You Will Be Back

By krishnasmercy on November 14, 2024 • ( 0 )

“For as long as there is not devotion to Shri Rama and the release of material desires, which are like an abode of grief, the living being should not expect to find welfare and peace of mind, even in a dream.” (Dohavali, 131)

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तब लगि कुसल न जीव कहुँ सपनेहुँ मन बिश्राम
जब लगि भजत न राम कहुँ सोकधाम तजि काम

taba lagi kusala na jīva kahum̐ sapanehum̐ mana biśrāma
jaba lagi bhajata na rāma kahum̐ sokadhāma taji kāma

“See, your little spiel only works in the circles that you run. For people who gather around, like with a campfire at night, trading stories, you can lure people in with your high philosophy. They are enamored by the Sanskrit terms. They feel overwhelmed in a sense, which only increases their appreciation. They feel you are some great teacher or master, based on your understanding of what you refer to as the ‘science of self-realization’.

“Please understand that outside of this bubble, away from this comfort zone you have created, you will run into problems. I am on to your ways. You are sneaky, but effective. I know the truth. I know you are just unhappy based on personal experiences. You were too afraid to try. You were not the kind to venture out, to attempt new things. You barely explored the world before you decided to give up on it.

“You make repeated reference to kama and how that needs to be abandoned. Get rid of desire itself. Okay, you do qualify the recommendation by stating that kama is material desire. We should somehow transform that into spiritual desire, which is bhakti. How anyone can tell the difference is beyond me, but then again, that is not up to me to judge.

“I think you are hurting people. You are spoiling their fun. You are closing doors unnecessarily. You are removing options. These young folks need to go out. If they have enthusiasm for living in this world, for taking on new adventures, for spending time with friends, then why should they be dissuaded? You are the one suffering. You feel this sour grapes kind of resentment. If you want to worship the Supreme Lord, reciting His holy name, no one is stopping you. But why are you out to ruin the fun for everyone else? Why not leave well enough alone?”

There is certainly repeated emphasis within shastra on the need for renouncing material desire. The focus of the Bhagavad-gita conversation, for instance, is to try to work with detachment. Continue to function, but divest interest in the outcome. Put everything into the hands of the higher authorities. Nature is ultimately responsible, regardless of what we think.

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)

There is this sort of flattening of differences, such as between good and bad. You identify the one person as winning the race. You see that person later standing atop the medal stand. That one hoisting the trophy in triumphant jubilation. They are not different from the person who came in last. Their positions are merely relative. The juxtapositions can change based on the timeline. This is how the world works. One person is living, while another person is dying.

गतसङ्गस्य मुक्तस्य ज्ञानावस्थितचेतसः
यज्ञायाचरतः कर्म समग्रं प्रविलीयते

gata-saṅgasya muktasya
jñānāvasthita-cetasaḥ
yajñāyācarataḥ karma
samagraṁ pravilīyate

“The work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely into transcendence.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.23)

This is, in fact, the basis for the instruction. The wise person can see into the future. They understand what will take place after the passage of time. What goes up must come down. What will be targeted will eventually be achieved or rejected. There will then be something else to do. Kama is like that candle which refuses to go out.

आपूर्यमाणम् अचल-प्रतिष्ठं
समुद्रम् आपः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत्
तद्वत् कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे
स शान्तिम् आप्नोति न काम-कामी

āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī

“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.70)

It is a misconception to think that the emphasis on renunciation [vairagya] is only due to failure. Rather, we can find melancholy even after tremendous success. Goswami Tulsidas refers to this world as shokadhama. It is like the resting place of grief. Wherever you turn, people are unhappy.

As Prahlada Maharaja explains in Vishnu Purana, even the people that think they are happy are only fooling themselves. How can someone take pleasure from the absence of pain? There is always pain. To remove the pain temporarily is only to find relief. Relief is not the same as real happiness.

That is the ultimate purpose to the instruction. Saintly people of the Vedic tradition do not merely advise against kama. They say there must be a positive activity, as well. Worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Follow some sort of pravritti to connect with Him, such as chanting the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

This will bring actual happiness, as confirmed in Shrimad Bhagavatam. Shri Krishna describes how there are so many philosophies in life. There are countless objectives and corresponding ways to meet them. These systems are kind of dharmas, in their own right.

आद्यन्तवन्त एवैषां लोका: कर्मविनिर्मिता:
दु:खोदर्कास्तमोनिष्ठा: क्षुद्रा मन्दा: शुचार्पिता:

ādy-anta-vanta evaiṣāṁ
lokāḥ karma-vinirmitāḥ
duḥkhodarkās tamo-niṣṭhāḥ
kṣudrā mandāḥ śucārpitāḥ

“All the persons I have just mentioned obtain temporary fruits from their material work. Indeed, the meager and miserable situations they achieve bring future unhappiness and are based on ignorance. Even while enjoying the fruits of their work, such persons are filled with lamentation.” (Lord Krishna, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 11.14.11)

We might find success in following these dharmas. We might think we are happy in enjoying the resulting fruits, but we will only be miserable. This is the foresight of the seers. They understand the ultimate outcome. They know that this land of birth and death, mrityu-loka, is indeed shokadhama.

The only true happiness is from connecting with the Supreme Lord. The connection stays active, in a solid state, through knowledge. The more we know Him, the more we will want to connect. Even if we have no interest at the moment, we should sacrifice some time to hear. That can make all the difference in the world. We may think that renounced ascetics following the bhakti way of life are crazy, have gone mad, or simply could not cut it in life, but they have a secret to happiness that can only be known through their favor. One day we will be back. We will reach the point of exhaustion, where we are looking for more. Better to tap into the storehouse of knowledge today, right now, and save valuable time.