WE HAVE COME TO REALIZE THAT LIFE IS INDEED A JOURNEY. Life is a journey towards Self-realization that is not easy to understand and sometimes difficult to endure. It is a journey that could be as bumpy or deceptively as smooth as it can be. Sometimes, there is not enough time to recover from one bump before a second bump hits you. The intervals between joy and sorrow are so short that there is no time to feel the pain or the pleasure. But in all that, Swami is with us, constantly guiding us like a steadfast friend. Such was our experience during our visit to India in 2010.
An Omen
Our daughter was about to get married, and so we embarked on a journey to India with the sole purpose of receiving blessings from her 91-year-old paternal grandmother. I arrived a little early to do some shopping and personally invited all the family members to the wedding. My husband and daughter were to join me a week after I arrived in India. A few days after my arrival, I was hit with the sad news of the sudden death of my sister-in-law’s husband. It was an unexpected but peaceful death for a 75-year-old healthy man who had just finished a game of tennis and returned home to rest. However, little did he or anyone else at that time realize that he was heading to his true home for eternal rest! I watched my sister-in-law brave the shock of the sudden loss of her life partner of 50 years. It amazed me that she was so composed and poised, and she handled herself with great dignity. She obviously had a better understanding of the true meaning of life, that we are made of the five elements that ultimately return to their native state.
Only with Swami’s grace can we remain balanced in all the joys and sorrows of our lives and be a Sthithaprajna (person with equanimity).
Blessings And Departures
My husband and daughter joined me a week later, and we visited my mother-in-law in Hyderabad to seek her blessings for the bride. She was amazingly healthy for a 91-year-old, with all mental faculties intact, with the only signs of age being her impaired vision and hearing. After receiving her blessings, the next morning, we flew from Hyderabad to Bangalore to head out to Puttaparthi and receive Swami’s blessings. Unfortunately, within minutes of our landing, we received the sad news that my mother-in-law had moved on to her final resting place. The news of her death was hard to absorb. We hadn’t the slightest clue that she would leave us so suddenly and without warning!
We wondered whether to return to Hyderabad or proceed as planned to seek Swami’s blessings for our daughter. She had a flight back to the United States from Bangalore, and my husband had a speaking engagement at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences that afternoon. With heavy hearts, we continued on our journey to see Swami. The mixed emotions were unbearable.
In His infinite grace and love, Swami accepted the Save-The-Date Card from my husband for the wedding. He started opening the card as His vehicle passed by in front of our daughter, who was seated wearing her bridal sari and anointed with haldi (turmeric) and kumkum (vermillion), ready for His blessings. She saw Him glance at her as He opened the card and blessed her with ‘Abhaya Hasta,’ the compassionate hand gesture of blessing and protection. Our daughter’s joy knew no bounds. Later that night, she left to go back to the USA, very happy and content. However, deep down, she was saddened by the loss of her beloved grandmother.
Intervals Between Pains
We flew back to Hyderabad and faced the challenge of breaking the news of the death of my mother-in-law to her 71-year-old son, who was on oxygen support at the hospital for a while. He had lived his entire life with his mother. It was Swami’s grace that the attending doctor did a marvelous job of informing him. He also permitted him to leave the hospital briefly in an ambulance to view his mother for one last time! But he could not perform the last rites, and that duty fell upon my husband, who performed them with a heavy heart.
Within a few days after returning to the USA, we received more sad news that my brother-in-law, too, had passed away! This was right in the middle of our preparations for the wedding. We rushed back to India to be with my brother-in-law’s family since he was very near and dear to my husband.
Having comforted the family, we returned to the USA to resume preparations for the marriage. That was when we met with a severe car accident. The accident was so bad that our car got totaled (rendering the car unusable). But Swami’s grace was such that we emerged unscathed. It was a true miracle. We had Swami’s pictures, CDs, tapes, and even vibhuti in the glove compartment. That is when we truly realized the meaning of Swami’s statement that pleasure is merely an interval between two pains.
The marriage of our daughter took place as planned. In His infinite grace, Swami surrounded us with loving friends who provided much help, family support, and teamwork. The divine hand played throughout the wedding, with all the intricate details of a traditional Telugu wedding carried out to the smallest detail. The stellar execution of the ceremony elicited compliments, such as “magical”, “superb”, and “dream wedding.” To our great joy, Swami sent His ambassadors, Prof. and & Mrs. Anil Kumar, to grace the wedding. Their presence was the icing on the cake for us. They lovingly played the role of the bride’s party and treated all our guests as gracious hosts. Swami’s blessings and guidance and His unseen hand in the events were self-evident!
The Journey continues...
Only with Swami’s grace can we remain balanced in all the joys and sorrows of our lives and be a Sthithaprajna (person with equanimity). We feel that He has been with us throughout. He has surrounded us with loving friends and family to help us remain calm and discharge our duties to the best of our abilities, and He will take care of the rest. We thank Swami for being with us through our bumpy ride and beyond. We realized that HE has been with us throughout our lives, in good times, hard times, sad times, and other times. We march forward with confidence for the rest of our lives, knowing well that He is always with us.
Mrs. C. Ashalata Ram was a registered pharmacist by profession. She was an SSE teacher at the Sri Sathya Sai Center of Dallas during its formative years. She was actively involved in the Center’s various activities to sustain and promote Swami’s mission for the betterment of humanity. She has a passion for community service and has served in several organizations as a volunteer to strengthen our culture and tradition.
References:
First published in Eternal Companion Vol. 3, Iss. 6
Pleasure is an interval between two pains. There cannot be happiness without difficulties. These difficulties are meant to give you happiness, and not to make you miserable with more sorrows. Hence, whatever comes to us, we should consider it as God’s gift and be happy. We should not consider that it has been given to us to make us suffer. Suppose you have pain in the stomach. What will the doctor do? If he performs an operation, it is not for causing pain to you. The pain that the doctor causes is to remove your suffering. Hence, one should bear difficulties and overcome his sorrows.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba, December 15, 2007