“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

It is a nice day out. The first one in the reappearance of the annual season known as spring. The calendar date signifies that the shift officially began a few weeks ago, but the weather has given other signs. The cold of winter has not ceased. Until now, that is. The sun emerged from the clouds on this wonderful day of rest known as Sunday.

The only issue is that you are out of everything at home. It cannot wait until tomorrow, which is when you typically visit the supermarket. You have learned that in order to beat the crowds, important shopping should be done during the daytime hours in the weekdays. Modern technology has facilitated this development, which is new as of three or four years ago.

In shopping the crowded aisles on this Sunday, you happen to notice some new deals. If you purchase a bag of that organic wheat flour, for instance, you can get another one for free. You do not have to purchase the exact same item, either. You can pick anything from the same brand, within a similar category. The one stipulation is that the second item must be of equal or lesser value in comparison to the first item.

This is only rational. The supermarket would not intentionally give away the higher priced item for free. What business sense would that make? They are probably not losing an entire sale, either. It might be that inventory is too high and the shelves need to be emptied. The situation warrants this type of enticement for the bargain shoppers, who are always looking for a deal.

Even with those who are not looking for a deal, they particularly do not want to lose out. They are not willing to sacrifice without cause. They will purchase both items, to get the second for free, if they can make use of what they are getting. Otherwise, an extra item, although without cost, has no value.

We can use this experience to understand something that took place in the area of Gokula-Vrindavana, during the time period of Shri Krishna, who was the foster son of Nanda Maharaja and mother Yashoda. The young Krishna, who was a child at the time, noticed that His father was preparing for a type of religious observance. It was like an official function, which required anticipation and pooling together of resources.

This was not a new observance. It was the Indra-yajna, which was something like an annual tradition. It was innocent enough. Nothing to be alarmed over, as the residents were simply keeping the chain of cause-and-effect moving. The yajna was something like paying a tax to the heavens, for ensuring that the skies functioned properly in dropping sufficient quantities of rainfall. Vrindavana was a farm community, after all. The cows were everything, and the cows needed food to eat, which could only grow from the fertile ground properly nourished from the skies.

अन्नाद् भवन्ति भूतानि
पर्जन्याद् अन्न-सम्भवः
यज्ञाद् भवति पर्जन्यो
यज्ञः कर्म-समुद्भवः

annād bhavanti bhūtāni
parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ
yajñād bhavati parjanyo
yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ

“All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna is born of prescribed duties.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.14)

With His beautiful, charming face, Shri Krishna entered the situation by asking a few questions. They appeared to be innocent on the surface, but this was like an expert attorney cross-examining a witness on the stand in a courtroom. Nanda Maharaja was on trial, but not for anything he had necessarily done. There was no guilt to be proven, but Krishna had an alternate idea in mind.

One of the questions Krishna asked really stands out, as it is at the heart of the appeal towards devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna asked, “Kim phalam”? What was the fruit to be gained? What was the benefit to this Indra-yajna? What exactly were the people looking for that they needed to go to all of this trouble, at this specific time of the year?

Krishna used the responses from Nanda to give the appeal towards a different way. Why not worship the nearby Govardhana, instead? If thinking along higher lines, it is actually karma which is responsible for the results to actions. Action is one way to define that Sanskrit word. Karma is action, and the results are karma-phalam. You see, it wasn’t Indra causing the rainfall, but rather the good actions of the people. At least this was the argument for that time given by Nanda’s son.

कार्यकारणकर्तृत्वे हेतु: प्रकृतिरुच्यते
पुरुष: सुखदु:खानां भोक्तृत्वे हेतुरुच्यते

kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve
hetuḥ prakṛtir ucyate
puruṣaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ
bhoktṛtve hetur ucyate

“Nature is said to be the cause of all material activities and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.21)

Almost leaning towards atheism, Krishna used every trick of persuasion in the book to convince Nanda to do something else. The key was to present a replacement that was of equal or greater value. The people should not feel that they have suffered because of skipping a tradition in religion. They should not feel that they are missing out by taking a chance on the proposal from a young child, who is the jewel of the town.

The replacement was worshiping the nearby Govardhana Hill. This would be the very first Govardhana-puja. Since Krishna was recommending it, there was nothing to lose. Worshiping Govardhana would be equivalent to worshiping Krishna. He is the greatest protector, after all. No one loses by approaching Him. No matter their reservations, their fears, their concerns, their worries about retaliation from powerful figures, they should know that the phalam will be greater than anything they would receive anywhere else.

In Closing:

Even if from heavenly realm to receive,
Reward greater than anything to believe.

When to Shri Krishna turning,
Transcendental benefit earning.

Like Nanda the chance taking,
After preparations already making.

Towards Govardhana to transition,
That hill in protective position.

Categories: kim phalam

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