God and the Saints are omnipotent, they have unlimited power at their disposal. This is why it is said that they are free to do what they want, not do what they want, and do otherwise as well. Nevertheless, God and the Saints follow spiritual laws. Neither does God or any Saint, for example, alter his destiny, then what to speak of altering the destiny of others? A Saint endures the consequences of his destiny and does not experience any pain stemming from it. A Saint does not experience any sorrow due to loss, infamy, death, and so on. In other words, a Saint accepts his destiny and does not act contrary to the laws of God. In fact, even God Himself allows things to flow uninterruptedly!
The Pandavas, for example, were all Saints and great devotees of Shri Krishna, and yet they wandered in the forest for 14 years and suffered tremendous hardship. Lord Rama spent 14 years in the forest too, with His gentle consort, Sita, and they both endured hardships. But the Lord did not alter His destiny. Shri Rama did not nullify the boon given to Kaikeyi. He suffered His destiny too.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj points out that the wise accept their destiny, whereas the foolish cry over it. A Saint endures his destiny happily, and we must endure ours gladly too. When someone murders somebody he understands that his actions will result in the death penalty. He is told, “If you murder this person, you will hang for it.” “Let them hang me,” he retorts, “what does it matter!” Knowing this, he then commits murder.
Similarly, we have committed an infinite number of sinful acts in our infinite past lives. When it comes time to bear the consequences of some of them, we must learn to do so happily. After all, to do any unsavoury action, we first turn a blind eye to the teachings of the Saints and ignore the scriptures. We say at that time, “I don’t care about that! I will do as I please.” Now, when the time has come to suffer the punishment for your actions, you try to beg God for forgiveness. Do you really think that God will forgive you just like that? Even a worldly government does not flippantly forgive people. Whether a person has committed one murder or 100 murders, he will hang for it. “But, your honour, I only killed 1 person. Please forgive me. I promise not to kill anyone again.” There is not a court in this world that would accept such a plea and free that person.
The spiritual science in relation to this is very straightforward. A portion of our actions that we performed with a freedom of will in our previous live are given the name of destiny in this life. Destiny should therefore be regarded as the grace of God and should be accepted as such. It is up to you whether you suffer your destiny while crying or endure it while smiling. Since it is a spiritual law that you must undergo the consequences of your actions, why cry over it? Endure it instead while a smile. But how can I smile while I am suffering? By observing those whose suffering is greater than your own.
Suppose your father passes away. “But that man’s father and his mother have passed away.” Yes, at least my mother is still alive. Suppose your only son dies. “But his son died, and he is blind as well. At least you can fend for yourself and earn a living.” Yes, his situation is far worse than mine. When you look at those whose suffering surpasses your own, what you are experiencing will not seem so devastating. However, if you only look at those whose situation is better than your own, then what to speak of you, even the king of celestials, Indra, becomes miserable! There will always be people better off than you. Looking at their circumstances and comparing them to your own is a recipe for misery and you will surely cry.
Do not look at those better off than you, consider those less fortunate than you. There are millions of people in India, for example, who have some form of disability. You may have seen such people struggling just to fill their stomach, begging day in and day out. Some manage to get something to eat, others do not. You are at least better off than all these people, are you not? Yes. I am better off in so many ways.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj advises in conclusion that everyone should realise that what is happening in their life is due to the grace of God. If you have faith in the spiritual government and that its laws are in place to benefit you, it will reduce your feelings of sorrow. But the one who does not will cry all his life, regardless of how much God has given him.
Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattva-darshan – the essence of Vedic wisdom, spirituality and devotion in daily life.
God and the Saints are omnipotent, they have unlimited power at their disposal. This is why it is said that they are free to do what they want, not do what they want, and do otherwise as well. Nevertheless, God and the Saints follow spiritual laws. Neither does God or any Saint, for example, alter his destiny, then what to speak of altering the destiny of others? A Saint endures the consequences of his destiny and does not experience any pain stemming from it. A Saint does not experience any sorrow due to loss, infamy, death, and so on. In other words, a Saint accepts his destiny and does not act contrary to the laws of God. In fact, even God Himself allows things to flow uninterruptedly!
The Pandavas, for example, were all Saints and great devotees of Shri Krishna, and yet they wandered in the forest for 14 years and suffered tremendous hardship. Lord Rama spent 14 years in the forest too, with His gentle consort, Sita, and they both endured hardships. But the Lord did not alter His destiny. Shri Rama did not nullify the boon given to Kaikeyi. He suffered His destiny too.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj points out that the wise accept their destiny, whereas the foolish cry over it. A Saint endures his destiny happily, and we must endure ours gladly too. When someone murders somebody he understands that his actions will result in the death penalty. He is told, “If you murder this person, you will hang for it.” “Let them hang me,” he retorts, “what does it matter!” Knowing this, he then commits murder.
Similarly, we have committed an infinite number of sinful acts in our infinite past lives. When it comes time to bear the consequences of some of them, we must learn to do so happily. After all, to do any unsavoury action, we first turn a blind eye to the teachings of the Saints and ignore the scriptures. We say at that time, “I don’t care about that! I will do as I please.” Now, when the time has come to suffer the punishment for your actions, you try to beg God for forgiveness. Do you really think that God will forgive you just like that? Even a worldly government does not flippantly forgive people. Whether a person has committed one murder or 100 murders, he will hang for it. “But, your honour, I only killed 1 person. Please forgive me. I promise not to kill anyone again.” There is not a court in this world that would accept such a plea and free that person.
The spiritual science in relation to this is very straightforward. A portion of our actions that we performed with a freedom of will in our previous live are given the name of destiny in this life. Destiny should therefore be regarded as the grace of God and should be accepted as such. It is up to you whether you suffer your destiny while crying or endure it while smiling. Since it is a spiritual law that you must undergo the consequences of your actions, why cry over it? Endure it instead while a smile. But how can I smile while I am suffering? By observing those whose suffering is greater than your own.
Suppose your father passes away. “But that man’s father and his mother have passed away.” Yes, at least my mother is still alive. Suppose your only son dies. “But his son died, and he is blind as well. At least you can fend for yourself and earn a living.” Yes, his situation is far worse than mine. When you look at those whose suffering surpasses your own, what you are experiencing will not seem so devastating. However, if you only look at those whose situation is better than your own, then what to speak of you, even the king of celestials, Indra, becomes miserable! There will always be people better off than you. Looking at their circumstances and comparing them to your own is a recipe for misery and you will surely cry.
Do not look at those better off than you, consider those less fortunate than you. There are millions of people in India, for example, who have some form of disability. You may have seen such people struggling just to fill their stomach, begging day in and day out. Some manage to get something to eat, others do not. You are at least better off than all these people, are you not? Yes. I am better off in so many ways.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj advises in conclusion that everyone should realise that what is happening in their life is due to the grace of God. If you have faith in the spiritual government and that its laws are in place to benefit you, it will reduce your feelings of sorrow. But the one who does not will cry all his life, regardless of how much God has given him.
Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattva-darshan – the essence of Vedic wisdom, spirituality and devotion in daily life.
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