The Cardinal and Supremely Beneficent Teaching

(The Diving Sage Narada’s Precepts to Shukadeva – Continued form issue 189)

One who keeps on trying never comes to grief. It is desirable for man that he should constantly strive for attainment of liberation and save his Self, the dearest one, from the cycle of old age, death, and disease. As the arrows shot by a strong bowman pierce the body of his opponent and cause pain, physical and mental ailments cause pain to living beings. Tormented continually by new desires and wishing for life, disgusting though it is, the hapless Java slides towards ruination and the body is constantly pounded in the process. The flowing stream, carrying with it straws and dry blades of grass, never comes back. In the same way, the flowing stream of time carrying with it the days and nights of lifespan of living beings never comes back.

Dark fortnight and bright fortnight unfailingly follow each other. The process doesn’t stop even for a moment and depletes the life of men moment by moment. The sun rising and setting at regular intervals gives rise to eternal flow of days and nights, which being ageless and deathless itself subjects death. The mighty time causes before our very eyes events, which had never even been imagined earlier the living beings, wealth, and other things, which were befo9re our eyes are nowhere to be seen the yesterdays have taken them along. Had there been no law of karma or fate, man could have done whatever he wanted. Even intelligent, astute, and continent men are seen to meet failures in life that, are miserable and poor. On the other hand, veritable fools, dim-witted men devoid of all virtue and the lowest of the low are found to be full of wealth and happiness though they are disapproved by noble and righteous men. Similarly, a great many people, who are ever engaged in killing animals etc. and in cheating others, such fallen people too pass their lives in peace and happiness. You will find slothful men who don’t make any effort at earning wealth; yet wealth flows to them as if self-propelled. And then there are many other who toil and struggle day and night but fail to attain wealth. Some noble and affluent men try all kind of things to beget offspring so that they have successors to their ligancy, but their wishes are not fulfilled. Their wives fail to conceive. On the other hand there is no dearth of licentious men, who indulge in unbridled sex and shrink from the thought of their paramours becoming pregnant. They fear pregnancy in much the same way as mean fears a snake. Ironically, such people become parents of healthy long-living sons, much against their wishes.

a) The time once lost can never be retrieved. Utilize every moment of your life in pursuit of realizing the Self, attaining God and thereby salvation. We should utilize the senses, mind, intellect, the facilities and conveniences that we have been endowed with to get rid of our desire for sensuous pleasures and nurture love for the Lord. (‘The Blesings’ – A book published by the ashram)