Fire and weapons cannot destroy it,” I felt as if I was hearing Lord Krishna Himself. When Swamiji said, “The human soul is eternal and immortal. Listening to the enlightening words of Swamiji, I was instantly transported to another world. Though I resisted, my husband finally coaxed me into attending. The title was Essence of the Bhagavad Gita. That year a local Bhagavad Gita and Upanishad discourse was to be given by Swami Tejomayanada himself, disciple of Swami Chinmayananda and head of the Chinmaya Mission until 2017. Before I knew it, my son began to consider it the best day of his week! He started by learning stories from the Ramayana along with the chanting of several shlokas. I didn’t really like the idea, as Sunday was a day of rest and relaxation for our family, but I conceded. She felt my son would get a good exposure to Hinduism there. Then one day my mother-in-law told us about Chinmaya Mission’s Balavihar-classes on Hinduism for youth, offered on Sundays.
He urged me to pray, to recite the Vishnusahasranama and Aditya Hrudayam every day.
My husband-my best friend and soulmate-tried to comfort me. I was on the verge of becoming an atheist. Soon I no longer felt like praying I lost interest in my favorite activities, such as listening to music or going for long walks. My mother, siblings and cousins in India also tried to console me, to no avail. Engulfed with sadness and anger, I could only nod my head when friends offered condolences. My caring mother-in-law and husband cooked food for the family every day for the next two months, while I would sit in my room for hours, staring at a beautiful picture of Lord Krishna, asking, “Why did my father die? Why am I feeling so sad?” Sometimes tears rolled down my face. I found myself hating life every morning. For the following few weeks I was overwhelmed with intense pain, sadness and grief. The difficult karma kept coming, and I fractured my right hand on the journey home. He always performed his duties to the best of his abilities and in full surrender to the Divine.Īfter traveling to India for the funeral rites with my husband, mother-in-law and son, I returned to the US with a heavy heart. Always brimming with optimism, he was loving, caring, inspiring and compassionate to everyone. I vividly remember his fascination with the perfect creation and management of our universe by Lord Krishna. We would discuss everything from politics to philosophy, religion and astronomy. As I grew up, he taught me math and drawing. My whole life, I had loved, respected and revered him. Suddenly everything came to a standstill for me. I CRIED LIKE A CHILD FOR MONTHS AFTER the passing of my father in 2013. My family’s association with this Hindu organization and its teachers lifted me from tragedy while inspiring religious education and daily devotion
0 kommentar(er)
