Five Things I Might Do If I Never Had To Work Again

“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.34)

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मन्-मना भव मद्-भक्तो
मद्-याजी मां नमस्कुरु
माम् एवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवम्
आत्मानं मत्-परायणः

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

It could be due to one of the fortunate circumstances described in Bhagavad-gita. Born into a home blessed by Shri, the goddess of fortune, there is no reason to work. The ancestors came into wealth due to the economics of their time. They saved enough so that the interest on the fortune is enough to maintain future generations.

This situation happens to be the goal of many. Whether during the latter stages of life known as retirement or to be blessed early on, the idea is that the pressures of maintaining body are too much. Finding a job, keeping it, and building life around it are done only out of necessity. If we were free of such obligations, we might try something else.

1. Travel the world

“People are stuck in the office out of necessity. If they had their choice, they would be out in nature. Well, that is what I am going to do. I will at least try to be in contact with the sun on a daily basis. Let me travel the world. Money is not an issue.

“I will not stay in a single place for too long. This way I can avoid boredom. I will find the best accommodations at each place; so it is not like austerity will be forced upon me. I think every person would be envious of such a lifestyle.”

2. Influence public policy

“People are so frustrated with their government that they feel the need to protect the flag of the nation or the song glorifying it. They feel helpless since money is the mother’s milk of politics. They have little ability to influence public policy.

“Well, now that I am wealthy I can buy off these politicians. I will correct the many wrongs. I will depose the criminals running the important government agencies. I will help to ensure that elections don’t get stolen in the future. I will even break up these media monopolies, who publish one lie after another.”

3. Binge-watch television shows

“Without having to go to work, I don’t need to wake up at a specific time. Throw away the alarm clock. Forget looking at the calendar. I don’t even need to check what day of the week it is. Every day is the weekend, as far as I am concerned.

“I can now catch up on all those television shows I missed. On the biggest screen imaginable, in a room specifically dedicated for such activity in the house, without anyone to bother me, I will watch one episode after another.”

4. Start a charitable foundation

“What am I going to do with all this money? I only need so much to survive. Better to help others. I can get other wealthy people involved. We will throw lavish parties, invite the media, snap photographs, find mention in the papers, and get so much credit in the process. There are innumerable causes out there, and my new charitable venture can donate a little to each of them.”

5. Take spiritual life seriously

Shrimad Bhagavatam describes spiritual life practiced at the highest level to be ahaituki and apratihata. This refers to pure devotion, which is then without motivation and without interruption. Causeless action in support of another person. No expectation of reciprocation. Repeat interaction, day after day, without any concern for personal gain.

This means that spiritual life can be taken seriously even without the condition of excess wealth. We tend to think that we will have more time after retiring, when there isn’t as much concern for money, but after a lifetime spent in attachment to material life the bond will be difficult to break.

The sampling of activities described above will not provide ultimate satisfaction. This means that even the wealthy person is left to jump from one endeavor to the next, in the desperate search for lasting peace and happiness.

The devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, gifted through the fortunate meeting with the spiritual master, has an occupation that can continue lifetime after lifetime. That occupation is not dependent on the net worth. It provides the utmost satisfaction, though there is never a point of saturation or completion.

The connection itself is peaceful, and that link never has to break. If I never had to work again in my life, I already know what I will be doing. I am already the beneficiary of the inheritance of the world, since the original person lays proper claim to property. I will use whatever gifts I have received to honor Him, to repay Him, and to stay with Him: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Of boundless mercy hard to believe,
So many gifts already to receive.

Now the time to repay,
Daily to meditate and pray.

And thank Him for what He gave,
And sending spiritual master to save.

That same spirit whether money or not,
Thankful this opportunity I’ve got.

Does Krishna Protect Devotees In The Manner Of A Parent

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.16)

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चतुर्-विधा भजन्ते मां
जनाः सुकृतिनो ऽर्जुन
आर्तो जिज्ञासुर् अर्थार्थी
ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ sukṛtino ‘rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

“As we get older, it is only natural to reminisce about times past. With me, I have recently been focused on childhood. The moments I have with my own children immediately bring memories of when I was younger and under the care of my parents.

