How purpose makes pain bearable  – Suppose a person dear to us is sick and in great pain. Suppose further the only available doctor is in a noisy, filthy, smelly place treating sick people there. We may not usually like to go to such a place, but our purpose of helping our loved one will enable us to overlook any inconvenience or displeasure about going there. 

Might this principle apply elsewhere too? Whenever we find ourselves in a situation that seems painful, we can contemplate our purpose for being there. If we decide that the purpose is important enough for us, meditating on it will strengthen our resolve to persevere. And if we decide that the purpose isn’t important enough for us, we can find a way to get out of there expeditiously. What if we can’t get out of that situation? Then we need to find a purpose that will make our being there worthwhile. That implies we need to find a purpose that is bigger than the difficulty we are going through. 

Amid many of life’s distresses, finding such a purpose can be challenging. That’s where the expanded perspective provided by Gita wisdom can be immensely empowering. The Gita explains that we all are souls on a multi-life journey of spiritual evolution. Every event during our journey can contribute toward our evolution to higher consciousness and greater fulfillment. 

At the Bhagavad-gita’s start, Arjuna was overwhelmed by the pain of a difficult duty: fighting against his relatives, including his venerable elders. After hearing the Gita, he realized that his duty was part of a purpose far bigger than himself: the Lord’s plan to establish ethical and spiritual order in the world by neutralizing self-centered power-grabbers. Appreciating that bigger purpose enabled him to embrace his difficult duty resolutely (18.73). 

One-sentence summary:

Whenever our life’s pain seems unbearable, we can endure it by finding a purpose bigger than that pain. 

Think it over:

  • How can purpose make pain bearable?
  • How does Gita wisdom equip us with purpose?
  • How can you equip yourself with a higher purpose?

***

18.73: My illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.