Friday, January 22, 2010

Even An insult should be endured for the love of God.

A young couple had newly received initiation (अनुग्रह). Both of them visited Gondavale. The girl was young and educated. When she went to the kitchen to render some service there, someone insulted her in harsh words for disregarding practices prescribed for cleanliness and sacredness. The insult cut her to the quick. She told her husband that in her state of mind, she did not feel at ease here, and pleaded that they should return home. The husband felt that such an opportunity for Namasmarana did not arise often, so she should not take to heart whatever had happened. Still she stubbornly held that they should return home. So the couple approached Sri Maharaj. Sri Maharaj suddenly said, on his own, "Formerly, joint families were quite common. A bride entering her husband's home used to have many relatives around her, such as parents-in-law, the husband's elder brothers,their wives, and a couple of sisters of her husband. It used to be common in such families to harp at the bide for an imagined fault of hers. If in such an instance, the wife of an elder brother, say, speaks to girl some deprecating words, which hurt her, and she decides to leave her husband's home to return to her parents'home, how well-advised would her decision be?" The girl said, "It would be proper to bear such remarks quietly in order to earn the love of her husband." On which Shri Maharaj said,"So,too, if one wishes to earn the love of God -- and that is one's purpose in coming here-- it is proper for one not to take to heart whatever has happened."  The girl was completely set at ease by the words of Shri Maharaj, and she dropped the plan to return home forthwith.