Gurushishyasamvaadam

Disciple: 

GurO, I have been going through a lot of suffering in my life. I have not cheated anyone, I have not hurt anyone purposely and I try to lead a righteous life. Why is it that life is unfair to me and showering so much problems on my path? Please tell me what did I do to go through this traumas of life one after another?

 

Guru: 

Dear Disciple, one man was walking through the jungle and immediately from nowhere a ferocious hungry lion appeared and was about to jump on him. He screamed and told the lion:

"Please lion, I am a pure vegetarian. I never eat any animals. So please spare me and eat something else. It is not fair to eat me knowing that I do not hurt anybody".

 

Lion said: 

I do not care whether you are a vegetarian or not. I am hungry and I will eat whatever happens to come in front of me whether it is a vegetarian or meat eater. I often eat the most pious vegetarian deers. What difference does it make for me whether you are a vegetarian or not.

 

Disciple, here the lion represents the sum total of your praarabdha karmaas you have accumulated over the past janmaas. They are ripe to be experienced and whether you are a good person in this life or a bad person in this life, you have to experience the results of our own karmaas. 

Prarabdha karmaas are like the arrows that have left the hands of a hunter towards a target. Nobody can save you from experiencing the results of your ripe karmaas except Bhagavaan. Bhagavaan can change your destiny by blocking the flying arrows with his power. But nothing else can save you from suffering. We should not blame fate or anybody for our suffering. Even though we do not know what actions we did in our past janmaas, we are experiencing the results of those in this life  and only our prayers can change the situation. 

Prayers calm your mind, energize you, and helps you to take the right decisions at the right time to make things better. Also prayer gives the strength to accept things positively and helps us to have an attitude of complete surrender. Once you have that He takes care of our"yOgakshemam". In this Kaliyuga, just Naamasankeerthanam and satsangam will bless us to have that attitude of surrender. 

Also when things go well, do not take credit for yourself, but thank God for making you perform good karmaas in the past lives, the results of which you are reaping today and pray to bless you to do only good karmaas in this life. 

 

Disciple: 

Guro, I am indebted to you for this great advice. Please bless me to start a new life filled with prayers and satsangams.

 

Guru: 

May Bhagavaan bless you!

 

(based on a story by Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsar)