The God You Pray is Bigger than the Problems of Your Life

We all encounter problems in our life, whether it is at workplace or problems at our home. Some problems, we are able to solve while some remain unresolved, which keep our mind disturbed & agitated. In our problems of life. somehow we loose faith in God & forget that God is almighty, who can solve our problems of life. Our problems might seem big to us but our God is having much much greater powers to solve these problems. Only thing is that we should have faith in God & we should pray to Him to solve our problems.

Other than faith in God we need to see, what should be our attitude of mind, when we are disturbed by problems of life. Let us understand a very simple thing regarding the law of Nature. In this Nature, whatever there is, it is there for a limited period of time. In Nature, plants grow from seeds & after a particular life cycle, these cease to exist. When you see a movie, it starts & ends after few hours, which means it has a beginning & an end. In nature, everything changes & change is the law of nature. Seasons too change, spring goes then summer comes, summer goes then autumn comes, autumn goes then winter comes. Similarly times in our lives change as per the law of the nature.

Same is the case with the problems in our life. There is nothing called permanent problems. No problems last forever in our life & these get resolved with time just like seasons change in nature. Problems too have a birth date & a death date. Problems too have a limited duration of lifetime. Either problems automatically get resolved with time or with your understanding & acumen gets resolved very soon. So we should not get discouraged in life with problems of life. We should have faith in our mind that problems always have a solution. Have faith in God & try resolving the problem. If you are able to solve the problem, it’s well; otherwise do not get discouraged, as these shall die down it's own death with time as no problem is there to stay forever in our life. Also besides that let’s have “Full faith” in our God as He shall help us in resolving the problems of life.

Now below are few verses from Bhagwat Gita which teaches, how a person of peaceful, unwavering and undisturbed mind should behave in life:

"sama-duhkha-sukhah sva-sthah
sama-lostasma-kanchanah
tulya-priyapriyo dhiras
tulya-nindatma-samstutih" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 24)

Sri Krishna said: One who is situated in the Self (soul) and behaves same during happiness and distress; one who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; one who is equal toward the desirable and the undesirable; one who is situated equally well in praise and blame is the one who is of steady mind.

"manapamanayos tulyas
tulyo mitrari-pakshayoh
sarvarambha-parityagi
gunatitah sa ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 25)

Sri Krishna said: One who is steady in honor and dishonor; one who treats alike both friend and enemy; and who has renounced all material activities—such a person is said to have transcended the three modes of nature & lives in a peaceful state of mind.

So do not get discouraged in life with the problems. Keep your mind peaceful & think that problems in life are like small hurdles when we walk in a rough terrain but sooner that rough terrain passes with time & we come once again in a smooth terrain. Just have faith in God & let your mind be unwavering and undisturbed in all circumstances, keep your mind in control & then you shall overcome all problems of your life.

Jai Shri Krishna

Churn Your Mind

When we mix water in the milk, it gets mixed up very easily & we cannot separate the milk from the water. But when we churn it, we are able to transform the milk into the butter, which floats on the water. Now whatever, amount of water we put into the butter we cannot mix it with water. It always floats on the water. Similarly when our mind uninspired by Godly Wisdom roams in this world then it is like the milk which gets easily mixed up with the water of the world. But when by churning, we are able to purify our mind by divine knowledge; then even if it dwells in the world, it will not get polluted by worldliness. So we should churn our mind by enquiring about the mysteries of this world, try to get divine knowledge & devotion towards the God. By doing so we shall be able to live in this world, in which though we shall be doing our duties in this world but still our mind shall be holding on to the God.

Below is a verse from Bhagwat Gita which illustrates that if we are able to anchor our mind towards God then we live in this world like a lotus flower leaf, which is untouched by water while living in the water only.

"brahmany adhaya karmani
sangam tyaktva karoti yah
lipyate an sa papena
padma-patram ivambhasa" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Five verse 10)

"Sri Krishna said: One who performs his duty offering all actions & surrendering the results unto the God, remains unaffected by sin; same as the lotus leaf is untouched by water."

Jai Shri Krishna

Change the Direction Of Your Mind

In India, sometimes you find that there are some Devotional songs (Bhazans) that are made while copying the tunes of popular Boolywood songs. To the people, when they listen to such Devotional songs, often the original Boolywood song comes in their mind. Some don't like these type of Devotional songs (Bhazans), while some enjoy these very much & in rural India, such type of Devotional songs made on Tunes of Boolywood songs are very popular.

