“O son of Pritha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.13)

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महात्मानस् तु मां पार्थ
दैवीं प्रकृतिम् आश्रिताः
भजन्त्य् अनन्य-मनसो
ज्ञात्वा भूतादिम् अव्ययम्

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

1. The government administrator

“Please, sir, hear me out. I don’t understand what you are doing. I have not done anything wrong. You are officially calling me to attend a hearing in a few weeks, but I have no means of travel. How am I supposed to attend? Why can’t you tell me the issue right now? This is absolute nonsense.”

2. The soon to be ex-wife

“Please, do not leave. Why are you doing this? I gave you everything. I provided sufficiently. I have not strayed in my allegiance to you. Why are you leaving me? Think about the children. Think about the future. Why throw everything away?”

3. The hospital

“Please, you have to let me in. That is my family member. I don’t care about these rules you have arbitrarily instituted. No one is going to be put into harm’s way. Allow me to follow the same protections the hospital staff has employed. This is ridiculous.”

4. The employer

“Please, you have to change your mind. I cannot abruptly return to the office. The change the last few years has been too drastic. I am accustomed to staying at home. I am getting my work done. The department has exceeded its goals; performance has never been better. Why are you doing this?”

5. The spiritual institution

“Why are you banning me from the temple? This is my entire life. I have given everything to this institution. I only raised some issues with the proper authorities. I witnessed criminal behavior taking place. Yes, the supposed swamis were identified as the culprits, but I should be rewarded for blowing the whistle. Why are you defending such nefarious characters? You act as if you belong to an organized crime gang, where each member has some blood on their hands, if you know what I mean.”

…

We can try to lay the blame directly at the offending party in the above mentioned situations, but it is actually the work of the material energy. There is illusion at the foundation. The material energy operates to fulfill this purpose.

It would be like blaming the performers on the stage of a theatrical production for sadness at the end of a tragedy. The audience in attendance pays good money for a professional production. The actors should be so skilled at their craft that the people watching forget that what they are seeing is a scripted performance. The scenes should resemble real life to the extent that real emotions result, such as laughing, crying, lamenting, and the like.

Material nature is like the dramatic production for lifetime after lifetime. We are meant to forget that we are set in a temporary place, forced to leave at a certain point in time. Nothing can be done to erase this truth. We were destined for departure as soon as there was arrival.

जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्
ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च
तस्माद् अपरिहार्ये ऽर्थे
न त्वं शोचितुम् अर्हसि

jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur
dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca
tasmād aparihārye ‘rthe
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi

“For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.27)

Should we be angry that others periodically provide a reminder of the same? Should we blame them for their cruelty when they are simply delivering news of our future destiny? Should we be upset that they are as much within illusion as everyone else?

You get no reward for good behavior. In fact, in many places the more peaceful you are, the more you obey the law, the more of a target you become for the corrupt leaders. The family members grow envious of your happiness, of your independent living, of your kind-heartedness.

Bhagavad-gita explains that surrendered souls are under the protection of a different kind of energy. These souls are surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is known as Shri Krishna within Bhagavad-gita, as He is the speaker of that ancient wisdom in that instance. The recipient of the words is the disciple named Arjuna.

The access is universal, since the same Krishna is within the heart as Supersoul. He is there for both the sinner and the saint, the woman and the man, the child and the adult, and the tree and the animal. If there is life, there is Supersoul.

The first indication of the protection is an overall awareness of the two energies. If I know the cruelty involved with the material energy, I am better equipped to manage the life experience. If I know that my time here is temporary, then I will likely make the most out of my work. I will aim for both svartha and paramartha, short-term and long-term interest. I will not needlessly punish myself for a hope and a prayer. The restrictions I follow will allow me to experience the higher energy.

As Krishna is the original and inexhaustible moving forward, taking shelter of the divine nature equates to an eternal engagement. I can work just as hard as I was before, but carrying a different consciousness. My devotion will not perish. I may find difficulty here and there. I might struggle from time to time, but the all-merciful Krishna is presiding over the proceedings, ensuring that the end-result will always be auspicious.

In Closing:

With no mercy to give,
No inclination to forgive.

Despite my desperate plea,
To any obligations free.

Eventual in time’s course,
Because of underlying force.

Material nature for illusion set,
Only from Krishna protection get.

Categories: the five

Tags: divorce, god, government, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion