Waking Up in the Morning

Hare Krishna Prabhus and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev.

There have been some very wonderful insights into waking up in the morning by the devotees. In this regard, Maharaj often quotes a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam 3.26.71,

yathā prasuptaṁ puruṣaṁ prāṇendriya-mano-dhiyaḥ
prabhavanti vinā yena notthāpayitum ojasā

When a man is sleeping, all his material assets - namely the vital energy, the senses for recording knowledge, the senses for working, the mind and the intelligence - cannot arouse him. He can be aroused only when the Supersoul helps him.

From this verse, we can understand that however much we try, until and unless Krsna allows, as the Super soul residing always in our hearts, us to awake, we cannot be aroused from our sleep. We may go to sleep with many alarm clocks surrounding us - but until He sanctions with His mercy, it is impossible to wake up for mangal-arati! Therefore, when we put our deities to rest in the night, we should not pray and tell them that we will wake them up in the morning for mangal arati! Rather, we should pray to them to wake us up for mangal arati, so that we can then "wake" them up! Then, Krsna willing, we may wake up. 

That is why Gurudev always emphasises Srimad Bhagavatam 3.9.38, where the Lord, after being pleased with Lord Brahma's austerities for 1,000 years on the lotus flower, reveals an amazing secret. 

yac cakarthāṅga mat-stotraṁ mat-kathābhyudayāṅkitam
yad vā tapasi te niṣṭhā sa eṣa mad-anugrahaḥ

O Brahma, the prayers that you have chanted praising the glories of My transcendental activities, the penances you have undertaken to understand Me, and your firm faith in Me - all these are to be considered My causeless mercy. 

In our devotional service, it is easy to forget this verse - and easy to think that our efforts bring forth the nice prayers to the Lord, our efforts constitute penance and austerities (like our sadhana, waking up in the morning etc.) and our faith is the result of our hard work - but Krsna smashes all that - by clearly pointing out that that is all HIS MERCY! 

If we forget this point, we miss our destination. 

Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,
Devakinandana das
Singapore.