Golden, Silver, and Iron Shackles

There was once a prince, a minister’s son, and a treasurer’s son who were all close friends. Once upon a time, all three of them set out on a long journey to different distant lands. On the way they happened to arrive at a royal palace where the king of that land was absent, but his daughter, the princess, was staying there along with her two closest friends – one the minister’s daughter and the other the treasurer’s daughter of that land. Those three ladies were also similarly close friends like the prince, the minister’s son and the treasurer’s son mentioned above.

The prince and his two friends exchanged their acquaintances with the princess and her two consorts. And it wasn’t long before the three young men proposed to marry those three damsels. But they hesitated as it was custom to get permission from their respective parents for the marriage. However, they decided to marry without further delay, according to the old saying “anything auspicious should be hastened.”

So their happy marriages were solemnised. Thereafter the king of the land, with his minister and treasurer, came back from their travels and entered the royal palace only to see in great astonishment, that the princess and her two friends were chatting with three strangers. Upon hearing that those three men had trespassed into the royal palace, only to flirt with the young women and talk them into an illegal marriage, the king ordered their arrest.

The princess then begged her father to release her husband. The treasurer’s daughter and the minister’s daughter, also respectively fell on their knees in front of their fathers and begged them for their husbands’ release. However, the king did not release the young husbands, but ordered that proper respect should be shown to the young prince by tying him up with golden shackles, whereas the young son of the minister should be given silver shackles, and the treasurer’s son should be bound with iron shackles, all according to their respective status.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord binds up all living entities similarly in three types of shackles, namely the material modes, according to the reactions of their respective fruitive activities. The bondage of goodness may very well be compared to golden shackles, that of passion to silver shackles, and the entanglement in ignorance is tantamount to iron shackles.

Whatever might be the elements or metals with which the shackles are made, they are simply meant for imprisonment. Unless and until one goes beyond these three material modes or entanglements, one can never be considered free and liberated. Only one who completely surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord unconditionally may thus be delivered from such bondage.

The Ultimate Sanctioner

When Akbar was the Emperor of Delhi there lived a hermit in a hut in the forest. Many people visited the holy man. At one time he felt a great desire to entertain his visitors. But how could he do so without money? So he decided to go to the Emperor for help, for the gate of Akbar’s palace was always open to holy men.

The hermit entered the palace while the Emperor was at his daily devotions and took a seat in a corner of the room. He heard the Emperor conclude his worship with the prayer, “O God, give me money; give me riches”, and so on and so forth. When the hermit heard this, he was about to leave the prayer hall, but the Emperor signed to him to wait.

When the prayer was over the Emperor said to him, “You came to see me: how is it that you were about to leave without saying anything to me?”

“Your Majesty need not trouble yourself about it.”, answered the hermit. “I must leave now.” When the Emperor insisted, the hermit said: “Many people visit my hut, and so I came here to ask you for some money.”

“Then”, said Akbar, “Why were you going away without speaking to me?”

The hermit replied: “I found that you too were a beggar; you too prayed to God for money and riches. There upon I said to myself: ‘Why should I beg of a beggar? If I must beg, let me beg of God.”

Srila Prabhupada explains: Ashaya means “determination.” Generally a conditioned soul has the determination for material profit, but when these desires for material profit are satisfied through performance of yajna, one gradually achieves the spiritual platform. Then his life becomes perfect. Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.10) therefore recommends:

akamah sarva-kamo va
moksa-kama udara-dhih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
yajeta purusam param

If a person wants to return home, back to Godhead, or wants to become a pure devotee (akama), or wants some material prosperity (sakama or sarva-kama), or wants to merge into the existence of the Supreme Brahman effulgence (moksa-kama), he is recommended to take to the path of devotional service and hear and chant of Lord Vishnu or of His devotee. This is the sum and substance of all Vedic literatures.

Eagerness

A hermit was meditating by a river when a young man interrupted him.

