Beyond Bondage

By Jayapataka Swami

"Prabhupāda said that the law of karma is like the tiger's teeth sinking into and closing over its prey's flesh, or like the feline vice-like bite around the mouse's neck. When one takes shelter of Krsna, then what appears to be karma is actually Krsna personally taking charge of the devotee: he's protectively carried like the cat carries its kitten, or the tiger its cub. Krsna puts us through situations simply for purification and remembrance. So it is up to us to decide where we want to park ourselves. We can either be under Krsna's care or under the stringent law of karma sugar-coated with maya's illusory care. When we are under the care of Krsna, we just need to be a little careful. We must go on learning, and we must try to practice being responsible for our actions, always remaining humbly aware of whatever mistakes we make along the way and trying to correct them. After all, we are responsible for whatever we choose to do. Hare Krsna!"

All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gouranga! Hare KrsnaWe are all familiar with the challenges of navigating today's road traffic. Despite the traffic lights of warning and human intervention in the form of dedicated traffic policemen, accidents do occur. Extreme caution needs to be exercised whenever we're on the road if we plan to return home unscathed and safe, ne at least alive. Of course, without the beautiful stretches of tarmac or cement arteries that pump blood into our economy, we'd be finished. Thus, all our roads remain a necessary evil that we must utilize with extreme caution. This material world is like one of these arteries of subsistence termed "road". In this world, as long as we're cautious, we can go places.

Just as our roads are busy, all of us keep ourselves individually busy, doing whatever it takes to fulfill our desires. But how many among us give our daily dose of desire-fulfillments a rain check to ponder the purpose of our existence? Have we over stopped to consider leading a different, more fulfilling life? Some of us may have. Most of us haven't. Are we to simply follow our desires around like a docile animal, even though there's no certainty that all our desires will be fulfilled? Most certainly not. And even if all our desires get fulfilled, would such an unlikely scenario ultimately make as fully happy? Very improbable. The same thing that made us happy at one time might make at sad at another! That is the dual nature of this world. We must rise above such a phenomenon of duality and look beyond this temporary world of happiness and distress. If we decide to do this, we need only put ourselves in touch with His Holiness Jayapataka Swami's beautiful book titled "Beyond Bondage".

Against the backdrop of the historical and historic story of Ajamila, His Holiness takes as on an interesting journey of self-discovery in the context of our activities, which ultimately define us. In the first leg of the journey (chapter one), he introduces us to the derailed brahmava named Ajamila, who has become a plunderer and thief and warns us not to follow in his footsteps and offers as the best alternative: the path of solution for purification and deliverance. In the second and third legs of the journey (chapters two and three), the great author expertly explains what effects our actions have on us by elaborating on the sukrti register and the karma register and inspires as to prepare for death. Moreover, the sage author warns us that we should not allow ourselves to be distracted by worldliness and lose sight of our afterlife by citing as an example another aspect of Ajamila's life, which is his affection for his little son Narayana blinding him to the occurrence of his impending death. In the fourth and fifth legs of the journey (chapters four and five), His Holiness calls our attention to us being watched by witnesses like the material elements and the Super soul Himself and alerts as to the additional fact that those violate the prescribed rules and regulations of the scriptures will be punished by the stringent laws of karma. But he quickly reassures us that there's a silver lining - a saving grace. It is the opportunity to be supremely blissful by serving and chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord, who is the Supreme Witness (dwarfing all other witnesses waiting to testify against us in Yamaraja's court) to our actions.

In the sixth, seventh, and the eighth legs of the journey (chapters six, seven, and eight), His Holiness allows us to enter the realm of the spiritual world, which is beyond this material world by his convincingly revealing and often humorously philosophical arguments that put things in the right perspective. In the ninth leg of the journey (chapter nine), our transcendental travel adviser and fatherly guide tells us about the better days of our Ajamila, when the now-fallen intellectual used to be a righteous brahmana who unfailingly followed the Vedic rules and regulations tailormade for brahmanas. By this part of the journey, we are taught that even the most intelligent man can get carried away and fall prey to temptations, which Ajamila does in the last leg of this journey (chapter ten), wherein the author goes on to explain how and why a strict, sastra-abiding brahmana like Ajamila fell from grace. Of course, the kind author doesn't stop there and abruptly leave us saddled with the problem of being bound to this material world of punishing attractions. In the last leg of our journey of self-discovery, he does offer us a solution. He says that we can safeguard and protect ourselves by remaining rooted within the protective circle of devotional service to Krsna, which he likens to the historical laksmana-rekha (the circle that Lord Laksmana drew around Mother Stall to protect her in the renowned epic Ramayana).

Yes, you've made the best decision that you could have ever made if you have already gifted yourself (or you are about to) this magic carpet titled "Beyond Bondage" that will fly you to the world beyond this world of misery; to the magical world in which every word spoken is a song and every step taken is a dance! Hare Krsna!