The Hindu Article - Truth always prevails

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Date:09/08/2003 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/2003/08/09/stories/2003080900720900.htm

 

Miscellaneous - Religion

 

Truth always prevails

 

CHENNAI AUG. 9 . At times it would seem that life is unfair. A person

wedded to virtue may well feel that he was being surrounded by

numerous problems, while another, less virtuous, appeared to have a

more successful and less troublesome life. However in the long run,

truth always prevails, not falsehood or evil. The Pandavas, for

instance, experienced untold misery for years but by leading a

principled life they were victorious in the end. The Kauravas, who to

all appearances held the upper hand, were finally vanquished since

they were arrogant, cruel, jealous and full of spite. They deluded

themselves into thinking that Lord Krishna, who manifested on earth

to establish righteousness, was after all a human being.

 

Clearly those who seek to destroy or bend virtue and honesty cannot

look for protection from God. It may appear that evil people are

winning but that happens only up to a point and then God intervenes.

He is humble enough to come to the aid of His devotee. Draupadi had

five brave men as husbands. When neither they nor she herself could

stop the shameful violation in court she appealed to Lord Krishna who

saved her honour. The path of devotion may not always be easy or

clearly paved, but it is a fact of life that there can be no effect

without cause.

 

Reaching the Almighty is a gradual process and one needs to work at

it with complete faith. The doors of the mind need to be kept open,

to enable God to enter it. Time and again He has proved not only His

invincibility but also His humility. Spurning the rich repast offered

by the evil-minded Kaurava chief, He preferred to feast on the simple

food offered by the devout Vidura. Likewise He performed the rites of

ablution to the feet of sages with simplicity and happiness.

Scriptural lore is full of such instances. In the context of daily

living it is difficult for us to rid ourselves of egoistic posturing

or selflessness triggered by familial attachments.

 

Overcoming these is the first step towards developing devotion. Just

as how one needs to spend years educating oneself with single

mindedness of purpose to be an outstanding professional, so too a

devotee should strive hard. Gradually a stage will be reached where

neither actions nor thoughts taint the believer but he becomes an

instrument of God and he is then the happiest person on earth. All of

us are born with a blueprint of life, but praying can mitigate

suffering, said Swamini Gnananda Saraswathi in her discourse.

 

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