Now, why it is so that such Bhazans or any other type of Devotional songs are enjoyed by many people, while not liked by other people at all. Simple answer to it is that our mind always wanders outside in this world & always goes about the objects of the senses. Our mind always loves things of this outside world, be it the beautiful scenery, music, scent etc . but does not normally find joy in things or songs related to God. Our mind always believes in visible things of this world & somehow believes with difficulty in someone, who is invisible, just like the God or Soul which is so subtle that it is invisible through our gross human eyes. The other thing is that your mind finds joy in your family, relations, sons, daughters etc. & not in God who is invisibly sitting in your heart in a subtle way. Your mind rarely goes inside yourself & tries to find joy over there but always hankers in the outside world for the joy.

Last weekend, while going out for the dinner in my car, my 6 year old niece asked me to stop the devotional songs (bhazans) which were playing in my car & instead asked me to play the popular bollywood songs. That little girl listens daily to the popular bollywood songs on TV etc. & understands those type of songs only. Bhazans playing in my car were not understandable & enjoyed by her. It's O.K. for a child but for the grown ups like us, our mind shall find joy in the things of the God only when we shall have some devotion towards the God. God is sitting in our heart & the pure soul joy is there within each of us. If our mind shall turn inwards & see the God sitting in our heart, then only we shall get the eternal pure joy & peace which is much better than the joy of the senses of the outside world.

Now human mind is so stubborn that it shall not turn easily inwards as it is accustomed to the things of the outer world. Our mind always hankers in our daily affairs, in our family & in the things of this world & has no place for the God in our day to day life. It is only due to the stubborn nature of the mind that it refuses to move towards the God, if it is finding joy in the outside world. In fact "Mind" is very powerful one & to control it, is just like keeping in control a raging bull. It just wanders like the wind, here & there & it takes enough of self discipline & practice of meditation to control it. In Bhagwat Gita, nature of mind is beautifully described which is there in below verses:

As per "Arjuna" to "Lord Sri Krishna" in Bhagwat Gita Chapter Six verse 34:

"chanchalam hi manah krishna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva su-duskaram" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 34)

"Arjuna said: For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, to control it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind."

"sri-bhagavan uvacha
asamsayam maha-baho
mano durnigraham chalam
abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena cha grhyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 35)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: O mighty-armed Arjuna, it is undoubtedly that mind is very difficult to curb & is restless, but it is possible by suitable practices of meditation and by detachment to control it."

So, if we want to have some devotion in God & want "Peace of Mind", then we need to change the direction of our "Mind", from this world to the God sitting in our heart. Unless our "Mind" stops wandering in this world, it shall not find peace. Our Soul is the centre in our heart & unless our "Mind" turns toward that centre, it shall not find peace. Our "Mind" shall not find peace & joy, if it moves away from the "Soul center" in our heart & moves in the outside world. So if you want to find the joy, bliss & peace in your life, just turn your mind inwards towards the God, who is sitting in your heart invisibly. It is the promise of the God in Bhagwat Gita that He shall welcome anyone who shall come to Him & He shall always protect that person. So let's change the direction of our mind from the outside world to the God. As per the below verse, if we shall do so, then we shall reach the God & shall enjoy the Bliss, Peace, Joy & Eternal Love with Him.

God, Lord Sri Krishna says to Arjuna in Bhagwat Gita:

"Be aware of me always, adore me, make every act an offering to me, and you shall come to me; this I (Krishna) promise to you, for you are dear to me.
(Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65)

"Whosoever, always & constantly remembers Me with undivided mind; by that person, I am easy to obtain, O Arjuna, because of his constant engagement in the devotional service to Me" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eight verse 14)

Mind & the Ripple Effect

In your day to day life we are faced with problems & this makes our mind disturbed. Our natural peace of mind is gone at that time. Whenever our mind becomes disturbed & agitated, we should introspect & see why it is happening so. As we never enjoy our life if our mind is disturbed, so we should analyze & see how we can improve upon it in future & avoid our mind becoming agitated.

