Are we ready to confront the truth of our smallness in the grand scheme of existence?

Have we realised that we are intrinsically small souls? That we only play small roles, yes, of different levels, but always small. I will cite many examples to substantiate this fact in this article. The only big is God, who is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. He controls everything. We shouldn’t be surprised by the reality of us being small. What did we expect? There are billions of us and all interdependent.

We cannot exist without the support of others right from our birth. Ravana was puffed up because he thought that he was big, having defeated important entities. But he was made to bite the dust and he accepted that his highly bloated ego was his undoing. Hitler thought that he was big and was going to control the world. What happened? He committed suicide having realised his smallness. Nixon was President of the USA – a large and prosperous nation. He was forced to resign, because of his underhanded activities. Napoleon was similarly humiliated when he was banished from his country to live in Elba – an Italian island, away from his dear country France.

Smallness is only one of our handicaps; ignorance is another. Despite the vast knowledge Ravana possessed, he was ignorant like most of us; he ignored the reality of God. Only the most fortunate like Sant Tulsidas transcend the barrier of ignorance. What will you call Kansa? He kept on trying to kill the child Krishna without realising that the Lord cannot be killed. Ultimately, Lord Krishna had to kill him. Duryodhana saw so much of Lord Krishna, but somehow it didn’t sink in that the Lord was different; He was God. He saw how the Lord protected Draupadi from being disrobed; how Arjuna was protected by bringing back sunlight; and many such instances. His ignorance was quite deep-seated. What will you call persons, who outwardly pretend to be servants of God, but molest unsuspecting children?

Their depth of darkness, which engulfs their consciousness does not let them see that punishment is coming. Only after they are hit with severe punishments they realise that they are quite helpless really. Draupadi realised it and cried for the Lord’s help, which the merciful Lord provided. Arjuna knew in his heart that he was enjoying the protection of the Lord. That is how he was able to triumph over very powerful adversaries. In the modern era, famous film stars have committed suicide.

We become very impressed by the fame they enjoy but little do we realise that they are just as helpless as we are. Wealthy people are no better when they are hit with mental trauma as a result of extraordinarily stressful events, which shatter their sense of security, making them feel insecure in this dangerous world we live in. Yes, this world is a place of misery (The Bhagavad-Geeta 8.15), as long as one does not take shelter from God. Both external and internal dangers exist. Demonic forces are out there to harm us in order to gain some pecuniary advantage like by stealing from us.

Then, one does not know what is in store due to our past sinful acts. The smart thing is to come under the protection of God. So, what do I do? Having done my duty, I try to leave it to my Lord. Believe me, He takes care of me better than I could have imagined. It sounds like a fairy tale, but I am one of millions, who are benefiting in the present and have benefited thus in the past.

(The writer is a spiritual teacher; views are personal)