God’s Will and Earth’s Uncertainty

Question: For me you are the Supreme. When you want something, it is the Supreme’s Will, so why doesn’t it always happen?

Sri Chinmoy: First of all, let me make it clear that I am one with the Supreme, but He is still higher. I am here at the foot of the tree as one individual eating a mango, but more mangoes are hanging high on the tree. Sri Aurobindo made it very clear that our highest is the absolutely Highest Height. From the foot of the tree when we want something, the one who is higher can reject, like the Supreme Court rejecting the decision of a lower court.

To manifest something on the earthly level, we have to have a little bit of desire. This may not be the ultimate Will or highest Will. I mix with my disciples on one level, and I have written many books. In my highest, I do not have to write anything. Sri Ramakrishna did not write anything. But if you enter into the manifestation-world, then this eagerness is mixed up with some desire. Again, the Highest wants us to manifest the light.

For example, this building looks so nice. How much sand, clay and bricks went into the foundation. Then when the building is finished, it is so beautiful. In one way, eagerness is desire-bound. It is God’s Will, but everything plays a role. In a play, the king, queen, minister, subjects and all are needed. But when you play the Cosmic Game, it is like a three-ring circus. Which way will you look? Will you look to this side or that side? If you look one way, you will miss something. If you look the other way, you will miss something else.

Nothing is certain on the earth plane. On the Heavenly plane, I tell you, everything is certain. I always say it is like a ripe mango that is supposed to drop at the foot of the tree. Alas, wind takes it farther away. You are certain it is going to fall at the foot of the tree, and then some hostile force takes it away.

Nothing on the earth plane is certain. If the Supreme uses His ultimate Will, He makes it certain. But unfortunately, He does not use His ultimate Will for me, what I am going to have for breakfast or this and that. For millions and billions of things He does not get involved.

In so many ways, disciples are praying for my manifestation. You people love me. In this way you are increasing your love for me. My children are showing me such love, such concern, and I am collecting all your love and devotion and placing it at the Feet of the Supreme.

Through your prayer, you are showing me your love, your devotion, your oneness. All these things are helping in your spiritual life. The more you can love your Master, the more you can abide by his will, the faster you make progress. You are praying for me outwardly. The Supreme is not going to remain indebted to you, to me or to anybody. He never does. If we give Him a drop, He gives us the ocean. But unfortunately, we do not always give the drop with utmost sincerity.

To come back to your question, nothing is certain on earth. Only if God uses His omnipotent Will, then He makes it certain. Sri Ramakrishna brought down another spiritual hero like Swami Vivekananda. Sri Ramakrishna could not find him even. Look at that! Sri Aurobindo wrote that the Supreme was going to choose either Sri Aurobindo or somebody else. The Supreme chose Sri Aurobindo, and the other person, nobody knows who it was.

In one case I brought back to earth the soul of a disciple who had passed away. As a little child, they came to see me in New York and recognized a disciple who had been their dearest friend. The little child said that inwardly they heard Guru telling them that person was their dearest friend in their previous incarnation. But now the parents do not keep any connection. Nothing is certain. You can bring someone back, but then you get zero. This world is like a hungry wolf. What it is going to devour, it devours.

One person said to Sri Aurobindo, “You are divine. What can a hostile force do against the divine force?” Sri Aurobindo answered, “What can they not do?” They can do anything. There is nothing certain. We play the game. Then we must surrender. If we can surrender, we are happy. If we cannot surrender, then we are miserable, miserable.

On the one hand, spiritual Masters say that no sincere effort ends in vain. How sincerely people try to do something. Then they may not get results. But they do get results in a different way. If there is sincerity involved, then results we will get in a totally different way. It may seem that God has not heard our prayers. The moment our desires are not fulfilled, we blame God. But our prayers will be answered in a different way at a different hour. At that time, if we deserve five cents’ worth of God’s Blessings, then God gives us $10,000 worth, so we should not make serious complaints against God.

God’s Will is like that. There is a traditional Indian saying: Rakhe Krishna mare ke mare Krishna rakhe ke. It means: “Whom Krishna saves, who can destroy? Whom Krishna destroys, who can save?” We have the strongest weapon to keep us happy – surrender. The Saviour Jesus Christ said, “Let Thy Will be done,” and also our Indian philosophy teaches surrender. Sri Krishna asked Arjuna to surrender to his will. Sri Krishna told Arjuna to fight against his cousins, nephews and dear ones. God’s Will was Sri Krishna’s will.

God’s Lila is so complicated. Nothing is real on the earthly plane. But the higher we go, the more we find there are things that are not manifested. They are in the world of vision. Everything is kept in absolutely perfect order. But when they try to manifest, the lower they come, the stranger it becomes. Then again, God has not given up His Will. He wants His Light to descend into the lower than the lowest earthly plane. What we see Above, we have to see it manifested here on earth. But what can I do? What can anybody do?

It is always a game. Somebody is about to die. O God, he gets an extension for 30 or 40 years. Again, why do some people die at the age of 10, 15, 20 or 30? There is no extension for them. Their relatives cry and cry and pray to God so sincerely. The only way to make ourselves happy is to surrender to God’s Will. Since the last week of December, I am praying for eight cancer patients, and the previous year there were three cases. Luckily all are still alive. Some are almost terminal cases. What can you do? If you have love for someone, if you have concern for someone, if your love is sincere, if your concern is sincere, then you do suffer.

Again, you have to place this cheerfully at the Feet of the Supreme. I am saying that I am absolutely so sad. I look to this side, one cancer patient asks for my prayers. I look to that side, another one asks. And there are other types of serious cases, also. These people I know well. A long list comes from different countries: this one is suffering from this, this one is suffering from that. These are people whom I know well on the physical plane, earthly level. God knows how many will live, every year. There was a time, ten years ago, I did not have even one cancer patient.

Then gradually, gradually it changed. But from the end of December until now, I cannot believe! Messages are coming and coming!

20 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand