“O son of Pritha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.13)

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महात्मानस् तु मां पार्थ
दैवीं प्रकृतिम् आश्रिताः
भजन्त्य् अनन्य-मनसो
ज्ञात्वा भूतादिम् अव्ययम्

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

“There is that verse in Bhagavad-gita which explains the protection that the devotees receive. I believe it is in describing the mahatma. The truly great soul is under the protection of the divine prakriti. This is different from the material prakriti, which is also divine in origin, but carrying a different effect.

“The material prakriti is illusion. It is identification with something temporarily manifest. It is focusing only on that temporary concept; sort of like being enamored by a shiny toy or a bright light. This kind of prakriti is a distraction. Unfortunately, that divergence can continue for countless lifetimes, as the conceptions carry forward, in the manner of air bringing scents from outside into the home.

शरीरं यद् अवाप्नोति
यच् चाप्य् उत्क्रामतीश्वरः
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति
वायुर् गन्धान् इवाशयात्

śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti
yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ
gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti
vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt

“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.8)

“The mahatmas are different, you see. They are with the higher prakriti. They are still involved in the material nature. They are still interacting with the elements. It is not that their movements stop. They do not necessarily put an abrupt halt to breathing, to standing up, to working, to making plans for both the near and long terms, and so forth.

“What I want to know is how to prove that the protection exists? How exactly does this kind of prakriti provide shelter? It appears that even elevated souls make mistakes. They extend faith to people who are cheaters. The acharya, for instance, might get poisoned by their own students. You have Sita Devi, the wife of Shri Rama, mistaking a Rakshasa for a beautiful, golden deer. Shri Hanuman feels a sense of regret after burning down Lanka with his fiery tail. He wonders if the entire mission is now spoiled because of his uncontrolled anger.

“Bhishmadeva, a mahajana explicitly referenced in shastra, was fighting with the side of Duryodhana in the Bharata War. Shri Krishna, the object of worship, the origin of that divine prakriti, was aligned with Arjuna. In the literal sense, Bhishma was against Krishna. How exactly does that misalignment provide protection? How can Bhishma be protected when he is against Krishna?”

We can continue with the Bhishma example to get clarity. It is a mistaken assumption that simply by religious allegiance we will avoid trouble in life. As there are accidents that happen everywhere around the world, the same can take place in a dhama like Puri or Vrindavana. As non-devoted people sometimes succumb to illness at an early age, there is always the chance of an untimely departure for a devoted soul.

The protection manifests in consciousness. People still make mistakes, but the ultimate result of such mistakes is auspiciousness. It is like the negative gets wiped out, in due course of time. Bhishma fought for the supposedly wrong side, but the end-result was thinking of Krishna as Narayana at the time of death. This is the most glorious end to the life experience.

सूत उवाच
कृष्ण एवं भगवति
मनो-वाग्-दृष्टि-वृत्तिभिः
आत्मन्य् आत्मानम् आवेश्य
सो ऽन्तःश्वास उपारमत्

sūta uvāca
kṛṣṇa evaṁ bhagavati
mano-vāg-dṛṣṭi-vṛttibhiḥ
ātmany ātmānam āveśya
so ‘ntaḥśvāsa upāramat

“Suta Gosvami said: Thus Bhishmadeva merged himself in the Supersoul, Lord Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with his mind, speech, sight and actions, and thus he became silent, and his breathing stopped.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.9.43)

If my mistakes bring me further into illusion, if I lose my way in transcendence, then I am not under the protection of the divine prakriti. Otherwise, nothing will keep me from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He can do with me as He wishes. I will always stay with Him, under His protection.

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

In Closing:

Protected right from the start,
Validated at moment to depart.

Despite in war to fight,
In cause that didn’t seem right.

And in conflict arrows to fire,
Against Arjuna and Krishna to transpire.

Bhishma under the Divine protection,
Thoughts in Narayana’s direction.

Categories: bhishma departing, questions

Tags: bhagavad-gita, dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry