“All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 5.18.12)

Download this episode (right click and save)

यस्यास्ति भक्तिर् भगवत्य् अकिञ्चना
सर्वैर् गुणैस् तत्र समासते सुराः
हराव् अभक्तस्य कुतो महद्-गुणा
मनोरथेनासति धावतो बहिः

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

1. Be patient

“I have no margin for error. I cannot rush things. This is a brand new life, after all. You cannot force this person to suddenly walk and talk. You have to trust the process. You have to go along, with diligence, maintaining steadiness in the protection that you offer.”

2. Change diet

“I have no margin for error. I used to come home from work and lie down immediately. I was so tired. That will no longer fly. I have to pay attention. I have to give time to my child. I noticed that if I eat differently during the day, I have more energy at night. I eat lighter and avoid any type of bread. This change has worked wonderfully for me. I am not turning into a nutrition spokesperson or anything. Your mileage may vary, but I am just sharing with you my experience.”

3. Stay physically fit

“I have no margin for error. This child is counting on me. The family depends on me for everything. I have to remain in the best shape possible. This means finding time to exercise properly during the day. I cannot let myself go. It is not about how I look, either. I am constantly on high alert. It is like that relief pitcher in the bullpen. There are no excuses when they are called to enter the game.”

4. Sleep on time

“I have no margin for error. I would love to watch this game until its completion, but that will ruin my day tomorrow. I must be properly rested to begin the day. This is a sacrifice I must make. There is no other way.”

5. Prepare healthy meals

“I have no margin for error. We cannot keep eating meals from outside. The cost is too much. We need to save money for tuition and other child-related expenses. We also want everyone to be healthy. It just takes a little time each day, but the key is to maintain the momentum. If we make food on a regular basis, the time spent will pay off in the long run.”

…

The aspiring transcendentalist within the bhakti tradition of Vedanta takes issue with some of the recommendations they hear. The recommendations are in response to problems; they are like potential solutions. When the sadhaka has some questions, when they wonder about the benefit to a particular practice or restriction, whether it be on the pravritti side or the nivritti side, they tend to hear advice along the following lines:

“Prabhu, you need to chant more rounds. You need to really listen to the sound. You need to hear the holy names that are within the mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Bhakti is like watering the root of the tree. The leaves and the branches will automatically be nourished in the process. You do not have to strive individually for any good quality. All the good qualities will come to you, on a level equal to the demigods. Don’t simply take my word for it. Shrimad Bhagavatam confirms what I am saying.”

To the person new to the game, who is giving bhakti-yoga a try for the first time, the above explanation is insufficient. It is simply not believable. How can there be an abrupt shift from the condition at present? If I am always tired, agitated, upset, petty, vindictive, and on edge, how is that suddenly going to change into a peaceful state, wherein no one is my friend and no one is my enemy? At least the historical character named Prahlada was born that way. He was a saintly person since birth.

“Demons think of everyone as a friend or enemy, but Vaishnavas say that since everyone is a servant of the Lord, everyone is on the same platform. Therefore a Vaishnava treats other living entities neither as friends nor as enemies, but instead tries to spread Krishna consciousness, teaching everyone that we are all one as servants of the Supreme Lord but are uselessly wasting our valuable lives by creating nations, communities and other groups of friends and enemies.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.12 Purport)

How am I supposed to transition into a way of living that is foreign to me? Especially when there is no targeting of the different qualities. It is not like the experiment that a young Benjamin Franklin underwent, wherein he maintained a chart of virtues and subsequently gauged his progress over time. The promise here is that simply by worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, through any or all of the nine principal methods of bhakti, there will be no gaps remaining.

The above reviewed situation of the first-time parent gives an idea as to how shifts take place all the time within the life experience without specific attention to the details. In this case, the parent has to make changes if they want to succeed. They do not have time to make a careful assessment. They go by instinct. They have a particular goal which must be met. They then adjust their behavior to meet that goal. Anything that gets in the way is essentially unwanted. It is exactly what the Sanskrit word anartha describes.

The transformation in bhakti-yoga is similar, but with one distinction. If we make devotion our goal, at least in the explicit sense, where there is attention to vidhi, or ritual and regulation, then we will adjust everything else in life to meet that goal. We will rise at the appropriate time in the morning. We will place emphasis on sadhana. We will let go of anger and resentment precisely because there is no room for it. We will look for conditions optimal to success, and the person successful in worshiping Hari through devotion tends to have qualities that society considers to be good.

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)

The distinction we referenced previously is the addition of assistance from the object of worship. Vasudeva will help us. He will break from His position of neutrality that applies to the individuals who are enamored by prakriti. Since He sees that our desire to connect with Him is genuine, He provides the understanding by which we can approach Him. By approaching Him, we can achieve a position even superior to that of the demigods, as exemplified in the shelter the villagers of Vrindavana received while underneath the lifted Govardhana Hill.

वर्षतीन्द्रे व्रज: कोपाद्भग्नमानेऽतिविह्वल:
गोत्रलीलातपत्रेण त्रातो भद्रानुगृह्णता

varṣatīndre vrajaḥ kopād
bhagnamāne ’tivihvalaḥ
gotra-līlātapatreṇa
trāto bhadrānugṛhṇatā

“O sober Vidura, King Indra, his honor having been insulted, poured water incessantly on Vrindavana, and thus the inhabitants of Vraja, the land of cows, were greatly distressed. But the compassionate Lord Krishna saved them from danger with His pastime umbrella, the Govardhana Hill.” (Uddhava, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.2.33)

In Closing:

A tall order and task,
How the demigods can surpass?

Just by worshiping through,
Known as Vasudeva who?

Example from first puja take,
How Govardhana an umbrella to make.

Despite attack the highest deva made,
Under that shelter everyone stayed.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhagavatam, dailyprompt, parenting, poem, poems, poetry