What Does A Person Really Gain By Following Bhakti

“He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.31)

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क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा
शश्वच्-छान्तिं निगच्छति
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि
न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति

kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā
śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi
na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati

“The list goes on and on. We would be here for at least a week if I were to cite every reference from authorized sacred texts. Some people might have to turn off the sound or first move away from the pages. This is because the content is not suitable for minor children. Some might be so horrified that they will never return to the subject matter, no matter how desperate the plea from the other side.

“I am speaking of bad things happening to people strongly associated with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Known by many names within Sanskrit literature, there is only one God for everyone. Even reaching that understanding is a milestone, a significant step forward in the development of the consciousness. The human birth carries the highest potential for such development.

“From the Mahabharata we have the story of the five Pandava brothers. Their shared wife, Draupadi, is not spared the pain and heartache. Queen Kunti, the mother, suffers one calamity after another. These people were directly associated with Shri Krishna, who is known as an avatara of Vishnu.

“Then there is Prahlada Maharaja, from the Daitya family. He was connected to God through consciousness. Deep and meaningful meditation in yoga. He never wavered in his faith, but he sure did suffer at the hands of the wicked father, the king named Hiranyakashipu.

“In more recent times, there are the children growing up in a spiritual community and abused by the elders in school. The disciples who lost faith after accepting fake and cheating gurus. The gross mistreatment of women within the same societies. The list goes on.

“My question is that in the face of such overwhelming evidence, what do people actually gain from following sanatana-dharma? How is their life any different from the person who has no connection to God in consciousness, who takes aim at increasing sense enjoyment as life progresses?”

The question essentially answers itself. It is not that people outside of devotional culture are immune to such calamities. The wise person understands that the greatest tragedy is thinking that what occurred in the past, with previous generations, will not occur moving forward.

अहन्य् अहनि भूतानि
गच्छन्तीह यमालयम्
शेषाः स्थावरम् इच्छन्ति
किम् आश्चर्यम् अतः परम्

ahany ahani bhūtāni
gacchantīha yamālayam
śeṣāḥ sthāvaram icchanti
kim āścaryam ataḥ param

“Day after day countless living entities in this world go to the kingdom of death. Still, those who remain aspire for a permanent situation here. What could be more amazing than this?” (Maharaja Yudhishthira speaking to Yamaraja, Mahabharata, Vana-parva, 313.116)

As soon as a person takes birth, the death process starts. This is the guaranteed end. No one says that the road will be easy. No one can guarantee that the eventual exit will be quick and painless. Rather, time is ruthless. The same word in Sanskrit for both time and death: kala. This is the greatest devouring agent, and it is undefeated.

The person in ignorance will lose everything. The expensive house. The high-end automobile. The occupation they love. The close friends and family. The dedication to the nation of birth. The enjoyment from eating, sleeping, mating and so forth. Everything will be gone.

The same applies to the person following spiritual life. They live under the same strict rules of material nature, which is an overwhelming force that attacks with three primary sources of misery. From the heavens, from other living beings, and from within – there is barely a moment of respite, to be free from the onslaught.

The distinction with dharma is that the occupation never ceases. It is immune to the effects of time. Draupadi suffered at the hands of the Kauravas, but nothing could shake her devotion to Krishna. Hiranyakashipu tried to physically beat the devotional spirit out of his son, but this effort was a dismal failure.

Through the conduit of the disciple named Arjuna, Krishna has it boldly declared to the universe and generations moving forward in time that pure devotion never perishes. The servant may appear here and there, travelling to different places to purify others with their association, but the occupation will remain the same, singing the glories of the Almighty in complete bliss: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Whether loss or gain,
The destination the same.

That despite everything found,
To eventual release bound.

With devotional life distinction,
That never the spirit extinction.

That if Supreme Lord to cherish,
Service to Him never to perish.

