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This Too Shall Pass, On Changing Jobs...

March 27, 2013

Recently I changed my job of 20+years. As I rode up the escalator on the day of reckoning, what do I find but this...A lady in front of me who had a tattoo <i>"and this too shall pass"</i>.


As I always say, there is a Geeta shloka for every occasion. There are at least two that apply here. The easy one is:
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः |
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ||२-१४||

maatraasparshaastu kaunteya shiitoshhNasukhaduHkhadaaH .
aagamaapaayino.anityaastaa.nstitikShasva bhaarata .. 2-14..
The contacts of senses with objects, O son of Kunti, which cause heat and cold, pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end; they are impermanent; endure them bravely, O descendant of Bharata.
The need for a job, brings one to an employer assuming you have the right skill set. That job must have a start date and end date, it will have its share of joys and sorrows, highs and lows. It is only the foolish who act as if their jobs are guaranteed for life.

The more interesting one is:
ते तं भुक्त्वा स्वर्गलोकं विशालं क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति |
एवं त्रयीधर्ममनुप्रपन्ना गतागतं कामकामा लभन्ते ||९-२१||

te taM bhuktvaa svargalokaM vishaalaM
kShiiNe puNye martyalokaM vishanti .
evaM trayiidharmamanuprapannaa
gataagataM kaamakaamaa labhante .. 9\-21..
They, having enjoyed the vast heaven-world, when their merits are exhausted, enter the world-of-the-mortals; thus abiding by the injunctions of the three(Vedas), desiring(objects of) desires, they attain to the state of "going-and-returning"(Samsara - transmigration).
Having exhausted the use of one's skills & competencies in the service of one employer, the employee soon either loses his job or decides it is time to move on. Once that happens, in keeping with the laws of this world, he returns to the job market, once again seeking and getting, when circumstances are suitable, the next job. In the same way that every jivatma, gains heaven or swarga, enjoys the glories of heaven for as long as his good deeds earned, and then pops back at the appropriate time into a different body. The story of transmigration is the same, whether applied across jobs or across lifetimes!

A friend pragmatically pointed out that the attractive lady in the picture may not exactly be quoting from the Bhagavad Gita. She may simply be a great fan of Imogen Heap's song. When I googled the phrade, I found a great video by Ok Go, the Rube Goldberg machine version of "This Too Shall Pass". Here it is. Enjoy!



Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post


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