By Paramahamsa Hariharananda
So often it happens. When troubles come in life and we are unhappy, we remember and cry out to God. When we are content and satisfied, we easily forget God. So remember this, my soul: trouble is not for trouble, it is for God-realization. Whenever discomfort comes, it is a gift for your liberation.
You have two bodies: ham and sa. Ham is your gross body, filled with Delusion, Illusion and Error (D.I.E.). You look alive, but the body is only a lifeless garment without the soul. Your sa body is your soul. Because it is not seen, it is easily forgotten. Soul is not inert. It is what is keeping your body alive. So when you feel the dynamic vitality of the gross body, know that it is owing to the magnificent presence of the ever-living soul within.
Similarly, whatever you think is poison to you, can very well be the cure for your soul-forgetfulness. There are two paths described in the Katha Upanishad 1:2:1. The pleasant way is chosen by the fools. They are seeking immediate sense gratification and pursuing pleasures that end in unhappiness because of attachment. The good path is chosen by the wise. They voluntarily renounce sense enjoyment, which to ordinary people seems like death. This path will lead to the greatest happiness, to the sweetness of everlasting freedom.
There is a verse in the Chanakya Niti which says,
vit api am^tam gr'hyam
str ratna du kul't api ca
nic dapi uttama vidy
amedhy't api ca k'ncana
These words contain great wisdom,
Vit api am^tam gr'hyam: "Try to extract nectar even from poison". Roses, although surrounded by a thick and fierce barrage of sharp thorns, exude the most heart-melting fragrance and soothe the soul with beauty. Venom extracted from the mouth of deadly cobras is used to make a powerful snake-bite antidote. Vaccinations to prevent sickness and serious disease are performed by injecting some of the virus into a healthy body. Similarly, even a "bad" person can benefit others.
All people have positive and negative qualities. The thorns of the rose are like the negative qualities of a person. We do not despise the flower because of them.
Str ratna du kul't api ca: "Accept wife from low born family, if she is wise." Despite the caste system, in Indian history, there are many examples of sages mixing with ladies living outside society in the forests and giving birth to highly realized sons. Lord Brahma married an apsara (nymph) named Urvashi, who gave birth to Vasishtha the guru of Raja Dasharatha, the father of Shri Rama. Vasishtha married a very pious woman, Arundhati, and got a son Shakti. Shakti married a tribal woman and got Parashara, who became a renown seer. Parashara enjoyed sexually with a fisherman's daughter called Matsyagandha and got Veda Vyasa. Veda Vyasa became a renown sage of India. He married a tribal girl and got Shukadeva.
Nic'dapi uttama vidy: "Supreme knowledge should be grasped even from persons with low status." The intelligent person looks at the goal. If the goal is great, one should try every possibility to reach it, without any hesitation.
Amedhy't api ca k'ncana: "Take out the gem even if it is in filth." One is always willing to retrieve gold from any place, even if it has fallen in feces. You would not throw away the jewel simply because it is covered in mud. You would take it carefully and clean it because it is precious. The soul is invaluable. It is sometimes hidden within the mire of delusion, illusion, and error. But it is there and can shine with all radiance when the body and mind have been purified.
Note: Chanakya, also known as Kautilya, was the minister of the emperor Chandragupta, from the Mourya dynasty (about 300 years B.C.). He was a great diplomat and scholar whose book Arthashastra of Kautilya was an epoch-making book on diplomacy, politics and economy. His views on morality and ideal living is known as Chanakya Niti, which literally means "Principles of Chanakya".
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