Four Behaviors Of The Rakshasas That Were Inferior To Bhakti Life

“Then I, resembling a cloud and having molten-golden earrings, made my way into Vishvamitra’s ashrama, for I was very proud of my strength due to the boon given to me by Lord Brahma. As soon as I entered, Rama quickly noticed me and raised His weapon. Though He saw me, Rama strung His bow without any fear.” (Maricha speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 38.16-17)

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ततोऽहं मेघसङ्काशस्तप्तकाञ्चनकुण्डलः।
बली दत्तवरोदर्पादाजगाम तदाश्रमम्।।
तेन दृष्टः प्रविष्टोऽहं सहसैवोद्यतायुधः।
मां तु दृष्ट्वा धनुस्सज्यमसम्भ्रान्तश्चकार सः।।

tato’haṃ meghasaṅkāśastaptakāñcanakuṇḍalaḥ।
balī dattavarodarpādājagāma tadāśramam।।
tena dṛṣṭaḥ praviṣṭo’haṃ sahasaivodyatāyudhaḥ।
māṃ tu dṛṣṭvā dhanussajyamasambhrāntaścakāra saḥ।।

Is taking birth as a Rakshasa really that bad? The descriptions of this species we get from shastra do not bear any resemblance to modern-day life. In other words, we don’t typically run into a person with ten heads and twenty arms. We know that bears hibernate for the winter, but what kind of human being sleeps for six months at a time and then wakes up with a voracious appetite?

Birth in this species was the result of a curse, but if we study some of the enhanced accompanying abilities, we might think that is incorrect. Many people would love to be empowered as a Rakshasa, but upon careful analysis of the basic behaviors, we begin to understand why it is indeed a curse to become a man-eating ogre.

1. Cheating others

Deception. Dishonesty. Lack of candor, which is the kinder way of describing lying in the legal world. Many government officials lack candor, which helps to soften the image when described to the public. They are expert at cheating others; it is almost a necessary qualification for holding public office.

The Rakshasas were also cheaters. They did not play fair. If one man was ready to defend Himself and family members, the Rakshasas would gang up and send up to fourteen thousand of the best fighters known to the universe. A Rakshasa male would overpower a delicate and peaceful princess. They would eat messengers not intending any harm.

2. Intruding areas undetected

If you are visiting someone’s home, you typically make some sort of announcement. Ring the bell. Knock on the door. In gated communities, the guardsman might place a phone-call as prior notification, after asking identification from the visitors.

Rakshasas showed up unannounced. They were burglars looking to do more than steal. They went to the tapo-vanas with the motive to interfere with spiritual activities. The human residents of that place were not expecting night-rangers of wicked intent as unannounced visitors.

3. Enjoying eating and sleeping in excess

Shri Hanuman witnessed everything firsthand. As a sort of poetic justice in karmic-reaction, he intruded the city of Lanka. He went into that place undetected and unannounced, as the Rakshasas had done previously. Lanka was their home, and Hanuman saw the excess in lavish living.

More wine and animal flesh than any person could consume. Constant intoxication. If we eat too much, it is difficult to move after the fact. The same applies to intoxication. While in the beginning it seems like a good idea, afterwards we regret. This explains why the new diet and exercise products always find paying customers.

4. Being falsely proud over temporary achievements

The king of the Rakshasas was proud over what he had been able to accomplish. Sure, there was originally the curse to appear in that form. There were boons received from Lord Brahma which gave de-facto immunity from enemy attack. There was the name provided by Lord Shiva due to the terrifying scream.

Ravana would boast of his accomplishments to anyone who would listen. The problem was that the rewards were temporary in nature. The entire city of Lanka could be burned down in an instant, as would take place with a vengeful and angry Hanuman. Moreover, the Rakshasa leader had to use deception, cheating and unfair play in order to succeed.

…

The bhakti path is always superior. Though it may seem like the other side is winning, eventually the Divine will succeeds. This was seen in the case of Maricha, who was one of the deception-employing Rakshasas that would attack the tapo-vanas. He was accustomed to spoiling the yajna of Vishvamitra Muni.

