Welcome To Where Time Stands Still

“For the devotees engaged in Krishna consciousness, in the Vaikuntha atmosphere, there is no influence of time. In the material world the influence of time destroys everything, but in the Vaikuntha atmosphere there is no influence of time or of the demigods because there are no demigods in the Vaikuntha planets. Here our activities are controlled by different demigods; even if we move our hand and leg, the action is controlled by the demigods. But in the Vaikuntha atmosphere there is no influence of the demigods or of time; therefore there is no question of destruction.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.25.38 Purport)

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“Time heals all wounds.” This saying particularly arises during moments of trouble. If you cut your arm playing outside, there is pain. You might put a bandage on the injury. You might apply a little cream. Nevertheless, actual healing occurs through time. Eventually the wound will go away.

This fact is part of the larger truth that explains time to be the great devourer. Everything we see manifest right now will be gone at some point in the future. What goes up must come down. When there is birth, there must be death. When there is gain, there must be loss. No need to lament loss today, for you might have a victory coming your way pretty soon.

“Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlada; among subduers I am time; among the beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuda, the feathered carrier of Vishnu.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.30)

In Sanskrit the words for time and death are the same: kala. Going one step higher, in the Bhagavad-gita Shri Krishna says that He is kala. He is time. That is one way to know Him. Indeed, the atheists know Him only through this feature. They may deny the existence of God for an entire lifetime, but eventually they will meet kala.

The devotees meet death as well, but they know of God beyond just time. They know that all energies come from Him. The spiritual and material worlds are manifest through His potency. The living entities, the jiva souls, are spiritual in nature. Since they can choose where to live, in terms of energy they are actually marginal.

When they choose the material world, they come under the control of kala. Time destroys everything. This means that all work eventually goes to waste. There is nothing that can be done about it. Time does not discriminate.

The other choice in residence is the spiritual world. The full suite of planets is known as Vaikuntha. This Sanskrit word means “free of anxieties.” One source of great anxiety is the fear of destruction through time. Does this mean time is absent in Vaikuntha? If that is the case, how can anything manifest? If you have one visual at a certain time, and then change to a different visual, doesn’t that mean time has left its mark?

The explanation is that time is present in the spiritual world, but it does not have a negative influence. It is something like a serpent without fangs. We can look to the planet of Krishnaloka to see how this works. There the residents play with Shri Krishna all the time. They are so absorbed in devotional ecstasy that they don’t even know that Krishna is God. He is simply their greatest well-wisher, the source of their transcendental pleasure.

The people interact with Krishna, which means that time does operate. But there is no death. The body does not get relinquished by the individual. Indeed, only in the spiritual world does the body actually identify the individual. It is known as their svarupa, or self-form. There are days, in that one day people play with Krishna and another day they have different interactions with Him. There are parents, but there is actually no birth for the Supreme Lord.

These are the wonders of the spiritual world, a taste of which can be found even in the material world. Through chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare,” and gradually changing the consciousness from material to spiritual, time begins to stand still. This is because even when death comes, the devotee is guaranteed to have circumstances favorable for bhakti-yoga in the next life.

In Closing:

No worrying thoughts to instill,

Since time there to stand still.

 

In spiritual world with Krishna playing,

Not known as God, no need for praying.

 

Body and spirit finally the same,

Beloved Lord known by many a name.

 

In material world destruction to be,

Love God and from time’s constraints be free.

The Three Time Periods

“I am the Self, O Gudakesha, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.20)

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aham ātmā guḍākeśa

sarva-bhūtāśaya-sthitaḥ

aham ādiś ca madhyaṁ ca

bhūtānām anta eva ca

What does it mean to be the life of all beings? When we hear it said, “I am the life of everything that lives,” what does that mean specifically? Obviously, it can’t refer to you or me, because we animate only that which is local, i.e. the body. I don’t give you life and you don’t give me life. This is how we are separate. We are identical in the sense that the qualitative makeup of what gives me life is the same in you. Individual spirit is the same in quality.

The Supreme Lord is the life of all beings. In this way we can understand His all-pervasiveness, how His presence is not absent from any aspect of the universe. There is the famous philosophical question that if a tree falls in an empty forest, does it make a sound? The obvious answer is that of course it makes a sound. The philosopher would argue that since no one is there to hear it, how can there be a sound? Is not sound something determined by perception?

