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HEART PAIN to SOUL GAIN - the panacea for broken hearts

"When love is lost, do not bow your head in sadness; instead, keep your head up high and gaze into Heaven for that is where your broken heart has been sent to heal."

I am sure all of you'll have experienced a feeling of being let down by someone whom you loved and trusted, a feeling of heartbreak, a feeling of pain when people whom you loved didn't reciprocate back to leave you broken. This world is such that instances like these keep happening now and then. Sometimes they are intentional but many times unintentional. That's the nature of this world. Just like a forest fire sets off without anyone igniting it similarly, misunderstandings and heartbreaks happen even without intentionally creating them. In any case, these heart-pains leave their scar deep in our hearts. We all know and have experienced that the pain of the heart, emotional pain is more difficult to tolerate than physical pain. For physical pain, you can apply a balm or a band-aid or take painkillers. What is the remedy for emotional pain? Which band-aid, which balm, which cream can we apply to our heart-pains?

The Srimad-Bhagvatam mentions a very interesting and an emotionally touching story of a little boy named Dhruva. Dhruva was the son of powerful King named Uttanupada. One day, five year old Dhruva innocently and excitedly goes running to sit on his father's lap. But his stepmother, Suruchi stops him and chastises him for trying to do so. She harshly tells tender Dhruva that if he wants to want to sit on his father's lap then he should die and be born again through her womb. What an ugly way of speaking to a kid who doesn't understand the nuances of this world. But when one has envy, his language can go stoop down to any level. Isn't it! Suruchi was envious of Suniti, the King's co-wife and the mother of Dhruva. She vented the poison of envy of this little boy.

Hurt, broken, devastated, confused and utterly dejected, Dhruva ran to his mother Suniti crying hysterically. Can you imagine Dhruva's plight? Being rejected by his father for just wanting to sit on his lap. The wound went deep within his heart. Being hurt by a stranger in one thing but being hurt by the one closest to you is all together different. But that's the irony of life - one whom you love the most can also potentially give you the greatest pain. Anyway, for Dhruva the pain was unbearable - the shock was powerful. He spoke to his mother in anger and frustration, breathing and hissing very heavily like a trampled snake. He asked her explanation for this incident and asked her intervention to correct this matter. But, Suniti was helpless. She told him pointblank that she couldn't help much because his father loved Suruchi more than her. She told Dhruva that if he really wanted help, he should go to the forest and pray to Lord Vishnu. He's the one who can truly help everyone and heal one's life.

Dhruva without wasting a single moment or considering the consequences, at once left to the forest. All he could see was revenge for the wrong. Forest or any other obstacle for that matter was not even a consideration for him. The only thing in front of him was to seek revenge. Dhruva was so focused on his goal that he religiously followed all the instructions that his spiritual master, Narada gave him. In six months, he had the direct darshan of the Supreme Lord Vishnu. All his intense austerity reaped fruits. The Lord of all benedictions was in front of him, face to face. Seeing the Lord and experiencing the unlimited unconditional love emanating from Him, Dhruva forgot about his revenge. On seeing the Lord, he forgot why he came to forest in the first place. He felt that he was looking for some broken piece of glass while he now received the priceless jewel of the Lord's darshan and His love. His heart was completely healed. He realised at this point that love is the only balm, the only cream and the only ointment for broken hearts. And that love is only possible from the source of love, God.

Dhruva returned back to his kingdom happy, blissful, healed, transformed, realized, pure and above all grateful for everything. He came to the forest in a state of heart-pain but returned back from it a state of soul gain. Credit to his mother, Suniti. She knew the power of the raw emotions of anger, hurt and revenge. She channelised them and converted them to something glorious. She didn't give her son empty promises and patch up emotional work. She connected him to the ultimate source of emotions and love. She proved herself to be a great mother.

Dhruva's story is not just "his" story, it is "our" story. We will also go through our quota of heartbreaks and heart-pains. It's an unavoidable part of this world, after all. But if we can use these pains to further deepen our relationship with God and seek shelter in His love then we stand to gain a lot and can emerge glorious and victorious. If we learn this art of channelising every emotion, every feeling to connect to God then we move from being a victim to being a victor - from heart pain to soul gain.

- Achyut Gopal Das

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