The Crow and The Coconut

Once upon a time, in a timeless time, long ago- a crow landed on the branch of a palm tree. At the exact moment that the crow landed on the branch, a ripe coconut fell to the ground. One would suppose that it was the crow’s momentum that caused the coconut to fall. Or could it be, that these two unrelated events seem to be related in time and space, though in fact there is no causal relation? Was it simply the coconuts time to fall? It was the wise sage Vasistha that proposes this question to Ram several times.

We live in a world of karma, meaning cause and effect. Formally stated, Newton’s third law of physics is: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. However, we also live in a world of lila, meaning divine play or anything can happen. Often times we link seemingly related events together to make meaning in our lives, when in fact the two have nothing to do with each other.

To dive deeper-

This yoga paradox presents us with much to consider. Are we willing to do the work without necessarily reaping the reward? (ie. The one who plants the orchard will never taste its fruit.) We must never give up hope that our uplifted actions will change the world, even if it is just the worlds’s time to change.

AND

Where are we forcing connections where there are none? (ie. delusion) Sometimes bad things happen to good people and vice/versa, good things happen to bad people. Why? Because Lila. We do not live in a moral universe. We live in a world of power, and anything can happen in a world of power.