God subjects the souls to tests and sufferings in order to purify it.

[Guest guest]

God is depicted as "Dheena Nath or Dheena bandhu". Many doubt the statement, since the people who are helpless, undergo continuous sufferings. What are these sufferings? Why they suffer? In which way, the sufferings will help? These are the natural questions that rise in the minds of devotees. Swami gives an example. You want a jewel. You go to the gold smith and hand him a piece of gold for making the jewel. If you observe the gold smith's work, you will feel much for the sufferings the gold undergo. They first put it in fire and bring it to near melting point, they remove the dross from the surface and draw it as thin wire, put it on the anvil, hammer it, bend it to required shape. The gold piece really undergoes lot of process and the gold smith too get the soot on his face. Finally, the jewel is handed over to the owner. Swami too subjects all of us to the process like that of jewel making. He subjects all of us to different process like mental agonies, ailments and other worldly worries. He places us in typical situations from which there is no escape by ordinary means. Hence we are constrained to pray for His help constantly. This contemplation on god melts the dross(impurities in our mind) to a great extent and they get evaporated in due course. Though it is painful to undergo such sufferings, we have to bear in mind, that this is only for our inner purifications. Hence do not resent such treatment for they are essential remedies for our spiritual progress. Sairam.