krishna das
Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudeva.
Recently various cities in India were attacked by terrorists via bomb blasts. Many people got killed (which includes pregnant women, children etc.,) and many others were severely injured. It was a heart shattering incident. When the police commissioners in the city was interviewed, he openly said, "It is not possible for us to give security coverage across the entire stretch of this vast country with this minimum police force and unless people are careful by themselves, these incidents are difficult to avoid." I was very much annoyed to hear this since it sounded like an irresponsible reply. But on a little contemplation, it was a very practical and honest statement from that police officer, since a few police people/doctors cannot protect all the people in this world. In our personal lives also, we see in many situations that we try to protect our near and dear ones from various calamities such as disease, earthquake, floods etc., But sometimes we fail in spite of all the attempts. Same is the case with destroying others. People try to destroy their enemies, but they are not always successful. The Bhagavata purana (1.13.46) gives the reason for this as follows.
kāla-karma-guṇādhīno deho ’yaṁ pāñca-bhautikaḥ katham anyāṁs tu gopāyet sarpa-grasto yathā param
This gross material body made of five elements is already under the control of eternal time kāla[ ], action [karma] and the modes of material nature [guna]. How, then, can it, being already in the jaws of the serpent, protect others?
According to Sri Narada Muni who is the speaker of this verse, any living entity in this material world is incapable of protecting himself/others because of four imperfections. We are
1. Controlled by Time 2. Controlled by Karma (Destiny) 3. Controlled by the modes of nature 4. Have a material body made of 5 elements and is limited and perishable by nature. In other words, only a person who is free from all these four defects can be a real protector. From the scriptures we understand that the Supreme Lord alone is free from all these imperfections.
1. The Lord is not controlled by Time. His name, form, qualities and powers are beyond the influence of Time and never deteriorates. He is called kālātita. 2. The Lord is not bound by the laws of Karma. Rather He is the bestower of reward/punishment to living entities on the basis of their karma. He is called Karma-adhyaksha. 3. The Lord is not controlled by the modes of nature. He is the creator of the modes and their controller too and hence called Gunesha. 4. The Lord does not have a body which is made of the 5 elements. His form is constituted of reality, absolute consciousness and unlimited bliss, without even a tinge of matter in His personality.
Hence it can be understood that Lord alone is capable of protecting anyone. The scriptures also says that the moment a living entity is born in this material world, mrtyu (the demigod of death) sits on the head ready to take his life. Because the Lord as the Supersoul is situated in the heart of every living entity, death does not operate. As soon as the karma to be experienced in that body is finished by the living entity, the Lord withdraws His protection and then death at once finishes him. Maharaj was once explaining to me, You" cannot stay in this body even for a second after you have finished the quota of karma to be enjoyed/suffered in this body. You have to go for sure. We don't know when this will happen. So we must keep our baggage ready always. " So whenever we're protected in our lives from various calamities, it is the Supreme Lord who out of His causeless mercy carries out this action through different people/agencies (who are mere instruments in the Lord's Hands) whom we think are protecting us. The Lord gives special and ultimate protection to all His devotees in that He protects His devotees from falling into material contamination. This enables the devotee to remember the Lord till the end of his life and be transferred to the spiritual world after giving up this body. This protection is technically called 'Kshema'.
Srila Prabhupada states in his commentary to verse 9.23 of the Bhagavad Gita Kshema , " refers to the merciful protection of the Lord. The Lord helps the devotee to achieve Krishna consciousness by yoga and and when he becomes fully Krishna consciousness, the Lord protects him from falling down to a miserable condition of life." As Kali yuga progresses, such uncertainties as bomb blasts and attacks are bound to increase and life will be more unpredictable. And there is no guarantee that we will not be victims of such calamities. So it is important to continue chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna HareHare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare with all seriousness, so that even if we don't survive these calamities, we can be transferred to the spiritual sky where there is no more danger.
I pray at the lotus feet Srila Prabhupada and all merciful Maharaj so that I will continue chanting the holy names and attain the Lord's shelter in the spiritual sky.
Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das. UK.