Five Examples Of Lack Of Satya-Sankalpa

“It is said, ‘Man proposes, God disposes.’ Thus a person may desire many things, but unless these desires are fulfilled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they cannot be fulfilled. Fulfillment of desire is called satya-sankalpa.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 8.16.22 Purport)

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It is yet another way to describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is beyond the limits of the imagination. He is not bound by dualities. He is both up and down. He is high and low, simultaneously.

One of the limitations for the mere mortals is the lack of fulfillment of every desire. I can think of something. I can contemplate, but the future manifestation is not guaranteed.

1. Hoarding napkins

“It’s part of the daily routine. Visit a certain restaurant for lunch. Order takeout. The cashier always stuffs the bag with napkins. Way more than I need for a given meal. Therefore, why not stack up in a corner of the office? You never know when the napkins will be required. One day I will have so many that others will be envious.

“At a future date, someone sure did take notice. They walked into my office when I wasn’t around. They took all of the napkins I had saved. Later on, they half-heartedly apologized, giving the excuse that they needed to clean up a spill in their office. There goes all of my work.”

2. Stock investments

“When I started learning about investing, the general consensus was that stocks outperform bonds in the long-term. Something like a ten percent average rate of return over a thirty-year period. I was sold on the recommendation. I started putting money away from every paycheck into the retirement account. I had it all calculated; early retirement.

“Today, things look different. The consensus is now that stocks return about seven percent a year in the long-term. What happened? Why the decline? I certainly do not have enough to retire. I understand that others have it worse, but there was a plan in place. Now I have to alter my strategy moving forward.”

3. Planning for a son

“The wife is pregnant. We were so excited when we first heard the news. For some reason, we both assumed it was going to be a boy. I had everything planned out, from the furniture in the baby room to the clothes that he was going to wear. I looked forward to years of playing sports and teaching lessons on how to deal with women, as if anyone can ever figure that out!

“Well, we went to the doctor today. As you might guess, we’re not having a boy. My wife is pretty excited. I honestly don’t mind in the long run, but the news just went against my expectations. Shows how little control you have over such things.”

4. Counting on the train schedule

“This happens to me often enough that I should expect it by now, but it still bothers me. I leave home at exactly the same time each morning. I have an easy walk to the train station. No obstructions. No delays. A straight path.

“But there are the days when I reach the stairs to see the train pulling out of the station. It’s not that big a deal. Another one usually arrives within five minutes. Still, I had everything planned. If I reach the office at an intended time, I can leave for home that much earlier. I wish the trains were a little more consistent.”

5. Visit to the pizza restaurant

“I waited all week for this. I followed a healthy diet. I controlled my appetite. Now that it is the weekend, I am ready for my trip to the pizza restaurant. Nothing beats sitting at a table, reading a book and being served a fresh pie.

“I don’t devour the whole thing, mind you. Granted, I probably could, but I would regret it later on. No, I usually finish about half. Anyway, this past weekend the pizza was terrible. They overcooked it and the dough was too thick. My expectations were not met. I was not happy.”

…

Indeed, there are too many desires in a given day to count. The mind is always on, so to speak. The living entity can never be God for the mere fact that their desires sometimes are not fulfilled. I do not have full control over outcomes.

The Supreme Lord, however, is known as satya-sankalpa. Whatever idea pops up becomes fulfilled. The determination is always true. He is so kind that He extends this feature to His devotees. Those who always want to serve Him through activities such as chanting the holy names have their desires made true: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

The desires made immediately true,
Satya-sankalpa Krishna from who.

So that promise of devotion made,
And to that standard obeyed.

Where the holy names repeating,
And influence of maya defeating.

In any other area frustration,
So glad with Lord a relation.