“Mind, why are you not worshiping Shri Rama, whose bow is like time, with weapons of arrows representing the different units of time, such as paramanu, lava, nimesha, barasa, yuga, and kalpa?” (Dohavali, 130)

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लव निमेष परमानु जुग बरस कलप सर चंड
भजसि न मम तेहि राम कहँ कालु जासु कोदंड

lava nimeṣa paramānu juga barasa kalapa sara caṃḍa
bhajasi na mama tehi rāma kaha~ kālu jāsu kodaṃḍa

1. As the maker of day and night

It is the stark contrast. To easily convey the idea of noticeable difference, we use the comparison to day and night. The daytime features such an abundance of light, even in the case of thick cloud cover in the sky, that we cannot come close to imitating the same during the night. The night is the complete absence of the light available during daytime.

In Sanskrit, some of the words referring to the sun, such as dinakara and divakara, directly translate to “maker of the day.” It is the sun which is responsible for the difference between day and night. More specifically, it is the difference in presence or direct perception. It is not that the sun disappears during the nighttime; we simply have a different interaction. Our juxtaposition shifts.

We can view time as the cause for those juxtapositions. If we wake up in the morning and still see darkness when looking out the window, we merely wait a little. After some time passes, the sun will be seen on the horizon. It is actually a beautiful sight, and one that is not possible without the maker of transition known as time.

2. As the cause of the seasons

This concept extends to the seasons. I may be enduring the bitter cold and the shorter days attached to the winter season. Only a few months ago I was enjoying outside. I did not need to wear a jacket. The world around me seemed different.

A few months from now, I will be suffering from allergic reactions to the pollen from the grass and the trees. That will be preceded by an increase in rainfall. As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” These changes are due to time.

3. As the mechanism for the changes to the body

First-time parents are known to take so many pictures and videos of their newborn. They want to cherish every moment. As others have warned them, the time flies by. In a few years, you won’t recognize the pictures from the past. The changes to the child are that significant.

As we can rely on these changes, as we can faithfully expect the transformations to occur, the factor responsible is time. We know that the same time will continue to effect changes moving forward. The descending Vedic culture provides names for the different stages of life, such as kaumaram, yauvanam, and jara. Boyhood, youth, and old age are due to time.

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)

4. As the way punishment arrives for horrible deeds

It is one of the mysteries of the life experience, for sure. If we believe in a higher power, we wonder how He could ever allow such behavior to go on? How could He tolerate the suffering that takes place? It is understandable that people make mistakes, that they succumb to temptation, that anger and wrath may get the better of them.

There are horrible deeds on the other side. They are tied to the loss of intelligence, if for even a brief moment. The more troubling aspect is the aftermath. The perpetrators get away with their crimes. They may even sit in the highest seats of power. They are exalted. They receive the best police protection wherever they go. Countless disciples bow at their feet.

अवश्यं लभते जन्तुः फलं पापस्य कर्मणः
घोरं पर्यागते काले द्रुमाः पुष्पमिवार्तवम्

avaśyaṃ labhate jantuḥ phalaṃ pāpasya karmaṇaḥ
ghoraṃ paryāgate kāle drumāḥ puṣpamivārtavam

“Just as a tree starts to blossom during the proper season, so the doer of sinful deeds inevitably reaps the horrible fruit of their actions at the appropriate time.” (Lord Rama speaking to Khara, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 29.8)

We should understand that the appropriate punishment will indeed arrive. That punishment will be commensurate with the wickedness of the deeds. If the work is ghoram, or ghastly, the reaction will be of the same nature. We merely have to wait for the appropriate time. In this respect the patience required is no different than waiting for the next season to arrive.

5. As arrows released from the bow held by Shri Rama

This is a complete understanding of time kindly synthesized in a few lines of poetry by Goswami Tulsidas. Time is actually a weapon. It only destroys. We think that it creates, but the byproducts are temporary. This means that time will further act on whatever we think we have produced.

The Sanskrit word for time also applies to death. The specific time of death is anta-kale; it is the last moment. Tulsidas says that time is like a bow held in the lotus-like hand of Shri Rama. The various units of time are like weapons released from that bow.

The quiver carries an infinite supply of arrows. Rama never runs out. He is never defective in His application. He is the expert marksman, hitting the intended target in every single instance, at the exact moment previously configured.

This complete understanding actually has the potential to change the nature of time. While it is otherwise a devouring agent, known to destroy, when viewed in association with Shri Rama, time is like an ornament to the transcendental beauty. It enhances the presentation when we meditate upon that beloved avatara of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As with everything else in the material creation, time has Rama as the source. This means that it ultimately carries auspiciousness, which we perceive through our repeated efforts in devotion to Rama, beginning anew, with fresh enthusiasm, through the maker of the day.

In Closing:

Another opportunity to take,
When the next day to make.

By the shining sun,
The work reliably done.

While time otherwise to devour,
For devotees blessings to shower.

Because another opportunity chance,
At Rama with bow and arrow to glance.

Categories: the five

Tags: dohavali, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion, time