The all-pervasiveness of the Supersoul puts the issue to rest. In this feature the Divine is everywhere, even in the empty forest. Therefore He perceives the sound of the tree falling. There is no such thing as an empty space, since God is always around.

Another way to understand the Supersoul is to know that He is the beginning, middle and end of all beings. This information comes to us courtesy of the Bhagavad-gita. Typically, this is easy to understand on the large scale. With any temporary object, there are three time periods. There is the initial creation. Then there is maintenance, followed by destruction. The Supersoul is all three of the factors.

Then there is the same at the micro level. Each conditioned being has these three phases. The Supersoul is again responsible from beginning to end. This information is useful to know since it provides a way to understand God.

Let’s say that I am ready to start an important venture. I prepare beforehand, gathering the required materials. I allot enough time to work on the project and see it to its completion. I then give more time to checking everything at the end and providing for the finished product’s maintenance into the future.

Undoubtedly, I should take credit for the work. But at the same time, I should recognize that without the Supersoul’s sanction, there would have been no chance for completion. The hand of the Divine is required in each step, from beginning to end. This explains why some people fail and others succeed when undertaking the exact same task. Sometimes the Supersoul will sanction, and sometimes He will not.

He is also the beginning, middle and end of devotional practices. In this venture, He always lends His support. He steps out of the role of invisible witness and appears in person in a variety of ways. He comes as the guru, or spiritual master, providing instructions on how to break out of the temporary world. Sometimes He comes in a personal form, like when He spoke the Bhagavad-gita on the battlefield of Kurukshetra to Arjuna.

In whatever way He arrives, He is there to give support. The wise see Him all the time, for they know the Supersoul is everywhere. They understand Shri Krishna to be the original form of the Supersoul, and so they continue to worship in devotion, feeling blissful from beginning to end.

In Closing:

In new venture time to spend,

Tenacious, seeing it to the end.

 

Though rightly proud of work to be,

Other forces at play, not all because of me.

 

The Supersoul, there in phases three,

Invisible in heart, not with eyes to see.

 

Merciful, as Shri Krishna or guru coming,

From instruction wise the soul becoming.

Clock On The Wall Ticks Away The Hours

“Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlada; among subduers I am time; among the beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuda, the feathered carrier of Vishnu.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.30)

prahlādaś cāsmi daityānāṁ

kālaḥ kalayatām aham

mṛgāṇāṁ ca mṛgendro 'haṁ

vainateyaś ca pakṣiṇām

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Who doesn’t get excited for their birthday? It’s a day where all the attention gets focused on you. If you are still relatively young, people will give you presents. Your parents might throw a party in your honor. People ask what you want to do. They try their best to be nicer to you. They want you to be happy. They want to make the day memorable.

Yet what exactly is a birthday? It commemorates the day in the calendar year when you first emerged from the womb. If that event occurred five years ago, it means that you have lived five years on the earth. You have survived that many number of years in a world that is difficult. In Sanskrit the material world is compared to a fort that is difficult to overcome; hence the name of Durga for the superintendent of that world.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, leaning on the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita and Vedic philosophy in general, gives a different perspective on the birthday. Instead of marking how many years the person has lived, he says that it represents how many years the person has died. Not trying to ruin the party, the reference is to bring awareness to the reality of time. The word for time in Sanskrit is kala. Interestingly, it is synonymous with death.

In the Bhagavad-gita, Shri Krishna says that among things that subdue He is time. Kala thus represents time, death and the Supreme Lord. It makes sense that if the Supreme Lord is the original cause of everything, sarva-karana-karanam, He would also be responsible for destruction. And destruction is guaranteed to happen. This is the real reason for the sober analysis by those versed in Vedic philosophy. Everything we see around us is destined for destruction. It is already gone in a sense. The moment of change is simply relying on the ticking of time. When time arrives, there is nothing that can be done to preserve that which is slated to change.

Yet isn’t this the precise reason for celebrating? We know that we aren’t going to live forever. We know that death can approach at any moment. That’s why we celebrate things like birthdays and wedding anniversaries. We know that time is a formidable foe. We are thankful on these days for time having spared us.

