“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.9)

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मच्-चित्ता मद्-गत-प्राणा
बोधयन्तः परस्परम्
कथयन्तश् च मां नित्यं
तुष्यन्ति च रमन्ति च

mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā
bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ
tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca

1. Check a box

“Just surrender. It is all you have to do. I promise. No strings attached. Just say it out loud. Such and such is your lord and savior. He is the one you acknowledge as the Supreme Deity, exclusive of all others. Actually, any other interpretation, insight, or realization into the source of all things is, by definition, demonic. Do not fall prey to the worship of false gods, with those strange traditions involving reincarnation, karma, the difference between matter and spirit, the twenty-four material elements, and other such devilish ideas.

“If you simply check this one box, you are saved. Okay, maybe show up to a house of worship, on occasion. Find an empty seat. Wear nice clothes. You are not required to pay attention to what the speaker says. Make sure you are seen, though. You do not want the community to think you have fallen towards the way of the sinners. Maintain regular attendance, do not show any signs of independent or rational thought, and you are good to go.”

2. Wait for the afterlife

“What happens next? You are asking about the next phase? I am not sure why there is cause for concern. You already surrendered. You made a public declaration, right? You acknowledged that such and such is your savior? You made sure others heard you, correct?

“Whew, okay! You had me worried for a second. That is the most important thing, that other people hear you. Otherwise, your religion and your god will only remain inside of you. What good will that do? There is nothing beyond this. Simply wait for the afterlife. If you are overly anxious, if you are impatient, then you can certainly try to scare, I mean persuade, others into the same faith. There is no harm in that.”

3. Pass the time in boredom

“Find something to do. You are all set, remember? You are going to heaven. I cannot tell you the exact moment when that will happen. In the meantime, find something to occupy the time. Go kill some innocent animals, if you are bored. God gave man dominion over the land and the animals. You can do whatever you want now.

“Well, make sure you don’t harm my cat or the neighbor’s dog. Those are pets, you see. You will be arrested if that happens. The cow who produces milk in a spontaneous show of affection when in visible contact with her children? No problem. You can slice her throat. You can round up as many of those mothers as you want. Dinner will be delicious. Everyone will eat well for a month straight.”

4. Be miserable and envious

“Seriously, some of these people are the worst. They are all peaceful and happy. They don’t ask much of others. They keep to themselves. They do not put others into difficulty. Just who exactly are they trying to impress?

“They are no better than the rest of us. I am going to heaven, don’t you understand? So are you, my child. Don’t be swayed by kindness, generosity, and overall gentle and respectful behavior. These other people are doomed. They supposedly believe in God, but they do not follow our particular religion. They are really in for a world of hurt. They look happy and peaceful now, but you just wait until the afterlife. Then we will get our revenge. I mean, then they will regret their decision.”

…

यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च य:
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो य: स च मे प्रिय:

yasmān nodvijate loko
lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ
harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair
mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ

“He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 12.15)

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada intentionally translates the Sanskrit term bhakti-yoga as “Krishna consciousness.” It is much more than a religion. It is not a faith to put into a basket to compete with others. It is not merely checking a box on a form, aligning with a specific institution, or waiting to experience happiness reserved exclusively for the afterlife.

Rather, bhakti-yoga is life. It is a way of life. It is the only way of life, in the pure condition. This bhakti-yoga is the very embodiment of dharma. All other kinds of dharma have a prefix. There is a qualifying nature, such as in vaishya-dharma, stri-dharma, or even yuga-dharma. These dharmas are limited by conditions [gunas], the nature of work [karma], and the period of time [kāla].

True dharma is always one. When aligned with the original dharma, the transformation involves every aspect of life. Krishna consciousness for maintaining a connection to Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, at all times. It is like having internet or phone service which never goes down. It is for understanding God in truth, such that there is knowledge of everyone following Him at all times, whether they are aware or not.

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते
तांस् तथैव भजाम्य् अहम्
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते
मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः

ye yathā māṁ prapadyante
tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante
manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

“All of them – as they surrender unto Me – I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.11)

This way of life can be passed down to children. Rather than scaring them into submission, in relegating the rest of their days to misery, miserliness, and boredom, they can be introduced to a culture that has the potential to stop time. This is the feeling when immersed in the glories of the Supreme Lord.

Shri Krishna uses the word ramanti to describe the feeling devotees experience when talking about Him. Devotees can talk for days and days. They can spend an entire lifetime experiencing this ramanti. That is the real meaning to living. It is the greatest gift a person of authority can pass on to a dependent.

In Closing:

For your wellbeing to care,
With no intention to scare.

Or that in boredom to spend,
Or on envy and misery to depend.

Rather in the glories to immerse,
With the like-minded to converse.

Bhakti the actual way to live,
Glories of Shri Krishna to give.

Categories: the four

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion