How is it possible for You to be always smiling?

[Shri Anil asked:- How is it possible for You to be always smiling without complaint while suffering for Your devotees?]

Swami replied:- Enjoying the suffering of devotees by God is different from the enjoyment of suffering by souls. The soul undergoes the suffering for the sake of reformation. God does not need any reformation. When God enjoys suffering, the mental agony during suffering is not needed in the case of God. Still, God suffers the punishments of the devotees in the mind also because unless external and internal suffering is taking place, the suffering cannot be real. But, the innermost bliss (continuous happiness) is not affected at all. In the case of human beings, the innermost soul is affected by the suffering so that the soul enters the path of reformation. In the case of God, such reformation is not necessary and hence, the innermost bliss is not affected. The innermost state is the final fruit. Hence, in the case of human being, the final fruit of suffering is only suffering. But, in the case of God, the final fruit of suffering is bliss only.

The happiness of God never breaks and is continuous. The continuous happiness is called bliss (Aananda), which means that the happiness is always existing without any rupture. Bliss does not mean higher quantity of happiness since no human being can withstand happiness beyond a certain limit. You may ask that in the case of God, bliss can mean higher quantity of happiness because God can withstand any amount of happiness. Here, we are talking about mediated God and not about the absolute unimaginable God. The medium is also a part of the world only. In human incarnation, there are two components:- i) God component and ii) human being component. The latter human being component cannot withstand a high quantity of happiness just like an ordinary human being. The medium is not interfered with by God. When electricity flows in a metallic wire, the metallic properties are not affected by the electricity flowing in the wire. Therefore, in the view of the medium, continuous happiness is only taken as bliss. The inner God component has the highest quantity of happiness called Brahmaananda, which is the highest quantity of happiness as told in the Veda (Sa eko Brahmaṇa ānandaḥ). The inner absolute God protects the external human being component from the effect of the touch of the highest quantity of happiness of the God component. Ordinary human beings also can enjoy suffering through yoga practiced by them due to the grace of God.

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