Five Things That I Want To Arrive Quickly

“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

1. Phone connection

“Did you see that? I just spoke with someone who lives halfway across the globe. They could hear everything I was saying. I could hear everything they were saying. It felt as if they were sitting right next to me. How can you not marvel at this? What an amazing time to be alive!”

2. Tech support

“Did you see that? They didn’t have to send a technician over. The problem is resolved. They were able to fix everything remotely. They can connect so quickly that you barely have time to take a sip from your beverage of choice. If only I could get my kids to clean up their rooms this fast!”

3. Food delivery

“Did you see that? A few taps and swipes on the smartphone. That is all it took. The food is here. No mistakes. No ambiguity. They made everything exactly as I asked. No more waiting around. You can track the progress of the order. You can see exactly where the delivery driver is. What can be better than this?”

4. Answers to questions

“Did you see that? In the past, we had to find someone who was an expert. We then had to trust they knew what they were talking about. Questions would remain unanswered. For a long time, we would stay in the dark. Not anymore. I can get answers as soon as the issues arise. The responses are prompt. Ironically, you enter a prompt. That is the term for it. The machine thinks about your input and then responds accordingly. Simply amazing!”

5. Boons from worship

Shri Krishna confirms the speed of the arrival. In Bhagavad-gita, He uses the Sanskrit word kshipram. The people worshiping the devas, for the purpose of karma, which is fruitive activity, see results quickly. Just what are they asking for? Success in their karma of choice. Whatever work they are involved in, they would like to see the desired result. The devas have the potency to deliver. Their presence can be invoked through mantras. Their satisfaction is based on the condition of offering. Make the correct offerings, at the right times, with the requisite seriousness, and you might get exactly what you want.

Given the above review, a person wonders why the same swiftness does not apply to worship of God Himself. Why are requests involving the mundane expedited, while trying to even find God takes forever? Why won’t He just reveal Himself? On command, in the way inputs are processed in a machine. With accuracy, in the way the vending machine dispenses items based on the code values entered by the patron.

The first issue is that the highest being of all could never be reduced to a vending machine. He is not our service provider. He does not exist to standby as an exploited assistant, unpaid and never appreciated. The situation is the opposite, in fact. Dharma refers to the inherent characteristic of the individual. The root dharma, if considering that property which then descends into other tendencies, is service. It is our dharma to serve. This property will never leave us. The conditions we find might change, but dharma will remain the same.

To view God as only an order supplier indicates adharma. We are going against the natural tendencies. At least with worship of the devas there is some elevation, in giving nominal service to a higher being. Still, it is a business transaction. We provide proper payment and the service provider gives service. The paradigm is karma, which is fruitive activity. The Supreme Lord is above karma. He is under no obligation to fulfill desires.

“Although Dhruva Maharaja was only a five-year-old boy, he underwent severe austerities by eating simply dry foliage, drinking only water and taking no food. In this way, after six months, he was able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. When he saw the Lord, he forgot all his austerities and said, svamin kritartho’smi: ‘My dear Lord, I am very pleased.’” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.30.4 Purport)

With regards to how long it might take to satisfy the Supreme Lord, we have the example from history of Dhruva Maharaja. He was only five years old when he received the advice to take up residence in the forest. Dhruva wanted to meet Vishnu. Dhruva heard that Vishnu could solve a pressing issue. Dhruva then meditated for six months, barely eating or drinking anything.

The meeting happened. Six months is short in comparison to the timeline of the universe but relatively long in comparison to our examples from above. Moreover, who would be willing to commit to such austerity for such an extended period of time? Also consider the nature of a typical five-year old boy, in being restless and full of energy just waiting to be unleashed. Dhruva accomplished the unthinkable.

Vishnu could have granted the reward being sought after, but the meeting had a purifying effect. Dhruva no longer hankered after the temporary reward of gaining respect within his family, in the royal household. He no longer wanted anything, in fact. The association of Vishnu was everything. Goswami Tulsidas compares this to ones and zeroes. Material life is like possessing many zeroes, which have no value on their own. As soon as Vishnu gets added to the picture, it is like placing a nonzero digit in front. The zeroes then take on real value. There can be no reward greater than this, and such a reward is worth waiting for.

नाम राम को अंक है सब साधन हैं सून
अंक ग_एँ कछु हाथ नहिं अंक रहें दस गून

nāma rāma ko aṃka hai saba sādhana haiṃ sūna
aṃka ga_em̐ kachu hātha nahiṃ aṃka raheṃ dasa gūna

“Shri Rama’s holy name is like a numeral, and all religious practices are like zero. When the numeral is not there, zero means nothing. But when it is present, the resultant value increases tenfold.” (Dohavali, 10)

In Closing:

Worth waiting for,
Like Dhruva before.

To the forest went,
After six months spent.

Vishnu finally to meet,
But all hostility to defeat.

Such that no longer desire inside,
Forever in devotion to reside.