Below is a story in which a Master is telling his Disciple how to keep his mind cool & how to introspect when his mind is disturbed. This story shall also give you a lesson, how you can too avoid, being agitated in your mind & be always peaceful:

Once there was a Master in whose hermitage many disciples used to live. Once in the morning when the Master was going for a walk, he saw one of his disciple sad & in a troubled state of mind. Master approached him & asked, "O Dear, On such a beautiful day, it must be difficult to stay so serious."

Disciple: Yeah, it is so but I am unable to comprehend why my mind is so disturbed & agitated. Watching intently, the Master continued to walk.

"Join me if you like."The Master walked to the edge of a still pond, framed by tall dense trees.

"Please sit down," the Master invited, patting the ground next to him. Looking carefully before sitting, the Disciple brushed the ground to clear a space for himself.

"Now, find a small stone, please," the Master instructed.

Disciple: "What?"

Master: "A stone. Please find a small stone and throw it in the pond."

Searching around him, the Disciple grabbed a pebble and threw it as far as he could.

"Tell me what you see," the Master instructed.

Straining his eyes to not miss a single detail, the Disciple looked at the water's surface.

Disciple: "I see ripples."

Master: "Where did the ripples come from?"

Disciple: "From the pebble I threw in the pond, Master."

"Please reach your hand into the water and stop the ripples," the Master asked.

Not understanding, the Disciple stuck his hand in the water as a ripple neared, only to cause more ripples. The Disciple was now completely baffled. Where was this going? Had he made a mistake in seeking out the Master? Puzzled, the Disciple waited.

"Were you able to stop the ripples with your hands?" the Master asked.

Disciple: "No, of course not."

Master: "Could you have stopped the ripples, then?"

Disciple: "No, Master. I told you I only caused more ripples."

"What if you had stopped the pebble from entering the water to begin with?" The Master smiled such a beautiful smile; the Disciple could not be upset.

"Next time you are unhappy with your life, catch the stone before it hits the water. Do not spend time trying to undo what you have done. Rather, change what you are going to do before you do it." The Master looked kindly upon the Disciple.

Disciple: "But Master, how will I know what I am going to do before I do it?"

Master: "Take the responsibility for living your own life. If you're working with a doctor to treat an illness, then ask the doctor to help you understand what caused the illness. Do not just treat the ripples. Keep asking questions." The Disciple stopped, his mind reeling.

Disciple: "But I hoped you to ask you for answers. Are you saying that I know the answers?"

Master: "You may not know the answers right now, but if you ask the right questions to yourself, introspect what caused the ripples & made your mind agitated & disturbed, then you shall discover the answers."

Now here is my suggestion on how you should behave in your daily day to day life. Just follow the below two verses of Bhagwat Gita which teaches, how a person of peaceful, unwavering and undisturbed mind behaves in life:

"sama-duhkha-sukhah sva-sthah
sama-lostasma-kanchanah
tulya-priyapriyo dhiras
tulya-nindatma-samstutih" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 24)

Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: One who is situated in the Self (soul) and behaves same during happiness and distress; one who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; one who is equal toward the desirable and the undesirable; one who is situated equally well in praise and blame is the one who is of steady mind.

"manapamanayos tulyas
tulyo mitrari-pakshayoh
sarvarambha-parityagi
gunatitah sa ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 25)

Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: One who is steady in honor and dishonor; one who treats alike both friend and enemy; and who has renounced all material activities—such a person is said to have transcended the three modes of nature & lives in a peaceful state of mind.

Problems In Life

Problems, we all have problems in our life. Everyday we encounter problems at work, problems at home, problems in our relations & also in many other situations of our life. Some problems we are able to solve, some unresolved ones remain in our mind which keep our mind disturbed & agitated.

Natural state of our mind should be a peaceful one. It is generally said that we see this world through our mind, if our mind is peaceful; we see this world in a good way & enjoys the beauties of nature & love being born to enjoy this life. But if our mind remains in a disturbed, agitated state of mind, we may miss the simple beauty of a flower in our nearby place also. We shall never enjoy our life if our mind remains in a disturbed state of mind.

Now what should be our attitude when our mind is disturbed by problems of life. Let us understand a very simple thing regarding the law of Nature. In this Nature, everything that is there, is there for a limited time period. Say, every creature that is born in Nature lives for a limited time period & then die with time. Similarly plants grow from seeds & after a particular life cycle cease to exist. When you see a movie, it starts & ends after few hours i.e. it has a beginning & an end. In nature everything changes & change is the law of nature. Seasons too change, spring goes then summer comes, summer goes then autumn comes, autumn goes then winter comes. Similarly times in our lives change as per the law of the nature.

