“My dear father, I am very respectfully and humbly inquiring. What is this arrangement? Why you are busy in making some sacrificial ceremony, what is the reason, and what is the result? For whose benefit is it and by what means will it be accomplished?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.24.3)

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कथ्यतां मे पित: कोऽयं सम्भ्रमो व उपागत:
किं फलं कस्य वोद्देश: केन वा साध्यते मख:

kathyatāṁ me pitaḥ ko ’yaṁ
sambhramo va upāgataḥ
kiṁ phalaṁ kasya voddeśaḥ
kena vā sādhyate makhaḥ

“I feel of all the different kinds of religion out there, bhakti-yoga is the most difficult to implement in the external sense. Yes, I understand that consciousness is everything. Whatever state of being one remembers while quitting the body, that state of being will continue in the next life.

यं यं वापि स्मरन् भावं
त्यजत्य् अन्ते कलेवरम्
तं तम् एवैति कौन्तेय
सदा तद्-भाव-भावितः

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.6)

“A state of being is from within. No one can decipher my thoughts. If they should happen to stumble upon the ability through progression in mysticism, it is not like they can retain the steady stream, from morning until night, of what is on the mind. My consciousness is mine to keep.

“I am speaking more in terms of the worship that follows. Chanting the holy names. Lighting incense sticks. Following through with the arati ceremony. Reading from sacred texts on a regular basis. Restricting diet to only foods in the mode of goodness, sattva-guna.

“This kind of life is not easy to explain to others. If I am trying to advance in mystic yoga, people understand it. The same for following a specific ritual, on a certain day. It is tradition. It is religion. People understand religion.

“They don’t seem to grasp the concept of full surrender, sharanagati. They can’t wrap their heads around this concept of allegiance that does not waver. Worshiping without an expectation of reciprocation.

“I know the easy answer is to proceed, anyway. But that is easier said than done. I would rather fit in with society than be a pariah. I would rather be understood than misunderstood. I would rather be accepted than rejected. Do you know what I mean?”

It is indeed difficult to explain to others, especially when the tendency is to operate under the paradigm of action and reaction. Work and enjoy. Follow a specific direction for an intended result, which will manifest at a certain time and also be available for use for a specific duration.

The closest equivalent would be the love and affection shown by the parent to the young child. Even that is not easy to grasp, as many times the children are merely an ornament to the external presentation of the adult. The children turn into well-trained pets to give the visual of proper parenting from the adults. The adults want to show off to their friends, in the manner of decorating a home, landscaping the front yard, snapping the perfect photo for the annual Christmas card, and so forth.

If there is concern over the issue of acceptance, we can look to the first Govardhana Puja for support. The purpose of worshiping Govardhana was to please Krishna. This would be the response to the “kim phalam” question, if it should be asked.

Worshiping Govardhana was bhakti. It brought the entire culture into a single event. Take elaborate preparations and shift them in a specific direction, for the enjoyment of someone else. The goal was to please the object of worship; there was nothing expected in return.

There was no money to gain. There was no rain to count on. There was no extra protection expected. There was no promise of ascension to a higher realm. There was no auspicious credit to add to a balance of meritorious deeds, sukriti.

It was Shri Krishna who found a way to convince the people to join. He did so by breaking down the arguments used as justification for another, longstanding tradition. This was the Indra-yajna, for which the residents of Gokula-Vrindavana were first preparing.

Krishna asked the “kim phalam” question to his father, Nanda Maharaja. Krishna knew what to expect in response, but that justification placed on the record could then be scrutinized, criticized, and picked apart.

The short response was that whatever was to be expected from the Indra-yajna could be received by worshiping Govardhana Hill. Krishna did not have to explain bhakti-yoga to the people. He did not have to go into the intricacies of the effect on consciousness, on the expected bountiful yield of a lifetime’s worth of enthusiasm and bliss.

If we are struggling to explain the externals, we can try a similar approach. Whatever it is a person looks to achieve through their preferred activities, we are experiencing that and more. The one difference is that we are not limited by motivations or obstructions. We continue in our devotion to the lifter of Govardhana in a manner guarded against personal ambition and external influence.

In Closing:

Kim phalam way to explain,
In realm of loss and gain.

About in bhakti path going,
Unwavering devotion flowing.

Keep this principle in mind,
That whatever already to find.

The same from devotional way,
With auspicious results to stay.

Categories: kim phalam, questions

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