“That best among men would not go to sleep without Him, nor would he eat without Him, even if the food brought was very palatable.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kand, 18.30)

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न च तेन विना निद्रां लभते पुरुषोत्तम
मृष्टमन्नमुपानीतमश्नाति न हि तं विना

na ca tena vinā nidrāṃ labhate puruṣottama
mṛṣṭamannamupānītamaśnāti na hi taṃ vinā

Bhakti-yoga means something. The implementation has corresponding attributes, features, qualities, and even images. It is not that a person receives a sacred touch from an esteemed leader and they are clear for the rest of their time on earth. Free to do as they wish, carrying a kind of “get out of jail free card”. It is not that taking part in an official ceremony, which is supposed to be the beginning but nowadays resembles bestowal of a Lifetime Achievement Award, will satisfy all of the requirements. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada translates bhakti-yoga as “Krishna consciousness” for a reason. There should be a total overhaul of the consciousness. The newly reformed consciousness should point in a completely different direction. One indication of the proper shift is resolve.

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

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

“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)

A person in bhakti-yoga is resolute in purpose. They are singularly focused, even though there might be variety to their work. They might even shift from place to place, not remaining in a single situation for too long, but their goal is always the same. From the Ramayana history kindly documented, preserved, and passed forward by Maharishi Valmiki, we have many examples of this kind of resolve.

1. Lakshmana

The Ramayana gets its name from the main character, who is Shri Rama. He is the eldest son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. Rama is the son the king waited a long time for. Rama happens to be an avatara of the Supreme, who is known by names such as Bhagavan and Vishnu. Rama is not different from the Krishna who later went on to speak Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

As Rama is Vishnu, He is the object of worship. He is the focus of the person in bhakti-yoga. We have the example of Lakshmana, who is one of Rama’s younger brothers. Lakshmana is the constant tagalong, but never a nuisance. He follows out of a sense of duty. He follows because of loyalty. It is said that Lakshmana would even synchronize his eating and sleeping habits to align with Rama’s. Lakshmana will remain the constant companion extending out one hundred years, if Rama should so desire. One of Lakshmana’s other names is Ramanuja. He lives up to this name.

परवानस्मि काकुत्स्थ त्वयि वर्षशतं स्थिते
स्वयं तु रुचिरे देशे क्रियतामिति मां वद

paravānasmi kākutstha tvayi varṣaśataṃ sthite
svayaṃ tu rucire deśe kriyatāmiti māṃ vada

“O Rama, for as long as You shall stand before me, even if it be for one hundred years, I will always remain Your servant. Therefore You should be the one to choose a beautiful and appropriate place for the cottage. After You have selected a spot, please then command me to start building.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 15.7)

2. Sita Devi

She is Rama’s beloved wife. Though dharma is one, it can be stretched out and massaged into different implementations based on temporary objectives. For the wife, dharma means following the husband. This is dharma in the definition of duty. The husband leads and the wife follows. The husband orders and the wife is subservient. This is the formula for success in the grihastha-ashrama.

Except Sita is not limited by temporary designations. When Rama orders her to remain at home, for fourteen years, to avoid the difficulties of forest life, Sita refuses. She does not cry about it. She does not start yelling and screaming. Instead, like an expert attorney she refutes every argument presented before her. It is almost like Rama loses at His own game. The Supreme Controller who is Rama becomes helpless in the face of the devotion of Sita.

3. Shabari

The doctor might advise, “Take two of these and call me in the morning.” The patient has to essentially wait. They trust the doctor, though based on today’s landscape that trust might be misplaced. In the case of an honest and competent doctor, the effect should eventually materialize. It is simply a matter of time. But what if your advisor told you to wait for years and years? What if you had to stay in a renounced setting? What if females were not typically known for that life of ascetism? Would you have the patience? Could you withstand the austerity?

Shabari could and did. She waited for Rama and Lakshmana to arrive at the Pampa lake. Shabari then greeted them with berries from the forest. This was sufficient for pleasing Rama. By pleasing the Supreme Lord, Shabari satisfied destiny. The words of her teachers were true. She would now attain liberation.

4. Hanuman

The mission is to find a missing person. It is a princess. She is the most beautiful woman in the world, but she will likely be in distress. This is because of forced separation from her husband, who is Rama. You do not have much to go by. There will be no hosts to greet unwelcome visitors. There will be no hotels at which to take rest. There will be no assistance in providing exact coordinates to reach. You will have to do most of this on your own, going off of instinct. You will have to decipher the best way to act, the proper words to use, and the means for a safe escape from the area, to return to Rama with the news.

Hanuman did all of this. He went through with the dangerous mission, absent any payment. There was no award dangled in front of him. There was nothing to redeem later on. Hanuman worked for Sugriva, who was the king of the Vanara clan. Sugriva was in an alliance with Rama. If Rama wanted something done, Sugriva had to make it happen. Sugriva put all his trust in Hanuman. This trust was not misplaced.

5. Bharata

Imagine that you are born into royalty. You are one of the sons of the king. You never expect to become king yourself, but one day the honor falls into your lap. Your mother pulled some strings. She tugged at some emotions. She remembered some favors previously deposited in her virtual bank account. She redeemed those favors at the most opportune time; for herself, that is. The move happened to put the entire community into a tailspin. Everyone else was distraught. Her own husband eventually left this world due to the grief. But he kept true to his word. Kaikeyi got what she wanted.

This was the situation Bharata found. He refused to accept the honor. He wanted to take Rama’s place in the forest. Bharata is also known as Ramanuja. He lived up to the name by volunteering to remain in a hut. That is how he would rule the kingdom. Rama would symbolically be on the throne, through the presence of His sandals. Bharata would worship those sandals every day. Bharata maintained this vow for fourteen years.

In Closing:

Resolute in purpose clear,
To pure hearts to endear.

That Bharata kingdom forsaking,
And to life of asceticism taking.

With those blessed sandals to place,
For fourteen years to face.

Painted bhakti’s image true,
Ramanuja through and through.

Categories: the five

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