“There are many faults associated with ending my life, and if I remain alive I can find all-auspiciousness. Therefore, I will keep my life-breath, for by living success is assured.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.47)

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विनाशे बहवो दोषा जीवन् भद्राणि पश्यति
तस्मात्प्राणान् धरिष्यामि ध्रुवो जीवितसङ्गमः

vināśe bahavo doṣā jīvan bhadrāṇi paśyati
tasmātprāṇān dhariṣyāmi dhruvo jīvitasaṅgamaḥ

1. Potential

“Here I am. Living within this world, they say that the sky is the limit. I have so much going for me. I simply have to choose which way to go. Work hard. Play by the rules. Stay out of trouble. Focus on the task at hand and one day, I will be standing on the summit of the mountain. As they say, slow and steady wins the race.”

2. Defeat

“This is terrible. I was doing so well. Everyone thought that I had it in the bag. I earned the top rankings in the preliminary rounds. All signs pointed towards victory. In the end, I lost. All that time spent. All the sacrifices. All the hard work. All the support I received. What did it mean? What a cruel ending to this ordeal. Why should any of us even try, if this is one of the possible outcomes? They say that you learn more from failing than you do from succeeding, but that makes no sense. Who wants to be reminded of how little power they have over outcomes? Who wants to go through life knowing they are a loser?”

3. Trauma

“I would never wish it upon anyone. I think POWs have never been treated this badly. We were innocent children. That innocence was quickly snatched away. From people who otherwise lecture from pulpits about principles of spirituality. They are elevated souls, you see, based on their status assigned to them by the institution.

“If you ask me, these are the worst human beings imaginable. Even your average inmate in the highest security prison is not so evil. How can there be any goodness in this world when we have to endure so much? How will we ever let go of the memory of the horror? We prayed and we prayed, but that did us no good. Why did God choose to sit this one out? Why didn’t He come to save us? Why didn’t He answer our prayers?”

4. Renewal

“I hold on to the memories. I can recall the past. It is like that part of my experience never leaves me, but I am still moving on. I am alive today. There is a chance to do something. If there is an opportunity, there must be hope. With hope there is reason for optimism. You may consider me crazy, but I refuse to accept perpetual defeat.”

5. Triumph

“I cannot believe where I am today in life. It is a complete turnaround. It feels as if I am on top of the world. There is nothing to flaunt, either. There is nothing to boast about. I keep these feelings to myself, mostly. I am thankful and grateful. Back during the low times, I never thought such a change was possible. But I am living proof of it. I am so glad that I did not listen to the naysayers.”

…

A person may argue that it is impossible for God to exist because of the many tragedies that occur within the living experience. These are, of course, only the tragedies we know about. The stories we hear on the news. The deep and throbbing pain of the mother who grieves over the loss of her son. The child who will never get to joyfully greet their father on his return home from a long day at the office. The soldier who survived a military ambush, only to witness the rest of his troop perish right in front of him.

In these cases, the victims may have intensely prayed to the Almighty. They may have been earnest in their plea for help. They may have amassed many pious credits, or what is known as sukriti in Sanskrit. But based on the results, it is like only the good die young, while the evil seem to live forever.

If we extend the logic out further, however, we see that a negative outcome is not a solid basis for nullifying the concept of God. This is because if a negative outcome were absolute in its impact, there would be no such thing as a good story. There would be no ending that was favorable. There would be no ending, in fact, since we are applying the final word based on the initial negative outcome.

अवश्यं लभते जन्तुः फलं पापस्य कर्मणः
घोरं पर्यागते काले द्रुमाः पुष्पमिवार्तवम्

avaśyaṃ labhate jantuḥ phalaṃ pāpasya karmaṇaḥ
ghoraṃ paryāgate kāle drumāḥ puṣpamivārtavam

“Just as a tree starts to blossom during the proper season, so the doer of sinful deeds inevitably reaps the horrible fruit of their actions at the appropriate time.” (Lord Rama speaking to Khara, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 29.8)

Vedic culture fills in the gap of missing information, in revealing that the individual lives on, through the time continuum. The reactions to their work may manifest in the distant future. The suffering today might be the result of some horrible crime committed long ago. In the same way, the successful triumph in ascending the mountain of illusion, in finally seeing the world for what it is, a place of suffering, might be the result of having finally exhausted sinful reaction, papa.

येषां त्व् अन्त-गतं पापं
जनानां पुण्य-कर्मणाम्
ते द्वन्द्व-मोह-निर्मुक्ता
भजन्ते मां दृढ-व्रताः

yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.28)

For further support, we have the historical example of Shri Hanuman from the Ramayana period. He had done so many amazing things. He was selfless in his dedication, bravery, and sacrifice. He crossed over a massive ocean, overcoming the obstacles intentionally thrown his way. Still, he was not fully successful in the mission. At that moment, he looked to be a failure. What good did his direct association with Shri Rama yield? What was the point in moving forward under such depression?

“There is a proverb in Sanskrit which says, ‘Disappointment gives rise to the greatest satisfaction.’ In other words, when one’s sentiment or ambition becomes too great and is not fulfilled until after seemingly hopeless tribulation, that is taken as the greatest satisfaction.” (Shrila Prabhupada, The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 31)

Hanuman decided to carry on because while he was alive there was the potential for service. This means that there is the chance for the greatest satisfaction, after experiencing disappointment. As Goswami Tulsidas describes, this world is shokadhama. It is a place of torment and misery, of experiencing grief at every turn. If we abandon desire, by transforming it into bhakti, in the manner of Hanuman’s service, then the situation turns around.

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

“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)

In Closing:

Time with that monster to spend,
Helpless child unable to defend.

Now that trauma to linger,
Directly pointing blame’s finger.

But that negative not the final word,
The wise in progress undeterred.

With potential comeback in store,
When kama abandoned bhakti for.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, hanuman, inspiration, life, poem, poems, poetry