Understanding Pain & Suffering In Life

In our life we all suffer Pain at some point of time in our life. Pain, whether physical or mental is the most unwanted thing & is always avoided by all of us. But still it is a fact that pain is as much a part of our life as joy is in our life. In joy we feel so happy that we always forget the reason why we are having this joy but when we are in pain, we certainly try to analyze why we are having this pain. When you suffer from some physical illness then you try to think why it is there. You consult your doctor & ask him to get rid of you of this pain.

But have you ever wondered, why this pain first of all occurs in our body? Pain in your body is just the "Effect" in "Cause & Effect" cycle of this nature. As Pain is the "Effect" then what is the "Cause" of this pain.

As per Bhagwat Gita, "Cause and Effect" of this material world are due to 3 qualities of Nature only & those are "Sattva, Rajas & Tamas". Due to these three qualities of Nature only our body is born. Due to individual being doing Karmas (Good & Bad), one enjoys Joy & also suffer Pain in this life. In effect Nature is of dual characteristics & "Good & Bad", "Joy & Pain" etc. are both due to dual characteristics of this nature. The living entity in material nature enjoys the three modes of nature & it is due to his association with that material nature only that he meets with good and evil consequences in his/her lifetime. Now here below are the Bhagwat Gita verses which details about the three modes of nature and how an individual gets involved with these three modes of nature & enjoys happiness & suffers pain. Basically it explains Cause and Effect in Nature.

In Bhagwat Gita Lord Sri Krishna says to Arjuna :

"Material nature consists of three modes—Goodness, Passion and Ignorance (Sattva, Rajas & Tamas). When an individual living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes conditioned by these three modes." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 5)

"The mode of Goodness, being purer than the other two, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 6)

"The mode of Passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, and because of this, the embodied living entity is bound to material fruit producing actions." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 7)

"Know that the mode of Darkness, born of ignorance, is the delusion of all embodied living entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 8)

"The mode of Goodness conditions one to happiness; Passion conditions one to fruit producing action & pain; and Ignorance, covering one’s knowledge, binds one to madness." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 9)
Now you have to see that in which of the above said modes of nature you are established. If you are doing good Karmas, helping others, living a pure life, having devotion to God, doing acts of sacrifice, charity etc. then you are living a Sattvic life & it frees one from all sinful reactions & gives a life of happiness.

If you live a passionate (Rajasic) life, addicted to sensuous pleasures of life then it shall give pain in life (physical & mental later on). Though sensuous pleasures look good at the time of it's enjoyment but ultimately it's consequence is pain only & it leads one to all painful reactions .

That happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar at first but gives pain at the end is said to be of the nature of passion. - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 38)

If you lead a lazy life, enjoys happiness in sleep, indolence etc. & are egoistic, avoid doing your duty; then you are living in delusion. All this arises of the nature of ignorance & in this case you are leading a Tamasic life. Such a life gives pain only always & lead one to utter delusion before & after.

So its all, what type of life you live & what type of Karmas you do. Sattvic life shall lead you to happiness only while Rajasic life shall lead you to Pain & Suffering while Tamasic life shall lead you to utter delusion & shall ruin your life. Choice is yours, which type of life you want to live.

Jai Sri Krishna

Why this Pain in Life???

"Joy & Pain", "Good & Bad", "Attachment & Detachment" etc. are dual characteristics of Nature or Maya. Individual soul or "Soul" is beyond this dual Nature & is of the nature of Bliss. But when this "Soul" gets involved with Nature or Maya, then it experiences dual fruits of Nature like Joy & Pain. In this world when we get involved with material things or people around us then attachment to those things or people happen. It seems to give us joy, happiness when we are with these things or people. But as Nature is of dual characteristics so these very things or people give us equal amount of pain in life when these are not with us or are gone away from our life. It is as simple as that involvement gives joy while separation gives pain in life but both are two aspects of the same coin.

That is the reason that saints ask us not to get attached with the things or people of this world. Even if we have to remain with these things or people in the world then just remain like a drop of water on a Lotus flower, where though it is there on it but it is not attached or touched by it. Basically the nature of our mind is so that it gets attached to some object, place or person badly. In such a state our mind is swayed by the emotions & we always think of that object, place or person & without it, our life seems impossible. So in all such cases if our mind is attached to them greatly then great shall be the pain to the mind during separation from them. Same applies to other material things like your home, car, money etc. So if our mind is attached to these things greatly, so great shall be the pain to our mind during its separation.

