I called a friend recently and asked how she was doing. I knew she had been sick, in fact, she had been sick for a long time. So I wanted to check on her. She answered. Her voice sounded weak. She didn't sound good. She told me she was very ill and close to death.
In the course of the conversation, after asking her about her latest trip to the hospital and what the doctors had recommended, I also asked her what she was doing. Like right now. She said she was praying for someone else, someone who is sick. She was chanting the Nrsimha-kavaca for someone else. "What?" I asked. "You're praying for someone else?" "Yes," she replied, "I know what it's like to be very, very sick, and I don't want her to suffer like that so I am praying for her." Scenes from the passion of Christ flashed through my mind. Pages from books about saints who gave their lives for others flashed through my mind. I thought, This is selflessness. She could be praying for her own cure, but instead, she's praying to Lord Nrsimhadeva to heal the body of someone else!
When we're sick we ladies--especially we nuclear-family ladies--have a very difficult task to perform: we have to tolerate the discomforts of the disease while at the same time continuing to perform our sadhana and doing our duties the best we can. We have to remain Krsna conscious and at the same time keep our husband happy by remaining cheerful, even though we are suffering. How can we do such a difficult thing? One way is to offer our pain and discomfort to the Lord as a small sacrifice on behalf of someone else who is also suffering, to think of the welfare of others, to focus on how to bring about auspiciousness for other suffering souls instead of wasting time feeling sorry for ourselves. As my Mom used to say, "Offer it up."
My dear friend who is very sick is unable even to do her household duties. She can't even do her sadhana properly, what to speak of sweep and mop floors, cook and serve prasadam, wash, dry, fold, iron and put away laundry. She told me that all she can do is chant, and even that is a struggle. She said that the quality of her japa is poor because she is so distracted by the discomfort of her sick body.
But her husband is still pleased with her. Why? What is her secret? She stays cheerful even though she's close to death. How does she stay cheerful? She offers her own suffering to Krsna as a prayer on behalf of others. She thinks of how others are suffering and prays for them. She remembers that no matter how much she is suffering, there is always someone who is worse off than she is. And she prays for them.
Srila Prabhupada said that the mind becomes peaceful by thinking of the welfare of others.
So when I called her that day to check on her, what was she doing? She was chanting the Nrsimha-kavaca for a sick friend! Not for herself, but for her friend! I was so amazed that my dear little spiritual sister who is so sick was not feeling sorry for herself, but rather, praying and chanting the Nrsimha-kavaca for another person who was sick. She was not complaining to her husband; she was instead thinking of the sufferings of others and how to mitigate their sufferings.
I learned a good lesson from my dear friend that day. Because she understands that the way to keep her mind peaceful is by thinking of the welfare of others, she actually practices that principle. That's how she stays cheerful. That's how she stays Krsna conscious despite her intense suffering. And that's how, despite her inability to perform her sadhana nicely or to do her household chores or to serve her husband properly, she nonetheless keeps her husband happy.
In the course of the conversation, after asking her about her latest trip to the hospital and what the doctors had recommended, I also asked her what she was doing. Like right now. She said she was praying for someone else, someone who is sick. She was chanting the Nrsimha-kavaca for someone else. "What?" I asked. "You're praying for someone else?" "Yes," she replied, "I know what it's like to be very, very sick, and I don't want her to suffer like that so I am praying for her." Scenes from the passion of Christ flashed through my mind. Pages from books about saints who gave their lives for others flashed through my mind. I thought, This is selflessness. She could be praying for her own cure, but instead, she's praying to Lord Nrsimhadeva to heal the body of someone else!
When we're sick we ladies--especially we nuclear-family ladies--have a very difficult task to perform: we have to tolerate the discomforts of the disease while at the same time continuing to perform our sadhana and doing our duties the best we can. We have to remain Krsna conscious and at the same time keep our husband happy by remaining cheerful, even though we are suffering. How can we do such a difficult thing? One way is to offer our pain and discomfort to the Lord as a small sacrifice on behalf of someone else who is also suffering, to think of the welfare of others, to focus on how to bring about auspiciousness for other suffering souls instead of wasting time feeling sorry for ourselves. As my Mom used to say, "Offer it up."
My dear friend who is very sick is unable even to do her household duties. She can't even do her sadhana properly, what to speak of sweep and mop floors, cook and serve prasadam, wash, dry, fold, iron and put away laundry. She told me that all she can do is chant, and even that is a struggle. She said that the quality of her japa is poor because she is so distracted by the discomfort of her sick body.
But her husband is still pleased with her. Why? What is her secret? She stays cheerful even though she's close to death. How does she stay cheerful? She offers her own suffering to Krsna as a prayer on behalf of others. She thinks of how others are suffering and prays for them. She remembers that no matter how much she is suffering, there is always someone who is worse off than she is. And she prays for them.
Srila Prabhupada said that the mind becomes peaceful by thinking of the welfare of others.
So when I called her that day to check on her, what was she doing? She was chanting the Nrsimha-kavaca for a sick friend! Not for herself, but for her friend! I was so amazed that my dear little spiritual sister who is so sick was not feeling sorry for herself, but rather, praying and chanting the Nrsimha-kavaca for another person who was sick. She was not complaining to her husband; she was instead thinking of the sufferings of others and how to mitigate their sufferings.
I learned a good lesson from my dear friend that day. Because she understands that the way to keep her mind peaceful is by thinking of the welfare of others, she actually practices that principle. That's how she stays cheerful. That's how she stays Krsna conscious despite her intense suffering. And that's how, despite her inability to perform her sadhana nicely or to do her household chores or to serve her husband properly, she nonetheless keeps her husband happy.
No comments:
Post a Comment