“A host of emotions rush in, and most of them are positive. I appreciate my parents much more now. I also think that they must have received the same joy from the association that I am experiencing on a daily basis. I hope that I didn’t do anything to disappoint them.

“One thing I particularly remember is the rules. I had a strict bedtime growing up. There were few exceptions. If I really begged and pleaded, maybe they would let me stay up to watch important sporting events, like the World Series. There was a show on broadcast television in the category of wrestling. It was on very late, but on Saturdays. My father always let us kids watch it, because he would join us.

“I have come to realize that those rules were extremely beneficial to me in the long-run. They helped instill discipline, which I am able to self-impose to this day. I can wake up at the same time and follow a routine. There is the opportunity for what His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada refers to as ‘numerical strength.’

“Is the relationship with Krishna similar? Is He like a loving father? Does He take away in order to help us in the long-term? If that is the case, I will say that it only adds to His endless glories.”

One name for the Almighty is Hari. This refers to someone who takes away. God the person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will play the role of Hari in taking away obstacles from my path of progress towards perfection in the human life.

The people who approach Him are generally impure. This only makes sense. We require our parents to instill discipline and structure during childhood so that we can mature into self-sustaining adults. The adult still requires training in understanding life, in general. More specifically, life and death and how they occur in a repeating cycle.

How are we supposed to understand pure devotion unless someone teaches us? This impurity should not prohibit us from approaching someone who has been our greatest well-wisher since time immemorial. He understands the impurity and He does not hold it against us.

Approach anyone else and the interaction will not have a lasting benefit. There is only so much another benefactor can do. The relationship is more like one business dealing with another. The customer offers sufficient payment and the other side exchanges the good or service.

Hari will look out for my best interests. If I stay with Him, He might remove everything that is currently dear to me. He might bring me to my knees in hopeless desperation, cursing at the entire world and the cruelty of death and the forced separation from loved ones. He might cripple my attachments to the point that I no longer have any.

Yet He will always remain with me. Hari will always be by my side, and the relationship with Him will bring me more joy than I could ever previously imagine: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

That television game to forego,
Since with bedtime rule to go.

No use putting up a fight,
Since parents are always right.

Today appreciation the feeling,
Shri Hari in similar way dealing.

My long-term benefit to see,
That in spiritual consciousness to be.

Five Categories For My Requests

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.16)

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चतुर्-विधा भजन्ते मां
जनाः सुकृतिनो ऽर्जुन
आर्तो जिज्ञासुर् अर्थार्थी
ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ sukṛtino ‘rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

1. Irrational

“Please God, make that person pay. I want them to experience what it is like to be jealous. They have made my life a living hell. Day after day, I am always concerned that they are more interested in other people than me. They act as if they have this tremendous power over me, that I will continue to follow them no matter what. Make it so that one day they have to experience jealousy, as well. That will make me happy.”

2. Illegal or in violation of the standards of decency

“Please God, take away all of their possessions. I want them to be homeless. Literally, if they could come home one day and see that their house has burned down, that would make me so happy. I would be giddy inside. If someone were around to take pictures of their reaction, even better. I would frame those photos and derive joy on a daily basis. Those images would be the centerpiece of the wall art in my living room.”

3. Destined to cause me harm in the future

“Please God, let this group of friends accept me. I want to be in some sort of club. I know that they smoke, drink, and party on a constant basis, but for the time being at least I won’t feel so alone. Everyone needs that in society, don’t they? We can’t go live in a cave and be isolated for years and years. I require some type of acceptance, and right now this is the only group around.”

4. Against my personal interest

“Please God, let me find a store that is open. I need my fix of cigarettes; I am dying without them. If I don’t get to smoke right now, I might not make it through the night. I swear, I will quit right after that. I mean it. Just come through for me now and I will never ask for anything again.”

5. Not worthy of the time of someone who has everything

“Wow, you are God? Pleased to meet you. I always knew you were real, that you existed. I argued with deniers, some in my own family. I stuck up for you. You say that you are ready to grant me any benediction, eh? If that is the case, can you take away this heavy load that I am carrying? It is part of my work today, and it is really bothering me. Then I will be able to make it to my destination in a shorter period of time.”

