CONTENTS:
- I TAKE CARE OF HIM LIFE AFTER LIFE;
- SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION;
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
I TAKE CARE OF HIM LIFE AFTER LIFE
Vibishan went across the ocean and came to Rama. And in the meantime, Sugriva and Hanuman and other monkeys saw these Rakshashas coming, so they immediately wanted to accost them. Vibishan told them that "We have come here to surrender to Rama." Sugriva didn’t want to believe them, so they wanted to get into a fight with them, or he wanted to kill them, thinking that they were spies. Vibishan at that time told him that "We came to submit to Rama, so please go and report to Rama with that message. I am Ravana’s brother, Ravana’s younger brother and I have come to surrender to Rama." So Sugriva then went to Ramachandra. So Rama asked Sugriva, "So what do you think about their intention? And what we should do?" Sugriva said that "We shouldn’t trust them, after all, he is a Rakshasha and if we trust them, he'll probably cause a great damage to us so we shouldn’t take a chance." And so then Rama asked other monkey leaders also what they thought, and they all practically thought the same way, that this shouldn’t be trusted. Some said "Maybe we can watch them for some time and see if they are really trustworthy." But then Rama said, "No, we don't have the time to watch them and then make the decision. We have to make the decision right away." So then Rama asked Hanuman, "Hanuman, what do you think?" Hanuman said that "I think, that his intention is honest." And he gave various reasons: A person who is pretending or is duplicitous, he cannot be so composed. Vibishan, the way he spoke, from his speech it appeared that he was speaking the truth and in this way Hanuman gave his impression of Vibishan. Like, he is honest, from his approach, from his way of speaking and so then Rama said, "Yes, I agree with Hanuman." and Rama also said that "If somebody had to spy, if Ravana had to send a spy, why would he send his brother, such an important person to spy, when he has so many trained spies to do that job?" and then Lord Ramachandra said something very, very wonderful, he said "On top of everything, if somebody comes to surrender to me and says that he is surrendering to Me, I accept him, even if he is not honest about his admission, even if one pretending to surrender comes to me, still I accept him." And then he said that "And I take care of him, not only throughout his entire life, I take care of him life after life."
LORD ACCEPTS HIM
So that is the reward and the result of someone surrendering to Lord Ramachandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one approaches him with, even if his intention may not be that pure, but still if he comes with a mood of surrender, Lord accepts him. And by accepting him, the Lord purifies him, whatever he's lacking, He compensates for that. So in this way, Lord Ramachandra declared the reward for surrendering unto Him. And in the meantime, Vibishan was brought to Rama. Vibishan immediately fell flat at Ramachandra’s lotus feet with respect and surrender. Rama asked Vibishan what happened and Vibishan narrated everything of all that happened between him and Ravana.
SURRENDER TO THE LORD AND BECOME HIS DEVOTEE
What is the ultimate consideration of piety? The ultimate consideration of piety is to become a devotee of the Lord. There are relative considerations of punya. That is achieved by austerities and penances and performing sacrifice and truthfulness and so forth. But they're relative piety. The result of those piety remains on the material nature. But the ultimate consideration of piety is to surrender to the Lord and become his devotee and that result is both in the material as well as in the spiritual nature. When one becomes a devotee of the Lord he becomes most pious and as a result of that piety, he derives benefit in the material nature and when he leaves the material nature and goes back to the spiritual sky there also he receives the actual benefit of becoming a devotee of the Lord. Vibishan was a perfect example of that. He submitted to Lord Ramachandra.
SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION
“He stopped. I could feel the softness of his heart. Even though we were his disciples, ready to take any amount of chastisement from him, our guru, as a display of his mercy, he was apologizing in such a humble way. That was my glorious spiritual master, more brilliant than millions of suns yet so humble and compassionate – the most caring person I have ever met.” (Extract from Ocean of Mercy, a book written by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Page 134)
GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
When one becomes a devotee of the Lord he becomes most pious and as a result of that piety, he derives benefit in the material nature and when he leaves the material nature and goes back to the spiritual sky there also he receives the actual benefit of becoming a devotee of the Lord.
(The content of this E-magazine was based on a Lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami at the North American Retreat on the fourth day)
(Compilation & editing by Hemavati Radhika dasi)