On 7/7/07, on my way to work, I had a brush with destiny, so to say. I was driving to the office and was passing through a narrow, crowded street. A vehicle was parallel-parked literally on the middle of the already narrow passage and I had to maneuver my car around it to go ahead. There was a man standing by this vehicle, also on the middle of the road. I passed the man and the vehicle and heard a sound - glass breaking. I braked immediately and noticed that my side view mirror is gone. I assumed that I had brushed the vehicle parked on the road. I picked up my broken mirror and walked towards the other vehicle, only to find the man standing there, his hand bleeding. His hand had hit the mirror and the glass had cut his hand. I immediately apologised to him and offered to take him to the hospital. By this time, a small crowd built up around us immediately and within seconds, a police patrol vehicle came. There were making their regular rounds, I guess. The policemen came out, questioned me, questioned the other gentleman and was speaking on their radio. Within a couple of minutes, a second police car came and the first police car left. By then, I had to make a phone call as I was to attend a meeting.By now, it was obvious to me that I will not make it. When I started speaking on the phone, the police guy got upset and told me to get inside the squad car and sit there. By then, the ambulance also came. They checked the man and took him with them. In the meantime, a third police car came. Apparently, this was the car from the investigation department. I went through the whole thing again, giving my statement and explaining exactly what happened. They told me to follow them in my car to the department which I dutifully did. In there, the police man (he was very nice and cordial by the way) told me that they will have to make me wait there till they get the clearance from the hospital that the man is alright. It took almost 3 hours of waiting and I was finally allowed to go.
All the while, from the time I heard the thud, till the time I got home, I was silently chanting and not very perturbed. Even though, at first I was shocked and high strung, within a few minutes, I was thanking Guru and Krishna for saving me and that other man from something potentially far more dangerous. After I went home, I explained to my wife all what happened and she also told me that the Lord had saved us from some grave danger by just showing only a hint of it.
In the evening, I opened the folio, went to the bookmark where I had left off reading Srimad Bhagavatam and came across this verse !!!! Read on.....
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
The following verse is spoken by Vamanadeva to King Bali.
yadrcchayopapannena
santusto vartate sukham
näsantustas tribhir lokair
ajitätmopasäditaih
TRANSLATION
One should be satisfied with whatever he achieves by his previous destiny, for discontent can never bring happiness. A person who is not self-controlled will not be happy even with possessing the three worlds.
PURPORT
If happiness is the ultimate goal of life, one must be satisfied with the position in which he is placed by providence. This instruction is also given by Prahläda Mahäräja:
sukham aindriyakam daityä
deha-yogena dehinäm
sarvatra labhyate daiväd
yathä duhkham ayatnatah
"My dear friends born of demoniac families, the happiness perceived with reference to the sense objects by contact with the body can be obtained in any form of life, according to one's past fruitive activities. Such happiness is automatically obtained without endeavor, just as we obtain distress." (SB 7.6.3) This philosophy is perfect in regard to obtaining happiness.
Real happiness is described in Bhagavad-gitä (6.21):
sukham ätyantikam yat tad
buddhi-grähyam atindriyam
vetti yatra na caiväyam
sthitas calati tattvatah
"In the spiritually joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth." One has to perceive happiness by the super-senses. The super-senses are not the senses of the material elements. Every one of us is a spiritual being (aham brahmäsmi), and every one of us is an individual person. Our senses are now covered by material elements, and because of ignorance we consider the material senses that cover us to be our real senses. The real senses, however, are within the material covering. Dehino'smin yathä dehe: [Bg. 2.13] within the covering of the material elements are the spiritual senses. Sarvopädhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam: [Cc. Madhya 19.170] when the spiritual senses are uncovered, by these senses we can be happy. Satisfaction of the spiritual senses is thus described: hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate. When the senses are engaged in devotional service to Hrsikesa, then the senses are completely satisfied. Without this superior knowledge of sense gratification, one may try to satisfy his material senses, but happiness will never be possible. One may increase his ambition for sense gratification and even achieve what he desires for the gratification of his senses, but because this is on the material platform, he will never achieve satisfaction and contentment.
According to brahminical culture, one should be content with whatever he obtains without special endeavor and should cultivate spiritual consciousness. Then he will be happy. The purpose of the Krsna consciousness movement is to spread this understanding. People who do not have scientific spiritual knowledge mistakenly think that the members of the Krsna consciousness movement are escapists trying to avoid material activities. In fact, however, we are engaged in real activities for obtaining the ultimate happiness in life. If one is not trained to satisfy the spiritual senses and continues in material sense gratification, he will never obtain happiness that is eternal and blissful. Srimad-Bhägavatam (5.5.1) therefore recommends:
tapo divyam putrakä yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmäd brahma-saukhyam tv anantam
One must practice austerity so that his existential position will be purified and he will achieve unlimited blissful life.
SB 8.19.25
