Hari OM
Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!
The sage-king continues with ever-more flamboyant descriptions. The names given in Sanskrit to the Lord (and to Sat-Gurus) are all designed to signal the qualities and perfections achieved by them.
he gadepalk he k&pajlinxe he isNxukNyapte
he k<saNtk he gjeNÔké[aparI[ he maxv,
he ramanuj he jgTÇygurae he pu{frIka] ma<
he gaepIjnnaw paly pr< janaim n Tva< ivna.22.
He gopaalaka he kRpaa-jalanidhe he sindhy-kanyaapate
He kamsaantaka he gajendra-karunaapaariina he maadhava,
He raamaanuja he jagattraya-guro he pundariikaaksha maam
He gopii-jana-naatha paalaya param jaanaami na tvaam vinaa ||22||
Oh protector of cows, Oh ocean of compassion, Oh consort of the daughter of the ocean,
Oh slayer of Kamsa, Oh one who showered limitless grace to the king of the elephants, Oh beloved of mother,
Oh younger brother of Balarama, Oh teacher of the three worlds, Oh lotus-eyed One,
Oh Lord of the gopis, please protect me! I know not anything more supreme than You!
This verse is most like a prayer. It might be imagined that it is chanted in need during a time of weakness, so pleading does it seem.
Quite the contrary! The wise and experienced king (and any saadhaka worth their salt) knows that the Lord is ever-present and is there to guide them in choices at all times of life. This is particularly important when we have duties and responsibilities in the world which means we have to deal with all the interactions and challenges such things bring. It can be easy to forget the Lord when in the midst of it all. What is more, many of the hurdles we are presented with are a direct result of earlier deeds in this or past lives. Karma at work. We may have all the intelligence, strong intellect, quick wits, stout heart… but the greatest tool of all is the clarity engendered within us when we call upon the Higher.
If at all you have ever experienced a time where you felt things were moving of their own volition, that you were merely the instrument of something else, that you could be an observer even as you were a participator, then you have experienced the work of Higher Consciousness. Once experienced it is never forgotten. It is truly Supreme.
These sorts of experiences will come when the work to be carried out is of import not just to oneself but to those around us when it contributes to the fabric of life and we have remembered the Higher as we commenced our work. Surrendering our actions yet knowing fully our responsibility within them can lead to some incredible results, often far beyond anything we could have anticipated.
Mostly, though, we are forgetful and we are prone to blunders. Arjuna understood this and asked of Krishna, "why do people commit sin and make mistakes, even though they do not want to?" The answer came, "desire and anger are the causes. Understand that they are your greatest enemies."
In this verse, then, complete surrender to the will of the Lord is present, an understanding that all our actions are watched by the Higher and that, if we get out of our own way, we will be guided and saved from our own ineptitude.
The next verse is an exultation of the Highest Nature of the form of the Lord known as Krishna. In it He is referred to as the 'crowning jewel' - if we possess a precious ring, do we not admire it often, cherish it, wish to keep it close to us at all times? This is how to think upon the Lord.
É´apayÉuj¼gaéfmi[ôElaeKyr]ami[>
gaepIlaecncatkaMbudmi[SsaENdyRmuÔami[>,
y> kaNtami[éiKm[I"nkucÖNÖEkÉU;ami[>
Ïeyae devizoami[idRztu nae gaepalcUfami[>.23.
Bhaktaapaaya-bhujanga-gaarudamanis-trailokya-rakshaamaniH
Gopiilochana-chaatakaambuda-manis-saudary-mudraa-maniH,
yaH kaantaamani-rukminii-ghanakucha-dvandvaika-buushaamaniH
Shreyo devashikhaamanir-dishatu no gopaala-chuudaamaniH ||23||
He is indeed the precious jewel, like Garuda, in whose presence snakes of various afflictions of the devotee will disappear. He is the protecting jewel of the three worlds. He is the precious jewel for the eyes of gopis just as a raindrop for which the caataka bird eagerly awaits. He is the most exquisite jewel found in rings. He is Krishna, the only splendorous jewel found between the breasts of Rukminii. He is a supremely precious jewel among gods and may He, the crest-jewel called Gopala, guide us to the Highest Good!
