We cannot control results; they are in the hands of God, says Ajit Kumar Bishnoi
The first principle is to watch our reaction to any misfortune that befalls us. In this material world, no one can escape from unfortunate circumstances. Our scriptures tell us that these are results of our past karmas (deeds). The same scriptures also inform us that this material world is a place of misery. (Bhagavad Gita verse 8.15)
Therefore, getting suffering is inevitable whether as a result of past karmas or due to the miserable nature of this material world. If it is so, why bother about trying to pinpoint why something nasty has happened to us, unless there is something to learn from itIJ A simple example will explain what I mean. A boy gets hurt and rushes to his father. What is the duty of the fatherIJ It is to rush him to the nearest hospital. He should not be wasting time in establishing how the boy got hurt and fix responsibility for it. Therefore, the first principle for gaining peace is to focus on how we react to any situation.
The second principle is not to speculate about what is likely to happen. WhyIJ Is this not natural to do. If we are doing something important, we would like to speculate about the likely outcome. For example, we are working very hard to appear in a competitive exam. Will thinking that we will succeed not motivate usIJ Yes, it will, but having done all the hard work, we have to leave it to higher authorities, because there are generally many factors which affect any result. We can never be sure fully. Therefore, the second principle for peace is not to speculate about any result, having done one’s best. All actions bear appropriate fruits at their appointed time; speculating is entirely a futile exercise; it takes away our peace of mind.
The third principle is not to get attached to some result either in the positive manner or in the negative sense. let me explain. Don’t we want something desperately like success in some endeavour and also not want something if we can help it, like getting sick with some horrible disease. Unfortunately, as explained earlier, we cannot control results; they are in the hands of higher authorities, God being the highest. Such attachment gives rise to many problems like becoming fearful or depressed.
The fourth principle is to know and realise that we cannot protect ourselves in the ultimate sense. Does anyone ever want to get sick or die for that matterIJ But we get sick helplessly and we die for sure.
The fifth principle is to take the shelter of God, who can protect in the real sense. But devotees of God also get sick and die for sure. Then how did God protect themIJ The answer is: God has formulated the principle of karmaphala ie all karmas must bear fruits; God does not interfere in this even for devotees. If he did he will break his own rules. So how does God protect his devoteesIJ He finds a way out of any situation for them.
This example will clarify. A devotee is sleeping till late on Sunday. Suddenly, his phone rings and his friend informs him of the visit of a highly realised saint, who was about to give sermon in the temple, frequented by this devotee. He gets ready and leaves in a hurry. As soon as he is gone, a plane crashes on his house. Okay, God saved him even though his house got wrecked, but how does God protect someone from deathIJ God gives liberation to his devotees, whereby they never die again.
I welcome your comments.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer. He can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com