“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

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सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“When dealing with friends, immediate family members, extended relatives, colleagues, and even children under our care, a sort of knowledgebase gathers over time. We learn things about them. We become familiar with their habits, their timings, their shifts in mood, and their priorities. Pertinent to this discussion, we also learn what they like and what they don’t like. We might even know for certain what sets them off, such as what words or phrases will trigger them, in something like a Pavlov’s dog experiment.

“To that end, if we are a well-wisher, if we are not inimical, we try to stay within the boundaries of the side of preference. If one of our friends dislikes Chinese food, for instance, we will eliminate that group from the possible restaurants to visit for dinner. If our family really enjoys playing tennis, we might set an appointment in the future to play with them.

“This is basic human interaction, but what happens when we breach the boundaries of the mortal realm and deal with the akshara place? That realm has a proprietor who is always akshara. He is also avyayam, or imperishable. That place and that person are not limited in the way that we currently experience limitations. Nevertheless, there is still a person, purusha. He is the topmost person, in fact. He is Purushottama.

“I recognize that the general understanding with that realm tends to focus on the dividing line, pitting two extremes against one another. If we are good, we go to heaven. If we are bad, we suffer punishment in demotion to a hellish region. This is like the first principle of religion in the formal sense. Worship in order to escape punishment. Worship in order to achieve elevation, which can only be validated in the afterlife.

“For the purposes of this discussion, say that I am beyond worrying about the distinction. I am okay with either destination, as the rules are so complex that I feel I am always in violation, anyway. My focus right now is to please the Almighty. I want to make Him happy. From there, He can do as He chooses. Let Him sort out the particulars, as to what I have done well and where I need improvement.

“Just what kind of behavior would He appreciate the most? We see that within devotional circles the output is not always the same. Some people are doing better than others, is what I mean to say. One person is advanced, while another is a neophyte. Whether I am high or low, advancing or regressing, just what kind of work will be most appreciated by the one who is always witnessing everything, through His feature of Paramatma?”

Bhagavad-gita offers a direct recommendation, free of ambiguity. Shri Krishna advises Arjuna to essentially turn the entire life experience into yajna. Every person does something. They make offerings, whether motivated by fear or appreciation. They eat. They might also give away, when in a charitable mood. Each one of these categories can turn transcendental through the process of yajna. Everything can be an offering to Krishna, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

यत् करोषि यद् अश्नासि
यज् जुहोषि ददासि यत्
यत् तपस्यसि कौन्तेय
तत् कुरुष्व मद्-अर्पणम्

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.27)

If we have accepted the recommendation, then we might still worry about the level of satisfaction on the other side. After all, leaders can do extraordinary things. The acharya sets up a mechanism whereby thousands of capable adults voluntarily follow. The disciples assist in producing transcendental literature and distributing it to the otherwise unknowing public. This one person in the group works tirelessly, from morning until night, without a vacation in sight, in order to glorify Krishna.

रसो ऽहम् अप्सु कौन्तेय
प्रभास्मि शशि-सूर्ययोः
प्रणवः सर्व-वेदेषु
शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु

raso ‘ham apsu kaunteya
prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ
praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu
śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu

“O son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.8)

The Sanskrit word for ability is paurusham. It is essentially the output of the purusha, who is the man. Purusha is always the enjoyer, in the context of pairing with the enjoyed, which is prakriti. Krishna is actually the strength and ability in every person. One person has more strength than another, and one person is more capable in a specific area than their peers. They shine in the arena, whereas others shy away due to the pressure alone. These differences are due to God. This means that whether we appreciate someone else or not, we cannot necessarily imitate their output. This is because our paurusham is locked at a different setting, from the time of birth.

श्री-प्रह्राद उवाच
न केवलं मे भवतश् च राजन्
स वै बलं बलिनां चापरेषाम्
परे ’वरे ’मी स्थिर-जङ्गमा ये
ब्रह्मादयो येन वशं प्रणीताः

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
na kevalaṁ me bhavataś ca rājan
sa vai balaṁ balināṁ cāpareṣām
pare ’vare ’mī sthira-jaṅgamā ye
brahmādayo yena vaśaṁ praṇītāḥ

“Prahlada Maharaja said: My dear King, the source of my strength, of which you are asking, is also the source of yours. Indeed, the original source of all kinds of strength is one. He is not only your strength or mine, but the only strength for everyone. Without Him, no one can get any strength. Whether moving or not moving, superior or inferior, everyone, including Lord Brahma, is controlled by the strength of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.8.7)

If we are limited by the setting of ability, what areas can we actually impact? When serving the Supreme Lord, what criteria might differ from person to person, in a way that can be manipulated by desire? What traits will indicate a stronger desire over someone who is not necessarily committed? How can we determine who is serious about appreciating God as opposed to those who are not yet firmly convinced of the need?

One metric to consider is dedication. Bhagavad-gita reveals that the surrendered souls are always chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord. They are under the protection of the divine nature, or prakriti. A key term mentioned is dridha-vratah. This is like a dedicated vow. In other words, the devotion is strong. Just how strong? Enough to warrant the protection of the divine prakriti.

Dridha-vratah is a sign of steadiness. This is something we can control, more or less. We may not be as capable as that devotee we admire, who has amazing output to their credit, but we can configure steadiness. We can choose whichever devotional activity suits our ability and then follow that activity in a determined vow.

In Closing:

To make happy how?
Consider determined vow.

That even with ability scant,
Still the names can chant.

And the glories to sing,
Steady in offerings to bring.

Day after day repeating the same,
Taking full protection in name.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, worship