Oh..Oh.. KRISHNA

A gentleman that I have known since the recent few years quoted that he had become like “The Sriman Narayana of Vaikuntam”. Appalled at such a response, I gave him a baffled look. With no hesitation he continued, “This materialistic world is enough for anyone to tolerate. Everyone is working for the fruits of benefit, but that is all futile.”

An elderly gentleman that he was, I couldn’t speak back, instead I was forced to lend my ears to listen to his liberal morality.

He implored, “I have become so numb to working for benefits. But look at you all, trying to only go forward, aiming only to grab the fruits of benefit, earn money, satisfy your familial needs and then…with a brief pause, he continued; But what is the use? It is your past Karma that you have to blame to be so unsuccessful and in meeting so many failures. You cannot blame me because I am in this position.”

I continued listening to his tale of wretchedness, even though I knew well that he was himself a man who would do anything to get his materialistic wish fulfilled.

“You know about the generation of the Halahala, don’t you?” he questioned me this time.

“Halahala?” I queried appearing more bewildered than before.

“Yes, don’t you know about it?” he interrogated me back.

With more mystification settling in my head, I said, “Yes, it was generated during the Samudra Mantana (The churning of the ocean of milk); But why now?”

“Yes, exactly, I have become like the Sriman Narayana of this episode, watching the Devas and Asuras fighting for the fruits of the benefit while I know it is all futile.”

I continued gazing at him with wide open eyes.

As he went on praising himself, my mind raced back in thoughts about how he would have probably ascended to this position.

This is one incident of a kind, when you meet the Higher Authority, you are working under. It so happens that you have to stay dumb listening to their liberal content. What they don’t realize is, the person sitting opposite carries respect only for the Post that they are sitting in. After 60 years, when life has given you enough good will and you have no responsibilities, you do come to a certain spiritual realization. Perhaps, it is experience that clamps you to this thought.

But, what will a young person like me decipher?

We only decipher how falsely they have probably lived.

I am an ardent believer of this land’s Dharma. Being an acceptor of our Puranas, I have realized one very important thing, that is the self-realization of Liberation/Moksha. A human being has to attain liberation at the end of his birth cycle. There is no age limit for one to ascertain this. It is better if you apprehend it soon. In the Kaliyuga, the greatest of the scholars say, ‘Nama Sankirtanam’ (Name of the Lord) is enough to attain the Supreme.

This Nama Sankirtanam is a very relative term. One must remember that there is no specific timing during the day or night to remember his holy name. There is no parikrama one must follow to do the same. It has to come from one’s inner most self. It is only then that you can attain Him well.

This word materialistic gain/pleasure irks me sometimes. I have heard this many times. I too use it. But if you go back to think; Did God really tell us to give it all up and stay put?

In what I have understood, it means one must constantly be aware that this materialistic pleasure won’t bring them benefit, but they need it for survival in this Yuga. Hence, don’t let it take away your peace and your closeness to the Supreme. If one is constantly aware of this knowledge, this materialistic life will be easy to sail. It is essential that one must always have an awareness that this physical bodily manifestation is temporary but to survive in this Yuga, the materialistic duty is also quintessential.

Staying within your limits could help one achieve this theory.

After about five minutes of this gentleman’s lecture which I wasn’t listening to, the phone rang, like as if God had realized that he had to save me from the crisis. He picked the call and engaged the caller in his ceremonious conversation. I felt relieved and tuned into thoughts about Krishna. I felt at peace. The gentleman seemed non-existent to me.

“Now you can leave,” he said after he finished the call.

With a sigh of relief, I began walking out of his chamber. And before I did, I turned back and said, “At 62 years of your life, you have realized how non-essential the materialistic values of life is, then how can you expect me to give it all up at 32? Your comment makes no sense to me.”
I did not turn back to see his expression.

It is important to bear in mind that if you are placed as a powerful body then your duty towards the society significantly increases. That post must make you compassionate and a better thinker. It does not give you the freedom to abuse/harass people under you. It should make you think from the people’s point of view. And because God assessed that you may do justice to all of this, he placed you there. But what is the use? Once you sit on that post, you lose everything and become a dutiful disciple of ego.

Imagine for one second, if God turned out to be this way!

I wish power could go into the hands of the well-deserved rather than people who have nothing to offer but tales of values that which they never followed.

With this thought, I ran down the stairs murmuring,” Oh..oh..KRISHNA…..”

Written by Dr Anitha Chakravarthy Sriram