Then one time the situation changed. Maricha did not succeed. Vishvamitra had prepared beforehand and found a bodyguard. A youth by the name of Rama, who happened to be an avatara of Vishnu. The dedication in dharma paid off by catching God’s attention. The Supreme Lord defended against Maricha and He continues to support the efforts of the devotees, who never stop singing His glories: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Never stop His glories singing,
Who everything to them bringing.

Better in that life to sound,
Than to Rakshasa form found.

Who with sinful ways aligned,
In excess of enjoyment to find.

But always relying on cheating,
Rama with single arrow defeating.

The Case Of The Super Senior

“The child thus remains just like a bird in a cage, without freedom of movement. At that time, if the child is fortunate, he can remember all the troubles of his past one hundred births, and he grieves wretchedly. What is the possibility of peace of mind in that condition?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.31.9)

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अकल्पः स्वाङ्ग-चेष्टायां
शकुन्त इव पञ्जरे
तत्र लब्ध-स्मृतिर् दैवात्
कर्म जन्म-शतोद्भवम्
स्मरन् दीर्घम् अनुच्छ्वासं
शर्म किं नाम विन्दते

akalpaḥ svāṅga-ceṣṭāyāṁ
śakunta iva pañjare
tatra labdha-smṛtir daivāt
karma janma-śatodbhavam
smaran dīrgham anucchvāsaṁ
śarma kiṁ nāma vindate

Friend1: When you were attending school, did most people complete on time?

Friend2: What level are we talking here? Elementary school?

Friend1: Let’s do high school and college.

Friend2: Okay. So you are asking if anyone failed and dropped out entirely?

Friend1: Well, you always get a few of those, but in my case there are people who required an extra year or two.

Friend2: Two years! Why would they need that?

Friend1: I am using this as a launching pad for further discussion.

Friend2: Alright. Since you had experience with it, you don’t need to ask me.

Friend1: I’m trying to determine how common the occurrence was. In my high school the other students used to refer to them as “super-seniors.”

Friend2: Because they weren’t necessarily in their last year.

Friend1: Extra-time. Like the penalty-time session in a soccer match. The overtime period in professional hockey. You’re not really sure how many extra years they are serving, but it is extended beyond the standard.

Friend2: Wow, that was one of my recurring nightmares while growing up. I am about ready to finish the year, only to find out there was this one class I failed to attend. I have a week to catch up on the entire year’s worth of work; otherwise I will be left back.

Friend1: Well, these students didn’t look affected by the ordeal. In college it was worse. Some of them were happy to have to spend another year.

Friend2: Don’t you have to pay extra money for that? As in, thousands of dollars.

Friend1: It all gets added to the bill; part of the loan. The idea was that you get to spend an extra year partying with your friends. You won’t get to live with people like this again. In the real world, things are more serious.

Friend2: Sure, but why do you want to pretend that you can’t grow up? Just move on in life.

Friend1: I bring this up because sometimes people will want to continue enjoying material life, even after hearing about the importance of paramartha.

Friend2: Which is the long-term interest.

Friend1: I know about spirit soul. I know about the distinction between identity and illusion.

Friend2: Brahman and maya.

Friend1: Sort of like procrastinating, I will put spiritual life off until later on. In the meantime, let me have some fun.

Friend2: Hmm, that is a risky proposition.

Friend1: I know what you are saying, that there is the potential for rebirth. Even so, what is the big deal? I take birth again. The soul never perishes. Shri Krishna confirms the truth in Bhagavad-gita.

Friend2: The problem is you cannot guarantee the circumstances of the next birth. Nature determines, measuring your consciousness at the time of death. If you were too afraid to move on with spiritual life, you will be stuck with a material consciousness. Then you are guaranteed rebirth and have to suffer the ordeal again.

Friend1: Is it really an ordeal? I don’t feel that I have suffered so much thus far.

Friend2: It is suffering from beginning to end. The period within the womb is terrible. Take the authorized accounts from Shrimad Bhagavatam. The birth process is so traumatic that we forget everything entirely. We pray that we will be devoted to God the person this time around, but we fail to live up to the vow.

