Slokam 11

The churning by the asuras and the devas continues for a very long time, with nothing emerging from the ocean.  Only the marine animals were thrown up due to the agitation of the water. 

The Paramathma,  noting that the asuras and devas were fatigued by the effort and could use a rest,  takes on the work of churning, on Himself.  So the Paramathma is involved in every aspect of the generation of the amrutham.  It is clear that although we put in the effort,  the final result is clearly  a direct endowment of the Paramathma.  It is His assessment of the integrity and extent of our effort,  based on which He takes the task to its conclusion. 

This aspect is an important guidance provided by the Paramathma in the Bhagavath Gita.  Our role in life is restricted only to the sincerity of the effort.  We cannot work in anticipation of the fruits of labor.  Our karma on this planet must be discharged without expectation of a reward.  This is why the barriers in life are set just beyond our ability to go all the way by ourselves.  The final leap is always at the discretion of the Paramathma.  There are many reasons for this.  The primary reason is that if we are given the capability to extract the reward out of an action,  we will take ownership of the pride of the effort, oyr ego will grow boundlessly and we are sure to always be entrapped by the material world.  The worst punishment that one can get from the Paramathma is to be awarded with success in everything that we undertake.  We will never escape the trap of illusory success and the associated false pride.  This aspect is clearly spelt out by the Paramathma in both Srimad Bhagavath Gita and Srimad Bhagavatham.

The other aspect is that any effort involves asuras and devas.  Not all rewards can be shared with the asuras even though their contribution may be significant.  The Paramathma’s rewards will always be life changing endowments that bestow enormous power and strength on the bhaktha.  The asuras will always use the reward for extending their dominance and plundering the material world.  So they have to be rewarded moderately and in forms that cannot cause injury or damage to others.

The Paramathma has very accurate, fair and absolutely meticulous ways and means of awarding endowments. 

Let us accept the important factor that it is ultimately the Paramathma’s effort and endeavor that makes us what we are.  This alone will see us through this incredible journey of life.