Jīvo Jīvasya Jīvanam - Life for Life, the Law of Nature

Oh!! The world-OH-meter, seems like Yamaraj’s diary. It seems like we are getting a sneak peak into his diary of daily lives lost. And there does not seem to be an end in sight. I have never in my 50-something years of life experienced this, but I must say this has had a most profound effect on my conscience.

Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam, I have come across this many times on my spiritual path. With the recent influx of comments and posts about COVID-19 (coronavirus), a lot of people are saying the main cause is animal killing and consumption which has infected the human race. This is not the first time this has happened. In the past we have seen the bird flu, swine flu, etc. which were also similar circumstances. So before we go any further let’s explore this law of nature, Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. We depend on scriptures to give us clarity, always.

In the Srimad Bhagavatam it is told that one living entity is the food for the other. It’s a law of nature setup by the will of the Supreme Lord.

SB 1.13.47

ahastāni sahastānām
apadāni catuṣ-padām
phalgūni tatra mahatāṁ
jīvo jīvasya jīvanam

Those who are devoid of hands are prey for those who have hands; those devoid of legs are prey for the four-legged. The weak are the subsistence of the strong, and the general rule holds that one living being is food for another.

A systematic law of subsistence in the struggle for existence is there by the supreme will, and there is no escape for anyone by any amount of planning. The living beings who have come to the material world against the will of the Supreme Being are under the control of a supreme power called māyā-śakti, the deputed agent of the Lord, and this daivī māyā is meant to pinch the conditioned souls by threefold miseries, one of which is explained here in this verse: the weak are the subsistence of the strong. No one is strong enough to protect himself from the onslaught of a stronger, and by the will of the Lord there are systematic categories of the weak, the stronger and the strongest. There is nothing to be lamented if a tiger eats a weaker animal, including a man, because that is the law of the Supreme Lord. But although the law states that a human being must subsist on another living being, there is the law of good sense also, for the human being is meant to obey the laws of the scriptures. This is impossible for other animals. Source

So human beings are also allowed to kill others for sustenance but the law of good sense is that one should obey the laws of the scriptures. The human birth is the only birth eligible for self-realization. Animals cannot and do not pursue a spiritual life but we have the reasoning power to do so. We offer everything to the Lord in the form of fruits, vegetables, grains and milk and consume that afterwards as Prasad, sanctified food which is then karma free. People say that we are killing plants too which have life. Yes that is killing too, but the consciousness of a plant and animal are on very different levels, so if we can sustain without killing more advanced beings, we should. Lord Krishna says in BG 9.26:

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it. Source

We do what is absolutely necessary to maintain our body and soul together, not extravagantly killing animals for our sensual pleasures. People will even deny the existence of God just so that they can kill and eat animals. Death is inevitable and in time all will be destroyed. Lord Krishna says that He is time and He is death personified Bg 11.32 kālo ’smi loka-kṣaya-kṛt pravṛddho Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds and Bg 10.34 mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham I am all-devouring death. Further it is told:

SB 4.24.65

sa eṣa lokān aticaṇḍa-vego
vikarṣasi tvaṁ khalu kāla-yānaḥ
bhūtāni bhūtair anumeya-tattvo
ghanāvalīr vāyur ivāviṣahyaḥ

My dear Lord, Your absolute authority cannot be directly experienced, but one can guess by seeing the activities of the world that everything is being destroyed in due course of time. The force of time is very strong, and everything is being destroyed by something else — just as one animal is being eaten by another animal. Time scatters everything, exactly as the wind scatters clouds in the sky. Source

Even though death is inevitable, unnecessary killing is sinful. Each living entity has a cycle of life which is predetermined by Dharmaraj Yama according to our karma. Where they go and how long they live is decided by karma. It’s not our decision to take another living entity’s life for our sense pleasure. In our passion and ignorance man is trying to maintain this body and trying to live forever, and in that process a lot of killing is going on. Actually no one can escape death without becoming a devotee of the Lord. Our spiritual master, dear Gurudev, shows us the path of devotion, takes us to the Lotus feet of the Lord and only by the mercy of Hari we can get out of this cycle of birth and death.

Conditioned souls are brought to the path of bhakti by the help of the Vaisnavas, and also by the direct guidance of the Supreme Lord. Harim vina naiva srtim taranti: "Without the blessings of Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot stop the continuous chain of birth and death within this material world." Lord Krsna, as the Supersoul within everyone's heart, directly gives us guidance. When a soul cries out for spiritual guidance, the Lord as the caitya-guru, or the spiritual master in the heart, gives direct inspiration. Krsna states,

tesam evanukampartham aham ajnana-jam tamah
nasayamy atma-bhava-stho jnana-dipena bhasvata

"To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance" (Bg. 10.11).

"A person may have a bona fide spiritual master and may be attached to a spiritual organization, but still, if he is not intelligent enough to make progress, then Krsna from within gives him instructions so that he may ultimately come to Him without difficulty." The Lord's mercy is therefore available both in the form of the instructing spiritual masters and the Supersoul within the heart. The appearance of the spiritual master within the life of the conditioned soul is the direct mercy of the Lord. Source

Above all of this, as humans with superior intelligence, where is our conscience? Conscience is defined as the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action. Really I ask you, what do you think is the right thing to do?

Let’s reverse this. A chance for those who are saved from this COVID-19 virus attack. Make this human birth a birth to remember, a birth to struggle for higher consciousness, not a struggle in birth, death, old age and disease.

Let’s not try to control the destiny of others by killing them for our sense pleasure, instead let’s live and let live. We can easily subsist on vegetarian food and that too food first offered humbly to the Lord as He has provided all of this for us.

Let’s not be that power-hungry human leading this Earth planet and its species to extinction, but let’s learn from the Earth, tolerating and being humbler than a blade of grass. As we step on Mother Earth and pollute her like there is no tomorrow, she has been quiet. Let’s stop the pollution and be kind to her.

I believe as a practicing spiritual aspirant that instead of pointing fingers, one should offer a solution. We have to understand that we are all thrown into this fire of material existence (ignorance) and it is burning us constantly. To relieve ourselves we think we need things from outside of us but what we need is already within us. Senses will be transformed from craving and eating other living entities to cravings to see the Lord, to have food that has touched His lips. Love will transform all.

Be that love that represents the Lord, then you are a devotee. We represent the most merciful Lord Nityananda, being in Their family, let’s not let them down. As mentioned above there is anger towards those that eat animals who have started this virus, both from devotees and otherwise. This is understandable as people are suffering, but we must try to transform that anger into love.

Jivo jivasya jivanam will go on in spite of it feeling incorrect, because without death there is no life. But unnecessary killing of other living entities will have an effect on humans, it already is in so many ways. The current COVID-19 situation is the latest example where we are being killed by other living entities like viruses only because we insist on killing and eating animals. Humans will not be spared.

We were lost before, some are lost now. Let’s give new meaning to Life for Life. Dedicate your life to Lord Nityananda, He will inspire you from within. Be life for another life. Dedicate your life for another life to lift others up and show them the way.

Happy Ram Navami !!