The wise take it a step further, however. If time will destroy everything, and I am currently situated in that time continuum, what is it that remains? I have maintained my identity through the many changes brought on by time that have occurred already. That means that I must continue to exist. The Bhagavad-gita confirms this.

na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ

na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ

na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ

sarve vayam ataḥ param

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.12)

If I am going to continue to persist as time passes, what should I do with myself? Is there something I can do that will not get destroyed? In fact, there is. Work for the Supreme Lord is unique. It does not fall under the jurisdiction of karma. Karma, the living entity, the material nature, time and the Supreme Controller – these topics are important to understand in a material existence. Karma is work the individual living entity does that manipulates the collection of material elements surrounding the soul. The change in those elements occurs through time, which is managed by the Supreme Controller.

The person who acts in devotion, however, is not affected by the material nature or time. They get the direct favor of the Supreme Controller, who rewards them with residence in His realm after death. Death is merely the changing of bodies, so the real meaning is that Shri Krishna facilitates the travel of His devotees from the fortress-like material realm to the open and free spiritual world.

You find time in that land, but it has no negative effect. It does not destroy the body. One description for Shri Krishna is nava-yauvanam. He is always fresh and new. The same applies to devotion to Him. A person can continue chanting the holy names for their entire life and not grow tired of it. There is no limit to the love kept in the heart of the devotee. They are compassion personified, and they get all good qualities through their devotion. The Supreme Lord kindly manipulates time so that it acts in their favor, making the existence blissful in any situation and any realm.

In Closing:

When time the birthday presenting,

Number of years died representing.

 

Though happy am I now to live,

Eventually up this body to give.

 

Work for permanent, is there a way?

Where efforts into future to stay.

 

Devotional path, by time Himself controlled,

Best destination for devoted soul to unfold.

Through The Never

“O my Lord, everything within material nature is limited by time, space and thought. Your characteristics, however, being unequaled and unsurpassed, are always transcendental to such limitations. You sometimes cover such characteristics by Your own energy, but nevertheless Your unalloyed devotees are always able to see You under all circumstances." (Stotra-ratna of Yamunacharya)

Life poses many tough questions, the most important of which focus on the origin of life. “Where did I come from? Why are we here? Who are we? Why do I have to die? Where was I before I took birth and where will I go after death?” Great theologians and scholars since time immemorial have pondered over these cogent questions but have failed to find any tangible answers. Real answers to these questions can only be found in the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India emanating from Lord Shri Krishna, or God Himself. The Vedas tell us that God represents all that is, ever was, and will ever be. He is the Supreme Absolute Truth.

So how do we know Vedic information is correct? We take it on authority. When we read books in school or take instruction from our teachers, we believe what they are saying based on the principle of authority. Hearing is the most effective way to take in knowledge. In our youth, we acquire knowledge and wisdom through the words of our parents. Our mother tells us who our father is and where we were born. When we get older, our family members tell us stories of our childhood and how we looked as babies. We were alive during these occasions but we have no ability to remember them. In order to gain knowledge, we must trust the authority of the words of our parents and elders.

Hearing can also take place by reading. Great writers and teachers have put their instructions and stories into written word so that anyone can learn from them in an easy way. We usually don’t question the authority of written word as long as it was published in the recent past. For books released during our lifetime, we never question whether or not the information in them is true. We trust that the author was honest when writing the book. However, as we go further back in time, we have a tougher time believing in what we read. This is only natural because, for most of us, our historical perspective begins from the day we were born. If we look back at old pictures of our parents, it is hard for us to imagine how life was like back then. In reality though, there isn’t much difference between the past and the present. For example, this exact moment in time will one day be part of the distant past. Yet if we look around, none of us would think we’re living in a dilapidated period, or in some ancient age. Yet future generations will undoubtedly look back to this precise moment as being part of the olden days.

Events that took place thousands, or even millions of years ago, seem impossible to comprehend. This is the nature of time and space. They are both never-ending. “When was the beginning of time? If God created everything, then who created Him? Where does space end? If I keep travelling in outer space, will I eventually reach an end?” If we seriously ponder these thoughts, we realize that these are very disturbing questions.

“You are the origin without beginning, middle or end. You have numberless arms, and the sun and moon are among Your great unlimited eyes. By Your own radiance You are heating this entire universe.” (Arjuna speaking to Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.19)

The Vedas give us the best possible answers to these questions. They tell us that time and space are both concoctions of the material mind. By definition, anything that is material must be flawed. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the fountainhead of everything. He has two distinct energies: spiritual and material. The spiritual energy is the superior energy represented by Krishna’s personal Self, vishnu-tattva, and all the living entities, or jiva-tattva. The material energy is inferior and it consists of the entire material creation which we currently inhabit. The unlimited universes and all their planets were all created by God to act as a sort of playing field for the spirit souls. As jiva-tattva, we have a choice as to which energy we want to associate with. The Vedas tell us that we are currently associating with material nature due to our own desires. Yet since the material world was created by God, it must also be subject to destruction. We spirit souls, however, are never created nor destroyed. That is the nature of spirit.

