“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

The argument put forth is that religion is for the weak. It is for those unwilling to put in the work, to put the name, fame, and reputation on the line, in an exposed way. You see, the people in the arena take the bumps, the bruises, the scrapes, the criticisms, and most importantly, the results.

They have to accept the consequences of failure. Not the person who remains on the sidelines. That weaker person either hopes for better times or they simply pray. And to whom is that prayer offered? And from where will that assistance arrive? And what means of validation will be applied to prove that the prayer actually worked?

These are legitimate criticisms in the sense that there must be some kind of action for any result to manifest. To reach a specific end, there must be something to ignite the process. A chemical spark to trigger the reaction.

अदृष्टगुणदोषाणामध्रुवाणां तु कर्मणाम्
नान्तरेण क्रियां तेषां फलमिष्टं प्रवर्तते

adṛṣṭaguṇadoṣāṇāmadhruvāṇāṃ tu karmaṇām
nāntareṇa kriyāṃ teṣāṃ phalamiṣṭaṃ pravartate

“Unseen and indefinite are the good and bad reactions of fruitive work. And without taking action, the desired fruits of such work cannot manifest.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 66.17)

At the same time, lost in the analysis is the condition of helplessness. We can try all we want, but Bhagavad-gita says that the living being, the jiva, is ultimately not the doer. They must rely on the cooperation of other factors.

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि
गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः
अहङ्कार-विमूढात्मा
कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.27)

We can review some common situations faced in life to see how all of the effort, advanced preparation, consciousness, consideration, and contemplation in the world cannot save us. They cannot even move an inch towards our rescue.

1. Fire in the home

“That was a terrifying experience. We woke up to the alarms, but it seems that the damage had already been done. We were stuck on the wrong floor. The fire was raging. We had no hope but to pray, to rely on some kind of divine intervention. Fortunately, it arrived. We were rescued by firefighters, who used a ladder to reach our bedroom.”

2. A travel emergency

“Well, it was too late. I wanted to be there at the final moments, to say a proper goodbye. I drove a little longer to the airport that offered direct flights. I did everything right, but the plane would not take off. Some mechanical failure; at least that is what the subsequent cancellation was blamed on.”

3. The onset of disease

“Literally, within a few days after the diagnosis. There was no treatment to be offered, no plan to implement, no medicine to take. They were not within one of the risk categories, either. They were completely healthy, so much that they could serve as an example for others on how to properly balance work, play, diet, and exercise. The tragedy was sudden and unexpected.”

4. Life within the womb

“It is easy to fake blindness when the mechanism occurs underneath the surface. When you need machines to record the actual visuals, you can rationalize the barbaric practice. But the truth remains. The child within the womb has no other protection. They are completely helpless. When the medical practitioner enters with evil intent, the child makes an attempt at survival, but they have little chance.”

5. Facing a devastating flood

This was the condition faced by the residents of Gokula-Vrindavana after they took part in the inaugural Govardhana Puja. It turned into a risky affair, as the worship was at the expense of another tradition. Shri Krishna, as the young child of the leader of the community, convinced everyone to worship the nearby hill instead of the offering to Indra.

Indra was paying attention. The worship the people had conducted previously was not to a false god or to an imaginary figure. The proof was in the subsequent retaliation. A flood occurred out of nowhere, right at the very spot of the new worship.

The people had no other option, at that point. A person may curse at their fate. They may scorn the father, Nanda Maharaja, for going along with the plans of the son, Krishna. They may deeply regret what they now consider to be a mistake.

But none of that contemplation means anything when there is the imminent threat of everyone and everything being washed away in a matter of moments. The only hope was that somehow Krishna could save them, as He was known to do on prior occasions.

Krishna managed to do just that. In lifting that sacred hill, He proved that following His guidance is actual religion, that it provides protection against whatever may be lost in other dharmas. That first Govardhana Puja is the symbolic representation of acknowledging the steady condition of helplessness faced by the human being. Helpless as we are, always worshiping the Almighty and accepting His shelter brings the most auspicious consequence.

In Closing:

Desperately trying my best,
With every option to test.

But alas nothing can do,
Rain and devastation too.

As if Indra the greatest miser,
Punishing for choosing wiser.

Never mind as Krishna close by standing,
Hill as largest umbrella commanding.

Categories: kim phalam, the five

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