As per the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddhism), craving for worldly things is said to be the cause of all suffering that one experiences in human existence. The extinction of this craving leads one to ultimate happiness, or Nirvana. Nirvana means "cessation", "extinction" of suffering. It is also known as "Awakening" or "Enlightenment". As per the teachings of Gautama Buddha, suffering is an inevitable part of life as we know it & the cause of this suffering is attachment to, or craving for worldly pleasures of all kinds. The suffering ends when the craving and desire ends, or one is freed from all desires.

In this world we are getting deluded by the delusive energy of God called Maya. She puts our minds through the pains and sufferings of life & we all our life feel these regularly. Our mind is always full of worries, anxieties, pains of day to day life, diseases and mental sufferings. Sometimes that delusive energy of God called Maya removes a little pain from our life & gives us a small happiness & pleasure. We at that time feel that we have got fully rid of all the problems & miseries of the life & we again rush with more vigor towards the jungle called life. We forget that all those miseries & pains of life are still there & if we do not find the true answer to get rid of all these sufferings then we shall always feel the same way all through life & shall get reborn again to live a life of pain & sufferings. To get rid of all these pains & sufferings permanently, is to know your true self which is your Soul & Supersoul (God). Once you know your Soul & Supersoul (God) then all the miseries of life shall go away from your life.

In Bhagwat Gita Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna that if a person's mind is unattached internally to worldly things then that person lives in this world just like a water drop living on a lotus leaf, which is there on it but is still not attached to it.

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

"Sri Krishna said: One who performs his duty without any Attachment, surrendering all the results unto the God, is unaffected by sinful action, as the Lotus leaf is untouched by water."

Below is a story regarding a monk who lived a life of detachment in this world:

"Two monks were returning to the monastery in the evening. It had rained and there were puddles of water on the road sides. At one place a beautiful young woman was standing unable to walk across because of a puddle of water. The elder of the two monks went up to a her lifted her in his alms and left her on the other side of the road, and continued his way to the monastery.

In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said, "Sir, as monks, we cannot touch a woman?"

The elder monk answered "yes, brother".

Then the younger monk asks again, "but then Sir, how is that you lifted that woman on the roadside?"

The elder monk smiled at him and told him "I left her on the other side of the road, but you are still carrying her."

So remain in this world like the one who is not attached to the things & beings of this world. Don't say to yourselves, 'I have money, home, I have a son, I have a daughter, I have numbers of men and maids for my service, I have precious gold etc; do not cling to these things with craving and desire. Simply do not get attached to anything very much that you cannot leave it. Again, just live your life like a water drop living on a lotus leaf, which is there on it but is still not attached to it.

Jai Sri Krishna

How to get rid of Pain & Suffering

If you want to get rid of "Pain & Suffering" from your life then here below is a small story which shall show you the way to it :

"In the olden times a businessman had to cross a jungle. That man took a donkey to carry his baggage & heavy luggage. He put all his baggage on to the donkey's back; and also loaded an empty tin container on donkey's back. The donkey was burying under the heavy load and stopped moving forward. The businessman now removed that empty tin container from the donkey's back and threw it away. On seeing this the donkey felt mentally relived & felt that the load on his back had been greatly reduced and started moving through the jungle without having any further regret. That poor donkey was happy with the false feeling that load has been reduced from his back while he was carrying all that load."

In this world we too are getting deluded similarly by the delusive energy of God called Maya. She puts our minds through the pains and sufferings of life & we all our life feel these regularly. Our mind is always full of worries, anxieties, pains of day to day life, diseases and mental sufferings. Sometimes that delusive energy of God called Maya removes a little pain from our life & gives us a small happiness & pleasure. We at that time feel that we have got fully rid of all the problems & miseries of the life & we again rush with more vigor towards the jungle called life. We forget that all those miseries & pains of life are still there & if we do not find the true answer to get rid of all these sufferings then we shall always feel the same way all through life & shall get reborn again to live a life of pain & sufferings. To get rid of all these pains & sufferings permanently, is to know your true self which is your Soul & Supersoul (God). Once you know your Soul & Supersoul (God) then all the miseries of life shall go away from your life.