…

Looking back on life, we have certainly begged for many things that didn’t quite work out. We weren’t thinking clearly. We didn’t see the bigger picture. We wanted something bad to happen to someone, only to later regret the decision.

From the teachings of the acharyas of the Vedic tradition, we learn that no matter the nature of the request, the personal God is always the ideal person to approach. He does not provide a money-back guarantee. He will not agree to satisfaction in the long-term. Buyer’s remorse is real, so be careful what you wish for.

The stipulation is necessary since the tendency is to turn away from God the person. Worship another god, instead. Turn a mortal into an immortal, at least in terms of temporary stature. Seek out the same rewards from people who are flawed, but at least there isn’t a turn towards God.

From Bhagavad-gita we learn that even those who approach the personal God have motives pertaining to self-interest, in the beginning. That is to say rarely is the person approaching the Supreme Lord a pure devotee at first.

Yet the recommendation is to make the approach anyway. This is because the association is purifying. The thing I am asking for might be ridiculous. I would laugh at the proposal a few years later. Caught in a swoon of material desire, kama, I am otherwise not able to think clearly.

If I approach anyone else, even a demigod, I might get what I want. If I don’t, I will try again with someone else. Either way, the interaction will be quick. Afterwards, there won’t be any loyalty. There won’t be any thought given to the benefactor. If I am someone like Hiranyakashipu or Ravana, I might even try to use those benedictions against the interests of the benefactor.

Shri Krishna might deny my requests. He will assess based on the long-term impact. He is something like the parent who refuses to allow the child to stay up too late into the night or eat ice cream in excess. The child is disappointed at first, but in the long run they are thankful for the oversight.

Irrespective of our intent, Krishna is always the person to approach. His association is purifying, and the acharya shows the way in how to make the most of the relationship, in how to strengthen the bond, and how to speed up the transformation from kama to bhakti: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

With crazy idea today,
So let me intently pray.

That to happen right now,
Not caring for how.

Though maybe later to regret,
Perhaps a better way set?

For Shri Krishna to choose,
Who discrimination to use.

Five Things I May Have Already Lost

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

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देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

1. My childhood

“It was a relatively good time. I don’t have any lasting bad memories. No trauma. No resentment. I got to spend it with my parents and siblings. There is nostalgia associated with certain sounds and memories. Specifically, I remember that we did not have cable television. I therefore cherished every opportunity to watch professional baseball and its stars on the network game of the week. The theme song is still in my head, and I can remember what I would eat on those Saturday afternoons.”

2. My time in school

“We were all in one place. The academic aspect wasn’t necessarily fun, but the environment was great. You got to spend time with your closest friends, from morning until night. Not just one, either. There was a large group of us. We played video games. We watched television. We would go out to restaurants.

“Since that time I have never found a similar environment. Today, I barely have friends around. They all live far away. With advancements in technology we can communicate via electronic devices, but the engagement is not the same. I don’t feel as close with other people.”

3. My days of partying all the time

“It was literally every weekend. We could stay up as long as we wanted. There were no pressing engagements in the morning. We looked forward to this time, as well. We lacked any despair over the future or the short amount of time spent in a single lifetime. I can’t really think about anything negative from the experience except for how quickly it ended.

“Today, there is so much responsibility that I barely get any time to breathe. If I can lie down and rest for a few hours, that is saying something. Otherwise, it is jumping from one task to the next. No one appreciates anything you do. The more you are able to accomplish, the more they rely on you to bail them out.”

4. My peak physical shape

“I remember that I could play tennis for up to three hours, on consecutive days. I could run for four miles, with very little to eat in the morning. My stamina was incredible. Clothes fit me without issue. I did not feel the need to put down liters of water after stuffing myself at a meal.

“In fact, I rarely ate more than required. Everything was under control due to my routine of physical exercise. It was a great time, but today things are totally different. I have trouble making it up and down the stairs. All I think about is the next meal, and my clothes keep getting tighter.”

