Narayana Krishna

Krishna continued, “Indra is incapable of altering the happiness and sorrows that accrue to human beings as a result of their own past actions’.”

Krishna thus put the inhabitants of Brindavan in a fix. He affirmed that the power to alter the results of past actions of any individual exists only with the Supreme Lord and not with Indra. Indra can only bestow the results of actions that have accrued but lacks the capacity to alter them.

Krishna continued, ‘In this universe, the living entities who experience the resultant fruits for their past actions have nothing to do with Lord Indra’.”

What connection does a living entity have with Indra when he/she has to anyway unfailingly experience the resultant fruits for his/her past actions? If Indra only showers upon the person the results of one’s own past actions, what special role does he have? Worshipping Indra would appear logical if he could alter our destiny or could wipe away the balance karma that lies in our account. When he is only returning back to us the results of our earlier actions, what purpose can be achieved by worshipping him, questioned Krishna.

“Controlled by its inherent nature, every living entity follows its own disposition. This entire universe consisting of Devatas, demons and humans, is established in this individual nature (swabhava). Based on its own past actions, a living entity takes on different types of bodies, high and low, one after another and subsequently discards them’.”

In accordance to one’s past actions and state of mind, the living entity obtains births, one after another, in high or low species.

“One’s past actions themselves appear in the form of one’s friend, enemy, Guru as well as neutral persons”.

Everything happens as per one’s past actions. They are the results of the past actions (karma phala).

“The grace of the Lord is dependent upon one’s past meritorious actions (punya karma)”.

The Lord’s grace is controlled by the merit that stands to the credit of a person. It is not dependent upon the person but upon the good actions performed by the person.

“For this reason, the individual should diligently worship his karma. As long as he remains in the grip of his nature (swabhava), he should diligently adhere to his swadharma (duties stipulated for his caste and stage of life). That, due to which the individual is able to lead a happy life, becomes his deity. The person who depends on one deity for his livelihood but seeks shelter in another can never obtain happiness just like the unchaste woman who chases a paramour”.

Instead of persistently following the path of his livelihood, if the trader begins to focus elsewhere, he makes a loss. The cloth trader must continue cloth business as he is adept in it. Instead if he neglects this business and focusses upon some quarrying work influenced by a friend, then he is bound to lose the money invested. Or believing he is going to make quick money by producing films, if he sells off the cloth business and invests in movies, he risks turning bankrupt. For this reason the person should stick to the business in which he is adept.

“Vedas are stipulated for Brahmins, ruling of land is stipulated for Kshatriyas (warriors), agriculture and trading are stipulated for Vysyas (traders and herders) and physical work has been stipulated to the hard-working men”.

Brahmins who have switched to business should persistently adhere to it and should not jump back and forth. All forms of strenuous hard work can be classified under trading activities. This includes carpentry.

“The trading tasks are of four kinds viz., agriculture, rearing cattle, trading (commerce) and the business of lending money (usury). Of these, some like us engage only in the tasks of rearing cattle for our livelihood.

The quality of Sattva is responsible for sustenance of universe, the quality of rajas (passion) is responsible for creation while tamas is responsible for annihilation. Through the quality of rajas, this entire universe, which is replete with all forms of life, emerges in the form of a union of a man and woman. Trigged by the quality of rajas, the clouds shower rains which in turn are responsible for the sustenance of all forms of life on Earth. What then is Indra’s role in all these activities’?”

When these activities take place automatically due to the force of the attribute of passion (rajas), what role does Indra play in it? Why then are you giving so much importance to Indra?

“Krishna continued, ‘O father, we do not own any countries, cities, villages nor homes. We are the mountain dwellers who reside eternally in forests and mountains. Hence, you should commence a Yagna in which cows, Brahmins and the mountains are worshipped. These ingredients, which have been procured for the purposes of this Yagna for Indra, can be used in this new Yagna’.”

Let us worship Nature, suggested Krishna for it is Nature (prakriti) that nourishes us all.

He further said, ‘Please prepare milk pudding with rice (payasam), dal, wheat flour, appam buns, chaklis and other savouries’.”

Krishna was giving the menu for the Yagna. Each delicacy was appropriate for a particular tree.

“Please collect all the milk and yoghurt from every household. Learned Vedic Brahmins should conduct the stipulated Yagnas through the homa fires. Please feed them sumptuously with good food. Donate to them good milk-yielding cows and other valuable offerings as dakshina (fees). Offer naivedya to the mountains. Feed the cows and calves with adequate fodder.

After taking proper meals, adorn yourselves with good clothing and ornamentation. Apply sandal paste on your bodies and then circumambulate the cows, the Vedic Brahmin scholars, Govardhan mountain and the holy Yagna fires. Worship Nature through this method.

O father, this is my opinion. If you are satisfied with my suggestions, please adopt them. This Yagna is very dear to the cows, to the Vedic Brahmins, to Govardhana mountain and to me’ said Krishna.

Hearing these words uttered by Krishna, Indra was angered. Krishna had relegated Indra totally to the background. He had altered the beliefs of these persons who were habitually offering worship to him every year. In reality, Srikrishna, the Supreme Lord who is also the controller of time, had uttered these words in order to subdue the pride of Indra. This was his plan.

Nanda, Sunanda and other elders of Brindavan approved Krishna’s opinion. Applauding this opinion, they now began to adhere to the suggestions laid down by Him”.

Hare Krishna Krishna