Heaven and Earth
Swarga kingdom of heaven

Query: Your Essay on Swarga Heaven... you say that people living in the west are living in Swarga Heaven. I was in the west for about seven years and do not agree.

Vijay Kumar:
I shall narrate a story which is a true fact of life experienced by an Indian girl- When a girl enters an Indian Institute of technology ... one can imagine how many dreams one carries along. Four years is a long time. This girl had an absolute clear vision of what she wanted out of life ... she had a goal of her own ... she also had the patience and the persistence necessary for achieving this particular aim of life. Having completed her bachelors in IIT (the most prestigious technological institute of India), she looked forward to doing her M.S in the US. She wanted to pursue the goal of her life at any cost.

She had parents who promoted her ideals and were always supportive of her. She never had an iota of doubt what lay in store for her in near future ... something that would completely paralyze her working. In India it so happens that when a girl grows up ... parents looked forward to marrying her at the earliest. This does not mean sacrificing the career of the daughter. No doubt about that. Someone in the family referred a good match from a prominent town of India. The boy had also completed his bachelors from a regional College and was planning to go to USA for better prospects.

This suited the requirements of the family of the girl. They disclosed this fact to the girl ... who was completely taken aback for she never expected that her parents would insist on her marriage even before she had completed her masters and settled down with a job. She tried her best to dissuade her parents but to no avail. The parents somehow felt that it was a god-given gift that they were getting such a nice son-in-law. They ultimately succeeded in convincing their daughter for the marriage.

Even before the marriage took place ... during the various casual meetings between both the families it was emphasized that the career of the girl should not suffer ... the family of the boy and the boy himself was absolutely confident that his would be wife can look forward to a nice career in USA and the family of the boy would never obstruct her studies. The boy had in fact confirmed to her that he had a job in the USA still, the girl was hesitant to marry a boy from a regional college. A few days later the marriage took place and the girl went to the house of her in-laws.

Soon after the boy, the girl and the mother of the boy left for USA. Everything was in order and ultimately they landed in the apartment where the boy's family lived. The moment the girl entered the apartment, the boy bolted the door from inside. There was nothing shady about anything. The girl did not have even the slightest inkling what lay in store for her. It was in a flash that she could feel the slap of the boy on her face, who was blurting out, "so you think ... you are from IIT ... and I from a regional college. You think you have better education and are better off than me. I shall teach you now who is better off".

That was how the girl spent the first day of her married life after landing in USA. Soon after the telephone lines were disconnected ... and the poor girl was instructed by the boy not to venture out of the apartment under any circumstances. In an alien country without any support from her poor parents... she thought it better to face the music than face the boy head-on. The poor girl already had a confirmed MS seat with hundred percent scholarship being a very bright student. As her parents could not afford the fees ... she had had arranged everything on her own. She wondered about her career that was at stake.

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She felt something was amiss ... it was only the first day ... maybe unknowingly she might have committed some mistake for which the boy may have been annoyed. She felt that with passage of time probably things would improve. When beating became a routine affair ... she complained to her mother-in-law ... who replied, "what more had she expected of them". She supported her son in totality unwilling to listen to complaints against her son.

In the evening when the boy returned ... the mother narrated the incident to him. The boy was in a fit of rage. Till that time the beating had taken place using hands only. Now he felt that proper treatment is required to be given. He beat her so much with a stick that she became unconscious ... and the life continued as usual.

Probably, the poor girl thought that even if she made a complaint to the authorities in USA ... in absence of assistance from her parents ... she might not make it. And as her parents could not afford to go to the US ... she kept absolutely mum in the matter. Even if she got an opportunity ... she did not try to contact her parents by any means whatsoever.

Days passed into months ... months into years ... and this poor girl continued to bear the inhumane treatment being meted out to her by her in-laws. Almost five years passed. In the meantime finding the right opportunity ... the boy would persuade the girl for sensual pleasures. Ultimately, they had a child. It was beyond the limits of this secluded broken girl to resist the boy in the night.

Inspite of the child ... the beating continued ... a strange phenomenon! Probably the boy was absolutely frustrated as whatever he had been boasting was nonexistent. He did not have a job in the US and in frustration he beat the girl. As the child grew so did the resolves of the girl. Now at least she had a motive to live life. The poor girl could not even commit suicide ... who would take care of the child in such circumstances!

It was sixth year of her marriage that her mother-in-law was returning to India. This daughter-in-law somehow persuaded her mother-in-law that she wanted to serve her in the native motherland. The boy also agreed as he was without a proper job. Ultimately, the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law landed at the airport in India. No telephone calls to her parents. She had many opportunities while at the airport to make a call but for some reasons she kept quite.