Friend1: I see.

Friend2: Following dharma is difficult. It requires discipline. You need a leader to show the way. You need others around to keep you on track. You need a repository of authorized information to maintain the intellectual assurance. Sadhu, shastra and guru. We have all three, so let us not waste the opportunity: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

With uncertain future to fear,
In school spending another year.

Not considered harm impending,
Rather now the fun extending.

With spiritual life a risky game,
Where suffering again to attain.

In womb bunched up so,
Better now toward liberation to go.

Like Pausing Live Television

“The unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.41)

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प्राप्य पुण्य-कृतां लोकान्
उषित्वा शाश्वतीः समाः
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे
योग-भ्रष्टो ऽभिजायते

prāpya puṇya-kṛtāṁ lokān
uṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ
śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe
yoga-bhraṣṭo ‘bhijāyate

Though today a fixture of living in an industrialized part of the world, the invention of television is a marvel of technology. Similar to what we view with our own eyes, we can watch something taking place hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Everything delivered on a device with a screen.

We are no longer required to take a seat in an auditorium to watch the next showing of a theatrical performance. We do not need to purchase an expensive ticket for a seat at the championship game in the professional sport. Television is so nice that these sports leagues can run an entire season without a single person in attendance at the arenas.

Introduced in the last two decades or so is the ability to shift time and place. Previously, the user needed tapes and an elaborate system to record what was playing on the television. They would then have to rewind the tape and playback at a later time.

With the dawn of the digital age, recording and viewing can take place practically anywhere and at any time. I can watch previous recordings on any internet-connected device. I don’t need tapes. My bulky machine that recorded everything in my home has been replaced by a cloud service. In other words, the same hard drives, but managed by a third party, who makes everything accessible over the internet.

If an unexpected emergency should arise, I can pause what I am watching. If it is live programming, the action continues in real life. That football will not stay suspended in the air, awaiting my return to resume. But in my universe, in the reality that I create, everything stops. I do not lose progress. I can go back to the broadcast at any time.

This helps explain the concept of the unsuccessful yogi, as described in Bhagavad-gita. The premise is the promise of liberation. Any person who thinks of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, at the time of death achieves an end to the cycle of birth and death.

अन्त-काले च माम् एव
स्मरन् मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्
यः प्रयाति स मद्-भावं
याति नास्त्य् अत्र संशयः

anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ

“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.5)

There are no exceptions. There is no fine-print. There are no special qualifications. The promise follows exactly as it reads. Remember Krishna alone at the end and you will never have to return to the land of birth and death.

Naturally, the serious person takes it upon themselves to set up a lifestyle whereby they remember Krishna as much as possible. This is both easy to implement and rewarding throughout, since Krishna is all-attractive. It is not as if you are torturing yourself with only the hope and a prayer of a better life in the future. Devotional service, bhakti-yoga, is the better life.

We might have a new concern. What if everything doesn’t complete successfully? What if you remember Krishna for ten years in a row, but in the eleventh year you get distracted by outside forces. This vulnerability is always there. It is quite easy to get caught up in the temporary, losing sight of the long-term goal.

Krishna has a response. The yogi gets to pick up where they left off. In the next life, they will get circumstances conducive to devotional practice. Perhaps it is the type of family they live in. Maybe they are in a rich aristocracy that views the Supreme Lord as something of an order supplier, so there is regular worship. Perhaps the parents are scholarly in nature, well-read in Vedic literature such as Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The resumption is more precise than the television technology. The internet connection could break to the point that when you press to “un-pause” the feed returns to live. You have missed out on what you wanted to watch. Krishna’s memory is perfect. He retains everything about our previous lives, and so the promise is true in every way.

The better option is not to rely on the future. Take Krishna’s assurance at face value, but don’t wait until the end. Act like today is the most important day of your life, where you will connect with the Almighty in an unbreakable link: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Assigning to today,
That most important day.

