“There are an infinite number of living beings, both moving and nonmoving, who have many different abodes, with some residing in the earth, some in the sky, and some in the water. But O helpless Tulsi, for you Shri Rama’s holy name is your only home.” (Dohavali, 37)

Download this episode (right click and save)

जल थल नभ गति अमित अति अग जग जीव अनेक
तुलसी तो से दीन कहँ राम नाम गति एक

jala thala nabha gati amita ati aga jaga jīva aneka
tulasī to se dīna kaham̐ rāma nāma gati eka

The acharya explains that the living entity is sarva-ga. They can essentially go anywhere. This is not an encouragement for travel into outer space or an invitation to set up an underwater station to serve as a residence for a six month excursion. Indeed, such pursuits are artificial means to accomplish what is already possible through the passage of time, the consequences to action, and the shifts to material nature.

“The word sarva-gatah (all-pervading) is significant because there is no doubt that living entities are all over God’s creation. They live on the land, in the water, in the air, within the earth and even within fire. The belief that they are sterilized in fire is not acceptable, because it is clearly stated here that the soul cannot be burned by fire. Therefore, there is no doubt that there are living entities also in the sun planet with suitable bodies to live there.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 2.24 Purport)

The living entity is purusha. That which covers the living entity for a temporary period is prakriti. The purusha aspect does not change; it is fixed. The collective energy of prakriti is always there, but its manifestation in the visual sense is always changing. That is why we are left in wonder and amazement when looking at a photograph from a decade ago. Was that really us? Why do we look so different? What happened?

Time is what happened. It operated on prakriti such that the elements covering the purusha shifted. That shift is constant, but we tend to only notice across larger intervals of time. This analysis only applies to the single lifetime, beginning at birth and ending at death.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

The living entity is sarva-ga because it was in many places prior to this currently identified birth. It can travel to many places after death. The evidence is in the variety of species. The Vedas cap the number at 8,400,000. That is how many species there are. This number was passed on through the descending process. There was not some amazing scientist who went out and observed and identified every species. The knowledge descended from authority, from the person who knows everything.

If the sarva-ga living entity can go anywhere, just where exactly is the ideal destination? Is that the reason for aspiring to heaven? Is the heavenly region, svarga-loka, the original home? Are we otherwise lost, like a stranger in a strange land? Is there a place above heaven? Is that why His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada refers to the goal of bhakti-yoga as going “back” to Godhead?

There is the realm known as Vaikuntha. It is imperishable. It does not go through cycles of creation and destruction like the material world. Vaikuntha is avyakta in the sense that we cannot perceive it with our eyes. It is avyakta when juxtaposed with the vyakta that is the material world and its many planets. Vaikuntha is a place free of anxieties. It is the eternal home of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and so reaching Vaikuntha is like going back to our original home.

At the same time, there is another insight into the concept of an eternal home. At the higher levels of devotion, with the strongest allegiance to the original person, with unwavering dedication in service, the home is the place where Hari is. Hari is another name for the original God, who is the source of both the material and spiritual worlds.

Goswami Tulsidas acknowledges that it is possible to find a variety of destinations in the future. He wishes to only be attached to the name of Rama, which is another way to address Hari. As long as there is the ability to chant this name, to contemplate it, to remember it, and to honor it, then it is like the devotee is always at home.

The pastimes of the goddess of fortune in her descent as Sita Devi offer further insight into the concept of a preferred residence. She is the daughter of King Janaka. In an ancient time, marriages took place through careful consideration and arrangement. The parents took care of everything. The daughter essentially got sent away on something like a military enlistment. Go live with some stranger, who is now your husband, and dutifully serve together, hopefully strengthening his commitment to dharma in the process.

Because of the abrupt shift in residence, it is natural for the bride in that situation to long for a return to her paternal home. After all, that is the place with which she is most familiar. Her family is there. Life-long memories were established in that place. It is the location of greatest comfort, standing in stark contrast to the new home, which is strange and unfamiliar.

Except Sita Devi strongly asserts that her only home is by the side of Shri Rama, who is her husband. She can travel with Him anywhere, even to a forest. In the most austere conditions, with nothing resembling the enjoyments of regal life, Sita will feel right at home. She will be able to serve Rama, and so she is completely happy.

सुखं वने निवत्स्यामि यथैव भवने पितुः
अचिन्तयन्ती त्रीन्लोकांश्च्चिन्तयन्ती पतिव्रतम्

sukhaṃ vane nivatsyāmi yathaiva bhavane pituḥ
acintayantī trīnlokāṃśccintayantī pativratam

“I shall happily reside in the forest, considering it to be just like my paternal home, paying no attention to the three worlds and only thinking of devotion to my husband.” (Sita Devi speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 27.12)

This is one way to cure our depression, our sadness, our despair, and our hopelessness. We are far away from Vaikuntha, but if we make Hari our home, then we can go back immediately. We can feel safe and secure in always chanting His names and remembering Him.

In Closing:

Like to foreign land sent,
There many years spent.

In the future where to go?
Possibilities endless so.

But when wisdom appropriately applied.
Known that home where Hari to reside.

Sita Devi even in the forest can live,
Where support to Rama will give.

Categories: dohavali 1-40

Tags: dailyprompt, family, home, life, poem, poems, poetry