“It is said, ‘Man proposes, God disposes.’ Thus a person may desire many things, but unless these desires are fulfilled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they cannot be fulfilled. Fulfillment of desire is called satya-sankalpa.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 8.16.22 Purport)

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In this hypothetical situation, we have grown sick and tired of failure. We are doing okay in life, but something seems off. To put it simply, things could be better. The machine that the living being is seated on could run more smoothly. The operation requires assessment from the outside. Someone not so familiar with the situation to study things, to give an objective analysis.

ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानां
हृद्-देशे ऽर्जुन तिष्ठति
भ्रामयन् सर्व-भूतानि
यन्त्रारूढानि मायया

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.61)

In this case, we decide that it is wise to hire a consultant. Someone from the outside will come in and make some recommendations. The cost is exorbitant, but likely worth it. At least we hope, based on what can be done at the end to change the status from failing to succeeding.

1. Document everything

“The first thing you have to do is write everything down. Yes, I realize that we are now in the digital age. Paper is a dying business. Who actually has a printer at home, anymore? Am I right? Nevertheless, I asked about your processes and procedures, the ones you have been following all this time, and no one could show me anything. Some of the people even laughed soon after hearing the question.

“Please, you have to document your current methodology. What you do from the beginning of the day until the end. This way we can assess how the machine is running today, yesterday, one week ago, and even a year ago. All the big companies do this. When they announce their earnings to the public, they always compare against the same quarter from the previous year.”

2. Revise

“Once we have something to look at, either on paper or stored in digital form, we can make revisions. I am telling you that there will be some obvious areas of inefficiency. This is how it always works. Most people overlook the problems since they are not following step one, which is documenting.”

3. Adjust

“In addition to correcting some of the obvious mistakes, we will also make adjustments. This is to keep in line with the changes that are out of our control. The world is different today than it was four years ago. Prices are higher. Crime rates are soaring. You can’t extend the same faith in your fellow man. You simply have to accept the reality, as it is.”

4. Coordinate

“We will also try to work with others in the same field. We can help each other. We do not need to be so competitive. Someone else’s success does not necessarily equate to my failure. We can take advantage of the enthusiasm and energy of those who are similarly looking to improve their operations.”

5. Optimize

“I regret to inform you that you have been working harder, not smarter. That decision has not yielded any benefits, except for an increase in fatigue. There are many areas where we can optimize the operation. We can focus on this place or that, while ignoring others. Some endeavors can be eliminated entirely, as they are not fruitful.”

…

These are some of the general recommendations for a business venture, but the same sequence applies to practically everything that we do. It could be a subtle change, such as not eating anything after a certain time in the evening. We were previously tired, lethargic, or irritable in the morning. We could feel our blood pressure rising. We could not come upon the cause until someone else recommended eating on schedule, without snacking in between. That adjustment made all the difference in the world.

We might find so much success through the revisions and optimizations that we forget that we are ultimately not in control. We are indeed seated on a machine, and that means everything has to operate as expected for any desire to manifest. Moreover, there are other individuals in this world, with their own machines. There is so much going on that we overlook the necessary sanction of other forces for any of our desires to turn into reality.

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि
गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः
अहङ्कार-विमूढात्मा
कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.27)

Above the material nature carrying out the results to action is the one who can be described as satya-sankalpa. As soon as He desires something, the reality will manifest. He does not have to revise anything. He does not have to hire an outside consultant. He does not have to cope with the devastation of loss occurring at the worst possible time. He is never surprised that something He wants to happen suddenly does not occur.

With devotional service, bhakti-yoga, we can take the same principles, utilizing the same intelligence, operating with a strong intent, but direct the interests towards pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since He is satya-sankalpa, He can take charge of our fortunes. We do the work, but He guides. He provides the intelligence by which we can come to Him, as He shines the torchlight within to dissipate the darkness of ignorance.

तेषां सतत-युक्तानां
भजतां प्रीति-पूर्वकम्
ददामि बुद्धि-योगं तं
येन माम् उपयान्ति ते

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.10)

In Closing:

After assessment to take,
Revisions to make.

For operation to proceed,
Desperate for overhaul indeed.

Success in our own life stunning,
But sanction from above coming.

When in bhakti to confide,
The Supreme Lord to guide.

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