5. My ignorance of matters life and death

“There was a time when I never thought about long-term issues. Life and death were of no concern to me. You may think that is a silly way to go about things, but what about the alternative? If each of us has to spend a fixed amount of time in this world, isn’t it better to be happy, enthusiastic, and welcoming of upcoming days? Sadly, the reality has hit hard, and I cannot go back to the way things were.”

…

From this review we see that there are already so many losses we suffer throughout the journey of life. These are aspects that will never return. They are equivalent with death in terms of an event. The passage of time, sweeping away something that we had, and there is no way to go back.

If we have already lost so much, in the permanent sense, why should there be great lamentation over the complete loss, which is inevitable? The same applies to those we have known, the dearly departed. We will never see them again, but there is already so much we have left behind.

Shri Krishna compares the changes to clothes on the body. We take off a certain set, but then there is a replacement. We go through many sets of clothes in a single lifetime, which represents the way the entire body continuously changes.

The final change is the process known as death. The individual inside is not affected. It moves on to another place, getting another body. The exact specification is unknown. It could be the body of a demigod who resides in the heavenly region. It could be another human birth or perhaps demotion to a lower species.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

One who knows the transcendental nature of the birth and activities of Shri Krishna does not have to take birth again. It is as simple as that. The next type of body will be a spiritual one, with a land commensurate with the loss of distinction between body and spirit. In other words, in the liberated state my body can indeed identify who I am.

This liberated state is the natural one. The present run through the cycle of birth and death, spinning on the wheel of suffering, is unnatural. It is based on desire, kama. When that transforms into bhakti, which is pure devotion to the Supreme Lord, then the nature of the experience changes. The acharyas teach on the strength of authority, and we can get a glimpse of the life in liberation today through the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Why now over future to lament?
Since the past away it went.

That childhood experience no more,
Partying not until morning hour four.

The same happened already,
Better now to keep mind steady.

That even if eventually to lose,
For eternal shelter to choose.

You Already Lost Something Important

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

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देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“This will come off as irrational, but let me express myself for a few moments. I need to get this off my chest. It relates to death. Yes, it is entirely unfair. You are forced to leave a world, against your will, after living in it for so long.

“You plant roots. You spend time nurturing. If you are lucky, you stay around long enough to see the fruits. You may then enjoy the fruits yourself and share with others. You have to work in such a way that you plan on staying. Otherwise, you would just sleep each day away. You would be completely inactive, which is really no different than death.

“Nevertheless, one day you are gone. Everything and everyone left behind. Prior notice in some cases, but that is still a bit difficult to believe. You always think that somehow you will manage to live through the diagnosis, that you can fight against the onslaught of time.

“If I am forced to leave, why was I here to begin with? Why do we celebrate children and their happiness, since we know that they are destined for the same fate? It is so ridiculous. When I think of the pain of separation from loved ones, whose association I will never have again, I want to curse at God for creating this situation. I would rather not take birth at all.”

The lamentation and frustration are completely natural. The ultimate end is a harsh reality that every person must come to grips with eventually. There is no avoiding the subject. If you are fortunate enough to remain here for a long time, by comparison, then you certainly suffer the loss of close friends and family.

At the same time, we have already lost something important: youth. We will never again be small enough to be carried by our parents. Some of us can remember that stage of life. It was so comforting when an elder decided to pick us up and hold us in their arms. This made trips to the shopping mall much easier.

We will never have the same level of energy nor the desire to play with simple toys for hours on end. We will never fit into the same clothes and we will never have the same type of body. Everything is gone. There is no chance of a return.

Yet here we are, still alive. We are the same person. Should we curse at nature for removing us from childhood? Should we spend each morning crying in bed over the separation? Should we focus entirely on the changes brought about by time?

As Shri Krishna explains in Bhagavad-gita, in the same way that we have lost our childhood and moved on, we will separate from this experience entirely at the time of death. We will move on to someplace else, but the existence remains. Nothing can destroy the soul, which is our identity.

During our youth, when we may not have known about the intricacies of birth and death, we did not lament past failures. We were somewhere prior to birth. We existed prior to the previous lifetime, even. There is no crippling sadness over the thought; neither do we dwell on the loss.

