I am a theist. And as one, I always have kept wondering if man and god ever had any relationship , if so then of what kind and why all the pain and sufferings the man has to undergo in this earthly life? I know that the God exists and have read and heard hoards of texts and discourses about God being around us, walking with us, blah, blah and more blah. But they all failed to strike the chord.
I recently chanced upon the "Bhagavad Gita" by Swami Chidbhavananda, which my uncle bought for a nominal Rs. 12 back in the 70s. It was found in an age old iron trunk, used back then, for storing priced possessions. Very aptly. The book was first published in the year 1965, a bit closer to when the Mahabharata actually took place. The edition that I found was dated 1975. The relationship between the god and the man, and why he has to go through the sufferings was indicated in the first few pages of the book, although I still have to read the remaining several 100s of pages to even claim a remote understanding.
The parable of the two birds:
Two birds seated on the same tree, one superior and the other ordinary. The superior one was established in its own glory. The other lived on the sweet and bitter fruits in the tree, subjecting itself to the pleasure and pain. Whenever it was overwhelmed with pain it looked up at the other bird with admiration which always used to be poised in beatitude, a state of supreme happiness. The emulation that ensued was of great consequence. Every experience of bitterness drove the afflicted bird to the necessity of taking a hop towards the calm and serene bird above. As the distance between them narrowed, its troubles and adversities were thinning away. In the proximity to the superior bird all pain was eradicated and bliss emanated from within. What was more important is that the bliss-seeking bird realized that it was merely a reflection of the bliss-emanating original one.
God escorts an individual through a series of earthly experiences. The everyday wants are appropriately supplied. But then, there ensues a crisis that puts the earthly splendors to test. Pomp, power, property, pedigree and all such endowments seem empty and purposeless. Understanding becomes clouded. Mind becomes overwhelmed with hopelessness, disheartened and downcast. Life then seems a phantom. Sooner or later, in a greater or a small measure such an experience comes to every soul. There is no escape from it. Knowledge of the superior being above, the god, is the only remedy in such a crisis.
While not every one has the capacity to truly understand the purpose of his/her life on earth, it does help to make an attempt towards it. It is through our sufferings and miseries do we get closer to him.
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