Misfortunes

May 23, 2007

For most of us misfortunes are unwelcome. These are popularly

believed to be the result of past sins and displeasure of God.

However, this view is only partially correct. It is true that one of

the reasons for unhappiness is past sins, but all unhappy events do

not necessarily have their roots in past misdeeds. It may appear

paradoxical, that at times misfortunes also befall us because of the

grace of God and accumulation of past virtues. Unhappiness may also

be felt while undergoing hardships in course of virtuous activities.

When God shows His condescension towards a highly evolved soul and

wills to release that soul from the bondage of sins of materialism,

He creates distressful situations in life. Such unhappy events jolt

the individual out of his slumber and to realize the futility of

attachment to worldly things. The shock of unhappiness in such cases

serves as a Divine Wake-up-Call.

Our addiction to worldly attachments, infatuations and passions is so

strong and alluring that we cannot be easily de-addicted by casual

approach. There are fleeting moments of wisdom in life when man

thinks that life is extremely valuable and must be used for achieving

some lofty objective, but soon thereafter attractions of the world

drag him back to the erstwhile lowly routine of animal-like

existence. Through misfortunes, God exerts a strong pull to extricate

the devotee from the self-created quagmire of ignorance. Mishaps wake

us up from our slumber in ignorance and darkness.

Sometimes, the virtuous smaskars accumulated on account of our past

karmas also produce unhappy events. Virtuous karmas also act as

shields to ward off sinful temptations. The former do not permit the

sinful tendencies to dominate and offer stiff resistance. Many a

times commitment of sin is foiled by some unforeseen obstacle. If a

thief break his leg while going for theft, it should be taken as a

consequence of his past virtuous karmas.

Those who work hard for moral or social upliftment of the society and

meticulously follow their course of duty, face stupendous problems,

hardships and lack of resources. They also have to face antagonism of

people who find such activities detrimental to their vested

interests. Besides, they are tormented by unscrupulous in many ways.

Persons treading the royal highway of righteousness have to face

hardships at each step. Misfortunes are like goldsmith's furnace, in

which the validity of past virtues and tolerance to hardships

undertaken for virtuous deeds are tempered. After going through

misfortunes, the character and personality of an upright person

because all the more lustrous.

Hence while going through misfortunes, do not be under impression

that you are a sinner and a wretched person deserving Divine Wrath.

It could be that the distress is a blessing in disguise, with hidden

boons, which you are unable to foresee at the moment because of lack

of clear vision.

Innocent persons may be found suffering because of unfair ideologies

or oppression by others. Any one may become a victim of exploitation,

suppression and injustice. The exploiter has to face the consequences

for his karmas in due course of time, but the sufferer should not

take such trials as outcome of his prarabdha.

A student has to face many hardships in course of his education. A

mother suffers while bringing up the child. Ascetics, social

reformers and righteous person undergo unbearable hardship while

working for reformation of the society and evolution of the human

soul. Such voluntarily undertaken hardships, confrontations and

problems faced in course of fulfillment of self-assumed

responsibilities cannot be considered as consequences of past

misdeeds.

It would not be proper to regard every " happy-go-lucky " person as a

virtuous person in his past life or every sufferer as a sinner of his

past birth. Such a concept would be unjustified and misleading. There

is no reason for someone to have self-pity or feel remorseful on such

a false premise. The course from karma to prarabdha follows an occult

and mysterious process known only to the Creator.

We have to remain ever vigilant towards our duties and

responsibilities and leave the rest to impartial Supreme Justice of

God. Let us face the misfortunes and good fortunes of life with

equanimity. God has made us responsible only for our duties as human

beings. There could be many reasons for success-failure and happiness-

unhappiness. Only the Creator knows their purpose in His Absolute

Wisdom.

R Gramppatti

May 23, 2007

Now this is a very good message indeed but after reading that

message : Seeking a genuine tantrik or saint, this message dosent

make sense to me.

Am I missing something here?

, " gramo123 " <gramo123

wrote:

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