In the same way, we should not be overly concerned with a law of nature that is unbreakable. Whether we like it or not, this is the situation we find ourselves in. Everyone else is in the same boat. If we did not have prior separation, we would never have met the people important to us in this lifetime.

If we did not take birth this time around, we would not have come into contact with sadhu, shastra and guru, which travel in parallel lines. These three lead us to the most auspicious destination of liberation, which is the end to the cycle of birth and death.

In this birth I had the chance to know about God and realize His all-attractiveness in His feature of Bhagavan, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I will be forced to leave at some time in the future, but right now I am still alive. I have the opportunity for further enlightenment and bliss through the eternal engagement of dharma. This can be practiced through something as simple as chanting the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Time away it has tossed,
Already so much I’ve lost.

Like when to childhood bound,
But caring arms of mother found.

But alive today I am still,
With days needing to fill.

Blessed that devotion in moments fleeting,
Where opportunity with God meeting.

Whether Ten Years Or Ten Thousand

“Lord Brahma said: O son of Kashyapa Muni, please get up, please get up. All good fortune unto you. You are now perfect in the performance of your austerities, and therefore I may give you a benediction. You may now ask from me whatever you desire, and I shall try to fulfill your wish.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.3.17)

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श्री-ब्रह्मोवाच
उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ भद्रं ते
तपः-सिद्धो ’सि काश्यप
वरदो ’हम् अनुप्राप्तो
व्रियताम् ईप्सितो वरः

śrī-brahmovāca
uttiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhadraṁ te
tapaḥ-siddho ’si kāśyapa
varado ’ham anuprāpto
vriyatām īpsito varaḥ

Friend1: You ever hear someone say, “Well, that person died too young, A terrible tragedy.”

Friend2: Of course. Usually, it is about someone who was in their youth. We expect death to occur in old age, though we know it can strike at any moment.

Friend1: I get the feeling that no age is appropriate. Even if they are in their seventies, someone will lament that people are living much longer now.

Friend2: I like the outlook from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Friend1: That as soon as you are born, you are dying?

Friend2: That is true, but I am referring to the issue of passing away too young. He says that it matters more what you are able to do in your time here. Think about that for a second. You could live up to ninety years old if you sit around and do nothing.

Friend1: Watch television all day. Just relax. Retired life.

Friend2: Another person is in the field. They are in a stressful job, but one they feel is important. Millions of other people rely on them for advice or comfort. Some sort of connection, which is through listening. The job takes its toll, and they subsequently do not live as long.

Friend1: That is a good transition for what I was thinking about today. People often lament that they wished they had more time with someone who has departed.

“If only they hung around for a little longer. Ten more years would have been great. Life is not fair.”

Friend2: That sentiment is completely natural. Death is a real blow to the people affected. Suddenly, you can never speak to that person again. They are gone forever. They are not even who they were. They could now be in heaven or preparing for another birth.

Friend1: Which brings me to the subject of immortality. Specifically, those who seek it.

Friend2: Like who?

Friend1: Take Hiranyakashipu, for instance.

Friend2: He asked for it directly. He had someone important in front of him. If anyone could deliver immortality, it would be Lord Brahma, the creator.

Friend1: And yet he couldn’t. Brahma lives for billions of years, but that is not immortality.

Friend2: Think about that for a second.

Friend1: Oh, I am. That is why we are discussing the topic. To me, whether someone is around for an extra ten years or ten thousand, the vulnerability is the same.

Friend2: They are still mortal.

Friend1: Precisely. How could Hiranyakashipu not understand that?

Friend2: There is a reason he falls into the category of Daitya, which is a specification of asura. These people are not smart. They may be able to rise to power in the material world, but they are unaware of the guaranteed fall. With the boons that Brahma did eventually agree to offer, Hiranyakashipu thought he would live forever.

Friend1: Which he certainly did not. Narasimhadeva gave the Daitya leader a vivid illustration of the undefeated streak of time, which is known as kala in Sanskrit.

Friend2: That time in between meeting Brahma and Narasimha could have been spent in devotion. He could have increased his jnana. He could have become enlightened. Then the boons would have made a real difference. He instead spoiled everything through material enjoyment, which included torturing his five year-old son named Prahlada.

