Q       When the time comes for God to take total control of us, He gives us major distress, makes us writhe in agony and only then showers His grace on us. Why so?

That’s true. There are only two ways to reach God.

1. Reaching super-saturation in happiness, therefore, growing tired of this happiness and surrendering to God

2. Undergoing absolute misery, conquering the resulting distress, being able to ignore the pain and attaining a state of being unaffected by anything. Surrendering to God at this point of time.

There are only these two extreme levels, by which one can attain God.

The Earth is oval-shaped. As you travel North, you will land up South. When you travel South, you will end up North.

So also, misery ends in joy and vice versa. Joy or sorrow -– both lead you to God. How is this possible?

Was there any pleasure that Siddhartha did not experience? He had a loving wife, healthy child, and princely pleasures. He came across a deformed person, an old man and a dead body. His mind went in a whirl of questions, ‘Why disease? Why old age? Why death?’ These questions fine-tuned his mind and propelled him towards God.

Pattinathar was a ship merchant who had access to a life of pleasures. Lord Shiva came as his son and at the opportune moment, declared -- ‘none of these will accompany you on your last journey’ -- and vanished. Pattinathar realized that his worldly success had prevented him from enjoying the bliss of having God for his son. He became a staunch devotee of God and was revered as Pattinathadigal.

Bhadragiri was a renowned king. There was no pleasure he had not experienced. When people, out of ignorance, punished the great Pattinathar and the saint emerged unhurt, Bhadragiri renounced his kingdom and became an ardent disciple of Pattinathar.

All these are examples of extreme joy leading one to the path of spirituality.

Arunagirinathar was unable to continue his life of prolonged disease, and tried to commit suicide by jumping off Thiruvannamalai Hills. Muruga conquered his heart. Extreme suffering led him to God.

So joy and sorrow are illusory. In reality, there is no joy, no sorrow. Wisdom is the state of being neither in joy, nor in sorrow. You must attain this state.  

Your heart reflects joy and sorrow. It is your karma that results in your joy or sorrow. One either leads a life of total virtue, undergoes the joys resulting from that karma, gets sick of it and comes to spirituality. More like being fed with sweets non-stop and developing revulsion for that taste. Try that for ten days and the eleventh day, your taste buds will start yearning for something bitter. So too, a person who has not tasted sweets longs for that taste. Sweet or sour, too much is repulsive. So also joy and sorrow.     

( baba's replies to other questions continues next week....)

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