The Real Reason You’re Never at Peace

Of all the suffering that the soul is enduring, three are most significant -

1. Ādhyātmik
2. Ādhibhautik
3. Ādhidaivik

Among these, Ādhyātmik is the most prominent. We are two -

1. the individual soul, and
2. the body in which we reside.

Accordingly, Ādhyātmik suffering is also of two types -
i) The suffering endured by the body - this includes fever, diarrhea, cancer, and various other diseases. Due to pollution and atomic innovations, new illnesses are constantly emerging, which everyone must endure. A perfectly healthy person may suddenly contract malaria from the bite of a single female mosquito. Even after receiving medical treatment, recovery is not guaranteed. Many people die from incorrect medication administered due to the doctor’s negligence. All kinds of bodily illnesses and suffering affect everyone alike - rich or poor, young or old, every living being. Poor animals roam naked in forests. They have no one to protect or treat them.
ii) Greater than physical suffering is that of the mind. In an unrestrained mind, desires arise constantly, disturbing everyone alike, day and night. For example, while sitting idly, one suddenly desires to eat or drink something. Just as a man with a hundred rupees yearns for a thousand, a billionaire is troubled by the desire to become a trillionaire. The suffering of the mind is thus universal. Yet we do not accept this truth. That is why everyone suffers from the affliction of wanting to surpass others – this affliction exists even in heaven. The mind creates these desires, and a desire may either be fulfilled or not. If fulfilled, it gives rise to greed; if unfulfilled, it results in sorrow. Moreover, negative thinking leads to various mental disorders such as stress and depression.

Similarly, we are also affected by Ādhibhautik and Ādhidaivik suffering from time to time. For instance, a poor person is oppressed by a wealthy one through immoral, unjust, sinful, and exploitative means. At times, cold, heat, rain, and similar natural forces trouble us.

The disease of the mind is the most dreadful - so much so that even Indra, the king of the celestial realm, is affected by it – Surpatirbrāhmaṁ padaṁ yāchate – Even though there is no aging in heaven, and their bodies do not sweat but emit fragrance, they too suffer mental anxiety like us.

In addition to these, the suffering caused by prārabdha (destiny) is the most powerful form of suffering. Prārabdha doesn’t spare even God-realized saints. When a relative dies, people pray to God. But those who ask for worldly things from God are essentially atheists – they merely pretend to believe in God. True belief in God means belief in His divine law. To accept God's law is to accept this truth –
taṁ bhraṁśayāmi sampadbhyō yasya chechchhāmyanugraham
"On whomever I bestow My grace, I take away his worldly possessions."
Among seven billion people, there is no one who, upon losing all worldly relations and possessions, would feel grateful to God for having shown such grace. And one who fails to realize this is, according to Shri Maharaj Ji, an atheist.

Even great saints, though capable, do not destroy their prārabdha. The only difference lies in how they experience it -
Jñānī bhugate jñānate, mūrakh bhugate roye.
When a jñānī loses his father, he understands that his time came, and so he left. On the other hand, the ignorant wail – but even that grief fades away after four days. Ten years later, no one remembers anything.

Thus, the origin of all these sufferings is maya. Maya is God’s power, yet she is insentient – she has no mind, intellect, hands, or feet – like a towel. Who fears a towel? However, we cannot dismiss her simply because she is inert. God declares:
Daivī hyeṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā.
This maya –

1. is the potency of God, hence non-different from Him – māyāṁ tu prakṛtiṁ viddhi māyinaṁ tu maheśvaram. No potency can remain separate from its source.
2. She is not merely inert. She is daivī – meaning divine. Thus, Maya possesses a power that equals that of God Himself. God says, 'mama māyā’ - No one other than God has ever been or will ever be capable of dispelling Maya.

Therefore, there is only one solution, as God proclaims: "Mām ‘eva’ ye prapadyante" - 'Only' (eva) those who fully surrender unto Me can transcend Maya.

Having turned away from God, we are tormented by Maya, who sends her generals, such as lust, anger, greed, and attachment, to afflict us. However, Maya is not our enemy, but our well-wisher. When, even after enduring great suffering, we do not come to our senses and surrender to God, if Maya did not punish us, we would have even challenged God's authority. Just as a mother disciplines her child to keep him from going astray- when the child errs, the mother first scolds, and if needed, even slaps him - similarly, Maya too warns us, "If you turn towards me, I will strike you, for my husband who governs me is also your master and husband. Your true happiness lies with Him, not with me."
Hence, we should not consider Maya an enemy. It was through Maya, who assumed the form of his wife and scolded him, that Tulsidas came to his senses, surrendered to God, and became a saint.

So helpless is the poor soul that it cannot defeat maya. It prays to God, “O Lord! This is Your Maya; she is divine and hence, immensely powerful (barajor). Please restrain her (barajo) - please signal to her to leave me.”

God replies, "If you surrender to me, she will leave you of her own accord. She troubles you because you have not come to Me. If you turn toward Me, I will not even need to signal her. Her very duty is to strike you and bring you to Me - just like a mother who sends her child to school with a slap if he does not respond to affection.”

Hence, do not view Maya as an enemy. Pray to God and attach your mind to Him. Then your mind will surrender to Him, and He will subdue Maya. Maya will flee on her own.

Read the books of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on this topic for deeper insights.

The Importance of Spiritual Knowledge - English

Quintessence of Devotion - English