Where Krishna to keep in mind,
In every situation to find.

So that not on future to rely,
Where again in yoga to try.

Promise made that if at the end,
Consciousness well beyond to extend.

Rama Navami 2021

“Being under the control of passion and lust, Rama’s father, Maharaja Dasharatha, wanted to fulfill Kaikeyi’s cherished desire, thus he did not go through with Rama’s installation ceremony.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 47.12)

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कामार्तस्तु महातेजाः पिता दशरथस्स्वयम्।।
कैकेय्याः प्रियकामार्थं तं रामं नाभ्यषेचयत्।

kāmārtastu mahātejāḥ pitā daśarathassvayam।।
kaikeyyāḥ priyakāmārthaṃ taṃ rāmaṃ nābhyaṣecayat।

The occasion of Rama Navami celebrates the appearance in this manifest world of the one who is forever unmanifest. He has no distinction between body and spirit. He is eternally nirguna, in juxtaposition to our current position of saguna. That same Almighty is simultaneously saguna, in the sense that there are identifiable features.

Shri Rama, the eldest son of King Dasharatha, gives a vivid example of those features, for the enjoyment of the population of the world and also to instruct them in the ways and glories of the one who is the original father and greatest well-wishing friend to every single being.

Jiva is life. Jiva is tied to atma, and that atma can never be killed. It is never born, it can never be destroyed, it never dies, and it never shuts down. Birth is the arrival in the sense of the jivatma connecting with a temporary and destructible vessel. Death is the subsequent dismissal of that form previously accepted.

Shri Rama is not in the category of jiva-tattva. He never accepts a material body, and so He never has to renounce one. He is vishnu-tattva, and for many purposes, including the rescue of jivas living at the time and in the future, Rama appeared in this world.

He had a distinct purpose of following dharma to the best extent possible. He was to set an ideal example of how to live, especially for a leader. He showed the various difficulties a human being faces throughout life and how to get through the tough times with grace, honor, dignity, and no loss of enthusiasm and effort.

At a young age Rama lost His father. King Dasharatha mistakenly trusted his youngest wife one time in the past. She had helped him on the battlefield, and Dasharatha repaid the favor by offering her any two boons of her choosing. Not one, but two blank checks, which Kaikeyi could cash in any time. Though he was a warrior equipped to handle enemies attacking from the ten directions simultaneously, Dasharatha was the nicest person one could imagine. A saint in the truest sense of the word.

Unfortunately, Kaikeyi later cashed in those blank checks at a very inopportune time. She asked that Rama’s installation ceremony be cancelled and that He leave the kingdom for fourteen years. Imagine if your favorite child was sent to jail for that long a time, after they had done nothing wrong. You would not be able to see them or hear from them. How would you survive?

Dasharatha didn’t. Shortly after Rama left, the king renounced the world. Rama had no issue following the orders. He abandoned the kingdom like a yogi abandons attachment to eating and sleeping. Rama loved His father very much, but affection did not stand in the way of duty.

After later hearing the news of Dasharatha’s departure, Rama easily could have returned to Ayodhya. No one would expect Him to honor the terms of the agreement with the wife. At that time no one was happy with Kaikeyi, anyway. No one would be upset if her desires were left unfulfilled. The people would be thrilled that their beloved Rama had returned.

Dasharatha’s eldest son stayed true to the vow. He carried out the entire fourteen year exile. Rama had many further difficulties to endure. His wife, Sita Devi, had to suffer in the process. As did Rama’s younger brother, Lakshmana.

Dasharatha’s passing could have crippled Rama. After all, the four expansions of Vishnu were the long awaited sons of the king. It was through a chance meeting with a rishi and a subsequent religious sacrifice that produced the fruit necessary to keep the family line going. It was not as if Dasharatha didn’t enjoy every minute spent with his sons.

