I was in the pujari room preparing paraphernalia for an afternoon event that was to be held in the temple community hall, when somebody knocked on the door.
“Can I speak with the head priest?” the person asked loudly in a distressed voice.
As I opened the door, I saw a middle-aged man in tears.
“Can you please help me? I want to speak to someone spiritual. Are you a head priest?”
“Yes, I am. How can I help you?” I replied.
The moment I said that the man started to cry and embraced me.
“I want to commit suicide. I don’t have a reason to live anymore.”
I invited him to the pujari office.
He went on to explain that he cheated on his wife, and later the person with whom he cheated with then cheated on him. He had lost everything.
I went on to explain to him that today was a special day. It was a festival and the appearance day of Lord Rama.
“Somehow or other, out of many places you could have visited, you choose to visit the temple. Nothing happens by accident.”
I can’t solve your problems, but I have tools with which you could improve your life and easily overcome your challenging situation”, I added.
I showed him how to chant on the sacred Tulasi beads and encouraged him to promise to chant the maha-mantra for at least 10 minutes daily. He agreed.
He came to the temple crying, without any spiritual knowledge. He left the holy place smiling, holding the Science of Self-Realisation book in his left hand and japa mala in his right hand.
When he left, I returned to my service. Whilst preparing the paraphernalia for the worship, I reflected on life.
Our life can be seen as a book. Each part of our life is a chapter of the book. We can only move to the next chapter once we have completed and understood the previous one.
Yes, we can skip the chapter, but we may miss the important lessons or experiences that can prepare us for the challenges that will come in the upcoming chapters. Some chapters may be boring, while others are more exciting. We should go through all of them with full attention and commitment.
A distressed man wanted to avoid a chapter and commit suicide.
With a little encouragement, he changed his mind and agreed to “read” and learn from the current chapter of life.
There are many more chapters for him to “read”, and the fact is, all of them will be challenging if he doesn’t engage in spiritual practice.
In this case, the title of the book is; Material Life!
Ananta Gopal das
23.4.2023
Bhakti Wisdom 