“Shri Rama’s holy name is like a numeral, and all religious practices are like zero. When the numeral is not there, zero means nothing. But when it is present, the resultant value increases tenfold.” (Dohavali, 10)

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नाम राम को अंक है सब साधन हैं सून
अंक ग_एँ कछु हाथ नहिं अंक रहें दस गून

nāma rāma ko aṃka hai saba sādhana haiṃ sūna
aṃka ga_em̐ kachu hātha nahiṃ aṃka raheṃ dasa gūna

1. Artist

“Have you ever thought about devoting your life to this specific craft? I am talking about painting for a living. You have the talent for it. I have seen your stuff. I know people who know people who would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on your pieces.

“You just have to know the proper marketing techniques. If you get into the right showings, at the right places. If you invite the right people, who are known to run in these circles, your paintings would practically sell themselves.

“The one thing is you would probably have to remove the religious imagery. If you went with a more secular approach, the entire world would open up to you. Seriously, you have the potential to be this generation’s Andy Warhol, Picasso, or Rembrandt. I am not exaggerating. You should seriously consider it.”

2. Singer

“I must say, your voice is simply enchanting. I thought perhaps it was the product of selective editing, post-production in the studio, or some microphone effect in one of those recording apps. But no, I heard it direct, within the room, as a member of the audience. The singing was unbelievable; not of this world.

“Have you ever given thought to recording music for sale? It is not as difficult as it was in the past. The barrier to entry is practically eliminated, but there is, of course, the need to market yourself. Because of the overall decentralization of culture, it is more difficult for a new artist to break through. They do not have the backing of the record company, which ships physical products to stores. No one really visits these locations anymore; hence they are rare to find.

“The one thing is that you will probably have to lose the religious angle. Mask the obvious devotional imagery a little bit. Then you will appeal to a broader audience. The songwriting has to be tweaked in the slightest bit. I am talking subtle change. We can get a producer to help you. Take out some of the Sanskrit names and you should be golden. You might even think about adopting a stage name along those lines.”

3. Cook

“I must say, there is something different to what you produce. These are no ordinary cookies and cakes. Are you sure that you lack formal training? You have never studied under the tutelage of a professional baker? I don’t know; something doesn’t add up.

“Have you ever thought about opening your own place? I know you say that the secret to your success, if anyone should compliment you, is the relationship to bhakti-yoga. You present everything first before the deities. You are not so concerned with the exact taste or the recipes used. You make the offerings at regular intervals as part of your sadhana. I believe that is what you call it.

“Anyway, if you eliminated some of the religious connotations, if you simply omitted those details in your official bio, I think your locations would take off. You could be the next big thing in retail food. You might even get your stuff packaged and shipped to supermarkets. Imagine how wealthy you could become.”

4. Writer

“We need someone like you. I am desperate. I am practically begging you. Please come aboard. The writers we have are utterly useless. They have so many spelling and grammatical errors in their content that I cannot stand to read anything they produce.

“I find your style so appealing. I must admit that I cannot readily follow the teachings. All those Sanskrit words. The instruction of seeing with an equal vision, of observing in the manner of the pandita. That philosophical stuff is above my head, but there is an aura to the presentation. No one can deny it.

“You have a gift, and it is about time you started profiting from it. With you on our team, we could become the top website in the world. We could bring publishing back to a respectable place. Otherwise, we are in danger of losing out to these moronic, idiotic short-form videos meant to be endlessly swiped away, catering to the least intelligent among us.”

5. Life coach

“I must say, you have a way with people. You can uplift them from the depths of depression. People tend to be inspired by listening to you. You have a gift. You probably already know this but are too humble to take a step back and actually appreciate what you offer to others.

“Have you ever thought about going professional? You know, like becoming a counsellor. What about a life coach? That is the latest fad business. I chuckle at some of the people who try it. The ones I know are actually total whack-jobs in real life. You would never go to them to solve a basic problem like changing a light bulb, and yet here they are, selling their life coaching services to millions of unsuspecting customers.

“You are actually smart. You know what you are talking about. Just take out the religious stuff. Remove the religious imagery, the worship-related content, and the words too difficult to pronounce. You can utilize many of the same principles. Like that stuff you were teaching me about the mind, and how it can be both the friend and the enemy. That is golden! You can write an entire book about that. It would be a bestseller, for sure.”

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित: ।
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ॥

bandhur ātmātmanas tasya
yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ
anātmanas tu śatrutve
vartetātmaiva śatru-vat

“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest enemy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.6)

…

The issue in these proposals is that the person of ability has no interest in ascending or climbing to the top of the mountain within the material world. They are well aware of the difference between that which has endurance and that which will only remain manifest for a short-time.

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः

nāsato vidyate bhāvo
nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas
tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ

“Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent there is no endurance, and of the existent there is no cessation. This seers have concluded by studying the nature of both.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.16)

Moreover, what will be gained if the Supreme Lord is removed from the picture? They have taken to bhakti-yoga, devotional service, for experiencing something better. They intentionally left behind that which was no longer enjoyable, which lost its taste. Why would any sane person return to something that was not getting them anywhere in life?

विषया विनिवर्तन्ते
निराहारस्य देहिनः
रस-वर्जं रसो ऽप्य् अस्य
परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ‘py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.59)

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada compares material experiences to zeroes. We can have as many of them as we want, but the value is always zero. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, accessed through association in a time-honored and authorized tradition of spiritual discipline, is like the nonzero digit. Placing that digit in front of the zeroes suddenly creates value. That which was previously zero is now something which can be quantified. Goswami Tulsidas makes the same comparison in his Dohavali. He focuses particularly on the various practices within sadhana, and how the holy name is what holds everything together.

This means that the teaching of digits and zeroes spans hundreds, if not thousands, of years. There is certainly skill and ability exhibited in devotional service, especially with further maturity in the discipline, and ascendency tied to numerical strength, reliability, and steadiness. Still, the wise person, the one honest in their dedication, would never dream of throwing all that value away only to be replaced by a bundle of zeroes.

In Closing:

For any skill that you say,
For one reason came my way.

Because prior suffering great,
Pain impossible to understate.

Changed only to bhakti due,
Skill acquired through.

To toss aside the cause never a thought,
Who the highest taste to me brought.

Categories: the five

Tags: hare krishna, life, life coach, poem, poems, poetry, therapy