“Master, I wish to become your disciple,” said the man. “Why?” replied the hermit. The young man thought for a moment. “Because I want to find God.”

The master jumped up, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, dragged him into the river, and plunged his head under water. After holding him there for a minute, with him kicking and struggling to free himself, the master finally pulled him up out of the river. The young man coughed up water and gasped to get his breath. When he eventually quieted down, the master spoke.

“Tell me, what did you want most of all when you were under water.”

“Air!” answered the man.

“Very well,” said the master. “Go home and come back to me when you want God as much as you just wanted air.”

Srila Prabhupada explains, “Eagerness is the price for achieving success in Krishna consciousness. Everything has some value, and one has to pay the value before obtaining or possessing it. It is stated in the Vedic literature that to purchase the most valuable thing, Krishna consciousness, one has to develop intense eagerness for achieving success. If one wants to achieve success at the end of his life, the process of remembering Krishna is essential. Therefore one should constantly, incessantly chant the maha-mantra—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

Hate Good

A dull headed boy was once happily flying a kite from an unwalled rooftop. He became so engrossed in playing that he lost his awareness. His playmates were also encouraging him very much. The boy got so carried away that he failed to notice that one of his legs was hanging over the edge of the roof. None of the other boys alerted him to this peril; rather they simply continued to encourage him to fly the kite.

At that critical moment, a wise man happened to pass by. He saw that the boy was in imminent danger of falling from the roof. He immediately rushed up to save the boy although the others saw no danger. He pulled the boy away from the edge, tore off the thread of the kite and took away the spool of thread.

But the foolish boy and his friends, rather than feeling thankful, began to curse the well-meaning gentleman. They called him a thief, rascal, trespasser, gunda, hooligan, ruffian and other such names. They even threatened to take the gentleman to court after complaining to their over-indulgent parents. Some even tried to physically assault him. Bearing all this, the kind-hearted gentleman saved the boy from imminent death.

Materialistic persons embrace their certain death by accepting whatever is apparently palatable to them. By no means are they prepared to accept anything which is apparently bitter but ultimately pleasant. Many of our so-called friends in this material world also encourage us in sense gratificatory activities that lead us to certain death and destruction.

By chance if one comes across a benevolent saintly person, he preaches to us out of his sheer mercy some real truths although in an unpleasantly stern exposition (like a dose of strong medicine) in spite of our unwillingness to accept it. Therefore we should accept all good sermons from saintly persons delivered in the cause of our eternal welfare, even if those words appear utterly bitter and heart rending.

Good Association

 

“Why do people attend satsanga? Are they of any real benefit?”

Once a saint approached a lady for bhiksha, and this was the question that she posed to him. He in turn asked her to prepare buckets full of kheer for him the next day, when he would answer her query. The next day he came back with a bowl filled up to the brim with cow dung and asked her to pour the kheer in it. Dumbfounded, the lady poured buckets and buckets of kheer. Initially the kheer spilled on the earth but gradually, the cow dung spilled down with the sheer force of the kheer and the bowl became clean and filled up with the sweet kheer.

The saint explained, “I have demonstrated the effect satsanga has on a stained soul. Constantly pour satsanga on the hearts and minds filled up to the brim with lust, hatred, attachment, desire, selfishness and viciousness till complete clarity and total cleansing is achieved. Only then will you be able to purify your existence and understand things as they are.”

Srila Prabhupada explains: “By association with undesirable companions we have learned so many bad habits and similarly by association with pure persons or devotees we can become purified of our acquired bad habits.”

“Simply by associating with exalted devotees, anyone can attain perfection of knowledge and with the sword of knowledge can cut to pieces the illusory associations within this material world. Through the association of devotees, one can engage in the service of the Lord by hearing and chanting [shravanam kirtanam]. Thus one can revive his dormant Krishna consciousness and, sticking to the cultivation of Krishna consciousness, return home, back to Godhead, even in this life.”