Amma knows many of her children are very sad and they are going through a lot of challenges in their day-to-day life. Some of them might have lost their job. Some of them are going through health issues. There are people who are unable to participate in the weddings and other functions of their near and dear ones.
Some others are unable to attend funerals of their near and dear ones. But we should never lose our inner strength. We should maintain our faith, and we should never loosen our grip on the lotus feet of the divine.
To inspire her children, Amma shared an anecdote. When mountaineers climb a mountain, they tie a lifeline to their waist, which is then fastened to the mountain. If they slip, the lifeline won’t let them fall. Similarly, if we fasten our mind with the lifeline of devotion to God, no matter how many difficulties we face, we will be able to move forward in life without becoming mentally weak.
Though many situations in life are often not in our control, we can still plan how we will respond. Many times, it is our response that causes the most problems in life.Once a man was having breakfast with his son before going to work. While eating, the child became excited and accidentally knocked over the man’s coffee and it got on the man’s shirt.
The man became angry and shouted at his son. He went to change, but there wasn’t another ironed shirt that matched his pants. So, he shouted at his wife for her inattentiveness. She shouted back, and soon they were in a quarrel.
When the man went back downstairs, his son was still sitting in front of his breakfast, crying. The wife had already left for work in a rage. So, the father had to get his son ready for school. But by then, the school bus had already come and gone.
With no other option, he decided to drop the boy off on his way to work. As they were late, he drove fast. Soon the police stopped him, and he got a ticket. So, he was further delayed. They arrived at school late. The father was scolded by the teacher.
The man was supposed to reach his office by 10 am for an important meeting. He reached at 10:45. Some of the VIPs who had come for the meeting had become impatient and left. His boss was very angry and scolded him.
He was told to immediately come to the conference room with all the necessary documents. To his shock, the man realised that, in his haste, he had forgotten his briefcase. His boss was even further infuriated and fired him on the spot.
The man could have handled things very differently. He could have just said to his son, ‘It’s okay. From now on be more careful.’ Then none of this would have ever happened. This man had no control over the coffee getting spilled, but everything after that was a ramification of the way he had reacted to the spill.
This is how things happen in our life as well. The current situation the world is facing is not under our control. So, let us be strong and optimistic. To do this, we should focus on the Eternal. We should hold tightly to the feet of Paramatma. This steadfast faith and focus on the Paramatma can lift us beyond all kinds of limitations.
(The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian)