Guru Chisels Away

For the last few years I have had pain in this physical body just about everyday. Understanding pain is hard as it’s hard to tell what’s going on, especially when there is no medical consensus. Despite that I have been chasing it for a long time.

I have long realized that these aches and pains are likely karmic results, but I still continued chasing to find out the WHY behind the pain. It has been a long journey to say the least. When one surrenders to Guru and his teachings then these karmic reactions are in his hands. He can give us those reactions that make us better devotees and he can take away those that do not serve any purpose. I am pleased that Guru is chiseling away and making me a better surrendered devotee, to him and to the Lord.

With each piercing pain, when there are no solutions, you slowly but surely get detached from this physical body. I can see that in my own life. Not that I am fully detached, but I can see that happening. You can sense that the soul is separate from all this.

One other benefit of pain I see is that mentally it makes one strong to tolerate any onslaught. Resilience comes from tolerance. One becomes tougher in their mindset to overcome any difficulties they may face.

In pain, one tends to surrender and remember the Lord more and more. At first one desperately prays to Guru and Gauranga for relief, but as we mature in our devotional life, one feels grateful for the insights the pain brings. One can realize and feel humble about the pain they may have inflicted on others in this life or some previous life, for which this pain is coming now. As each karma passes in our life, it’s one less karma to deal with in the future. Great saints welcome pain and difficulties in their lives.

Ultimately, its the ‘ feel good’ principle. My body wants to feel good and feel no pain. The pleasure principle is that, we always are seeking the feel good feeling. Through our senses and our mind we run for that feeling. Guru is trying to teach us that nothing in this material world can appease that want, as there is nothing here that can make you feel good. He has kindly reminded us of our relationship with the Lord. The relationship already exists there is no need to develop that. We just have to shift our consciousness to that and awaken that relationship.

One can see guru’s hand in all of this. I had asked Gurudev a few years ago, “when will this tongue come under control” ? We eat nonsense and speak nonsense. His reply was “ you have just started taking the medicine, it will take some time” and he smiled. He meant I had just taken initiation from him and that is the medicine that will cure me of this material dis-ease. The dis-ease that I feel with the pain I have, will be cured. When? Soon, by Gurudev’s mercy. Our heart is hard like stone so it is taking a long time to chisel away.

Guru is chiseling away bit by bit so we can become presentable with good qualities of a devotee when he presents us to Sri Sri Radhe Shyam. Then we will experience that bliss, that ananda, which is waiting for us on the other side. With a dirty heart and mind we cannot serve the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radhe Shyam.