TRANSFORMATION IN A MOMENT - Is it possible?

"A moments insight is sometimes worth a life's experience." - Oliver Wendell Holmes.

We are all looking for transformation, isn't it. Transformation of heart, transformation of consciousness and transformation of our experience in life. We all want to experience higher levels of love, bliss and freedom. How long does it take for transformation to happen? It can take a long time or can happen in a moment. It all depends on whether we are tuned-in to the moment at hand. God keeps throwing transformational opportunities at every moment but we are so distracted by our mind and senses that we miss to catch them. Here are few life-stories that show, how transformation occurs in a moment - in a flash, if we can catch it when it shows up.

THE LOST BAG
This is a story from the teenage life of Radhanath Swami as a wanderer in India. During the course of his travels, he had become quite attached to the spiritual books he carried. He had gradually gathered a small library in a cloth bag. Many times he considered reducing the weight of this burden, but every time he looked through the books, trying to decide which ones to give away, he found that he could not part with a single one. Among them were the Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Upanishads, Autobiography of a Yogi, books on Buddhism, one by Shankaracarya, and the Krishna book personally given by Srila Prabhupada. He lugged this bag of books wherever he went, and was often exhausted from the load. One day near Connaught Circus in New Delhi, he set the books down on a street corner, waiting for the traffic light to turn green.  When he reached down to lift his bag of books—it was gone. He frantically searched the four directions, and finally came to grips with the reality that his books had been stolen. Terribly sad, hopeless of their recovery, he walked away. But suddenly, he became aware of how easy it had become to walk. The heavy burden of the bag of books that had troubled him for so long was gone and he felt liberated and happy. He reflected:

 

“The nature of the mind is to interpret nonessential as essential. The mind creates artificial needs, believing it cannot live without them. In this way we carry a great burden of attachments throughout our life. Attachment is itself a great burden on our minds. We may never understand the extent of the burden till, like my books we’re free of it. But if we find joy within, we can live a simple life, free of endless complications.”

From being "sad" to being "happy", from being "burdened" to being "liberated" - just in a moment. He achieved this amazing transformation because he caught the message, by being "present to the moment".

During times of suffering we tend to run away and distract ourselves from experiencing it, because we don't want to face the pain of it. But that is the worst thing we can do our ourselves. Moments of suffering are great opportunities to experience shifts in our consciousness.
THE LOST LOVE
In the pages of Srimad-Bhagvatam is another story of transformation of the Emperor of the world, Pururava. Pururava's dream was fullfied when he got married to his dream girl, the celestial beauty - Urvashi, something that even demigods couldn't dream of. But his dream didn't last long as is the case with all dreams. Urvashi left him for good, when one of her condition for the relationship was not met. Conditional relationship cannot be a continual relationship. True relationship is unconditional. Pururava was so attached to her that when she left him, he was left high and dry and lost all his mental balance. He just couldn't function normally. The only thing in his mind was - Urvashi. He couldn't live without her. He did all kinds of severe austerities, penances and sacrifices to please the demigods so that they will give back Urvashi to him.

Finally, after years of struggle and austerity, one day he suddenly met Urvashi who was sporting with other demigods. He fell at her feet, begged her and pleaded her to come back to him and satisfy his burning lusty desires. Just see, how lusty desires reduces even an Emperor into a mere beggar. She agreed, but to spend only one night in a year with him. Pururava had no choice, at least something better than nothing.

He waited the entire year, 364 days for that one night of enjoyment. The night when she came, passed away as if in seconds but the 364 days, seemed as if it was a millennium. Time is very relative in this world - times of enjoyment passes very quickly but the times of suffering passes very slowly. After years of such enjoyment, one day he realised that - he was not enjoying but actually suffering. For a few cents of enjoyment he was paying the price of millions of dollars of suffering. He realised that it was not worth it. This was his "Aaha moment", his moment of transformation. He let go of his insane attachment to Urvashi and felt liberated as Radhanth Swami felt when he let go of his attachment to his bag. Whether it is a simple bag, a person, valuables or our plans, the feeling of letting go of our attachments is always one of joy and freedom.
Prabhupada was once asked by his disciple, "How long does it take to be fully Krishna conscious?". Prabhupada became a little upset and angry with the questioner and in strong and powerful voice, he roared with conviction, "ONE MOMENT. Have you not read my books? Have you not read the Bhagavad-Gita? One moment is enough to be fully Krishna conscious." Prabhupada declared for all time to come - transformation in a moment is very much possible and is fully in our hands.

When will that moment come for us and how will it come, is something none of us can predict. We have no idea which situation, which interaction, which lecture, which book, which emotion contains the gift of transformation for us. We shouldn't be fooled by the packaging of the gift. In the "so called" smallest and seemingly insignificant aspects of life could be hidden that long awaited "moment of transformation" for us. We have to be alert and attentive just as a player in the treasure hunt game is alert to catch clues and leads to the treasure. With this attitude, life becomes an adventure because we now know that a miracle, a transformation could happen at any moment. In fact, a miracle is already waiting for us around the corner. It's up to us to catch it.

- Achyut Gopal Das