“Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.41)

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व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिर्
एकेह कुरु-नन्दन
बहु-शाखा ह्य् अनन्ताश् च
बुद्धयो ऽव्यवसायिनाम्

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
buddhayo ‘vyavasāyinām

“Just when am I supposed to feel something? Do you have any idea how long it has been? To me, it feels like an eternity. That is just the thing, the feeling is lacking. Am I not supposed to experience something better? Is there not that quote from Bhagavad-gita about the higher taste? The Sanskrit is param-drishtva. We are supposed to see something that is topmost. That something is better than everything else.

“Is that what I should be waiting for? Is this higher taste in the food, in the vision of the deity, in the profoundness of the ancient philosophy? Or is it merely in the sound? Just exactly where is it? I trust the process, believe me, but at some point you have to give me something in return. Otherwise, why would anyone try this? It is like that overstressed husband reluctantly taking his family to the beach. He is trying his best to put together this tent that he purchased online. Try as he may, he cannot get it to unfold properly. His effort is a complete waste. The wife is yelling at him the entire time. It would have been better to stay home.

“How do I know I am doing the right thing? Society has identified me as a weirdo, due to my decision. How do I know that my chanting is changing something? How can I tell that my karma is finally stopping? More importantly, what is it that I should be looking for? Is there a sign that will confirm everything is okay?”

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada describes the concept of “numerical strength” as it pertains to a specific recommendation in the formal implementation of bhakti-yoga. This bhakti-yoga is no different from religion as we know it, in the sense of faith and belief in a higher power, except the implementation is such that it turns into a way of life. The Sanskrit word yajna refers to religious sacrifice, but it is also synonymous with the object of worship. Yajna is another way to address the Supreme Lord. Yajna as a practice is for the benefit of the person who is yajna.

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)

The recommendation from Bhagavad-gita is to turn the entire life experience into yajna. More than just a formal ritual passed along in a tradition, for meeting a specific objective, consider every choice in action within a given lifetime as a kind gesture intended for the benefit of the person who already has everything. He does not require our service. His recommendation to us is for our benefit, ultimately.

विषया विनिवर्तन्ते
निराहारस्य देहिनः
रस-वर्जं रसो ऽप्य् अस्य
परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ‘py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.59)

The concept of bhakti-yoga is to give shape to the transformation of a lifetime into yajna. The implementation with component actions and restrictions is known as vaidhi-bhakti. Within vaidhi-bhakti, likely the most well-known positive action, pravritti, is the chanting of the holy names, such as with the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

There is an accompanying physical tool to assist in the implementation. This tool happens to also be symbolic of a truth that explains the point to the entire process. For chanting the holy names in a systematic way, we have the japa māla. This consists of beads. One hundred and eight beads are placed together, held as a single collection through a thread. Each bead is like an individual truth. We say the mantra on the bead. We then move to the next bead. The string holding the beads together is like the Supreme Lord Himself. Every truth rests on Him; nothing lives independent of His influence.

मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्
किञ्चिद् अस्ति धनञ्जय
मयि सर्वम् इदं प्रोतं
सूत्रे मणि-गणा इव

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

“O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.7)

If we implement the chanting recommendation in a routine, where we repeat the mantra a certain number of times each day, we build strength. That strength can be quantified, as it is tied to a number. For instance, if we are chanting the mantra across the entire string of beads one time each day, that is considered one round of japa. If we later increase to two rounds, our spiritual strength has doubled.

“There is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself. As such, the holy name is as perfect as the Lord Himself in fullness, purity and eternity. The holy name is no material sound vibration, nor has it any material contamination.” (Padma Purana quoted from The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 13)

The more we stay fixed in the routine practices, which might also include reading, hearing, giving service to saintly people, and offering food in the mode of goodness before the deity, the more our strength builds. While we have been looking for something the entire time, like a sign of validation, we overlook the reality of a completely changed way of life. We have almost accidentally become stronger, through our dedication in a fixed vow, dridha-vrata.

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

“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)

Revisiting the original question, we could say that the magic is in the momentum. The validation is in the vow itself. The more we continue, the more elevated we become. There is the potential for the vaidhi to turn into raganuga. This means that we will no longer follow out of a sense of routine, obligation, or attention to a rule. We will not be waiting for validation. Rather, we will follow because it is our way of life. We are so attached to the Supreme Lord that we can never imagine a life without Him.

In Closing:

When something to expect,
Since long this path to accept.

Continuing in a vow,
But validation how?

In the momentum just consider,
How positive engagement to deliver.

Where soon life as part of me,
Never without God can see.

Categories: questions

Tags: bhakti, dailyprompt, life, poem, poems, poetry, yoga