Vishnave namah

Balarama and Krishna were naturally mischievous. With their mischievous activities and playful sports, they would awaken those who had drowned into deep slumber due to their laziness and inactivity. Here it should be understood that they would awaken those who had slipped into deep slumber called ‘forgetting the Supreme Lord’. Even the laziest persons would eagerly rush to witness the joyful activities of the Lord.

If not, what was the necessity for the Lord to be mischievous? Bestowing the residents of Gokula with liberation was the reason behind all His mischievous activities. In no way can His mischief be compared to the meaningless mischief of ordinary kids. Behind each mischievous activity was the aim of reforming and uplifting someone!

Through these games the brothers imparted Supreme Essence to mankind! Such plays of the Lord can never be titled as a wastage of time. It is we, the ordinary persons, who waste time. When we have 3 hours at our disposal we decide to utilize it to watch a movie. We do not mind watching the same movie time and again. We use our free time by visiting restaurants for a quick snack. These habits ultimately harm the body. They harm the mind and intellect. To us wasting time in wasteful activities is a very important element in a day. We forget that one day spent on useless activities implies one day wasted in the longevity bestowed upon us.

Even an hour or even a minute should not be spent wastefully. Time is precious. Each second has the ability to grant salvation. Is it not wrong to waste such precious time reading old, useless magazines? Assume you do read such magazines. Is there anything worthwhile that you learn from them? No. You just forget it and move on.

By constantly feeding your body, you are harming it. You are misusing body, senses and intellect in wasteful activities. Some people describe listening to divine stories as a ‘pastime’. It implies, “I am passing my extra time listening to divine stories”. In other words, it implies that listening to divine stories is just another leisurely activity undertaken to kill time. It implies wastage of time.

Spending time listening to divine stories, which grant us liberation, means putting time to productive use. It is not killing time. It increases our longevity. Divine stories bestow us with liberation. We dwell in divine bliss. It is a fortune to be able to spend two hours listening to divine stories.

Getting into arguments or listening to the arguments of others is a waste of time. When there is an accident, instead of rushing to help the victims, people simply stand there and watch the happenings “Oh, this accident did not cause any death, did it?”- they discuss thus with other bystanders. Needless to say, it is a sheer waste of time.

Such persons will not come forward to help the accident victims. “Oh, why should we get involved?”- they ask. It is incorrect to think in this fashion. When a living being about to die, is it not our duty to help it survive?

When a crane or tractor is carrying heavy loads, people stand by the road uselessly watching the event. Thousands of people gather at that spot. When a damaged car is being towed away, hundreds of people assemble to watch the car being towed away. Is this the way one should spend his/her time? If you instead watch the Indian monkey show, we can deduce that you derived some mental happiness from it and hence it was not a waste of time. But what joy can be obtained in watching a damaged car being towed away?

A wrist watch should be worn purely to practise time management. The watch helps us keep track of time wasted and of time spent wisely. The most important criteria is to check whether we are saving up every second or not.

Sports is yet another addiction. The person spends six to ten hours of the day watching matches being relayed through television, while munching snacks all along. Such unmonitored eating leads to obesity and other diseases. In the end, it is nothing but a sheer waste of time.

Towards the end of the match discussing the score and of the overall highlights of the match is actually adequate to meet our needs. Nevertheless, choosing to sit in front of the television the entire day and watching every step of the game is a sheer waste of time. All the productive time we have in this lifetime is thus getting wasted.

In no way can the sports of Balarama and Krishna be compared with other normal sports. They are sports that are laden with deep hidden significance. Every step and every breath of theirs contain deep significance. The residents of Gokula would stop all their chores and rush to watch the activities of these two brothers.

When Rama returned to Ayodhya after completing his exile, the citizens of the land rushed forward in great eagerness to welcome Him. Such was their love for Rama! Had Rama permitted them to accompany Him to the forests, all the citizens would have deserted Ayodhya to accompany Him. For fourteen years they eagerly awaited His arrival.

Their eagerness can be compared to the Jataka birds or the celestial swans which live only in the skies and which eagerly await rains in order to quench their thirst. They drink the water droplets even as they are falling from the skies and before the rain drops touch Earth. These birds lay eggs even as they are flying. The eggs hatch in space and the new born birds begin to fly immediately upon birth. They are special birds which have partial aspects of the celestials in them. It is very rare to spot these birds, which pre-dominantly exist in the higher Himalayas. If per chance any swan touches the earth, then it becomes the earthly swan.

Pradyumnaya namah