The Weakest Link

guru · February 10, 2004

Today, we see a world in chaos and confusion, compounded by the fact that no one is really prepared to admit that they're at a loss as to what to do about it. Instead, we bluff our way through the overwhelmingly difficult odds and somehow as time passes, scrape by until the problems have faded into the oblivion of the past.

The Weakest Link

by Sakhyarasa Prema das

Yes, there are so many issues of concern in today's world; politics, religion, famine, wars, terrorism, crime, natural disasters, personal tragedies, financial concerns, health and sanity, the list seems to increase endlessly... Yet there is one problem that stands way above all others. Why? Because this problem is the major root cause of all problems we face in this world. Before I attempt to reveal what it is, and you'll be surprised how obvious and yet evasive this fact of life can be, please allow me to tell you a relevant story.

Once there was a great teacher or guru who came from a very prestigious line of masters. All his students were hailing from aristocratic families with the nobility of blood lineage. One day an unknown and poorly dressed youth approached the master and requested that he become his student. Upon seeing him, the other students mocked him and considered his request foolish and a waste of time. The master however, saw something in this boy and asked what his family line, or gotra, was. The boy had no idea and this added further to the mocking of the on-looking students, who by now were laughing hysterically at his audacious request. Still the master asked him to go home and find out what his gotra was.

Later, the boy approached his mother and asked about his father's hereditary descent. His mother, who was a prostitute by profession had no idea since she had known so many men that she didn't even know who the boy's father was. Disappointed and dejected, the boy returned to the ashram and in the presence of all the students, told the master the honest truth that he had no idea what his gotra was due to the fact that his mother had known many men and couldn't ascertain the identity of his father. This also meant he was an illegitimate child and was automatically unqualified to even approach the master to be educated and trained in the higher subject matters, what to speak of receiving them. By now the students were openly ridiculing the boy and throwing insult after insult upon him.

At this point the master raised his voice above the crowd, thus quieting them and announced that this boy is actually qualified to become not only his student, but also his best student and he will immediately accept him without any need for further qualifications. This completely stunned the whole assembly into silence and no one could faintly understand why their great master would accept such a low class person, who was totally unqualified and with no aristocratic background as his students. Then one of the older students asked the master to please explain why he'd accepted this urchin so easily.

The master replied: "Because he has spoken the truth without any fear or duplicity and is most simple in character, I deem him a thousand times more qualified than all of you put together! He shall be my most brilliant student and is a true brahmana, possessing a rare gem in the form of the quality of 'arjavam' or nonduplicity. All of you are coming from highly graded lineages, yet you are still duplicitous and proud and with many prejudices. He has already passed through all the stages of material and spiritual development in previous lives and is now fit to become your master"!

In this way the boy was accepted by the master, Gautama Rsi and he became a great master himself, thus continuing the parampara line to modern times. Simultaneously the pride of all the aristocratic students was broken and they learned this all-important quality of a brahmana from their new peer, the quality of arjavam or simplicity. I hope you enjoyed this true story from the Vedic smrti. I have always found it truly enlightening and a cutting-edge piece of Vedic history.

So now I ask you the question: What is that major problem we all face that none of us can actually see, even though it's constantly right there in our face 24 hours a day for the whole duration of our lives? Come on think! No, no, no... don't read further to find out from me! You know it well, because it's right there in your heart, in all our hearts and we've been hiding it, and hiding from it for millions and millions of lifetimes.

Yes, you've guessed it, it's our age old friend... Mr Hypocrisy! Hurrah, hurrah! The very opposite of arjavam or simplicity. And this is the specific age of hypocrisy... Kali Yuga... surprise, surprise! Well, well, well and another well as well! So this is it! This is where the buck stops dear reader. This is the point of no return! This is... the 'weakest link'... goodbye... or should I say hello? For more information contact Anne Robinson to get your false ego smashed to bits on TV in front of millions of viewers!

