As long as human beings keep faith in God and follow the path He shows, they will never find themselves helpless, says AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI

I do not need to remind anyone how challenging this material world is. Beginning with one’s stay in the mother’s womb, things are tough and one needs to apply oneself to stay afloat. We have to be realistic and act very sensibly.

Where do we begin? We must realise that we all are small entities. No matter how rich or powerful one may become, everyone is helpless in the ultimate sense. When one is born, it is natural that parents look for beautiful features in the child. Do we have any say in that? Same is true of the level of intelligence. Parents, whose children are intelligent, consider themselves very fortunate. Education over, one looks for professional opportunities. How many are able to gain the desired objective? Getting married presents a big challenge. Are you getting the right partner? The richest man has just divorced his wife of twenty five years.

Our challenges do not end with bad marriages; we get helplessly sick, sometimes terminally sick. Same is true of death. One of the richest men died recently despite the best medical facilities available to him. People lose their near and dear ones and can do nothing about it. I have not mentioned lack of resources due to which the majority of the people suffer. All in all, one is well and truly helpless.

But one does not have to be. Is it true? Can all the problems indicated so far be dealt with satisfactorily? Yes, read on and you will agree. The first problem mentioned can be avoided by qualifying for liberation. God has instructed in great detail how this can be achieved. Yes, it may take several births to qualify for this privilege but we can definitely gain it. As far as looks go, one can hope for good features in the next birth if one has been doing mostly pious deeds and has a desire for good looks. As far the present life is concerned, one can radiate charm by being a good person. People are attracted to such personalities.

Good intelligence presents a bigger challenge for the present life. Like good looks, sharp intelligence is how good persons are rewarded by God. This is great for the next birth but all is not lost even for the present life. Many persons manage to gain sufficient expertise in some field even though they are not very intelligent in the conventional sense. In God’s creation, there are always ways to overcome any deficiency. As regards professional opportunities, God takes a direct role if approached; He guides. And God, being omniscient knows exactly what will suit a particular person. Bad marriage does present a problem for the present life but God is not helpless; He helps in getting rid of a difficult partner through divorce if he or she cannot be reformed.

Diseases are not foreign to a material body but by eating proper foods, exercising adequately, sleeping sufficiently and having healthy entertainment, one can reduce one’s suffering (Gita). Those connected with God not only reduce their chances of getting stricken with painful diseases but they also get tolerance power from God, ensuring that one does not get too disturbed by the onset of a disease. The timing of death does present a challenge but devotees of God are not unduly perturbed because they are assured of excellent next births. And as stated by Sanjay in Gita, devotees of God are never short on resources.

It may appear difficult, but God has equipped us adequately to deal with all eventualities. He assures those connected with Him of an excellent future; we are never helpless really.

 Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com