[This issue also is privileged to have the Editorial from Prof. M. Sivramkrishna, who acceded to my request. I thank him on behalf of Mother of All T. S. Sastry]
One of the most difficult things in life is to bear the causes of sorrow. It could be, mostly sickness and disease, and family problems like marriage; its success or failure. The logic is we are doing everything: Pooja, Prayers, darshans of sages etc., and yet why should all these happen to us; specially those of us who are devout and seem to have surrendered to Mother. The whole issue, in the words of a devotee, is: “I have developed the habit of chanting your name, Even then, there is no lessening of our difficulties”.
What does Mother say? “The repetition of the name is only to develop patience. Not that problems will disappear. Difficulties are not meant to vanish. If not for this difficulty, there could be another.” Do we listen to this? Generally we don’t; for the simple reason that we come with the convictive that problems and difficulties are unnatural in our lives. That they should be gotten rid of. If Nature is perfectly orderly because it is the creation of Mother, then how can she create pain, sorrow, ill health etc.? Therefore, let us get rid of them; and, ironically, ask the one who created it to destroy it..
Then, in the same context, comes the question of ill health. “For our satisfaction, please tell me something, Mother. Save me from this ill health. If we are at least healthy….” says the visitor. And what does Mother say? “I was talking to a doctor before coming here. I came here after taking medicine. It may lessen for you, but I continue to use medicines.” We ask to be nursed back to health. But we may not take medicines; we appeal to Mother to give quick relief. Isn’t it strange that we forget that medicine also is one of Nature’s avenues to help? It is, simply, Mother’s creation. Then why don’t we take it, Instead of asking Mother? Strange indeed, is this situation.
Then comes another problem: about the health of the visitor’s child; a child born a bit late, we guess. Then what does Mother say? “All these may appear like great difficulties. But they have different reasons.” In short, nothing negative can happen without reason. That is, we live in the perfectly rational world of Mother. So, negatives have a role to play – in this incident, the child’s and her — own illness make for the sense of despair, a near cousin of detachment (Virakti is the word).
We come back to what looks like an impossible situation. But does Mother leave any child in such a situation? “After you fully place the burden on me, nothing remains. All the burden is mine!” assures Mother. But do we have the tendency to take it back?