The Miseries

Sunahu Sadhak Pyare - Part 7

The root cause of all our miseries is the misconception that there is happiness in this world. Due to this misunderstanding, we mainly suffer from 3 kinds of unpreventable agonies in the world

1. Daihik Taap – Physical and mental sufferings such as anger, passion, greed, lust etc. and other physical diseases like fever, cancer etc.

2. Daivik Taap – Sufferings induced by nature. Such as flood, earthquake, contagious diseases etc.

3. Bhautik Taap – Sufferings caused by others, such as insult, injury, anger, problems suffered by our near and dear ones etc.

We are being constantly agonized by different kind of miseries. However, we are still alive. That is really amazing. In spite of being tormented by so many miseries, if someone asks “How are you doing?” We say, “All Right”, while nothing is right in our entire life. Everyone is fooling each other in this manner.

The sufferings of human form are still endurable, think about the sufferings of animals, birds, insects etc. They cannot even express their grievances. Sometimes they die of hunger, thirst or pain in their body. If an animal enters a house looking for food and drink, it is beaten. It receives no mercy at the hands of human beings. In animal form, one has to endure the sufferings caused by hot and cold weather. Since we do not listen to saints and scriptures to rectify our life, we have undergone all these sufferings, millions of times and are getting ready to suffer again in the forms of animals, birds etc.

The outcome of committing sins, due to ignorance, is to roam around in 8.4 million forms of life. Human body is rarest of rare. It is given to us only by the causeless mercy of God.

कबहुँक करि करुणा नर देही, देत ईश बिनु हेतु सनेही ।

kabahum̐ka kari karuṇā nara dehī, deta īśa binu hetu sanehī ।

This body is so precious that even the celestial gods desire for the same. This is the only form of life in which one can acquire the ultimate goal of life i.e. attain unlimited, eternal and Divine happiness. We are suffering only because we have turned away from God and have started considering this world as the real source of happiness and our body as me. Hence, we constantly think about the worldly possessions, and physical relatives.

So,

विषयान् ध्यायतश्चित्तं विषयेषु विषज्जते ।
मामनुस्मरतश्चित्तं मय्येव प्रविलीयते ॥
भा 10.14.27

viṣayān dhyāyataścittaṃ viṣayeṣu viṣajjate ।
māmanusmarataścittaṃ mayyeva pravilīyate ॥
bhā 10.14.27

Whatever, the mind constantly thinks about, it gets completely absorbed in that. Constant thinking of the material world submerges the mind in material matters and makes us roam around hell, heaven or mortal world causing unending miseries. Likewise, if the mind thinks about God constantly, it merges into His Divine matters and provides Divine happiness, Divine abodes and unlimited Divine bliss.

So, practice of bhakti under the kind guidance of a God-realized saint, inspires us to think more about the names, forms, attributes, pastimes and abodes of God. As the aspirant progresses on the path of devotion, the saint graces the aspirant with symptoms of Divine love, which creates a hope in the mind of the aspirant that one day he/she will definitely attain Divine love bliss.

This hope takes our mind towards God, which results in true happiness and peace of mind. So far, we have been thinking this world is mine. Now we have to start constant practice of thinking “God alone is mine”. The worldly realm is related to my body. The body is perishable and keeps changing in each life. However, God, who is my real relative and well-wisher, will always remain with me, regardless of my body, planet or condition.

We sing a verse in all the temples

त्वमेव माता च पिता त्वमेव त्वमेव बन्धुश्च सखा त्वमेव।
त्वमेव विद्या द्रविणं त्वमेव त्वमेव सर्वं मम देवदेव ॥

tvameva mātā ca pitā tvameva tvameva bandhuśca sakhā tvameva।
tvameva vidyā draviṇaṃ tvameva tvameva sarvaṃ mama devadeva ॥

"You alone are my all in all". But do we really believe it?

Now the mind should have a firm understanding that He alone is my father, mother, brother and everything. Just accept the reality.