If there was any other way around this I'd go there, but this is the actual fact. Because we are 99% hypocrites in this world, meaning duplicitous, meaning liars, meaning not really being what we pose ourselves to be, meaning we are actually hiding from the truth rather than searching for the truth... what to speak of the Absolute Truth! Due to this fault in our character, we tend to lose sight of the goal and get side-tracked into the side benefits which are only there to help us achieve the real goal. The main quality that enables one to achieve the goal of life, 'prema pumartha mahan' is karunika and we cannot develop that exalted quality unless we are situated in arjavam.

In the Bg. 18.42 Lord Krishna describes some of the prominent qualities of a brahmana who's described in Srimad Bhagavatam as the head of the body of the social order. Ksatriyas are the arms, vaisyas the stomach, sudras are the legs that work for the rest of the body. In a famous S.B. lecture in Los Angeles in January 1975, Srila Prabhupada stresses the importance of the head in the social body. Quote: "We can live without arms, legs and even stomach, but when the head is removed everything is finished"!

The verse 1:16:16 discusses the government of Maharaja Yuddisthira and how he had a consulting board of highly qualified brahmanas with whom his executive governmental board would take all guidance from for practical application in the kingdom or country. These brahamans were great souls and were blessed with all auspicious attributes, of which arjavam was prominent.

The transliteration of 'arjavam' in the Gita verse is 'honesty'. But this honesty goes much deeper than the superficial honesty we know and deal with on a practical daily basis. The type of honesty referred to in this word is that honesty which is of the highest kind and completely free from any duplicity. Just like our young boy in the story, his honesty was a painfully open honesty and an honesty totally free from mundane pratistha.

His motives were pure and clear, he had no hidden agenda for mundane profiteering, fame or seeking a powerful and influential position. He was open and truthful regarding his obvious disqualifications. Yet hidden within his apparent unqualified condition was the jewel of the highest qualification, and because Gautama Muni was already qualified in this way, he could immediately see it and therefore could understand the exalted position of the boy. In Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada says that a pure devotee can easily see another pure devotee and this particular quality of arjavam is the essence of that vision.

In the past, there are some members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in leadership positions who have exhibited this brilliant quality of arjavam by honestly admitting their obvious disqualifications as leaders, sannyasis or initiating spiritual masters. Unfortunately, due to the social climate in the society at the time, their honesty was grossly misunderstood and they became objects of criticism by other senior and even junior members.

This is indeed unfortunate, as such reaction by seniors automatically sets a precedent for the younger members to follow. Thus a culture of 'cover up consciousness' becomes the norm and the ability to admit one's failings becomes increasingly abnormal. This creates a disastrous situation where it becomes ever more difficult to cultivate the essential brahminical quality of arjavam. The results of this weakness will be noted in the historical accolades of ISKCON's rise and fall and eventual rise to glorious heights.

I'll finish up on this point and hope that you come to your own practical conclusions regarding this topic of our own weakest link.

"...we are 99% hypocrites in this world, meaning we are actually hiding from the truth rather than searching for the truth"

Srila Prabhupada:

"a pure devotee can easily see another pure devotee..."

February 10, 2004

Hare Krishna,

I totally agree with what you are saying, and actually I have observed it in my own family. They are not bad people, they are good people who pray to the Lord every day. However, they eat meat, they drink and they think that commiting life to devotion to the Lord is equivalent to being brainwashed.

I see this in everybody in this age. It would be easier to understand their view if they were atheists, but actually they clearly believe in God, yet they think that explicitly disobeying what is written in the Gita is OK, since it is not '100% the words of God'.

Also, when my father told me that eating meat is alright, I asked him why he doesn;t offer it as prasad to Bhagwan in the morning - he didn't know what to say - he said 'It's different - stop preaching'. This is the hypocrisy that is rife and I believe the best thing to do is to combat this hypocrisy by asking ourselves those very difficult questions.

The problem in this age is that people become Brahmans simply by birthright, whilst in the example you showed, Brahmans are considerd to be Brahmans by their nature. Hence one can be born to a Shudra but have a Brahman charater and one can be born to a Brahman and have a Shudra chaaracter.

Also, with politicians taking the advice of Brahmans, that is impossible in this age, because the so-called Brahmans are not necessarily actually Brahmans by character - they are corrupted by this material Maya energy and so many are acting out of self interest.

Haribol,

Future Devotee