Vohraguh aveli gahrehvohreh, kahn kahnahguh

Our behavior during life determines to a large extent our destiny after death. Whatever material possessions we have accumulated during life is lost at death. The result of our good or bad acts influence what happens to us in the future and after death. Cultivating good acts and avoiding sinful ones can make our future auspicious. Superlative good acts are those that are meant to serve God without any selfish desire or for any material benefits in return. Acts inspired by love and devotion meant to please God purify the mind of selfish desires. They help to focus one’s attention on spiritual emancipation from the cycle of birth and death.

There was once a rich man who dressed luxuriously and wore expensive clothes made of fine linen. He ate the finest and tastiest foods. There was a beggar named Lazarus whose body was covered with suppurating sores. Desiring to eat the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table, Lazarus lay near the door of the rich man’s house.

Out of pity, some dogs would come to lick the wet sores of Lazarus. One day, Lazarus died and was transported to the bosom of Abraham the Prophet. The rich man died. He was sent to a place where he was tormented with scorching heat. He was able to see Abraham with Lazarus on his bosom far away in the distance. He called out in agony, “Father Abraham, please have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to me. Let him dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my lips parched by this flame.”

“In your lifetime, you received many blessings from God such as wealth, good food and drink, and happy days. Lazarus, however, suffered from poverty and afflictions of the body. Now he is comforted and you are tormented. There is also an insurmountable gulf between us. No one can approach you from our side nor can you approach us from your side,” said Abraham.

The rich man spoke to the angel. “I pray to you, dear father, to send him (Lazarus) to my father’s house. Let him instruct my five brothers so that they may not follow me to this horrid place.”

Abraham spoke to him, “Your brothers have Moses and the prophets. They can hear from them.”

The rich man said, “No, father Abraham, if you send one from the dead to testify to my brothers, they will surely repent.”

Abraham said, “If they cannot hear Moses and the prophets, they will also not be persuaded by one risen from the dead.”

This Biblical parable spoken by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31 is a powerful statement that touches the heart of faith. A person of faith believes the word of God and his prophets and uses the word of God to guide his life. A faithless person does not believe the word of God and either ignores to follow it or acts contrary to it.

There are wonderful examples of persons of faith in the Bible. Noah believed the word of God. He built an arc in the desert with explicit faith in the word of God that a great deluge would occur in the future.

God had become displeased with sinful humanity that no longer listened or followed His instructions. He was pleased with Noah who was always faithful to Him. God promised Noah that if he built a large boat (arc) and always obey and trust Him, He would safely guide Noah and his family through the future flood waters and save them from the coming destruction of humanity. Noah trusted the word of God and did exactly as he was asked to do.

Similarly, Abraham, Jesus and many others strictly followed God’s instructions and submitted to His will. They demonstrated the meaning of faith in God and His word. Although their faithfulness was tested, they never wavered in their trust. They remained surrendered to the will of God in success and failure, happiness and distress, riches and poverty, fame and infamy.

Jesus was tempted by the devil. But, He kept His loyalty to His Father by quoting the relevant holy scripture that revealed each of the devil’s deceptive temptations as deviations from the word of God. Jesus also accepted to be crucified for the sins of humanity that professed faith in Him as the son of God.

Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham trusted the word of God explicitly and acted accordingly. God tested Abraham’s faith and was pleased with his total surrender to His will. He stopped the sacrifice at the last moment before Abraham killed his son and set fire to the sacrificial pyre.

In the same parable of the rich man and Lazerus, another important point is made. Although the rich man let Lazarus lay near the door of his mansion, he did not actively give him help. Whatever crumbs fell from his dinner table were given to the destitute Lazarus. Jesus tells another parable that speaks to this aloof disregard of the rich man for the poor.

A rich man’s planted fields yielded an abundant harvest. He thought, “I have been blessed with a bumper crop. But, where shall I store such a huge quantity of grains?” He decided to enlarge his barns to store all the surplus grains. He mused, “I have plenty of grain stored that will last three years. I’ll I keep it and hope that there will be a drought in the future so I can sell the grain for two or three times more than the regular price. I’ll become richer and enjoy the rewards of profit for a long time.”

Understanding the mind of the rich man, God spoke to him. “You greedy fool! This very night you will die. Then who will enjoy what you have prepared for yourself?”

