Krishna Katha - Story for meditation - 30/07/2010 - Soldier and Horse

Soldier and Horse

We never know in what form death will arrive for us. Whether it is going to be
sudden heart-attack, prolonged illness, accident or anything worse. Whether we
would die in the morning or evening or when we are alone or when people are
around us. We simply don't have any clue. Only the sadhana and service that we
do throughout the life counts a lot for our consciousness at the end of our
life.

In this regard there is a short story about a soldier and a horse. The
soldier took utmost pains to care for the horse. As long as the war lasted, he
looked upon the horse as his fellow-helper in all emergencies and fed him
carefully with hay and corn. But when the war was over, he only allowed him to
eat chaff and made him carry heavy loads of wood and ill-treated him.  War was
again pro-claimed. Then the soldier put on the horse, its military trapplings
and mounted being clad in his heavy coat. The horse fell down
straight-away owing to the weight, as it was no longer able to bear the burden
and said to his master - "You must now go to the war on foot - for you have
transformed me from a horse to an ass. How can you expect that I can again turn
in a moment from an ass to a horse ?"
 
Our senses are like the horse in the hands of the soldier. Like the soldier,
when there is some danger, we behave like a very good child of the Lord and pray
very sincerely. But the moment the danger vanishes, we just relax and hardly
care to nourish our senses spiritually. So in that situation, when danger/death
strikes suddenly how will it be possible to remember the Lord ? Gurudev always
recommends that -  "To prevent any of the senses from losing its normal
capacity, we must keep them in constant use - specifically in use for Krishna".
He would also say, "The more we use our senses in Krishna's service, the longer
they will function properly. Because Krishna sees that we are using the senses
given by Him for what they are meant to be used, He will prolong their
lifespan."
 
Thanks to Sudarshana devi mataji (from Granthraj) for sharing the nice story.

PS: I humbly request all the devotees to please forward moral / instructive stories they hear so that everyone can be benefited.

In Bhagavad Gita verse 8.5, Lord Krishna declares to Arjuna
 
anta-kaale ca maam eva / smaran muktvaa kalevaram
yah prayaati sa mad-bhaavam / yaati naasty atra samshayah
 
"And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at
once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt."
 
We might wonder what will happen if we remember something else. Lord clarifies our doubts in next verse as follows
 
yam yam vaapi smaran bhaavam / tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti kaunteya / sadaa tad-bhaava-bhaavitah
 
"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail."
 
There is a proverb that whatever we make as habit since we are in the cradle,will continue till our grave. So it is important that we practise bhakti right from childhood.  In his powerful purport to verse 8.5, Srila Prabhupada very nicely elaborates on the importance of smaran. He says -"Remembrance of Krishna is not possible for the impure soul who has not practised Krishna consciousness in devotional service. Therefore one should practise Krishna consciousness from the very beginning of life. If one wants to achieve success at the end of his life, the process of remembering Krishna is essential. Therefore one should constantly, incessantly chant the maha-mantra 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare            Hare Rama  Hare Rama  Rama Rama Hare Hare