“My dear father, I am very respectfully and humbly inquiring. What is this arrangement? Why you are busy in making some sacrificial ceremony, what is the reason, and what is the result? For whose benefit is it and by what means will it be accomplished?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.24.3)

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कथ्यतां मे पित: कोऽयं सम्भ्रमो व उपागत:
किं फलं कस्य वोद्देश: केन वा साध्यते मख:

kathyatāṁ me pitaḥ ko ’yaṁ
sambhramo va upāgataḥ
kiṁ phalaṁ kasya voddeśaḥ
kena vā sādhyate makhaḥ

“You can agree or disagree, but the following is my realization. It is the conclusion I have reached through years of observation followed by lengthy, careful, and thorough deliberation. I think this is the secret to life, at least in passing the time in a meaningful way. We all have our allotment. We only get to stay here for a certain number of years. For some people, it might only be days. In the case of maturity, where the human being has the full spectrum of choices available to them, this one thing is what they are actually searching for.

“Are you ready for it? You want to hear it? The answer is: something to do. That is right. Notice that I did not say money, wealth, fame, or notoriety. I did not say relaxation or the lessening of burdens. Those may or may not accompany the active engagement, but active they must be. How did I reach this conclusion? Well, take the opposite and study it. When someone does not have an active, positive, meaningful, and invigorating duty, just what exactly happens?

“You need not look far. When grown adults with doctorate degrees start burning up automobiles of total strangers simply because of hatred for the man who runs the company that produces the automobiles, you know something is wrong. When people squabble over nothing. When they collect more and more stuff, which only piles up inside of the home. When there is addiction to one intoxicant after another. When there is no fidelity in marriage. When there is abuse of the innocent. When there is widespread corruption and callousness to the suffering of others. When there is no thought given and no resistance to the latest nonsense pushed forward by corrupt actors in power.

“I am telling you, everything can be solved by having something positive to do. For most people, this is work. You know, as in, a job! Except that others have fallen so low that they refuse to work. They do not want to tolerate the negatives of having to compromise with colleagues. They do not want to listen to a boss they do not respect. They do not want to endure the austerity. They would rather let everyone else do the heavy lifting. These same people then fall into depression. It is no wonder.

“There. I gave you the answer. There is a bigger question. How do we get people to find something positive? Is it the same for every person? Just what can be done to convince them of the need? They are too busy, with their doomscrolling, if you ask me. They use foul language. They have no respect for their elders. They have no respect for anyone, it seems.”

This is at the foundation of the science of self-realization. That discipline is appropriately known as sanatana-dharma. It is an occupation that meets the needs of the individual. It is the occupation relevant across the entirety of time. From the beginning to the end, this dharma is the way of living. It is the natural condition. Anything else is the unnatural condition. The correction is to again find dharma. That is the purpose of the human birth.

प्रीति प्रतीति सुरीति सों राम राम जपु राम
तुलसी तेरो है भलो आदि मध्य परिनाम

prīti pratīti surīti soṃ rāma rāma japu rāma
tulasī tero hai bhalo ādi madhya parināma

“Chanting Shri Rama’s holy name with love, faith and according to regulative principles will be beneficial for you from beginning to end, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 23)

This is also one way to identify the true spiritual master. They are more than a teacher. They are more than a guide. They are more than a person who sits in an elevated seat and criticizes everything and everyone. The guru gives life to the individual, provided they are willing to accept the assistance. The guru gives eternal life, in fact, in the form of an active engagement, but only if a person is open to receiving the gift.

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन
परिप्रश्नेन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं
ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्व-दर्शिनः

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

Who better to learn from than the Supreme Personality of Godhead? He is the adi-guru, after all. He is the original spiritual master. He can teach from any position. He does not have to be the acknowledged leader of a spiritual institution, such as an ashrama. He does not have to be wandering as a mendicant, with little to His name. Even in the supposed state of dependence, as a small child, He can guide others towards dharma, such that they have meaningful action, which they can then repeat.

In the case of Govardhana Puja, the cadence is yearly. The instruction was from Krishna, who although adorable, was still young. Krishna did not command. He took orders from His parents, Nanda and Yashoda. But on one occasion, Krishna noticed something taking place that was not to His liking. The people of Vrindavana were preparing to worship Indra, the king of heaven. Krishna knew what was going on, but He was still polite enough to inquire. He asked Nanda to explain the purpose.

The subsequent explanation was not adequate. Krishna advised against carrying forward. He could have scolded the people for doing something wrong. He could have chastised them for not knowing that even Indra is a dependent in the grand scheme. Instead, Krishna gave the people something to do. He presented an alternative. Worship the nearby Govardhana Hill, instead. The hill was visibly beneficial to the community. The hill was not hiding in the sky, beyond the clouds. The hill took care of the cows, and the cows took care of the people. What would be the harm in changing course?

The people agreed. They took the best offerings and presented them to the hill. The guru is so kind that through the work they recommend there is simultaneous realization of the highest principles. The work of worshiping Govardhana was bhakti, or devotion. The realization through that work is understanding the true position of Krishna. During that inaugural puja, Krishna assumed the identity of the hill and thanked the people. He then recommended that everyone follow the same worship, every single year going forward. This means that even if I only do one meaningful thing in a year, in worshiping the person who would soon lift that very Govardhana to give protection, then I have moved one step closer towards proper realization.

In Closing:

If only once in a year,
That pathway clear.

Offerings to take,
In successful puja to make.

In honor Govardhana the hill,
Whose lasting benefit still.

That to realize my eternal stance,
And towards beautiful Krishna to glance.

Categories: questions

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