“O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.” (Sanjaya, Bhagavad-gita, 18.76)

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राजन् संस्मृत्य संस्मृत्य
संवादम् इमम् अद्भुतम्
केशवार्जुनयोः पुण्यं
हृष्यामि च मुहुर् मुहुः

rājan saṁsmṛtya saṁsmṛtya
saṁvādam imam adbhutam
keśavārjunayoḥ puṇyaṁ
hṛṣyāmi ca muhur muhuḥ

“I came upon an interesting question the other day. Consider the following hypothetical situation. You are an attentive father. Your child is young. You happen to be one of those parents who are conscious, who are aware, who can tell quickly into a new experience whether there is a positive or deleterious effect. One thing you have noticed lately is that the children can easily fall into the trap of playing with the smartphones. Worse than watching television like you did as a child, they are scrolling through mindless, endless short-form videos.

“In a desperate attempt to break the habit, you take it upon yourself to bring your child places. Anywhere and everywhere, as long as there is some positive activity taking place. An active engagement, minus the screens. In this regard, there is back and forth. You ask the child if they liked the new experience, the one you tried for the first time. They promptly respond, voicing either approval or disapproval.

“One day, the child happens to ask a question in return. They want to know what your favorite place is. What is your preferred activity, venue, or adventure, even? It is strange to think about, since your entire focus as a parent right now is protection. You have given up everything enjoyable. You left it behind a long time ago, in fact. You can’t help but think of the comparison once made by Sita Devi, in how she referenced water leftover in a drinking vessel, to describe the abruptness with which something should be left behind.”

ईर्ष्या रोषौ बहिष् कृत्य भुक्त शेषम् इव उदकम्
नय माम् वीर विश्रब्धः पापम् मयि न विद्यते

īrṣyā roṣau bahiṣ kṛtya bhukta śeṣam iva udakam
naya mām vīra viśrabdhaḥ pāpam mayi na vidyate

“Just as one leaves remnants of water after drinking it, do you abandon enmity and anger, O hero, and confidently take me with You. There is no sin in me.” (Sita Devi speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 27.8)

“Removing ourselves from the specifics of that setting for a moment, what would the response be from a sadhu? Not necessarily someone living on their own, in the renounced order of life, but someone who takes spiritual life seriously. Someone who has both jnana and vijnana as it pertains to the science of self-realization. Someone who reads Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam. What would their answer be? Is there even an answer? Have they given up the concept of likes and dislikes, altogether?”

It is an interesting question to ponder, considering that the beginning is known as vaidhi-bhakti. This is following devotional service under rules and regulations, vidhi. If I am following rules, I am not really enjoying. I might like the process. I might look forward to certain things, but I am still in training. It is like attending a boarding school or enlisting in the military. I am following because of some external cause. I think bhakti will benefit me in the long run, in terms of paramartha, so I go along.

If the vaidhi happens to eventually turn into raganuga, an important transformation takes place: the lack of reliance on conditions. That is to say, the devotion thrives no matter where the devotee happens to be. The immersion also remains pleasurable no matter the specific activity they are following. As an example, we have the reveal from Sanjaya at the end of Bhagavad-gita. He remarks that simply recalling the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna brings him a thrill. He experiences that thrill at every moment.

It is important to note that Sanjaya is a third party. He is not directly part of the conversation. He is like a reliable narrator, blessed with vision for the time being by Vyasadeva. Therefore, Sanjaya can see and hear what is happening on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Typically, we expect to feel a thrill when shooting arrows or when dodging the same from enemies. When the chariot is rushing towards a specific location, making sharp turns along the way. It would be like those rollercoaster rides at amusement parks. People wait in long lines to experience a thrill from those rides. They wait for a reason.

Sanjaya can experience a thrill simply by remembering. The same for devoted souls who have made devotion their way of life. They do not require a specific venue, though they might appreciate visiting a house of worship. They might travel to the site of the actual Govardhana Hill, in order to better remember how the Supreme Personality of Godhead once used that hill as a pastime umbrella. This remembering is a positive activity. It is something to look forward to. This remembering is also a kind of meditation, known as dhyana.

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.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.2.33)

If we do have a preferred adventure and the venue gets removed, what can we do? What if the activities involved in such adventures are no longer available? This is the benefit of connecting with the origin of everything. It is like having an evergreen desire-tree in the backyard of wherever you happen to live. You can pluck the ripest fruit from that tree whenever you want and enjoy the taste of the purest nectar. You can repeatedly indulge the same taste, over and over, such that you will never return to the inferior.

निगमकल्पतरोर्गलितं फलं
शुकमुखादमृतद्रवसंयुतम्
पिबत भागवतं रसमालयं
मुहुरहो रसिका भुवि भावुका:

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

“O expert and thoughtful men, relish Shrimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Shri Shukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.3)

In Closing:

Father always my happiness to see,
But what your favorite activity to be?

To which places like to go?
This I eagerly want to know.

Response that from memory a thrill,
Like Sanjaya’s testimony to spill.

From sacred conversation between,
Arjuna and Krishna at battle’s scene.

Categories: questions

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