In "Bhagwat Gita", Lord Krishna Says that if a person is devoted to God only then God rescues that person from all the miseries of life. Lord says:

"ye tu sarvani karmani
mayi sannyasya mat-parah
ananyenaiva yogena
mam dhyayanta upasate"

"tesam aham samuddharta
mrityu-samsara-sagarat
bhavami na cirat partha
mayy avesita-cetasam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 6-7)

'Those people, who worship Me by surrendering all their activities unto Me, are always devoted to Me, always meditate upon Me, Having always fixing their minds upon Me, O Parth - to them, I swiftly rescue from the miseries of life & also from the cycle of birth and death i.e always protect that devotee.'

So let's move towards God & always worship Him. By doing this He shall take away all the sufferings & miseries from your life & shall show you the true light.

Jai Sri Krishna

Tamas or TamoGun

"It is chilling cold night. You are cozily lying in your bed inside your quilt. Your room heater is also on to beat the cold. You fall asleep in such a cozy environment. You have a nice deep sleep. Morning dawn has occurred still you are deep asleep. Sleep in such a cozy environment is making you lazy. You do not want to come out of your bed as outside you shall feel cold again. Sun has risen & it's your time to start your daily chorus but your laziness is not allowing you to do anything. You want to enjoy your sleep only in your cozy quilt. You ignore your call for your daily duty also. Your laziness has taken over your call to daily routine duty. Lo, today you have decided not to do anything & ignore your duty. You go back to sleep in your cozy bed."

The above said stanza clearly states that if you are inclined to laziness, inertia, do not do your daily duty & just becomes careless about your life, then you are falling a pray to "Tamas" or "TamoGun". A person falls a pray to "TamoGun" due to his/her ignorance & delusion only which causes indolence, laziness and sleep.

Bhagwat Gita illustrates the "Tamas" or "TamoGun" very clearly & beautifully. As per Bhagwat Gita this Material nature consists of three modes i.e. Sattva, Rajas & Tamas. Out of the three modes of Nature, "Tamas" or "Tamo Gunn" is the one which is responsible for ignorance, delusion, indolence, laziness and sleep. We should not fall a pray to this "TamoGun". We should do our daily duty, coming out of this laziness and sleep, which are born of ignorance. Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita which explains about the qualities of this "TamoGun".

"sattvam rajas tama iti
Gunnah prakriti-sambhavah
nibadhnanti maha-baho
dehe dehinam avyayam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 5)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Material nature consists of three modes—Sattva (goodness), Rajas (passion) and Tamas (ignorance). When the eternal living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes conditioned by these three modes."

"tamas tv ajnana-jam viddhi
mohanam sarva-dehinam
pramadalasya-nidrabhis
tan nibadhnati bharata" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 8)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, know that "Tamas"- the mode of darkness, born of ignorance, creates delusion in all embodied living entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul."

"aprakaso ’pravrttis cha
pramado moha eva cha
tamasy etani jayante
vivrddhe kuru-nandana" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 13)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, When there is an increase in "Tamas"- the mode of ignorance, then darkness, inertia, madness and illusion are manifested."

"karmanah sukritasyahuh
sattvikam nirmalam phalam
rajasas tu phalam duhkham
ajnanam tamasah phalam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 16)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, The result of pious action is pure and is said to be in the mode of goodness. But action done in the mode of passion results in misery, and action performed in "Tamas"- the mode of ignorance results in foolishness."

"rajas tamas chabhibhuya
sattvam bhavati bharata
rajah sattvam tamas chaiva
tamah sattvam rajas tatha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 10)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Sometimes the mode of goodness becomes prominent, defeating the modes of passion and ignorance. Sometimes the mode of passion defeats goodness and ignorance, and at other times "Tamas"/Ignorance defeats goodness and passion. In this way there is always competition for supremacy."

Pl. note that all those people who have a destructive way of life, like those terrorists who struck in Mumbai, killing people mercilessly, were in fact under the influence of "Tamas" or "TamoGun", as their mind & intellect were covered with ignorance due to Tamasic nature. Hence their perverted mind thought that killing the innocent people was their duty, while they were doing demonical work only by doing such killings.

