Thank you,
Sister Jayanti. Thank you for your wonderful post. Especially, 'Tremendous beauty of karma,''spiritual potential is realized through commitment to training. That is, the "strictness" is not a negative, but rather a positive. The more committed we are to any goal, the more readily we embrace the requirements for achievement.''What makes the difference? Difference in attitude! As spiritual aspirants we learn to use our creative power effectively by choosing our attitudes!' were helpful. Yes, one learns this, some easily, some the long hard way. I am learning it the hard way. I spent over a dozen years fighting with and lamenting and bewailing my prarabdha. Even to acknowledge it as MY prarabdha took all these years. So the understanding implicit in seeing the tremendous beauty of karma has taken me long. Mother's love. I was thinking today that when a patient is in hospital, the doctor disregards, even brings on his present suffering sometimes to cure him and prevent more suffering, if possible put an end to suffering for ever. Then we don't accuse the doctor of being cruel! So I was thinking. I have often addressed God as cruel in bouts of terrible pain and helplessness. But Mother is like that doctor. She has our good only in mind. How strong Her heart is to bear the sufferings of Her son (s) for his/her better future. I have just rambled on.
I would like to end this post with a long quote from 'Glimpses of a Great Soul - A Portrait of Swami Saradananda' by Swami Aseshananda. Swami Saradananda Ji says: "I am sorry to learn that you are suffering from a lot of troubles. Everything happens by the will of the Lord. Happiness and unhappiness, both come to us through divine will for our education. One thing we have to learn is that we are to cling to Him for support and remain unperturbed in the midst of all circumstances. If we view life from another angle, we will notice that it is unhappiness that teaches us more than happiness; it is misery that cleanses our hearts more than enjoyment. In the days of adversity the mind is naturally inclined towards God more than in the days of prosperity. You must have read in the Mahabharata that Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, said to Krishna, 'Oh Lord, let there be misery, trouble, and misfortune for me always, for I can remember you with constancy of heart when I am in trouble. Weak as I am, I am prone to forget you when I am basking in the sunshine of comfort and pleasure.' Sri Ramakrishna used to sing a song describing the anguish of the heart of a devotee when he forgets God. This is one of the beautiful songs of Ramprasad which Sri Ramakrishna liked very much:

Mother, this is the grief that sorely grieves my heart,
That even with Thee for Mother, and though I am wide awake
There should be robbery in my house.
Many and many a time I vow to call on Thee
Yet when the time for prayer comes round,
I have forgotten....
Glory and shame, bitter and sweet, are Thine alone;
This world is nothing but Thy play.
Then why, O Blissful One, dost Thou cause a rift in it?

Whenever you feel miserable and spiritual life seems dry, you must drive these feelings away by thinking that you are His servant, His child, part of Himself and that your Chosen Ideal is always there holding you by His hand. You are safe in His care, and nothing but good will come to you in the end. Remembering this, you must pick up strength and banish from your heart all depressing thoughts. Despondency is the greatest obstacle in spiritual life. It saps energy and destroys your ability to struggle. Repeat your mantra several thousand times a day. That will give you strength. If evil thoughts appear, be indifferent to them. They come due to the impressions of previous lives and it is good that they rise to the conscious plane; it will be easier for you to control them. If your mind is unsteady and you cannot fix it on the Lord, pray to Him with a yearning heart, 'O Lord, I have no one in the world. Thou alone art my own. Please make my mind steady for I cannot do it myself. Helpless as I am, I take shelter at Thy feet."
Remember, the Lord listens to every word that you utter, every thought that you think. Whatever you ask of Him with sincerity will be fulfilled. If you can surrender yourself to Him, you will be at peace. Let Him do what He thinks best. True resignation comes only after hard struggle. Only when the wings are tired, does a bird sit on the mast of a ship to rest. Have faith in Him who never forgets His devotees, even though they forget Him. Listen to what Sri Krishna says in the Gita: "The Lord lives in the heart of every creature. He turns them round and round upon the wheel of His Maya. Take refuge utterly in Him. By His grace you will find supreme peace, the state which is beyond all change."

