WHY SUFFERING?

WHY SUFFERING?

Baba said, "The true remedy is, that the result of past actions has to be suffered and got over. Our Karma is the cause of our happiness and sorrow; therefore put up with whatever comes to you. Allah (God) is the sole Dispenser and Protector, always think of Him. He will take care of you. Surrender to His feet with body, mind, wealth and speech, i.e. completely and then see what He does" in Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. XXXIV.

With a few of his friends, Anjali sat out in the open, beneath the canopy of twinkling stars. He spoke to them of the love of God and of His mercies which endure from everlasting to everlasting.

"In all that happens," he said, "behold ye the Hand of God, the Ever Gracious Mother of us all. In suffering and defeat, as in joy and triumph, greet the Light of the Mother's mercy. Suffering, then, will cease to sting and victory will not make you vain."

A woman happened to pass by. Deep sorrow sat heavy upon her heart. She heard Anjali's words. She said to him, "It is easy for you to speak thus. The wound of suffering is known alone to those who, like me, suffer day after day. You talk of God and the Light of God's mercy. Alas! It is a dark world in which we live – a world where the wicked flourish and the righteous endure the agony of hell!"

Anjali looked up at her: in her arms she carried a baby. Anjali said to her, "Drop the baby upon the floor! Drop him!"

Taken aback, the woman exclaimed, "What a strange man you are! How shall I drop the baby upon the floor? He will be killed!"

"Will you do it for a thousand rupees?"

"Not for as many pieces of gold as there are stars in the skies above!" the woman answered.

"Are you sure you will not drop the baby even if you offered a kingdom?"

"Sure as the moon doth shine behind yon tree. I shall not drop him for anything. He is more precious to me than all the wealth of the world!" So saying, she hugged the baby to her bosom.

Then said Anjali, "Mother, do you think you love your children more than Lord loves His?"

The woman understood: it was as though a new realization dawned upon her. "If the Lord really loves us, why is there so much of suffering in the world?" she asked.

Anjali said, "Suffering has its place in the Divine Plan. When your child falls ill, you force him to swallow bitter medicine: you pay no heed of his cries and tears. Our souls are sick: God, the Divine Mother, sends us the bitter pills of suffering and pain. Do not run away from suffering. Do not seek to escape it: but accept it in the right spirit. It is an experience which will enrich your life and strengthen your soul. It will polish the mirror of your heart and, looking therein, you will behold the Beauteous Face of the Lord. Then you will know that there is a meaning of mercy in all that happens. For all is well, a hundred times well, both today and a thousand years hence. Do not ask God to remove suffering, but ask Him for the blessing which may make you His true child!"

Om Sai Sri Sai Jaya Jaya Sai