“The body is only a dead vehicle to be worked by the spirit soul, which is always active and cannot stop even for a moment. As such, the spirit soul has to be engaged in the good work of Krishna consciousness, otherwise it will be engaged in occupations dictated by illusory energy.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 3.5 Purport)

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1. The student in the classroom

“I must say, that one girl in my class is the worst. She always finishes the exams first. She likes to rub everyone’s noses in it. Here we are struggling with the word problems in the math section, and she has already submitted everything to the teacher.

“She asks for more homework, if you can imagine. She says it is fun. She enjoys the challenge. At this point, they might as well move her up a grade, leaving a chance for the rest of us to learn in peace.”

2. The colleague at the office

“This is one of the many unintended consequences of working from home. We are not spending hours surfing the internet while sitting at our desk. We can’t make small talk with our friends in the breakroom or at the water cooler.

“Instead, we ask for more work. One of my colleagues on the same team is always asking for more things to do. They are getting bored. They are contemplating changing jobs because of the lack of responsibility. It seems a little strange to me. Why not just sit back, relax, and collect your paycheck?”

3. The child at home

“The children look forward to summer vacation, but I dread it. I know the reality of the matter. They will be so bored at home. They will ask for things to do. I am glad they are thinking of being responsible, but it is too much for me to manage.

“At least at school it is someone else’s problem. They create the lesson plans. They chart out the entire school year. There will always be something to do. I guess I will have to find some home improvement projects for them to chip in on.”

4. The soldier in the platoon

“You might find it hard to believe, but there is a reason these people sign up in the first place. They are not looking for easy money. At least not most of them. They want action. They expect to be put into harm’s way, to showcase their abilities in defense.

यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं
स्वर्ग-द्वारम् अपावृतम्
सुखिनः क्षत्रियाः पार्थ
लभन्ते युद्धम् ईदृशम्

yadṛcchayā copapannaṁ
svarga-dvāram apāvṛtam
sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha
labhante yuddham īdṛśam

“O Partha, happy are the kshatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.32)

“I guess it is like Krishna explaining to Arjuna about how kshatriyas usually welcome the chance to fight, as it opens the doors to the heavenly realm. Otherwise, they think their skills are being wasted. Their abilities are not being put to the best use.”

5. The follower of spiritual life

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that the soul is the active ingredient in what is otherwise a dead vehicle. It is the soul which powers the body. It is the soul which sparks activity, which then leads to consequences.

It is the soul which determines the very presence of life. When we say that someone has departed, the science behind the change of states is the exit of the soul from within the body. Moments prior everything was working just fine. There was vitality. There was autonomous movement. The vital signs were within acceptable ranges.

Then, in a mere moment, everything changes. Except the visual does not necessarily portray a difference. It might be the exact same image that a person gazes upon. The difference is that the soul has left, and so the body ceases to function.

We can understand the properties of the soul based on this residency. While the soul is within the body, there is always activity. There is always something going on. It is impossible to stop thinking, for instance. There may be more relaxed states, such as sleeping, but the mind continues to operate.

Ideal spiritual life is a living, breathing engagement. At the highest levels, it is the ideal match for the properties of the soul. That is to say, a person finds the true purpose to their being, to their having life, when connected with the source of everything.

This connection is known as yoga. One plus one. The individual soul connected to the Supreme Soul. There is always work to do. As much as a person can handle, and then some. The work is never complete, because there is no end to the glories of the person being served.

For this reason He is known as Ananta. He is without beginning, anadi. The service to Him is known as dharma. Since this dharma has no beginning and no end, it is sanatana. In this way, sanatana-dharma is the closest equivalent we have to the more familiar concept of religion.

A person can dance. A person can chant. A person can eat, even. These can be activities in yoga. They are done for the pleasure of the beneficiary. It is His satisfaction we seek. It is His smiling face we wish to see. It is His glories of which we wish to hear. It is to His realm we wish to travel.

Even if we think we have nothing to do, we can simply look out the window. If we see the rising sun, we can remember how the Supreme Lord is the source of all the planets, including the sun. If we see rainfall, we can take it to be God’s mercy upon us, for sustaining life.

We can be thankful. We can appreciate. We can express that appreciation in words, in humble prayers, in deep and meaningful conversation with our fellow man. We can even join together and express this joy in song, using the perfect sequence of words that is the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

You’re bored at the office too?
Desperate for more work to do?

Or that child for activity pestering,
Since their boredom festering.

Sanatana-dharma fire to relieve,
An eternal engagement to receive.

Such that for the first time giving,
A meaning to this experience living.

Categories: the five

Tags: employment, god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, religion, work