Since the material world is temporary, it is inferior and limited. Upon entering this world, the spirit souls assume a body belonging to one of the 8,400,000 species that exist. Each material body possesses a variation of the qualities of goodness, passion, and ignorance. In scientific terms, each material body consists of the five gross elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether, and the three subtle elements: mind, intelligence, and false ego. Since the mind is considered a subtle material element, it is by nature flawed. This means that the mind is incapable of thinking beyond time and space. There is no beginning or end in the spiritual world where Krishna resides.

“One who, at the time of death, fixes his life air between the eyebrows and in full devotion engages himself in remembering the Supreme Lord, will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.10)

If there is no such thing as time in the spiritual world, why does Krishna make references to a person’s time of death and how they will never return the material world once they reach His abode? This is certainly a valid question, for the term “never” itself implies a measurement of time. The reason Krishna uses this terminology is so that we can better understand Him. We can never truly understand God or His greatness. This is why Vedic science is referred to as Vedanta, meaning the end of knowledge or the ultimate knowledge. God is the source of Vedanta, so this means that He represents the highest form of knowledge that can be acquired by our limited brain functions.

“O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 7.26)

In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna explains that He imparted the imperishable science of bhakti-yoga to the sun-god at the beginning of creation. Arjuna, Krishna’s cousin and disciple, couldn’t fathom this. “How could this person standing before me, Krishna, have been alive at the beginning of creation? Not only that, how can He remember what happened back then?” This fact illustrates the difference between the living entities and God. We are god-like in that our spirit souls are identical in quality with God, however, we are minute in quantity compared to God. We are somewhat conscious of our current life’s experiences, but God is so great that He is not only conscious of our current life, but also those of every living entity, past, present, and future.

Lord Krishna and other Vedic authorities speak in terms of time and space in order to help us can gain a better understanding of spiritual nature. It is much easier for us to take in knowledge when it is presented in terms that we are familiar with. All of us are quite familiar with time and space for we use these as references in almost all of our activities. For this reason, Vedic wisdom relies heavily on time measurements to help us better understand God.

In the end, the material mind is limited in its capability and thus is never able to go beyond the concepts of time and space that are exclusive to God’s inferior energy. So what are we to do? The Vedas refer to religion as sanatana-dharma. Sanatana means that which has no beginning or end, and dharma means occupational duty, or religiosity. Essentially, it is the eternal occupation of man to know and love God. Since our real business is to associate with Krishna in the spiritual world, endeavoring to find the origin of time or attempting to reach the end of space are both wastes of time. Perfection in life comes when we give up this futile search and realize that not only can we never answer these questions, but that there is no need to.

The spirit soul is meant to be happy. Lord Krishna is described as having an eternal body, full of knowledge and bliss, sach-chid-ananda-vigraha. Since we are part and parcel of God, we are also meant to be eternally happy. Yet that happiness cannot be found in this world. Pure bliss only comes through direct association with the Lord. This is why God and His authorized representatives lobby so hard to get us to take the necessary steps to return to the spiritual world. Once we reach the spiritual planets of Vaikunthaloka and Krishnaloka, we give up our hankering for answers to useless questions pertaining to the temporary material world.

The desire for self-realization must exist in the beginning stages if one is to make progress. The famous Vedanta-sutras begin by stating that “Now is the time for inquiring about Brahman, or the Absolute Truth.” The benefit of human life is that we have the necessary brain power to gain a slight understanding of God. If we misuse our intelligence for material pursuits, we will have squandered a great opportunity. If we remain on the material platform, we will continue twisting and turning through the never. But if we make a sincere effort to reconnect with Krishna, we will be paving our way back to the spiritual world.

In the current age, the quickest path to the spiritual world can be found by regularly chanting God’s names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. By engaging in chanting and other processes of devotional service, we will slowly progress to the point where we will give up our pursuit of self-realization. For those who have developed a pure love for God, they no longer desire liberation or answers to life’s questions. In essence, this state represents the perfection of life.