Yesterday, today and tomorrow are the three periods of time that represent past, present and future respectively. In Hindi, there is only one common word used to denote both the past and the future. It is ‘kal; Thus in this language “kal, aaj aur kal” means yesterday, today and tomorrow.
I remember in my childhood, some of the shopkeepers in our village used to say frequently “Today Cash; tomorrow Credit”. It meant that customers should pay in cash for the items they purchased on the day they visited the shop and that they could buy them on credit tomorrow i.e. on the next day. But tomorrow never arrives.
We call the day that arises after the end of the present day as today only. Thus tomorrow is like a mirage in the desert. It looks like existing although it is non-existent. There is a proverb in English: Tomorrow never comes.
At the moment, I recollect another incident that illustrates the truth that tomorrow never comes. Around three decades ago, a sensational news spread like wildfire in some parts of Karnataka. It said that a witch moved at midnights in some villages and knocked on the door of any house. Thereafter she killed the person who opened the door and disappeared. Thus panic prevailed in the locality. Eventually, the frightened villagers hit upon an idea. They wrote the words ‘Nale ba’ on the front doors of each and every house of the villages this white lady wandered. In Kannada language ‘Nale ba’ means ‘come tomorrow’.
As usual the witch might have come in the village and after reading the words on the doors might have turned back with the intention of visiting the houses ‘tomorrow’.
But the same story might have been repeated the next night. Thus on many nights the white ghost might have come and gone back. And finally, out of frustration she might have stopped roaming in the villages at nights and thus people were relieved of a big threat.
From the above two incidents, it is quite clear that tomorrow is a portion of time recognized by mankind and that it never comes.
Great savants often say that one should not postpone one’s duties for the next day. They are to be performed without delay. In this regard, Sant Kabir in his quatrain says, “Kal karose aaj kar, aaj karose aab, palme paralay hoyegi, bahuri Karega kaab? This means that we all have limited time.
Therefore, we should perform tomorrow’s work today and today’s work now. Only the present moments are in our hands. So let us make the most and the best of them.
Vedanta tells that a person should live in the present moments. While giving clarification, the above philosophy says that we cannot change our past and we have no control over future. It is only the time that occurs now is in our hand. Therefore, while performing any duty, one should not think of the past events nor should one be anxious about the future. This would adversely affect one's performance. A true Karmayogi always lives in the present moments.
Mahatma Gandhi often said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you have to live forever.”