“The time early in the morning, one and a half hours before sunrise, is called brahma-muhurta. During this brahma-muhurta, spiritual activities are recommended. Spiritual activities performed early in the morning have a greater effect than in any other part of the day.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.20.46 Purport)

Download as podcast episode (right click and save)

“You are always saying that conditions are not an inhibiting factor in reaching the pinnacle of bhakti practice. That is to say, nothing is an absolute disqualification, in terms of circumstances. If I am born in a family of priests who rise early in the morning, who maintain both internal and external purity, who restrict their diet to the bare necessities, who always speak the truth, that is great. But I can also be born in a family that barely traces its ancestry beyond a single generation, where the mother does not know the father of the father of the child. I still have the chance for success, precisely because I am in bhakti.

“Other paths of spirituality do not have the same universal acceptance. Jnana requires intelligence. Jnana also requires the ability to renounce, to implement vairagya. Meditational yoga requires a secluded place, proper contortion of the body, and focus. Karma requires some kind of work, along with relinquishing interest in the fruits of that work.

“No, bhakti is certainly different, but then I stumble upon contradictions in the teachings. For instance, we hear that the morning is the best time for chanting the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The morning itself is ideal for following through on a routine, as accepted from the spiritual master, but then there is the more specific period of time known as brahma-muhurta. This literally translates to the moment of the spiritual energy. I think brahma-muhurta is somewhere around an hour and a half prior to sunrise.

“I am not finding fault. I am not arguing against the merits. I just want to know how this stuff squares with the first point I raised, about bhakti not being dependent on conditions. Why are there auspicious conditions when bhakti itself is all-encompassing? Shouldn’t it always be the right time to chant the holy names? Shouldn’t we be encouraged to always read books, to associate with like-minded individuals, in what is known as sadhu-sanga, and to remember the Supreme Lord?”

This past winter was brutal. It is not like you are unfamiliar with cold weather. You have lived in this area all your life. You have seen snow before. You don’t mind subzero temperatures every now and then. But no, this year was noteworthy because there was a massive snowstorm that was immediately followed by a bitter cold. That cold did not let up for almost a month.

In this case, you had to be crafty. You knew in advance that the temperatures would shift. Normally, you would wait until the snowfall stops before going outside. That is when you clear off the car in the driveway. That is when you shovel the driveway, to make sure cars can get in and out. If you start shoveling too soon, then more snow will fall and cover the area you cleared. Moreover, if it is a blizzard, then the snow might get blown away by the wind. Your clearing effort goes to waste, in that case.

Here, you had to time things just right. You went out in the middle of the night, just as the snow turned to rain. You quickly cleared off the car. You then went to work making a path in the driveway. The next morning you see that everything you moved has turned solid. Frozen and practically immovable. There are cars on the same street that are completely covered. The owners won’t be able to dig themselves out so easily. You are lucky that you chose the right time to get to work. That time could be considered auspicious.

In the same way, the auspicious nature of the morning with respect to devotional activities is a practical matter. Does the workday for the typical officegoer begin in the morning or in the evening? Does school for the children begin at 8 am or 8 pm? The human being has more energy in the morning, after waking up from a full night of sleep. If they can get the most important work out of the way, then there is ample time to relax. They do not feel the stress of an impending deadline, to accomplish something when they are already tired from doing other things all day.

As a matter of practice and tradition, saintly people are known to time their daily observances to two periods in particular: the morning and the evening. The Sanskrit equivalents are mangala and sandhya. Mangala itself refers to that which is auspicious. This formal ceremony, known as arati, takes place in the morning. Sandhya is the junction, and in this case the arati is for the period between day and night. Shri Hanuman took advantage of these auspicious timings to guess the proper moment to spot and later talk to Sita Devi, the wife of Shri Rama. This means that there is no harm in taking advantage of auspicious moments.

सन्ध्याकालमनाः श्यामा ध्रुवमेष्यति जानकी
नदीं चेमां शुभजलां सन्ध्यार्थे वरवर्णिनी

sandhyākālamanāḥ śyāmā dhruvameṣyati jānakī
nadīṃ cemāṃ śubhajalāṃ sandhyārthe varavarṇinī

“Keeping in mind the time of sandhya, that lovely woman of fair complexion, the daughter of Janaka, will surely come to this river of auspicious water to perform that sandhya rite.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 14.49)

In Closing:

Example of Sita Devi take,
How timing with sandhya to make.

By her qualities shown,
And to others known.

By morning this way blessed,
Time for spiritual activities best.

But bhakti powerful enough to shine,
At any place and at any time.

Categories: questions

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