Friend1: Prahlada did not ask for immortality. Not at any time. That is notable.

Friend2: Because he knew better. He would rather have immortality in service, which he does. Narasimha guarantees that the devotion of the devotees never perishes. It carries over from birth to birth, if necessary.

In Closing:

Amidst the sadness and tears,
If only around another ten years.

That person too soon left,
Of their association now bereft.

But another outlook to the wise,
That important not the duration size.

What accomplished in time mattering more,
Human life the spiritual connection for.

Like Arranging Deck Chairs On The Titanic

“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.8)

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शरीरं यद् अवाप्नोति
यच् चाप्य् उत्क्रामतीश्वरः
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति
वायुर् गन्धान् इवाशयात्

śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti
yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ
gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti
vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt

Friend1: I’m not sure if this is true with everyone, but when introduced to a new saying or expression, I often don’t contemplate the actual meaning for a while.

Friend2: You mean you don’t understand why it is used?

Friend1: Most of the time, I understand. I get the proper context. It is just I don’t think of the actual situation. I might even use the saying myself in the future, but it doesn’t mean I have thought of the situation.

Friend2: Give me an example.

Friend1: Here is a recent one. “Arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”

Friend2: Oh, I have heard that before.

Friend1: Based on the context in which it was spoken, I understand it to be a substitute for, “Don’t waste your time.”

Friend2: Right. What you are doing is pointless.

Friend1: Then one day I decided to sit and think about the words. You gain a deeper understanding. The Titanic refers to the ill-fated luxury boat ride. If you are fixing how something looks on a boat that is about to sink, you are wasting your time.

Friend2: It might be a little grim, but the saying gets the point across.

Friend1: It got me to thinking. Wouldn’t that expression apply to everything we do in life?

Friend2: What makes you say that? You think that everything we do is pointless?

Friend1: In the long run.

Friend2: Waking up in the morning certainly isn’t without value. Feeding yourself on time. Getting an education during youth. Taking care of people who need help. Working for a living.

Friend1: Okay, but this body is destined for a Titanic-like ending. We cannot escape the onslaught of time. Kala always wins. No one has defeated it to this day, though try they have.

Friend2: Let me get this straight. You are saying that just because a person is destined to die, everything they do in life is a waste of time. The entire effort is futile?

Friend1: I am asking you. How is my claim not true?

Friend2: For starters, there is rebirth. If you do nothing now, you will do nothing again. The conception of life carries forward, like the air with aromas. Someone is baking blueberry muffins downstairs. I am far away from the origin, but the air has brought the aroma upstairs. In a similar manner, my consciousness will move forward to another place after death.

Friend1: Even more evidence to substantiate the comparison. Why am I going to waste time right now if I have to move on at some point?

Friend2: Because you will always have to move on, regardless. If you do nothing now, you will be doing nothing again in the future. Rebirth is not guaranteed.

Friend1: It isn’t?

Friend2: It is better to say that rebirth does not have to take place. If you use the human birth for the purpose of paramartha [long-term gain] then everything that you do is worthwhile. Even your lamentation in the past few moments moves forward a higher objective.

Friend1: How is that?

Friend2: Because you are reaching a higher understanding, through a meaningful conclusion. You are advancing the level of consciousness. If we have a pure consciousness at the time of death, then rebirth stops. It could be something as simple as knowing the transcendental nature to the janma and karma of Shri Krishna.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

Friend1: In other words, spiritual life is not a waste of time. Even a little effort goes a long way. It has a lasting impact.

Friend2: Lasting to a factor that we cannot measure. Take the most brilliant scientist and ask them to solve the equation of eternal life in blissful service. They will have a difficult time comprehending. Anything outside of spiritual life is a waste of time, for the moment. If that waste of time eventually becomes part of your story of liberation, then the past gets corrected. It is a little difficult to understand, but with time we will come to know.

In Closing:

In time coming to know,
How everything worthwhile so.

Since of liberation prime directive,
That past behavior corrective.

In way of spiritual life thrust,
Where now in Krishna to trust.

Of His true nature found,
Where not like with karma bound.