Skip to main content

GOOD TO EXPECT BAD

Mosquitoes are something that bother me and very often as an unconscious reflex action and many times as a conscious action, I catch myself killing many of them. This is just one of the many sins and offenses I commit, mentally, verbally and physically. How can I then not expect any reactions for these actions of mine. Why should I pray for a life of no difficulties. Rather, I should be praying to God to give me my quota of reactions so that I learn my lessons quickly and rectify my offensive and sinful mentality. 

The Srimad-bhagvatam mentions the episode of King Pariksit garlanding Shamika Rsi with a dead snake due to being afflicted with unbearable hunger and anger which is very unusual of the tolerant and saintly King. What is commendable is his thought process as soon as he commits this offense. 

The Srimad-bhagvatam 1.19.1-3 mentions it in this way - "While returning home, King Parīkṣit felt that the act he had committed against the faultless and powerful brāhmaṇa was heinous and uncivilized. Consequently he was distressed. King Parīkṣit thought: "Due to my neglecting the injunctions of the Supreme Lord I must certainly expect some difficulty to overcome me in the near future. I now desire without reservation that the calamity come now, for in this way I may be freed of the sinful action and not commit such an offense again. I am uncivilized and sinful due to my neglect of brahminical culture, God consciousness and cow protection. Therefore I wish that my kingdom, strength and riches burn up immediately by the fire of the brāhmaṇa’s wrath so that in the future I may not be guided by such inauspicious attitudes."

One may feign praying for punishment for one's offenses or one may pray for punishment for one's offenses not expecting God to fulfill it. But the King not only prayed for some punishment but when he heard the news of punishment, he became satisfied that his prayers are answered. The Srimad-bhagvatam 1.19.4 mentions - "While the King was thus repenting, he received the news of his imminent death, which would be due to the bite of a snake-bird, occasioned by the curse spoken by the sage’s son. The King accepted this as good news, for it would be the cause of his indifference toward worldly things." Thus, King Pariksit leads by his example of how a devotee should think while living life in this world.

When one asks the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?", it shows an inherent defective attitude that, one is a very good person having done no bad. We all are guilty of doing bad, either knowingly or unknowingly and therefore we should expect some bad thing or the other in our life and when the bad does come upon us, we can see it as God's grace on us because everything including the bad is in indeed God's grace on us for our highest good. At least, that is how I want to see my life...
- Achyut Gopal Das

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PRACTICAL TOOLS FOR DESIRE MANAGEMENT

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of, so they can see that it’s not the answer.” ― Jim Carrey, American - Canadian actor Long back, I heard this analogy to explain the nature of the unlimited desires in our hearts. It is explained in this analogy that, even if all the water bodies in earth are made into ink to fill a pen whose nib is as small as an atom and the sky is made into paper to write on; the ink will get exhausted, the nib will break and the paper will run-out but our list of desires will not get over - we will still have more left. Over these years of spiritual practices, I have realized the truth behind this analogy. I have become more aware of the dynamics of desires and it's working in life. Even though our hearts are filled with unlimited desires, luckily just a few jump into awareness every now and then, just like a few fish jump out of the surface of the ocean every now and then even though the ocean is filled with u...
1 comment
Read more

THE MOTHERLY TOUCH (Dedicated to all mothers)

" It may be possible to gild pure gold but who can make his mother more beautiful " - Mahatma Gandhi We all exist because of our mothers. We owe our entire existence to them. But the scriptures explain that we have not one but a couple of them. Being connected to them is the way we can fill our life with love, nourishment and a sense of security.  MOTHER OF BIRTH A few days ago, while I was traveling in the train from Mathura to Delhi, I saw a young mother with her little baby. I could witness the natural love a mother has for her child. Whenever another train would cross our train, she would jump to close the ears of the sleeping baby, so that he is not disturbed in his sleep. When Sun started to shine on the child's face, she at once closed the shutter of the window. I started to think of all the inconveniences my mother must have taken for me - the sleepless nights she must have spent in taking care of me as a child, the commitment and consistency to cook f...
Post a Comment
Read more

THEORY OF IMPORTANCE

" When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor. " - Elon Musk Many times we look for solutions everywhere but overlook what is right below our nose. We expect that the solution to our complicated problems has to be equally complex. But many times, true solutions are counterintuitive that means complex problems could have simple and straight solutions. If we carefully observe our life, we will see that we have only those things that we consider important and those things missing in our life is because we feel they are not important. When I say important, it is not important in the general sense but the attitude that "it's important to ME." You see, once something is important to us, we will find every way to get it and overcome all the obstacles, just because "it's important to me." Another angle to see this is in when we have something in life, we are sending a signal to others saying - "so and so thin...
Post a Comment
Read more