Jesus remarks, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but, is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:16-21

Lack of faith in the word of God leads to sinful acts. By lack of faith, one becomes weak in their conviction to bypass temporary material pleasures and mundane attachments in order to attain the mercy of God. Eve was tempted by the devil to disobey the word of God. She transgressed God’s word and later convinced her husband, Adam to do the same. They ate the fruit that God forbade them to eat. They both felt shame and began to be fearful. When God perceived their lack of faith, He punished them for their disobedience. Such punishment was remedial. After the fall, God sent many prophets and eventually Jesus Christ and others to help the descendants of Adam and Eve acquire the knowledge and faith to overcome the temptations of temporal pleasures and return to the eternal kingdom of God.

Faith is demonstrated by accepting the truth of God’s words. In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna at first refuses to follow Lord Krishna’s order to engage in the battle of Kuruksetra against his cousin brothers, the Kurus. Arjuna admits that he is confused about what his duty is because of his family attachment. He cannot see any way to be happy either by winning the battle or losing the battle. Therefore, he refuses to fight and throws down his weapons.

Arjuna, however, asks Lord Krishna to instruct him. He is willing to be instructed by the Lord about his real duty is in life. He accepts the Lord as his spiritual master and begins to ask Him important questions that he needs answered in order to become self-realized in spiritual knowledge. After a long discussion that covers God, man, time, the material nature and duty in life for each person, Lord Krishna asks Arjuna if his confusion about his course of action is finished. Arjuna replies, “My dear Krishna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.”

Becoming free of the illusion of temporary material attachments,
Arjuna regains his original memory of being the eternal servant of God. He engages wholeheartedly without hesitation in the service of Lord Krishna by strictly following His instructions. This is the ultimate sign of faith.

There was once a powerful and wealthy king who approached a holy man with the desire to learn from him. He requested the teacher to accept him as one of his disciples. He said, ” I have grown weary of being a king. I want to become your humble servant and receive the benediction of your instruction.”

The holy man agreed to accept the service of the king for a certain period during which he would test his sincerity. He ordered the king, “Daily take out the trash of our community to the garbage dump which is on the outskirts of the town.”

The king accepted the menial service given to him. He abandoned his royal vestments and donned the simple cloth of a disciple. For many months he performed the service given to him by the teacher.

The other disciples of the the holy man were amazed at the humility of the king. One day, they approached the teacher and implored him to relieve the king of the trash disposal as he had proven his sincerity. Their reasoning was that the king had not been forcibly exiled from his throne. He voluntarily left his royal life to seek spiritual enlightenment. After many months of doing the unpleasant service of carrying the community’s trash to the dump, he had demonstrated his honest resolve to become a humble student.

The holy man answered, “He is not ready yet for initiation.” He asked the student who spoke for the others in favor of the king,
“I suggest that you test the king in some way that will prove without any doubt that he is genuinely humble.”

One day, the king was carrying a large sack full of garbage. The student pushed the king so hard that he dropped the sack and some of the contents fell on the ground. The king was upset. He said, “If I was still the king, I would have expedited your just reward for such an act. But, since I am not the king, I must control my anger.” The king gathered the garbage. He put it back in the sack and continued his path to the garbage dump.

When the student reported what happened to the teacher, he commented, “You see, he is not ready yet.”

After some days, another student begged the teacher to be kind to the king. The teacher said, “You may also test the king.”

The king was again submitted to the same kind of ordeal. He did not say anything, but he gave a grave look at the second student for a short moment. He picked up the garbage sack and continued his task. The student reported what happened to the teacher. Again, the teacher remarked, “He is not ready.”

The king was tested a third time. He remained silent. He simply picked up the garbage sack without looking at his assailant and went on with his task. When the teacher heard about the third incident, he said, Now he is ready. He has no more false illusions about his previous grandeur. He is satisfied with doing his service without any other thought.”

Attachment to material possessions and prestige due to power, wealth and dominion over others can blind a person to the eternal truth that they are subordinate always to God. Temporal power and prestige can hold a person so strongly that they may refuse to take any opportunity for release from the the cycle of repeated birth and death.

A man approached Jesus and asked a question as he bowed before him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“You know the commandments, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother,” said Jesus.

The man replied, “I have followed all these since my youth.”

“You lack one thing,” said Jesus. “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Hearing the words of Jesus the man became saddened. He went away because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at his disciples and said, “It is very hard for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were perplexed by these words.

Jesus spoke to them again, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were shocked and disheartened. Jesus spoke again, “For ordinary people with their limited powers it is impossible. But all things are possible for God.”
Mark 10.17-22

The power of spiritual purity is greater than any material power. Therefore, a genuine person whose has strong faith in the word of God develops patience and tolerance in all life’s tribulations through steady devotion. He understands that all things in this material world belong to God. Therefore, they should be used in the service of God under proper guidance of a genuine servant of God whose only desire is to please the Lord. Then the impossible becomes possible for the person of faith.