Five Things I Will Get Around To Doing

“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.34)

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मन्-मना भव मद्-भक्तो
मद्-याजी मां नमस्कुरु
माम् एवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवम्
आत्मानं मत्-परायणः

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

1. Saying a prayer

“Yes, yes, do not worry. I have everything retained. It is all up in here. I am pointing to my head, if you cannot see. While others are prone to forgetfulness, I cannot help but hang on to old feelings, promises, and vows.

“I will certainly say a prayer. Many of them, in fact. You just wait. Right now, I am a little preoccupied with this thing called life. Perhaps you have heard of it. I cannot really hear anything at the moment, as there is screaming in the background. It is a constant. No one ever leaves me alone.”

2. Giving thanks for blessings

“Oh, for sure. I am super thankful. Don’t you dare lump me in with the misers. I have put in a lot of hard work. I studied. I made sacrifices. I took risks. I attribute my position to my efforts, but I know that I needed help.

“I agree with the assessment that I am not the doer. Shri Krishna is correct. I will offer an appropriate level of appreciation. Do not worry. It is all inside of me. I doubt that it will ever leave. It is like potential just waiting to be unleashed.”

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)

3. Contemplating the features of the Absolute

“How would I define God, you ask? Do I even need to? Have not others already accounted for the appropriate descriptions? What need is there for me to add my thoughts, based on my perspective? Is my life experience really that unique to where other people will gain insight?

“Do not worry, I will get around to it. I need some time to sit and think. Let me ponder the meaning of the Absolute. I do not believe Him to be featureless; that is for sure. I will concentrate on the gunas, the transcendental glories, at the appropriate time. You will be the first to know when I am ready.”

4. Bringing offerings

“I want to. Trust me. If I could spend the entire day in the kitchen, preparing the best dishes, I would do so. There is just so much interference at the moment. Have you seen the sink? It is full of dishes. How can I begin to contemplate making food when there are no clean pots and pans to use?”

5. Singing songs and associating

“I love their association. I am amazed every single time. I cannot believe there are others in this world who share the same interest as me. I wish I could be around them on a regular basis. The thing is, the distance is too great for me to overcome at the moment. The cadence of the dedication conflicts with other responsibilities I have. I certainly mean to get around to it.

…

Upon observing the practice of devotional service known as archanam, which is worship of the deity, a person may have questions pertaining to the usefulness. They may not see the need for traveling to a specific location, at a specific time, to carry through with specific procedures.

“If God is antaryami, that means He witnesses everything. He already knows what I am thinking. He knows my hopes, my dreams, my fears, my desires, and my regrets. Why do I need to express them, then? If He is indeed all-pervading, then why is there even a place designated for worship? Do the people attending not realize that The Almighty is not limited to a single place of residence? Are they so foolish as to attempt to downgrade the highest person of all to a tiny art exhibit?”

Under this viewpoint, the temple seems superfluous. The object of worship standing on the altar might be mistakenly considered a product of “make believe.” It is as if the worshipers need to be fooled in order to take to genuine spiritual life.

We see from the above review that while we carry the best intentions, sometimes the potential does not turn into reality. We leave everything on the table, so to speak. We keep preparing and anticipating, but never actually move. We do not proceed in the proper direction.

The temple-like environment, with the deity as the central point of focus, is something like the laboratory in which the principles of the spiritual science known as sanatana-dharma can be exercised. Otherwise, there is the vulnerability to everything staying an idea, remaining in the proof-of-concept phase.

I may know of transcendence in theory, only. I am familiar with the concepts. I can recite verses which explain the difference between matter and spirit. I understand that the body is always changing, while the soul inside remains the same.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

Without a particular field of activities, I will have a difficult time reaching a practical realization of those principles. In this regard, the deity can be considered an incarnation of mercy. I am unable to conceive of someone or something that is both nirguna and saguna. Without defining characteristics and also possessing distinct qualities, which can be identified.

मया ततम् इदं सर्वं
जगद् अव्यक्त-मूर्तिना
मत्-स्थानि सर्व-भूतानि
न चाहं तेष्व् अवस्थितः

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.4)

The deity within the temple, within the home, or within the mind of the devotee provides an introduction into the transcendental nature, into the meaning of the Absolute. He is everywhere, always, but He is also right in front of me when I am humbly offering my devotional efforts in sacrifice.

In Closing:

“My prayers surely will sound,
Meaning to get around.

The best offerings I will make,
Towards beloved deity to take.

Just give me some more time,
The temple then I will find.”

Surely the chance to fail,
This opportunity better avail.