The Indefatigable Time - Part 18

Date: 2014-10-14 Author: Amogha-drk das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled "The Indefatigable time", where in we were studying about the various aspects of time from Srimad Bhagavatam. Now let us continue further.

Why has God given us the day with its different parts, by which we are to perform different kind of duties? The scriptures given to us by the Lord, like Srimad Bhagavatam, teaches us that the day is there, with all its divisions, in order to make us pious. By performing whatever duties we are set, to do according to time, we are following the system of the Lord and thus develop on the way of goodness. This was observed by Mother Devahuti, who spoke the following verse to her son, Lord Kapiladeva in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 3.29.4:

kālasyeśvara-rūpasya pareṣāṁ ca parasya te svarūpaṁ bata kurvanti yad-dhetoḥ kuśalaṁ janāḥ

Please also describe eternal time, which is a representation of Your form and by whose influence people in general engage in the performance of pious activities.

By developing piety one will also come to appreciate the devotees of the Lord, as the devotees experience when preaching publicly on sankirtana, that pious people like to give donations for the cause of or devotional service. By continually supporting, a pious person is gradually purified so that he eventually will be able to perform devotional service himself.

In the Caitanya Caritamrta, Lord Caitanya ordered to describe dīna-kritya; the ritualistic duties to be performed every day by a devotee. (CCM 24.340) These are mentioned in the (Nārāyanīya), where the Supreme Lord is addressed as the Lord of panca-kāla or five time divisions, and His devotees are called panca-kāla-jnās or the knowers of these five kālas. The panca-kala are also known as the five daily forms of worship, which are prescribed by the Lord in the Pancharatra section of the . The activities that we do at different parts of the day in this material world are perverted reflections of Krishna's lilas which are enacted according to different parts of the day in the spiritual world. Whatever we do, which is not in service of Krishna-lila are subjected to , viz., good or bad reactions on the material plane. For example if we regulate our material activities according to the vedic rules regarding time, place and circumstances, we will escape sin and rise to a higher standard of life. But we will still be stuck in material time. Only by acting in devotional service to Krishna can we escape material time all together and enter Krishna’s abode as a result of our activities, beyond both pious and impious karma.

The beginning of this regulated life in devotional service is called vaidhi -bhakti, and is performed according to the tenets of the Pancharatra literature. Given by the Supreme Lord Himself (pañcarātrasya kṛtsnasya vaktā nārāyaṇaḥ svayam), Pancharatra fully rules and regulates the life of the spiritual trainee in Krishna consciousness, with the aim of arousing his natural loving propensity for Krishna, minimizing his material activities as far as possible. In Pancharatra scriptures like the Jayākhya the Lord divides the day into five divisions for His worship which are as follows.

1 Abhigamana: approaching the temple, or in other words preparing oneself by taking bath, putting on proper cloth and decorations etc. One starts by rising before 4 AM for attending mangala-arati or morning worship at muhurta, which is the most auspicious period in the day for worshiping the Lord. 2 Upadana: collecting and preparing the items to be used for worshiping the Lord.

3 Ijya: performing the worship of the Lord with the items.

4 Svadhyaya: glorifying the Lord by hearing and chanting about Him, scriptural study, giving instructions, etc.

5 : the meditation one has (by purifying himself of material mindset); about the Lord as the object of one's service and oneself as a servant of the Lord, ending at night again taking shelter of the Lord before resting, preparing for the next day of service to the Lord.

Krishna willing we shall relish more nectar from the Bhagavatam in regards to time, in the subsequent offering.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Amogha-drk Krishna das Denmark.