Stop Saying “Tomorrow” — The Time to Begin Is Now
This story is from the time when the Pandavas were ruling, and their eldest brother, Yudhishthir, was king.
A Brahmin came to Yudhishthir and said, "My daughter is getting married, Maharaj. I need 10-20 tolas of gold for it."
Yudhishthir said, "Look, today I have to attend a very important cabinet meeting. So come tomorrow; I will give it to you."
The Brahmin left. Bhimsen was standing nearby. He felt very bad about this. He thought, "Why did he put it off until tomorrow? He could have simply told me, 'Go and get it from the Treasury.'"
Then Bhimsen said, "Alright, I too will play a joke."
He called the Prime Minister and said, "Announce throughout the city that today is a day of tremendous joy. Let everyone celebrate."
Fireworks began, decorations were put up, and celebrations started throughout the city.
Yudhishthir asked the Prime Minister, "Today is neither Janmashtami nor Ram Navami. What occasion is this? What is happening all over the city?"
When he learned what was happening, he called Bhimsen and asked him about it.
Bhimsen said, "Brother, today is such a great day of joy. Something has happened that has never happened before - it is a record. You have conquered time itself!"
Yudhishthir said, "Conquered time? Has something gone wrong with you?"
Bhimsen said, "Yes, brother, I am speaking quite correctly. If you had not conquered time, why would you have told that Brahmin to come tomorrow? This means you know for certain that you will still be here tomorrow. But the scriptures and the Vedas say that whether one is a saint or a soul bound by māyā, when the time of departure arrives, one has to leave at that very moment. No one can escape it."
Yudhishthir said, "Ah! His body may be bulky, but his intellect is very sharp!" He immediately called that Brahmin and gave him the donation.
So this habit of postponing is the very thing that has ruined our "countless births."
- We have even found a genuine saint.
- We have also gained the philosophical understanding of the importance of this human body, which even the celestial gods desire, and of the purpose for which we have received it. All of this has become clear to us.
- We were even born in India.
Everything has come together.
But we keep postponing, saying, "I will do it later. Right now, I must study. Right now, I have to get married and enjoy the pleasures of the world. Right now, my children are very young; let them grow up a little first."
In this way, we keep postponing things right up until death. That "tomorrow" when we would finally begin never came.
Therefore, Shri Maharaj Ji is instructing us: "Look, child, give up this habit of saying 'Tomorrow, tomorrow.'"
The Veda says -
na śvaḥ śvaḥ upāsīta, ko hi puruṣasya śvo veda
O human beings, do not keep saying 'Tomorrow, tomorrow.'
ko hi jānāti kasyādya mṛtyu-kālo bhaviṣyati?
Who can guarantee that we will still be alive tomorrow? This is the one thing that Brahma has kept hidden - no one knows it.
Even the mightiest wrestlers will have to depart the very moment their time comes. No one will be spared.
So, stop postponing. It has to be done right away. Use all three - body, mind, and wealth - for the sake of God.
If you do not have wealth, then at least you have body and mind, don't you? If the body is unable to serve, then at least you have the mind, don't you?
Yes - simply attach your mind to Hari and Guru and purify your mind. This alone is your duty. But do not postpone this. The Guru and God will take care of what must happen after this.
sa yathā-kraturasmiṃl loke puruṣo bhavati tathetaḥ pretya bhavati -
Whatever thought one holds at the time of death, one attains the corresponding destination after death.
If you do not keep your mind attached to the right place at all times, and death happens to occur at that very moment, wherever your mind is attached, that is the destination you will attain. If your mind is attached to your father, and your father becomes a donkey after death, then because you have loved only your father, after death you will become the child of that donkey.
Even a paramahams such as Jad Bharat had to become a deer after death because of his attachment to a fawn at the time of death. When this can happen to a paramahams, what can be said of one who is bound by māyā? Wherever the mind's attachment lies, that is the destination one will attain. So remain alert at all times.
Just as a man driving in heavy traffic stays alert every single moment, with vehicles coming from every direction - if he stops being alert even for one second, an accident can occur. In the same way, do not regard this wicked, demonic enemy - the mind - as your friend. It is precisely by befriending the mind that countless births have been ruined.
The mind says, "Love your grandson," "Come, let's go to the club today." This mind is the son of māyā, so it will only ever lead you into māyā's territory. By following what it says, one gets temporary happiness - that is the happiness of the mind, not of the soul. The happiness of the soul lies only in the Supreme Soul. The soul is a part of the Supreme Soul. The mind finds happiness in worldly objects, so it keeps you entangled in them. And you keep obeying it.
To consider the pleasure of the mind as your own happiness is a deception. You are the soul. Everything else - the body, mind, intellect - is yours; all of these belong to you. That which is yours is not you.
Keeping this spiritual knowledge in mind, you must stop procrastinating