In fact "TamoGun" engulfs one's mind & intellect with the darkness of ignorance & makes a person believe that, whatever, wrong he/she is doing is right, while it is their perverted thinking only which make them do wrong only, the consequence of which shall be misery only in future. So we should not fall a pray to Tamasic nature & should not do devilish acts which lead one's soul to degradation only. To read more about the qualities of people of 'Demoniac Nature' who are under the influence of "TamoGun", read my earlier Blog Post here.......................Qualities of People of 'Demoniac Nature'.

Pain & Suffering

Pain, whether physical or mental is the most unwanted thing & is always avoided by any human being. But still it is a fact of our life that it is as much a part of our life as its joy in our life. In joy we feel so happy that we always forget why we are having this joy but when we are in pain, we certainly try to analyze why we are having pain. Say you are suffering from some physical illness & during that illness first of all you try to think why it is there & then you consult your doctor why it is there & ask your doctor to get rid of you of this pain.

But have you ever wondered, why this pain first of all occurs in our body? Pain in your body is just the "Effect" in "Cause & Effect" cycle of this nature. As Pain is the "Effect" then what is the "Cause" of this pain.

As per Bhagwat Gita, "Cause and Effect" of this material world are due to 3 qualities of Nature only & those are "Sattva, Rajas & Tamas". Due to these three qualities of Nature only our body is born. Due to individual being doing Karmas (Good & Bad), one enjoys Joy & also suffer Pain in this life. In effect Nature is of dual characteristics & "Good & Bad", "Joy & Pain" etc. are both due to dual characteristics of this nature. The living entity in material nature enjoys the three modes of nature & it is due to his association with that material nature only that he meets with good and evil consequences in his/her lifetime. Now here below are the Bhagwat Gita verses which details about the three modes of nature and how an individual gets involved with these three modes of nature & enjoys happiness & suffers pain. Basically it explains Cause and Effect in Nature.

In Bhagwat Gita Lord Sri Krishna says to Arjuna :

"Material nature consists of three modes—Goodness, Passion and Ignorance (Sattva, Rajas & Tamas). When an individual living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes conditioned by these three modes." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 5)

"The mode of Goodness, being purer than the other two, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 6)

"The mode of Passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, and because of this, the embodied living entity is bound to material fruit producing actions." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 7)

"Know that the mode of Darkness, born of ignorance, is the delusion of all embodied living entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 8)

"The mode of Goodness conditions one to happiness; Passion conditions one to fruit producing action & pain; and Ignorance, covering one’s knowledge, binds one to madness." - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 9)

Now you have to see that in which of the above said modes of nature you are established. If you are doing good Karmas, helping others, living a pure life, having devotion to God, doing acts of sacrifice, charity etc. then you are living a Sattvic life & it frees one from all sinful reactions & gives a life of happiness.

If you live a passionate (Rajasic) life, addicted to sensuous pleasures of life then it shall give pain in life (physical & mental later on). Though sensuous pleasures look good at the time of it's enjoyment but ultimately it's consequence is pain only & it leads one to all painful reactions .
That happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar at first but gives pain at the end is said to be of the nature of passion. - (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 38)

If you lead a lazy life, enjoys happiness in sleep, indolence etc. & are egoistic, avoid doing your duty; then you are living in delusion. All this arises of the nature of ignorance & in this case you are leading a Tamasic life. Such a life gives pain only always & lead one to utter delusion before & after.

So its all, what type of life you live & what type of Karmas you do. Sattvic life shall lead you to happiness only while Rajasic life shall lead you to Pain & Suffering while Tamasic life shall lead you to utter delusion & shall ruin your life. Choice is yours, which type of life you want to live.

Scientists say 'Faith in God can relieve pain'

God is a matter of faith & we all know that having faith in some supernatural, all powerful being called God helps all of us in matters of trouble. Even when our mind is agitated due to some reason or the other then a little prayer to God soothes our mind & helps us to come out of any trouble. Just listening to devotional music also soothes our mind. Not only that, devotees who have strong faith in God claim that due to their faith in God they have been rescued in life of all the miserable happenings. It is also confirmed in Bhagwat Gita by God himself that He protects his devotees always.

So now in our age when tension is so prevalent in one's life & mind is restless, let's pray a little in life daily so that we can have peaceful life.

Now even Scientists are saying that 'Faith in God can relieve pain'. So let's have deep faith in God & let's pray to Him regularly.

Here is another Blog post which tells us how to be Calm like an Ocean.