The correct use of one’s energy in life
The correct use of one’s energy in life
You are like an inverter (an emergency backup power supply) with limited energy and limited working time. You can use that limited electricity to run the essential fan and light bulb in your house. The remaining current can be used for the temple (mission of God). This is the stage of saints (monks). The next stage is that apart from the essential fan and lightbulb, you can use some current for watching the television for a little time only. The remaining current is then given to the temple. This is the stage of a householder. If one does not give any current to the temple and uses the inverter entirely for his house and spends all the current for not just the essential fan and lightbulb but also for watching television throughout the night, then it is the state of the demon. Thus, a saint needs minimum for his own sake and uses all the rest of his energy for God’s work. A householder uses the minimum and also a little extra for his own enjoyment in the world, but spends the remaining energy for God. A demon spends all his energy only for enjoyment in the world and never thinks about the Lord. The Gita explains these three types as angels, human beings and devils.
Now even when you spend part of the current for the temple, you must spend it only for the necessary work in the temple. Suppose the temple needs the current for a bulb to be lit throughout the night. You should not divert the current for moving a fan near the statue, which is unnecessary (since a statue is inert and does not need a fan). Similarly, when you approach God in human form, you must participate in His work, which is essential at that time. When Rama was busy searching for Sita, Hanuman left Rama in search of Sita. He did not sit near Rama doing prayers, singing songs, meditating etc. He did not do any personal service to Lord Rama. In fact, Sugriva was near Rama and did His personal service. Yet Lord Rama gave the post of the future Creator to Hanuman and not to Sugriva. The work on which Rama was concentrating was more important than His personal service.
Getting Sita back was not Lord Rama’s personal work because through this work He killed Ravana and gave peace to the world. Therefore, it might look like personal work but it was actually work done for the benefit of the world. Hanuman never misunderstood it to be Lord Rama’s personal work. If an ordinary monkey were in the place of Hanuman (who had the form of a monkey) it would think like this “I have remained a bachelor without getting married and instead of looking for a wife for myself, why should I spend my energy in searching for Rama’s wife?” Hanuman never thought like that because He was a scholar. But an ordinary monkey cannot think like Hanuman. Therefore, Rama left Sita after killing Ravana so that such a misunderstanding would not arise.[10]
You are like an inverter (an emergency backup power supply) with limited energy and limited working time. You can use that limited electricity to run the essential fan and light bulb in your house. The remaining current can be used for the temple (mission of God). This is the stage of saints (monks). The next stage is that apart from the essential fan and lightbulb, you can use some current for watching the television for a little time only. The remaining current is then given to the temple. This is the stage of a householder. If one does not give any current to the temple and uses the inverter entirely for his house and spends all the current for not just the essential fan and lightbulb but also for watching television throughout the night, then it is the state of the demon. Thus, a saint needs minimum for his own sake and uses all the rest of his energy for God’s work. A householder uses the minimum and also a little extra for his own enjoyment in the world, but spends the remaining energy for God. A demon spends all his energy only for enjoyment in the world and never thinks about the Lord. The Gita explains these three types as angels, human beings and devils.
Now even when you spend part of the current for the temple, you must spend it only for the necessary work in the temple. Suppose the temple needs the current for a bulb to be lit throughout the night. You should not divert the current for moving a fan near the statue, which is unnecessary (since a statue is inert and does not need a fan). Similarly, when you approach God in human form, you must participate in His work, which is essential at that time. When Rama was busy searching for Sita, Hanuman left Rama in search of Sita. He did not sit near Rama doing prayers, singing songs, meditating etc. He did not do any personal service to Lord Rama. In fact, Sugriva was near Rama and did His personal service. Yet Lord Rama gave the post of the future Creator to Hanuman and not to Sugriva. The work on which Rama was concentrating was more important than His personal service.
Getting Sita back was not Lord Rama’s personal work because through this work He killed Ravana and gave peace to the world. Therefore, it might look like personal work but it was actually work done for the benefit of the world. Hanuman never misunderstood it to be Lord Rama’s personal work. If an ordinary monkey were in the place of Hanuman (who had the form of a monkey) it would think like this “I have remained a bachelor without getting married and instead of looking for a wife for myself, why should I spend my energy in searching for Rama’s wife?” Hanuman never thought like that because He was a scholar. But an ordinary monkey cannot think like Hanuman. Therefore, Rama left Sita after killing Ravana so that such a misunderstanding would not arise.[10]
51-55, M