Mantralaya-2071
(Why do sincere devotees who follow dharma still experience pain)
Date : Dec 4, 2025
Dear Devotees : Namaskara.
| Sri MannMoolaRamastu Mannmathe Moolamahasamsthhaana Mantralaya Sri Rayaramathe||
|| OM SRI RAGHAVENDRAAYA NAMAHA||
Background
Why
do sincere devotees who follow dharma still experience pain, and where
is God when their hearts are breaking is described in Mantralaya (2071).
Meaning
In
this Mantralaya article, we reflect on a question that troubles many
sincere devotees. Why do good people, who walk the path of dharma,
often face deep suffering? Why does it sometimes seem that those who
live in adharma enjoy comfort and success?. In moments of hardship, the
human mind becomes fragile. It begins to whisper doubts. It asks why
such things are happening. It wonders where God is. And the idea of
past karma can feel distant and difficult to understand.
To
understand this truth we must look through the wisdom of our scriptures
and through the living miracles shown by Sri Raghavendra Swamy.
The
Bhagavad Gita teaches the fundamental truth that the soul is eternal
and never dies. It reveals that the soul moves from one body to another
just as a person takes off worn out clothes and puts on new ones.In
this material world a wealthy individual uses their financial currency
to buy the finest clothes and takes pleasure in wearing them. In the
exact same way the circumstances, the type of body we receive and the
balance of joys and sorrows we experience are all meticulously
determined by the Karmic Wealth we possess.Karma is therefore the
absolute and true currency of the soul. All the defining relationships
in our life, the parents who give birth, the spouse we marry, the
children we raise, the Gurus who illuminate our path and the friends we
make are preordained and delivered to us based on the spiritual ledger
of our past Karma.
Every cell of our body and every neuron in
our brain is connected to the inner storehouse of our past impressions.
It is like a sacred cloud that holds the memories and merits of all our
previous births. This explains child prodigies who are barely eight or
ten years old yet display extraordinary knowledge or talent. They are
simply drawing from the wealth of their inner spiritual cloud.
Good
karma brings joy. Bad karma brings difficulty. We know the difference
by listening to our own inner voice. When the inner self feels peaceful
and uplifted it is good karma. When it feels disturbed it is bad karma.
Our tradition does not ask us to live in fear or constant anxiety about
the future. It teaches us to stay in the present moment. To thank Sri
Hari for everything we experience. To choose goodness with sincerity
and humility. And to trust the Lord for the rest.
You may ask
why you must suffer for something you do not remember. If you cannot
recall your past life, why should its actions affect you now? It is a
very natural doubt. But the truth is that the soul remembers
everything, even when the body does not. The body forgets, the mind
forgets, but the soul never forgets. Every action from every birth
remains stored in your personal karmic cloud which the soul understands.
Long
ago, there were great yogis who could clearly see their past lives
through deep spiritual practice. With intense discipline and purity,
one could access those memories. But such knowledge requires
extraordinary training and divine grace. Today, that ancient ability
has almost entirely disappeared.
Great devotees of Sri
Raghavendra Swamy, Sri VijayaDasaru and Gopala Dasaru had this divine
vision. Sri VijayaDasa could see the karma of seven past lives. Sri
Gopala Dasa could see the karma of four. We can see incidents in the
life story of Sri VijayaDasaruru which talks about this. There were
vedic astrologers who could look at a person’s horoscope and accurately
describe events from previous births. These were not tricks. They were
blessings earned through truth, tapas and devotion.
In our time,
such power is extremely rare. Much of that sacred knowledge has been
lost. This is why you should be careful. Many people today claim they
can reveal your past life. Most of these claims are not true and are
only meant to deceive. It is best to avoid anyone who offers such
promises.
What should we do then? The answer is simple. Listen
to your inner voice. Live with dharma. Pray with sincerity. If your
heart says you are doing the right thing, continue on that path. The
Lord and the Guru know your past, your present and your future, even
when you do not. Their grace alone can guide you beyond the weight of
karma and lead you toward peace.
To understand this truth with
clarity let us turn to a sacred incident narrated by my elders to me.
It is a living miracle that Sri Raghavendra Swamy revealed to the world.
In
1960, there once lived a deeply devoted woman who cherished Sri Rayaru
in every breath of her life. She entered married life with blessings.
Her home was peaceful. Her husband loved her deeply because of her
gentle nature and sincerity. But destiny changed suddenly. Her husband
fell ill and passed away. In those days widowhood brought severe social
judgments and harsh restrictions. Her relatives began to avoid her. Her
in-laws distanced themselves. She was blamed for misfortune though she
had done no wrong. She bore every wound silently and held on to Rayaru
with unwavering devotion.
When her suffering grew unbearable she
decided to walk to Mantralaya. She believed that only Rayaru could
understand the silent cries of her heart.
As she entered
Mantralaya she felt a burden lifting from her soul. She bathed in the
sacred waters of the Tunga. Standing at a distance from the Brindavana
she folded her hands and prayed with her whole being. She said "Guru
Rayaru, I have served you with sincerity. I cared for my husband and my
family with full devotion. Yet my life has become filled with sorrow. I
have no strength left. Show me the path ahead”. And she wept until she
could weep no more.
That night she slept outside the Matha on
the bare ground. Then a divine wonder unfolded. Sri Raghavendra Swamy
appeared in her dream. He stood before her radiant and full of
compassion wearing saffron robes and holding his danda and kamandalu.
His presence filled the dream with a golden stillness. He spoke gently,
“My child do not fear. I am always with you. Your suffering is the
result of your past karma. According to that karma your hardships could
increase and you might even be forced to beg for food. But I will not
allow that. I will pray to Sri Hari to soften your karma. You will have
food, clothing, shelter and good health so that you may continue to
pray. I cannot erase your karma completely but I will ease it. Stay
here in Mantralaya. Eat the food offered here. Spend your days in
devotion. In your next birth you will receive a noble family and great
spiritual blessings.”
The same night Sri Rayaru also appeared in
the dream of the Mantralaya administrator. Rayaru said “There is a
devotee of mine sleeping outside the Matha. Tomorrow bring her inside.
Give her shelter food and clothing for the rest of her life.”
Both
the devotee and the manager woke up with awe. They saw the mercy of
Rayaru unfolding exactly as spoken. The woman was brought inside with
honour and care. She lived the rest of her life in Mantralaya under the
protective grace of Rayaru.The woman wept and said, “Rayare, I am
forever grateful for Your boundless compassion. For the rest of my
life, I will not worry about anything. I take complete refuge in You,
the endless ocean of mercy.”
Sri Raghavendra Swamy is the only
saint blessed with the power to soften the effects of karma. This gift
comes only through the boundless grace of Sri Hari.
We must
accept that past karma has its place, yet our true duty is to live in
the present and cherish every moment that God has gifted us. In this
life we should strive to gather as much good karma as possible and
avoid living in fear or anxiety about the future. Let us perform
whatever actions are in our hands with sincerity and place everything
else at the sacred feet of Sri Hari.
The devoted woman realised
a truth that shines for all time. When every door in life closes the
one door that always remains open is the sacred door of Mantralaya and
the endless grace of Sri Raghavendra Swamy.
The devotion towards
Sri Raghavendrateertharu is the ultimate truth and is the most simple
and effective way to reach Sri Hari - "NAMBI KETTAVARILLAVO EE
GURUGALA"! “Those who have complete faith in this Guru will never be
disappointed.”
|| BICHALI JAPADAKATTI SRI APPANACHARYA PRIYA MANTRALAYA
SRI RAGHAVENDRATEERTHA GURUBHYO NAMAHA||