Rama chose to honor the legacy of His father, of the king maintaining truth, honor and dignity so that the citizens would have a proper leader. To this day, that celebrated incarnation of Vishnu is still our leader. He sacrifices for those close to Him, and our meager and humble effort in return is to sacrifice a little time each day to sing His glories found in sacred mantras passed down to us by the acharyas: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

For father’s word to maintain,
Renouncing kingdom after gain.

Rama to the forest then went,
And entire fourteen years spent.

Sacrifice in this way making,
So that trust of king taking.

Worship on Rama Navami day,
Small way the favor to repay.

Three Rules That Don't Apply To Krishna's Promise Of Liberation

“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.5)

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अन्त-काले च माम् एव
स्मरन् मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्
यः प्रयाति स मद्-भावं
याति नास्त्य् अत्र संशयः

anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ

Think of Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, at the time of death. Consciousness is the key. This carries from one lifetime to the next. The individual has lived before. They are a spiritual being, if defining at the essence. Everything else is temporary, including the name used to address.

Shri Krishna gives the promise in Bhagavad-gita. He explains the same concept through other verses in the same work and also in other works, such as Shrimad Bhagavatam. The concept is not exclusive to one dialogue that took place on a battlefield, between warrior and charioteer.

1. Exceptions

When a company announces a sweepstakes on a television advertisement, there is always the fine print. On the radio version, they hire someone who can speak lightning fast. That way they save precious airtime for the disclosure.

Many times the list of exceptions is long. Employees of the company are ineligible. This makes sense, as they have access to inside information. If you have already won a similar prize in the past, you don’t get to participate again. The company is trying to give someone else an opportunity this time around.

2. Special qualifications

There is a job opening at one of the big companies. The published annual salary is enticing, and so many people apply. The first issue is qualifications. That weeds out many of the applicants. Based on their experience and background, they simply are not equipped to handle the duties of the job.

The company is ready to hire a human being. They cannot discriminate based on age, gender, or ethnicity, but they can on other factors. They do not want someone entering the company who will cause trouble, who will deviate from the culture created over many years, who will be difficult to get rid of later on.

3. Outside requirements

In addition to the fine print and necessary qualifications, sometimes there are outside requirements. For a new job, do you have your own car? This might be necessary if you are expected to make deliveries. If you are entering a contest, perhaps you need an e-mail address or a smartphone in order to connect through an application. Pen and paper are not enough.

…

The idea is that with every promise made in the mortal world, there are some rules. With Krishna’s vow to grant liberation to anyone who thinks of Him at the time of death, there are no exceptions. You literally could have been the worst person your entire life, stuck in a pit of sinful life with no way out, and you have the same opportunity as anyone else.

Ajamila only accidentally remembered the Supreme Lord at the time of death. The Yamadutas were on their way to take him to the court of the god of justice. Judgment day was upon him; ready for a review of the pious and impious deeds from the recently concluded lifetime. That hearing of sorts would then determine his future destination.

Ajamila called out to his son, who was named Narayana. This is another name for Krishna, and so the servants of the Supreme Lord also arrived. Like a government investigatory body with higher authority than the locals, the Vishnudutas turned back the Yamadutas. Ajamila achieved liberation.

Any person can think of Krishna at the time of death. A large bank balance is not necessary. Proficiency in the Sanskrit language is also not a determining factor. Even an illiterate person, who simply holds Bhagavad-gita and contemplates the kindness, compassion and causeless mercy of Krishna towards His devotee can remember and be spared another birth.

As there are no rules to the promise, I should reward that kindness with favoritism, diligence, focus, steadiness and assertiveness in devotional life. I should remember to remember Krishna, who is the all-attractive one. This property extends to His names, which I can repeat on a daily basis: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Possible for rejection,
Since meeting exception.

Though promise previously made,
Rules requiring obeyed.

Not with Krishna and liberation verse,
Possible even those to religion averse.

Because thinking properly at end,
Like Ajamila to Vaikuntha to send.

