“Men in this world desire success in fruitive activities, and therefore they worship the demigods. Quickly, of course, men get results from fruitive work in this world.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.12)

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काङ्क्षन्तः कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवता
क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा

kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ
yajanta iha devatāḥ
kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke
siddhir bhavati karma-jā

The pressures are mounting. There is barely any rest to count on. It is off to the races, with the starter pistol fired early in the morning. The problem is that the body needs rest, as well. There has to be a stop. Is there enough time to maintain everything properly? The following hypothetical account describes a day of ups and downs for a single individual, but the principle extends to the life experience, in general. Fortunately, there is a way out, provided a person has the intelligence to approach the matter with the requisite seriousness.

You have to travel to the office. To meet with colleagues? To sit in a board room? To compare notes? To share a meal? Of course not. You have to travel to the office, to connect your portable computer to a docking station, in order to do work that you were already taking care of at home. The difference is only in the setting. At the office, the person next to you is on the phone the entire day. You can hear every word. You know how many children they have, what they did last weekend, and where they plan to go on the next vacation. They even lower their voice when gossiping about fellow colleagues. They tend to lower their voice a lot.

Is it because you are eavesdropping? Is there enough downtime to allow for surveying the landscape, albeit through audible reception? Nope. This is just your lot. You want to work. You want to accomplish the tasks assigned to you. It is just that the powers-that-be have decided to force everyone back to the office. Any office. Whether members of your team are there or not. No matter how much of a distance you have to travel. Just show up. They are monitoring attendance.

Aside from the noise and the obvious distractions, there is the increase in fatigue. The drive is not easy. You are too tired to even think once you have everything set up and ready to go. Just how will you pass the rest of the day in that uncomfortable position? Well, there are two things to look forward to. The first is a meal of some sort. At a nearby place. Somewhere separate from the distractions and the noise. Somewhere that serves something nice.

This benefit then causes another problem. The food is always too much in quantity. There is little you can do to resist. You could pack something from home and carry it along, but for some reason that tends to create more stress. Instead, you proceed with eating out. You deal with the immediate lethargy that follows. The solution? Some sort of stimulating beverage. That gets you through the next few hours, until you are ready to return home.

Of course, the madness does not end there. One responsibility after another has to be accounted for in the house. You have to drive the children to outside engagements. You have to travel to the supermarket to pick up items to restock the fridge in the kitchen. You usually have to find a way to put dinner on the table, for the rest of the family to eat. By the time the night approaches, you are too wired to fall asleep. Ah, but this is not negotiable. You must wake up on time the following morning. You must get enough sleep. Therefore, you reach for the quick solution. You consume some type of medication, be it a supplement or something available at the pharmacy counter.

You can pass an entire lifetime in this way. It is like “speed-balling” at the largest scale. Reach for one quick solution after another, never considering the long-term consequences. And consequences there will be. You will have to pay for the frequent reach for quick fixes. Bhagavad-gita covers a similar principle, but applying for the life experience, touching on how those engaged in fruitive work, karma, look for quick results.

Need money? Need good health? Need a successful outcome for the next competition? There are people who can make things happen. These are not ordinary people. They are elevated beings. They live in another realm. They are in the mode of goodness, sattva-guna. The benedictions have a price. Pay that price and you just might receive what you want. How long will it take? The Sanskrit word is kshipram. The results will arrive quickly.

The problem is that the cycle continues, as in our example. You get the result. You get the effect. The impact is almost immediate. But has the underlying problem been solved? Is there not a better way? The person regulated in habits, with some self-control, with an eye on the bigger picture, can avoid reaching for the uppers and downers. They can stay steady. They can accomplish the same tasks without the fluctuations.

In the same way, the wise sage, of steady mind, of controlled senses, of fixed concentration, can actually rise above the platform of karma. Rather than stay stuck in a continuous cycle of action and reaction, plan and consequence, they step foot on an escalator heading towards the exit. They rise above karma and reach transcendence. The way is simple. Just know that Shri Krishna has a different kind of appearance. His is not janma in the traditional sense. He appears at His own will. The same applies for His work. It is not karma involving strict rules enforced by an impersonal nature. It is action that always achieves the desired end. Krishna is satya-sankalpa. Satisfying Him is not the quick and easy way, but it brings the most worthwhile reward.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

In Closing:

Pack of stimulants to keep,
Then depressants to sleep.

Back and forth to proceed,
To maintain ball of speed.

Similar with deva worship so,
For quickest results to go.

But wise choosing steadier way,
In devotion to Krishna to pray.

Categories: stories

Tags: dailyprompt, demigod worship, hare krishna, life, poem, poems, poetry