How illness helps us

 When I got sick recently, after many years, I wanted to be normal again.  Doing all same stuff I was doing. All the daily chores which used to tire me out.  God why can't I work like mad again.  Suddenly feeling tired and exhausted, after lots of work, looked much better than sitting and shivering in bed.  Can I again do all that stuff that I hated doing.

The immobile me wanted to be mobile as soon as possible. And that reminds me about my Mobile phone.  Who wanted to look at it. All those games and serials and social networking were not helping at all.  Nothing gave me comfort.  How can they.  They are my own self created miseries.  Extra workload. That can easily be done away with.  What a relief you get when you don't have to bother about any call for four days.  That's called freedom when you are free for only yourself and unavailable to the rest.

And food was most irritating part.  Suddenly I had developed strong aversion for all kind of sugar, salt, spice.  Biscuits tasted too sweet. Lays tasted too salty.  Awww all nauseated me.  All I wanted was simple plain water.  Simple basic food. No flavours.  I thought I was back to my original nature as a human being. My illness had reconnected me to my original true nature.  Technology has brought about varous savoury dishes but nothing beats simple home made food with minimum ingredients possible.   I could taste actual flavour of my food from whatever I could eat.

All types of food smell was nauseating but when husband got fresh tube roses and placed it in a vase on table, that was the sweetest smell.  I felt so refreshed and healing.  No wonder they used to bring flowers for sick in old days.  Now a days, its all together different story. People give and receive bouquets but who cares.  I wonder if bride and groom or their families even notice those bouquets they receive on the wedding day.  Now this is going off track.

Four days of confinement in home, in my bed with my and only my thoughts, in between those medicines induced sleep spells and in company of my severe body pain and burning head, I was only with myself.   I think I was enjoying my own company so much since now I could get a complete overview  of what all I had been doing. So much.  So much of everything.  So much eating, so much socialising, so much texting, so much Mobile and so much unnecessary work.  It was a good time to review and revise my prorities.   I was busy in doing things that were serving no purpose.  Wasting my time in stupid technical gadgets and social calls.    I had to cut it down drastically.  Shed that extra potato load and feel lighter.  And I had been thinking I wasn't doing anything worth while all these years.  Now I realise how wrong I had been.  We normally and casually judge ourselves in such negative manner.  Because all solutions are in us, provided we ask ourselves instead of running to phone and start seeking advice outside.  Check with the counsellor within. It has all solutions.

Honestly I am thankful as I recuperate my illness left me more wiser.   It connected myself to REAL me. So much so that it made me start writing once again.  I think I really needed this shake up.  What a relief it is to be able to do restart your life after this forced rest with fresh positive outlook.

Vandana Ritik Mulchandani

Noida

Importance of Pain

A soul takes birth to learn different lessons in each lifetime till it grasps the complete knowledge of its own origin, its being, the whole universe. Once the soul gets enlightened in this manner, it need not take birth again. If it so desires, it can stay in that other dimension (which we know as 4th Dimension) and from there try and help other souls on earth (3rd Dimension) to get out of this cycle after learning their lessons fast.

Undergoing pain is an important part of this whole learning process. Pain is said to be a real ‘eye opener’. It awakens us to inner/ hidden realities of human existence. Whether it is a physical, emotional or mental pain, all types of pain teach us very big lessons in any lifetime. Pain reminds us of our true purpose of taking human form i.e, to realize that we are soul and that we have strayed away from that Supreme Divine form thinking that HE is separate from us. A soul has to ultimately learn that ALL PLURALITY IS PART OF THAT SUPREME SINGULARITY. God is experiencing his creation through us. What our five senses perceive as separate entities is sheer illusion.

We do not realize this till we are enjoying life and are happy in our day to day life. We simply feel that being happy and sad is part and parcel of life. But there is a hidden learning behind every happening in our life which we do not realize or maybe we do not want to realize because we consider ourselves so learned that we feel that we know everything that is there to know about this world. Had that been the case, than all academically brilliant minds would have got enlightened and found our creator. It is said that to learn about Supreme we first have to de-learn our earthly knowledge because it is so very limited. But we are so very content with our existence and life that we do not care till something drastic happens in our life which is beyond our logical understanding.

When pain enters our life and we are unable to get over it despite our best efforts. We become helpless. Ultimately, we give up our EGO. This is the Starting Point. We pray for intervention of God. During that painful time, we start our search for that Supreme force firmly believing that someone, somewhere will take mercy on us and help us get over our pain. When the pain reaches its pinnacle and we start to pray seeking relief from our pain with utmost intensity, it reaches Universal power and and we start to feel the response in some way. Thus, we gain an understanding that there exists some ‘divine’ power which can be felt but cannot be seen or touched. We start our journey in search of that power which can cure us of our terrible pain. This quest for God is our first step towards achieving our life purpose - Self realization and God realization.

Unless we desire something, we will not strive to achieve it and God (Universal Divine Force) will not be able to help us if we do not seek HIM with firm belief in its existence. We realize that our persistent prayers of help have resulted in getting response from the GOD. Our life becomes livable. The pain either disappears or we stop feeling the effect of that pain anymore. We come to terms with our pain.

As we progress in our journey, we want to know more about God and crave to peep into HEAVEN to get HIS glimpse, to see HIS world. But where is God? Did God help you in easing your pain. Think. Wasn’t it your own feeling of helplessness, giving up of ego, belief in existence of universal power which cured your pain? Then where is God. God is not separate from you. God does not have a limited human form. The God – that UNIVERSAL DIVINE POWER – is within us.

It existed in form of energy in our soul before we took birth on this earth. IT will stay with us till we are alive. When all our lessons for this lifetime are learnt, it will be our time to leave. At that time our soul will discard the body and go back to that 4th Dimension till it decides to come back on earth to enjoy life again and to learn new lessons if we are yet to achieve the purpose of human birth. The PAIN makes us learn many of our lessons faster and hastens in achieving purpose of our human birth. That is why we say that when we lose, we gain.

But then why do we need to wait for Pain to make an appearance in our life for attaining the purpose of our life. Can’t we start this important journey when we are in a state of JOY.

The choice is entirely ours. We have to take that the first step. The rest will follow automatically because the entire source of divine knowledge is confined within us. When will we start to TAP on it?

Vandana Ritik
New Delhi.