Is God Ever Distracted

“Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everything. In this way the Supersoul exists.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.14)

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सर्वतः पाणि-पादं तत्
सर्वतो ऽक्षि-शिरो-मुखम्
सर्वतः श्रुतिमल् लोके
सर्वम् आवृत्य तिष्ठति

sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat
sarvato ‘kṣi-śiro-mukham
sarvataḥ śrutimal loke
sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati

“Personal opinion here. I think the cell phone is one of the most destructive inventions to be introduced to society. Everything is about convenience. Communicate with any person in an instant. Perfect for emergency situations. Reach out and touch someone. Find that person lost at the airport, looking for their ride home. Call for help when stranded on the road, after the car breaks down.

“Well, the list of inconveniences is growing, too. No one ever stops to think of that. The addiction to screens, especially amongst children. The damage to the eyes, both long and short-term. The unnecessary compulsion to check the news, to see what other people are up to, or to share with the entire world what you just ate for dinner.

“Then there is the legitimate danger that results. Someone being distracted while driving. How many deaths could have been spared if people did not feel the need to reply to a text message or answer the phone the moment the notification arrived?

“This got me to thinking. Is it possible for the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be distracted? He has so many people contacting Him at the same time. He has a lot to keep track of. How can He decipher the words when two people speak at the same time? Isn’t His strict attention necessary for an important task, such as with creating the universes?”

The Vedas provide the image of Narayana lying down in rest. He is in the Vaikuntha planets. The name of that region says it all. Vaikuntha is a place free of anxieties, which is in stark contrast to our surroundings.

I feel as if I am running away from an oncoming train. At night I perhaps get some rest, but in the morning the train has caught up to me. Replace the ceiling fans in the new home, so that the children aren’t frightened while sleeping. Take out the garbage. Do the laundry. Take the car in for scheduled maintenance. Manage the day job and also try to find time to relax.

Vaikuntha is one name for the spiritual world, and the reason for the lack of anxieties is the presence of the Supreme Lord. He is known as Narayana, among countless other names. Narayana is the source of men. Everything emanates from Him; He is the source of both matter and spirit.

To generate the many universes, Narayana simply lies down and breathes. Nothing else needed. No complex math equations to solve. He is not loading up on carbohydrates the night before the big race. He does not keep a tool-belt with devices for measuring.

When He exhales, everything manifests. When He inhales, everything returns into Him. The brief moment in between is actually too many years in our estimation to count. Yet the reality is set; again and again the host of beings arrives.

भूत-ग्रामः स एवायं
भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते
रात्र्य्-आगमे ऽवशः पार्थ
प्रभवत्य् अहर्-आगमे

bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ
bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
rātry-āgame ‘vaśaḥ pārtha
prabhavaty ahar-āgame

“Again and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and again the night falls, O Partha, and they are helplessly dissolved.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.19)

Not only is the work effortless, Narayana does not ignore oversight. There is a concept known as an expansion; avatara in Sanskrit. From the teachings of Lord Chaitanya, we learn that there is a variety of categories of avatara, but for the purposes of this discussion we can simplify things in knowing that the same individual Narayana can be at many places at once.

Paramatma is known as a plenary expansion. This is like someone being a witness to multiple events, which could occur thousands of miles apart, at the exact same moment. Paramatma is inside of every single person. Through this feature, Narayana witnesses everything, both good and bad.

Therefore, He is never distracted. In Bhagavata Purana, we learn that the avatara of Krishna marries over sixteen thousand beautiful queens. He lives separately with each one, in their own palace. Krishna is literally in more than one place at a single time, and there is no strain or loss of potency.

We are tied to God in our eternal relationship, but we lack the ability to effortlessly do the work of the world. Fortunately, exceptional ability is not necessary to be happy. If we can focus on devotion to Narayana, in always chanting His names, then we no longer have to participate in the recurring evolutionary cycle of the universe.

In Closing:

In false form of deer,
Maricha causing away to steer.

So that Rama into forest to track,
And Ravana with plan to attack.

But God never actually distracted,
As Paramatma oversight extracted.

Because with eyes everywhere seeing,
Great feature of Divine being.