one director.

 Lord Narayana’s abode, Paramapada, is a place beyond time, whereas the Earth is bound by time. And yet the Lord chose to come to this Earth on many occasions to save His devotees. He is not bound by karma, but we are, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse. When Dhritarashtra weeps for his dead sons, Lord Krishna tells him that everyone operates within the framework of time. Here what the Lord is indicating is that everyone is bound by karma. None can escape its consequences. This being so, how can any relationship be permanent? What use then all the grieving over death? Will the same persons be our relatives in subsequent births?

Imagine a flooded river. A twig happens to fall into it. Does the twig have control over which direction it moves in? The flood carries it along. As this twig is being dragged by the flood, another twig falls into the water, and briefly the two twigs move close to each other. After sometime, it is possible that one twig may be washed ashore, but the other may still keep moving. This is how people come together in life, not by their will, but because of their karma. They cannot choose their parents or other relatives. They cannot determine when they should be born or when they should die. We shower affection on our dear ones, only to have them separated from us at some point. We are like the twigs being pulled together by water, and then being separated.

It is Lord Narayana who directs our lives, in accordance with our karma. He gives us the results we deserve for our karma. That is why Brahma praises Vamana, who is in Aditi’s womb as the One who controls the world. The One without old age, without death, the One who need not be born, the One without karma — that Supreme One was born to Aditi as Vamana.