“When the time for the destruction of living entities arrives, people are seen to perform activities that endanger themselves due to the influence of that all-devouring time.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 56.16)

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यदा विनाशो भूतानां दृश्यते कालचोदितः
तदा कार्ये प्रमाद्यन्ति नराः कालवशं गताः

yadā vināśo bhūtānāṃ dṛśyate kālacoditaḥ
tadā kārye pramādyanti narāḥ kālavaśaṃ gatāḥ

1. Do the most important things in the morning

“We all have something we wish to accomplish on a given day. Whatever it is for you, get it done. Do not procrastinate. Try to make it your top priority. The longer you wait, the more nervous you will get. The simple task might become overwhelming. You might end up skipping it altogether. Don’t make that mistake. The morning is your friend.”

2. The manager should never do anything

“The good manager knows how to delegate. They don’t actually do anything, in the tangible sense. They should not get their hands dirty. They may know how to properly remedy a situation. They may be more than capable, but then why are they the manager? If they cannot lead others to the proper conclusion, why even have a team underneath them?”

3. Charity really counts when it is anonymous

“Don’t boast about your charitable giving. Otherwise, it won’t mean as much. You will be in it for the wrong reasons. Surely, people will appreciate you more if they know about it, but appreciation is not what you are after.”

4. Accomplishing something small takes as much work as accomplishing something big

“The person who starts the small business puts in just as many hours as the one who gets people together to fund a startup venture that intends to go public. One side has the potential to create a steady income stream in a particular area, while another side can be worth billions of dollars in the matter of a few months. This is but one example, but if you are going to put in the effort, why not go for something big?”

5. People tend to act under the influence of time when the end is near

This astute observation is revealed to us by Sita Devi, the wife of Shri Rama, in the Ramayana poem. This is like a historical narrative put into wonderful, beautiful, and properly aligned, by meter, Sanskrit shlokas. The teaching is an interesting idea to consider. We come across these issues many times, where it seems that someone will not listen to good advice.

Rather, the course they have set out, the plan they intend to act upon, is destined for destruction. Everyone else can see it. The result is practically guaranteed. In other cases, someone is suffering from a specific ailment. Someone else decides to offer assistance. It could be something as simple as eating a specific food, taking a supplement, or drinking more water.

The suffering patient refuses the treatment. They think they have things covered, when they really don’t. What could be behind such blindness? What force is there preventing the recognition of the proper treatment? What is really going on?

The daughter of King Janaka says that time is about to strike in its most formidable form. The Sanskrit word for time and death is the same: kala. This is because time destroys. We could say that it creates, in the sense of development for the person accepting a new body, but whatever development takes place will be followed by ultimate destruction. This is the destiny as soon as there is birth.

जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्
ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च
तस्माद् अपरिहार्ये ऽर्थे
न त्वं शोचितुम् अर्हसि

jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur
dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca
tasmād aparihārye ‘rthe
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi

“For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.27)

The warning to Ravana, the king of Lanka, is but one of countless interesting sayings found in Vedic literature. In fact, we could say that the entirety of the tradition, to explain the voluminous nature to both the written and aurally passed down works of knowledge, is relevant information in the ways to improve the experience, both practically speaking and in configuring the best destination in the afterlife.

In the course of my lifetime I may have met people who passed on interesting advice, but through a single work like Bhagavad-gita, I already come across a lifetime’s worth of interesting, applicable, and relevant truths. Moreover, since the source is Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the teachings rise above the conditions in duality.

In other words, recommendations made for the devotional life, bhagavata-dharma, apply to every person, irrespective of their specific circumstances in life. Arjuna is the direct recipient, and he is on the favorable side. Ravana also receives harsh criticism which includes sagacious wisdom, although he is on the antagonistic side. From both perspectives, there is a benefit, and so someone like the goddess of fortune is a wealth of knowledge for any who are blessed with her association.

In Closing:

Through words villain addressed,
By her association blessed.

Because even if not accepting,
In staunchly rejecting.

Others wisdom to gain,
In that knowledge to retain.

Shastra in this way profound,
Everything and more to be found.

Categories: the five

Tags: advice, dailyprompt, life, poem, poems, poetry