“Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 6.17.28)

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नारायण-पराः सर्वे
न कुतश्चन बिभ्यति
स्वर्गापवर्ग-नरकेष्व्
अपि तुल्यार्थ-दर्शिनः

nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve
na kutaścana bibhyati
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv
api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ

What is the point to life? Just what exactly are we doing here? Why do we fool ourselves into believing we have any control? We can barely keep it together in dealing with the elements. Falling asleep on time. Waking up with enough energy. Completing tasks. Keeping an eye on tasks. Pushing the boulder up the hill, only to have it roll back down again. Bhagavad-gita teaches that while everything is indeed temporary, the otherwise helpless living beings can find an endeavor in which their efforts will never go to waste.

नेहाभिक्रम-नाशो ऽस्ति
प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते
स्व्-अल्पम् अप्य् अस्य धर्मस्य
त्रायते महतो भयात्

nehābhikrama-nāśo ‘sti
pratyavāyo na vidyate
sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya
trāyate mahato bhayāt

“In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.40)

Imagine going through life accompanied by an invisible naysayer. We can call it the conscience. It might be that person above our shoulder, who pops up at the most inopportune moments. Just when we have things figured out. When we were pleased with our performance in school, in earning the highest marks, they offer the following warning:

“Wow, so you outperformed your peers. Big deal! Nobody really cares about grades once you get older. You will forget most of the things you learned, anyway. You are just going to be out there struggling, along with everyone else. There is no safety in this world.”

Later down the line, you meet someone you like. The two of you agree to stay together, for life. You are excited as the wedding approaches. Your trusted friend offers the following warning:

“Oh come on, what is there to be excited about? You are signing up for a lifetime of misery and despair. Whatever you want to do, they will interfere. Whatever enjoyment you find, they will sabotage. They will pick apart every one of your habits, your traits, and your preferences. And you are so in the dark that you are actually looking forward to this experience. What a fool! Absolutely pathetic. I expected better of you.”

A few years later, you get promoted at the office. A significant bump in salary. A larger office. A superior retirement plan. You can’t wait to go home and celebrate. Your sidekick decides this is the time to chime in:

“I hope you realize that none of that stuff is real. The money is printed. It is only paper. It can become worthless overnight. Moreover, you are destined for death. You cannot bring your wealth to the next existence. Everything gets left behind. That was your destiny from the beginning. I don’t know what there is to celebrate.”

Upon hearing the presentation of the science of self-realization from the acharya, you can’t help but get a similar feeling. One of pessimism. One of negativity. One of hopelessness and despair. Why does this supposedly wise person begin with the premise of tragedy? It is like they are guaranteeing every negative outcome to manifest. Whatever my worst fears are, they will happen. Not just mine, but yours, as well.

The teacher may object to such a characterization, but just see how this discipline covers time. The Sanskrit word is kāla. This same word happens to apply to death, as well. This means that time is an agent of destruction. The personification of that destruction is Lord Shiva, who is also known as Mahadeva. This means that there is a supremely powerful being, who has the potency to destroy everything manifest before us. He is simply waiting for the appropriate time. No one can interfere with his plan. No one can stop him.

लव निमेष परमानु जुग बरस कलप सर चंड
भजसि न मम तेहि राम कहँ कालु जासु कोदंड

lava nimeṣa paramānu juga barasa kalapa sara caṃḍa
bhajasi na mama tehi rāma kaha~ kālu jāsu kodaṃḍa

“Mind, why are you not worshiping Shri Rama, whose bow is like time, with weapons of arrows representing the different units of time, such as paramanu, lava, nimesha, barasa, yuga, and kalpa?” (Dohavali, 130)

Goswami Tulsidas says that the individual units of time, from the smallest to the largest, are like arrows released from the mighty bow of the mightiest being of all, who is Shri Rama. This is one way to visualize God. He is a person. He is the greatest person. The smallest unit is paramanu, which represents the amount of time for the sun to cross over the atom. The largest unit is the kalpa, which represents one day of Brahma, who is the creator. Keep in mind, that larger and smaller are only relative measurements within the topic of discussion. Kalpa is the largest unit that we can imagine, and that is because even the sharpest minds are still limited in what they can comprehend.

भूत-ग्रामः स एवायं
भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते
रात्र्य्-आगमे ऽवशः पार्थ
प्रभवत्य् अहर्-आगमे

bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ
bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
rātry-āgame ‘vaśaḥ pārtha
prabhavaty ahar-āgame

“Again and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and again the night falls, O Partha, and they are helplessly dissolved.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.19)

Shri Krishna describes how the universes continue on, in a cycle of birth and death resembling the already witnessed appearances and disappearances of living beings. The living beings still attached to material life continue to come and go. The amount of time elapsed has no bearing on their condition. They are helpless to the proceedings. They come and go, mirroring the flow of the universes.

क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा
शश्वच्-छान्तिं निगच्छति
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि
न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति

kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā
śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi
na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati

“He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.31)

The concept of a kalpa and the cycle of the universes offers the most pessimistic outlook ever considered, but there is an exception. There is a way out. The conditioned state can be cured. That is the ultimate objective of genuine religion. That is why there is dharma in the first place, when viewed as a strategic discipline. Those who follow the Supreme Lord in a mood of devotion never have to fear annihilation. This is because their devotion will always remain. They may go up or down, towards heaven or falling to hell, but since they are always connected to God, who is also known as Narayana, they are never concerned.

In Closing:

Just matter of time delivered,
Everyone’s nightmares considered.

Tragedy as premise to set,
Never real happiness to get.

Continuing on kalpa through,
Condemned those souls who.

But devotion finally the way out,
Never shelter of Narayana without.

Categories: liberation

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, liberation, narayana, poem, poems, poetry