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Acceptance – the key to emotional freedom – Part 5

Examples from Vedic scriptures

For Bhakti Yoga practitioners, the best part is we have a personal God named Krishna as our best friend and well-wisher. When we add the Krishna element in our Acceptance, we enter a space of transcendence. Krishna- defined as the source of all bliss and attraction, fills our heart with a unique flavor or mellow. A sincere prayer offered to Lord Krishna never goes in vain. Even if we don’t always get what we ask from God, prayers bring us closer to our Lord, and that solves a much bigger problem. A meaningful relationship with Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, gives us the strength to accept the vicissitudes of life with dignity.

Brahma was deeply ashamed at his mistake of judging Lord Krishna to be ordinary and then kidnapping his friends and cows. He apologized and chanted an important prayer:

“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words, and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.” (Srimad Bhagavatam- 10.14.8)

Many spiritualists consider this prayer as an essential meditation for coping with suffering. To humbly accept what’s coming our way and to gratefully remember the Lord, is the way devotees manage the pains of this world.

Chitraketu laughed in admiration when he saw Lord Shiva give a discourse on renunciation with his consort Parvati on his lap. Parvati, however, wasn’t amused. She felt slighted and took it as an insult to her husband. In anger, she cursed Chitraketu be born as a demon. Lord Shiva observed that Chitraketu gracefully accepted the curse while clarifying that he was misunderstood by mother Parvati, who in turn felt ashamed at her hasty misjudgment. Chitraketu’s example reveals that it’s not always in our control how life throws shocks and surprises our way. Our response to these calamities determines our greatness.

The ability to move forward with grace and Acceptance is the hallmark of a spiritually evolved person.  And Bhakti tradition implores us to accept the reactions coming our way while aspiring to re-join the Lord in our spiritual abode. Then life becomes an exciting journey.

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