Same is the case with the problems in our life. There is nothing called permanent problems. No problems last forever in our life & these get resolved with time just like seasons change in nature. Problems too have a birth date & a death date. Problems too have a limited duration of lifetime. Either problems automatically get resolved with time or with your understanding & acumen gets resolved very soon. So we should not get discouraged in life with problems. We should have faith in our mind that problems always have a solution. Try resolving the problem, if you are able to solve the problem then it is well, otherwise do not get discouraged, as it shall die down it's own death with time as no problem is to stay in our life for ever.

Now below are few verses from Bhagwat Gita which teaches how a person of peaceful, unwavering and undisturbed mind behaves in life:

"sama-duhkha-sukhah sva-sthah
sama-lostasma-kanchanah
tulya-priyapriyo dhiras
tulya-nindatma-samstutih" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 24)

Sri Krishna said: One who is situated in the Self (soul) and behaves same during happiness and distress; one who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; one who is equal toward the desirable and the undesirable; one who is situated equally well in praise and blame is the one who is of steady mind.

"manapamanayos tulyas
tulyo mitrari-pakshayoh
sarvarambha-parityagi
gunatitah sa ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 25)

Sri Krishna said: One who is steady in honor and dishonor; one who treats alike both friend and enemy; and who has renounced all material activities—such a person is said to have transcended the three modes of nature & lives in a peaceful state of mind.

So do not get discouraged in life with the problems. Keep your mind peaceful & think that problems in life are like small hurdles when we walk in a rough terrain but sooner that rough terrain passes with time & we come once again in a smooth terrain. Just be unwavering and undisturbed in all circumstances, keep your mind in control & then you shall overcome all problems of your life.

Boundaries of Mind

Once a frog used to live in a well. He was born in the well & his whole life was spent only in the well. He had never seen the world outside the well, as the well was so deep that he was never able to come out of that well. Boundary of that well was his world. Once another frog from the sea accidentally fell into that well. On seeing a stranger in his well, frog of the well asked the frog of the sea:

Where from have you come from? Frog of the sea told that he has come from the sea or ocean which is very big. How big? asked the well-frog. Sea-frog said that it is so big that I cannot tell you. On hearing this well-frog jumped two steps in the well & asked whether sea is that much big. At this, sea-frog laughed loudly & told, no no, sea is very very big. Again the well-frog was puzzled & again jumped bigger steps in the well & asked whether sea is that much big. At this, once again the sea-frog laughed very loudly & told, no no, sea is very very big, it is so vast & big that I can't explain it to you in words. Now well-frog was unable to comprehend what the sea-frog was talking about. For the well-frog, his world was limited to that well only & so was his mind conditioned to that thinking that there is no world outside that well & nothing can be bigger than that well.

Same is applicable with human mind also. Now you just tell me, how big is this space in which so many stars & universes are there. Now if your mind thinks of a certain figure of distance & number of stars, then your mind is limiting itself to a certain boundary. But this vast existence is beyond the boundaries because beyond the boundary, again starts another sky which is limitless & is having so many stars & universes. So in the flight of the mind skies upon skies are there in this vast space.

"Sitaron Ke Aagey Jahan Aur Bhi Hain"

There are more & more Worlds beyond these Stars.

In fact this whole vast creation is limitless & infinite. It is beyond the conception & boundaries of human mind. As per the Bhagwat Gita, this whole universe, in which Supersoul or Brahmn resides is Limitless (Anant). This whole vastness of this universe or space cannot be comprehended by the limited human mind. Human mind always thinks within the boundaries. This limited thinking of human mind limits itself to think about the true vastness of one's own true self, which is unlimited in potential. One can always attain much more in life than what his/her limited mind thinks of attaining. So do not be content easily in life & always strive to achieve more & more in life. You are capable of doing & achieving much more in life than what your limited mind can imagine. Those who remain content easily in life always remain small in life; small are their joys, small are their happiness, small is their being. If you are one among such content people then this smallness is your own imposition upon your unlimited possibilities, upon your freedom, upon your unlimited potential.