The Dark Web
Have you ever heard of the dark web? It’s that part of the internet that’s hidden from regular search engines. You can’t just type in Google and find it. You need a special browser, secret links, and a lot of manipulation to access it.
And what happens there? The darkest activities imaginable – drug deals, human trafficking, even people hiring assassins. It’s a world that operates in secrecy, unseen and untraceable to the common man.
The rest of the internet? That’s what everyone sees. It’s indexed, open, and accessible.
Similarly, in our lives, we have two sides. One side is the good and happy image we present to others. These webpages are indexed in our search engines. We often wish to show these webpages to others – How beautiful I am, how great I am, how accomplished I am, and so on.
What is the other side? That’s our own dark web, a hidden side where our anarthas reside.
The Dark Anarthas
Just like the dark web, we have dark anarthas—things we don’t want to be indexed, things we don’t want others to see. The six anarthas torment the living entity in various ways.
Lust devours us, like a raging fire.
Greed tempts us, making us chase after more and more, never satisfied.
Anger consumes us, burning everything that comes its way.
Pride harasses us, making us think we are better than others.
Envy torments us, making us insecure at others’ success.
Illusion overpowers us, making us forget who we really are and why we are here.
These anarthas sit deep within us, just like the dark web sits beneath the surface of the internet.
Today, while chanting, I was reminded of a bit of my past. As Mukunda Maharaja says in Miracle on Second Avenue, I wasn’t that bad, but I was far from being a saint before coming to Krishna consciousness.
I was remembering the struggle—or rather, the free flow—of my anarthas. If Krishna consciousness hadn’t entered my life, I know for sure—I would have been lost, sinking deeper into the whirlpool of material existence.
But, to give me solace from the dark anarthas which are like the dark web, the Dark Lord appeared in my life.
The Dark Lord
No, I am not talking about you-know-who. Not Voldemort. He only dragged his followers deeper into darkness. He had Death Eaters and Dementors—agents of fear and destruction. (For those unaware, Voldemort was the main antagonist in the Harry Potter fantasy novel series. He was called the Dark Lord because of his mastery of the Dark Arts.)
But the Dark Lord I’m talking about? He has life-givers. His associates are Mentors in the real sense. They free us from our ghostly Dementors, not bind us to them.
His darkness is not terrifying; it’s enchanting, mesmerizing, and all-attractive. When we take shelter of this dark Lord, we can get free from all the indexed and non-indexed anarthas.
Bilvamangal Thakur, in his past life, was consumed by lust. But this Dark Lord stole his heart and his entire existence.
Mrgrari, a ruthless hunter, took pleasure in cruelty. But one encounter with a life-giver devotee of this Dark Lord transformed him.
Nalakuvera and Manigriva, drowned in greed and intoxication, were reinstated in their position by this Dark Lord.
The Gopis became proud, but their pride was vanquished by this Dark Lord.
Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami describes how even the most envious person can be pacified by the mercy of this Dark Lord.
This Dark Lord freed Arjuna who was drowning in illusion on the battlefield and was in a dilemma on his duties.
This Dark Lord, who is also known as Shyamasundara, appears in different forms at different times, to enchant and mystify all the living entities by His dark arts! He alone has the power to bestow the highest gift—pure love (prema)—and to vanquish every last trace of anarthas in our hearts. He makes the dark web of our dark anarthas to totally disappear and awards us the most wonderful experience of eternity.