Thank you.

With regards,

Ankur

Location: Guwahati, Assam, India

Dear Sister Jayanti,

Thanks for sharing your insights, which are always much appreciated.

You wrote: "The law of karma declares that we are creators"

As long as we feel that we are the 'doer', then that is necessarily so.

However, if through the Grace of the Divine Mother, our True Nature is revealed to us, then the Law of Karma has been effectively conquered.

Sri Ramakrishna said:

"Not a leaf moves except by the will of God.
Where is man's free will?
All are under the will of God. Therefore I say:
'O Mother, I am the machine and Thou art the Operator;
I am the chariot and Thou art the Driver.
I move as Thou movest me; I do as Thou makest me do'."

-again-

"Man's ego itself is MAYA. It is the veil that shuts the light.

"Verily, with the death of "I" all trouble ceases. If by the grace of the Lord a man once gains the knowledge that he is not the doer, then he assuredly becomes freed in this very life and transcends all fear."

So, in the final analysis, it is, as you claim, a question of 'attitude'; however, the 'attitude', which governs the situation, is that of 'the Creator' dwelling within, rather than of 'the individual vehicle' .

The Master said this:

"God doesn't appear easily in the heart of a man who feels himself to be his own master. But God can be seen the moment His grace descends. He is the Sun of Knowledge.

"One single ray of His has illumined the world with the light of knowledge. That is how we are able to see one another and acquire varied knowledge.

"One can see God only if He turns His light toward His own face."

Om Shanthi Om

PS: I also enjoyed reading Ankur ji's message from his heart.

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Dear Brother Nahabat,

From the absolute Truth, all is incorrect for there is neither experience or attitude in the absolute.

Neither is there experience or attitude in the "creator dwelling within". Karma belongs to the individual exclusively. We can only speak of karma in terms of relativity, and karma arises only as a result of our feeling of separation. We learn to go beyond separation slowly. Our individual will is all-important, whether as a bhakta we use it to place our dependence on God, or as a jnani we strive to realize oneness with the absolute. In either -- all -- cases it is OUR attitude that either carries us forward or drags us down. The spiritual aspirant strives to use his or her will in ways that facilitate going forward. Attitude is a key component of this.

Ankur has given wonderful insights and quotes. In truth, until we see our life as a learning opportunity for spiritual development... Well, to quote the Master himself, "So long as I live, so long do I learn."

Thakur, in keeping with Vedanta, does not decry the ego. The devotee, he says, keeps a bit of his or her ego so they might behold and worship the Lord! However, the ego of the devotee, he says, is the ripe ego that has been turned toward God. Most of us are under the influence of the ordinary, unripe ego, which is pulled toward worldly attachments. What makes the shift possible? Our individual will, motivated first by a shift in attitude. :)

Beautifully said, Sister Jayanti, beautifully said.

Although, it is undoubtedly true that 'most of us are under the influence of the ordinary, unripe ego, which is pulled toward worldly attachments', we can always aspire to the ideal, which the Holy Trio have graciously set before us....as lofty as that may appear to be.

Swami Vivekananda said this about Karma: "When the Yogi has attained perfection, his actions, and the Karma produced by those actions, do not bind him, because he did not desire them. He just works on; he works to do good, and he does good, but does not care for the result, and it will not come to him. But, for ordinary men, who have not attained to the highest state, works are of three kinds, black (evil actions), white (good actions), and mixed."

Comment: I think that the key phrase here is: "does not care for the result".

Swamiji also said:

"Says our Vyasa, "In the Kali Yuga there is one Karma left. Sacrifices and tremendous Tapasyâs are of no avail now. Of Karma one remains, and that is the Karma of giving." And of these gifts, the gift of spirituality and spiritual knowledge is the highest; the next gift is the gift of secular knowledge; the next is the gift of life; and the fourth is the gift of food."

Additional Comment: Sister Jayanti, by establishing your excellent and long-standing Holy Mother's Cyber Tantu website, and this fine message board, you are offering the highest gift, the gift of spirituality and spiritual knowledge.

Om Shanthi Om
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