“The Personality of Godhead heard the appealing voices of His friends, and casting a pleasing glance over them, He began to answer. By speaking through His eyes, He impressed His friends that there was no cause for fear. Then Krishna, the supreme mystic, the powerful Personality of Godhead, immediately swallowed up all the flames of the fire. The cows and boys were thus saved from imminent danger.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 19)

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1. Fire extinguisher

“Why am I carrying this around? Have you not heard of a little thing they call an emergency? You know, where you suddenly find yourself in trouble. Sometimes it arrives unexpectedly. The potential consequences are tragic. There is no reversing the damage once done. Wouldn’t you rather be prepared? You never know when a fire will start. One time, someone at my office pressed an extra button on the microwave when warming their slice of pizza for lunch. They then left the break room and forgot about it. Next thing you know, the entire building was evacuated. You see what I mean now?”

2. Flotation device

“Why am I carrying this around? Did you not see what happened to the parking lot the other day? It briefly turned into a pond. Many parked cars got trapped underneath. An absolute horror show! There is always the potential for devastating rain. You just never know. I don’t want to get caught up in something without being prepared. This will help me. It will literally keep my head above water.”

3. Hydraulic lift

“Why am I carrying this around? The roads here are treacherous. A tire can get punctured at any moment. It always happens in the worst places, where there is little cellular coverage. That means you are at the mercy of a good citizen seeing your distress and stopping to help. Better to know how to change a tire yourself. The first step is lifting the car high enough so that you can get the flat tire off.”

4. Purgative

“Why am I carrying this around? You just never know when you will need to clear out your intestines. The local restaurants are known to pay off the inspectors. This keeps them up to code, but only on paper. If you only knew what goes on back there, in the kitchens. Trust me, you will thank me for this piece of advice. Be careful what you consume.”

5. Weapon

“Why am I carrying this around? Do you not keep up with the news? Our beloved politicians, in their infinite wisdom decided that it was discriminatory to keep people of a certain population perpetually locked up. The result is now we have a revolving door of criminals. They commit a crime, get booked, learn of their future court date, and then get released back onto the streets. They are free to commit more crimes. A recipe for disaster that has sadly come to fruition. I am only doing the smart thing. Keep your eyes open and your weapon nearby.”

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada describes the material world to be a place featuring danger at every step. There is a corresponding reference to shastra. The danger is the premise or the problem, and shelter of a particular person is the solution. That solution is so powerful that it can shrink the size of the danger. Instead of being stuck in a vast ocean where dangerous conditions surround you, you can now pass over the problem by taking a single stride.

“In material existence there is danger at every step. In Shrimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.58) it is said: padam padam yad vipadam na tesham. This material world is not actually a place of residence for an intelligent person or a devotee because here there is danger at every step. Vaikuntha is the real home for the devotee, for there is no anxiety and no danger.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.26.16 Purport)

From the history of Krishna-lila, we see that certain individuals followed the recommendation put forth in Shrimad Bhagavatam. They took shelter of Mukunda, who is the giver of liberation. To them, He was the beloved Krishna, who was also known as Govinda and Gopala. Though the Almighty Himself, He was known to those people as an adorable, loving, and ever-vigilant youth.

समाश्रिता ये पदपल्लवप्लवं
महत्पदं पुण्ययशो मुरारे:
भवाम्बुधिर्वत्सपदं परं पदं
पदं पदं यद् विपदां न तेषाम्

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām

“For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoofprint. Param padam, or the place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuntha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.14.58)

The above review gives an idea how someone might prepare themselves for dealing with danger. This is in advance. This is thinking the matter over, in acknowledging the realities of life in the material world. Rather than get caught off guard, better to have means of mitigation standing by.

The issue is that no defense is perfect. No one can prepare for every situation that might occur. The cowherd boys of Vrindavana found themselves surrounded by a fire in the forest. They had no access to a firehose. There was no helicopter nearby, with a ladder dangling from above to lift the distressed to safety. There was no raincloud to promptly arrive and douse the flames.

No, those kids were in the worst situation and they had no hope except for Krishna. They understood that He was their well-wisher. They were not necessarily aware of His Divine nature, but they knew that He could do amazing things. For them, He would do anything, in fact. Krishna calmly devoured the entire forest fire. Crisis averted, everyone was free to play again. Why worry when the jewel of Vrindavana is nearby? Why focus so much on a temporary existence when the link to Krishna guarantees elevation to the Vaikuntha realm, which is free of anxieties?

In Closing:

No time in advance to prepare,
Danger suddenly there.

Arising quickly from a spark,
Looked to Krishna from the start.

In that perilous hour,
Whole fire to devour.

Plea from His friends hearing,
Quickly the danger clearing.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, krishna lila, poem, poems, poetry