Hare Krishna, how do we deal with problems in life? Specifically pains given by a materialistic person? Though it has been sometime already, but memories comes back. It causes pain to a devotee. How to deal with it? Help needed. Thank you
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The simplest and the most practical way is to simply surrender our thoughts to Krishna while chanting and continue doing more and more rounds clearly with the faith that Krishna is Hari and he will take away our pains as much as we trust and surrender to him!!
If that person has moved on and leading the life, then there is no point for you to think about that person's memories. Pls don't be weak at heart. Krishna said this in Gita. If you haven't read it, please take it in your hand right now. The divine knowledge will get you out of all your troubles and pains.
BG 2.14: O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
BG 2.56: One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
BG 2.58: One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.
BG 3.27: The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.
BG 5.8-9: A person in the divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping and breathing, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing at all. Because while speaking, evacuating, receiving, or opening or closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them.
BG 5.13: When the embodied living being controls his nature and mentally renounces all actions, he resides happily in the city of nine gates [the material body], neither working nor causing work to be done.
BG 5.14: The embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does not create activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material nature.
BG 5.22: An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.
BG 5.23: Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world.
BG 9.32: O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth — women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers] — can attain the supreme destination.
BG 9.33: How much more this is so of the righteous brāhmaṇas, the devotees and the saintly kings. Therefore, having come to this temporary, miserable world, engage in loving service unto Me.
BG 9.34: Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
A devotee knows that the material world is dukhalayam ashashwatam, anityam asukham lokam, ie, full of miseries and temporary. Nobody has come to this world to enjoy and nobody has been able to enjoy - just like nobody goes to a jail to enjoy. As long as the body is there, problems will be there. Whatever problems we face are a result of our past karma only. Therefore devotee tries to concentrate on his/her sadhana and ignore these problems in life, or atleast do not give centre stage to these problems in life, knowing fully well they will come and go.
Regarding pains given by a materialistic person, the best way to overcome the pain is to forgive the person. Unconditionally, and without waiting for that person to ask for forgiveness. However harsh it may sound, the pain we underwent was simply our own karma phala, the result of our activities in the past, which we may not even remember. That person was just the instrument to give that karma phala to us. Therefore, simply try to forgive the person. I know its very difficult. The way to do this is to chant and pray very sincerely at the lotus feet of the lord and ask for strenght to tolerate and forgive the person who has given pain.
It may be a good idea to not let that person come so close as to give pain again. One has a right to protect oneself from future pain.
There is a shloka in Bhagavad Gita - 2.14 - matra sparshastu kaunteya.... - please read that shloka, the translation and the purport. Try to meditate on this shloka and try to tell yourself that all pain and pleasure is nothing but matra sparsh karke chale jaate hain. Do not give it so much importance. Concentrate on your chanting mataji, pray to Krsna for strength to forgive, thats all.
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The simplest and the most practical way is to simply surrender our thoughts to Krishna while chanting and continue doing more and more rounds clearly with the faith that Krishna is Hari and he will take away our pains as much as we trust and surrender to him!!
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Hare Krishna,
If that person has moved on and leading the life, then there is no point for you to think about that person's memories. Pls don't be weak at heart. Krishna said this in Gita. If you haven't read it, please take it in your hand right now. The divine knowledge will get you out of all your troubles and pains.
Regards,
Subash
BG 2.14: O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
BG 2.56: One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
BG 2.58: One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.
BG 3.27: The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.
BG 5.8-9: A person in the divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping and breathing, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing at all. Because while speaking, evacuating, receiving, or opening or closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them.
BG 5.13: When the embodied living being controls his nature and mentally renounces all actions, he resides happily in the city of nine gates [the material body], neither working nor causing work to be done.
BG 5.14: The embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does not create activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material nature.
BG 5.22: An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.
BG 5.23: Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world.
BG 9.32: O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth — women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers] — can attain the supreme destination.
BG 9.33: How much more this is so of the righteous brāhmaṇas, the devotees and the saintly kings. Therefore, having come to this temporary, miserable world, engage in loving service unto Me.
BG 9.34: Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
Hare Krsna Mataji,
PAMHO.
A devotee knows that the material world is dukhalayam ashashwatam, anityam asukham lokam, ie, full of miseries and temporary. Nobody has come to this world to enjoy and nobody has been able to enjoy - just like nobody goes to a jail to enjoy. As long as the body is there, problems will be there. Whatever problems we face are a result of our past karma only. Therefore devotee tries to concentrate on his/her sadhana and ignore these problems in life, or atleast do not give centre stage to these problems in life, knowing fully well they will come and go.
Regarding pains given by a materialistic person, the best way to overcome the pain is to forgive the person. Unconditionally, and without waiting for that person to ask for forgiveness. However harsh it may sound, the pain we underwent was simply our own karma phala, the result of our activities in the past, which we may not even remember. That person was just the instrument to give that karma phala to us. Therefore, simply try to forgive the person. I know its very difficult. The way to do this is to chant and pray very sincerely at the lotus feet of the lord and ask for strenght to tolerate and forgive the person who has given pain.
It may be a good idea to not let that person come so close as to give pain again. One has a right to protect oneself from future pain.
There is a shloka in Bhagavad Gita - 2.14 - matra sparshastu kaunteya.... - please read that shloka, the translation and the purport. Try to meditate on this shloka and try to tell yourself that all pain and pleasure is nothing but matra sparsh karke chale jaate hain. Do not give it so much importance. Concentrate on your chanting mataji, pray to Krsna for strength to forgive, thats all.
Haribol,
Your servant.