“Tulsi knows, has heard, and has understood that Shri Rama is an ocean of mercy because He made jewels and gold expensive, while keeping the most important things like water and grains inexpensive.”  (Dohavali, 149)

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तुलसी जाने सुनि समुझि कृपासिंधु रघुराज।
महँगे मनि कंचन किए सौंधे जग जल नाज ॥

tulasī jāne suni samujhi kṛpāsiṃdhu raghurāja।
maha~ge mani kaṃcana kie sauṃdhe jaga jala nāja ॥

We don’t have to move far. We don’t have to comb through a lengthy book. We don’t have to search through volumes of published literature. We don’t have to travel far and wide to meet that one seer who can answer all of our questions. Goswami Tulsidas gives the synopsis for perfection of living, for following the bhakti culture, through a single couplet of poetry.

The saint of the Vaishnava tradition says that those things which we don’t really need, like jewels and gold, are relatively expensive and difficult to find. That which we do need, like water and grains, are the opposite. They are relatively abundant and inexpensive.

Taking these truths together gives valuable insight into the person responsible for the condition. That is to say, despite what cheating politicians and influence-peddling businessmen may attempt, the economics remain the same. In the way that the sun shines brightly in the sky and the days and nights come and go, so the ways of the world, including basic economics, are preconfigured.

1. Renunciation

An intelligent person studying this comparison reaches the conclusion for renunciation. Known as vairagya in Sanskrit, it is the absence of attachment. At least the goal will be there. It is something to contemplate, to hope for, to measure progress against.

Just how much am I renounced? I don’t really need the things that are too expensive. They are difficult to procure for a reason. This is not to say that gold and jewels are bad. They are part of the creation, after all. It is just that lacking gold and jewels will not automatically cause happiness and distress.

There is plenty of water around. It takes some effort to produce grains. It is not like these commodities are necessarily free, but the minimal effort is worth it. Sowing the seed, watching the tree grow, enjoying the fruits – this is the basic flow for the continuation of the human population.

Anything more is excess, and excess brings the potential for additional dissatisfaction. I am upset that my car is not as new as the one the neighbors just purchased. My annual salary pales in comparison to people I know, the ones I went to school with. My brother has more children. His family is bigger. I am lagging behind.

Renunciation is the natural byproduct of knowledge. Vairagya results from jnana. Therefore, knowledge has a purpose. The two work together. Renunciation prepares me for reaching a higher destination. I should not have to worry so much about finding what I need in life. Just relax. Take it easy.

2. Appreciation

Tulsidas could have stopped at the realization. He could have made the comparison and used it as a teaching point. He could have written an entire self-help book based on this principle of renunciation. In the modern world, his book would be a bestseller. He could charge hefty speaking fees. He could offer high-priced, exclusive counselling appointments. He could be the self-help guru of the world.

Except that the Vaishnava saint uses the realization as a way to appreciate. He notices that this amazing dichotomy, this difference in order supplying, is due to the mercy of the Almighty. Tulsidas worships Him as Shri Rama, who is the husband of Sita.

Without the appreciation, renunciation does not do much. One person spends a lifetime enjoying the senses, bhoga. They are never really satisfied. They are always agitated. They always want something. They need people around. There has to be a party going on.

Another person spends the same amount of time in renunciation. They stay away from objects of the senses. They do not give in to temptation. They are self-controlled.

At the end of life, what difference does it really make? The same amount of time has been spent. Whether enjoying or restraining, the final destination is death. This is true whether a person lives for one day or for one hundred years.

The appreciation is what purifies the consciousness. It is what brings the living being back to life, so to speak. It wakes them up from their slumber. It is the time for enlightenment, after having been in ignorance.

This appreciation is dharma itself. It is the essential characteristic of the living being to worship God, and that worship flourishes when there is knowledge into His nature. The ways of the world, in the difference in supply and cost, is one way to understand His merciful nature, which flows like an ocean. Therefore, Rama is kripasindhu.

In Closing:

Like ocean flowing,
His mercy knowing.

That what I really need,
Available indeed.

And what getting in the way,
With cost barrier away.

Such that to appreciate ready,
In a stream focused and steady.

Categories: dohavali 121-160, the two

Tags: bhakti, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, yoga