Directly from the airport they went to the railway station and boarded the train for the native town of the boys family. There the girl tried to be extraordinarily cordial with the mother-in-law ... the trick worked. The in-laws would have thought that this girl is willing to bear anything and everything. She was slightly off guard. One day this girl on the pretext of taking her child for a walk in the nearby gardens ... phoned her father. The message she conveyed to her father was that, he was not to contact her in-laws but he must immediately reach the town and she indicated a place where she would meet him.

At the opportune moment when the mother-in-law had gone somewhere this girl left the house with the child. Soon after she met her father and without saying a word they both proceeded to the railway station. It was only at the station that the girl broke down after a period of about six years. What a patience this girl had shown. What regards she had for her parents! She did not complain for anything to her father. She was mum in every matter.

Sooner they reached their own town. It was becoming unbearable for the parents to see their daughter keeping mum all the time. They never expected such a torturous fate of their daughter... she had always tried her best to convince her parents not to marry her ... but could she circumvent her destiny? She took it all on herself.

It was only a short while that the parents considered it fit to take the girl to the guide ... the Professor of IIT in whom this girl had immense faith. Only on his advice she had applied for an MS in the USA and got through with flying colors (hundred percent scholarship ... no burden on the parents). This Professor guide initially advised the parents against the marriage but when the parents were not agreeable to send the girl for doing her MS in the US all alone ... he was instrumental in convincing the girl that she should marry as desired by her parents as ultimately it would not affect her career. She had agreed.

The moment this girl and her parents landed at the Guide's place ... he could not initially recognize the girl ... such a charming, studious and a bright girl she was ... and right now he was looking at a completely worn out ... tired looking girl! The parents slowly narrated the whole story and broke down ... they felt the guilt and looked forward to further advise from the Professor.

The Professor while concentrating his thoughts on the girl looked at her twice and asked point-blank, "are you willing to do the same course which you had finalized six years ago." The Professor could not believe ... it was the first time that he saw a ray of hope in the eyes of the girl. She only said, "Will I be able to do it" and when the Professor replied, "why not", She said, "it was the goal of my life and how could she abandon it! I would love to go to the US for completing my MS". All said and done ... the parents were but spectators in the whole show. They never wanted to repeat their mistake.

It is just unbelievable that this girl having lost six years of her bubbling life again applied for the MS and got through in the same university she had applied earlier. Her firm determination and a resolve to beat the adversities head-on ... a trait of character one rarely finds these days. She was a gem of a person. She finally made it.

The marriage was broken. Still there were no regrets from the girl's side. Now she is in the US doing her masters and her job ... she left her child in the care of her parents as she anticipated that her ex. In-laws may create trouble for her child in the US. What a God fearing character she had.

I made a world trip in 1987 just to see the spiritual level of the people world-wide. I came back empty-handed. The people in the West were very cordial ... very hard-working ... no gossips ... concentrating on their jobs ... a satisfaction writ on their faces. People had no dearth of materialistic riches ... it is a different matter that most were immune to spirituality.

In the West people do not engage themselves in gossip and look forward to spending their day wisely. For them it is a new life every day... A new birth in the morning and the death of their body when they go to sleep! They do not want to think of the past or the future! This habit of living day to day keeps them absolutely fit and fine. If they are contented with the materialistic trend then where is the problem. Black sheep always exist in the society. Some people are born only to break the laws... we need to take care lest we may suffer at the hands of destiny!

I know of instances when an NRI boy working in the USA came to India to marry a girl ... took her to the USA only to dump her in the end. Poor parents in India unable to verify antecedents of the boy in USA, hoping for a bright future of their daughter arrange marriages only to learn later that their daughter died in mysterious circumstances. Whose fault it is ... can we expect an daughter in India to go against the wishes of her parents?

Swarga (living in Heaven) is a relative concept. While in Swarga Heaven ... an atman the soul within is not expected to work ... it is but to enjoy the fruits of its labor. In the materialistic West ... it is normally observed that people are contented. It is not like India where people madly run after money. In India money is the goal ... in the West money is but a means to live a comfortable life.

Why is it so that a person... a failure in India succeed in life in USA? Inspite of his best efforts one fails to run an enterprise because of the bureaucratic interferences in India! In the US, it is the free enterprise system that keeps USA the number one country of the world. Hard-working and sincere people normally succeed in life... An almost perfect law and order always in standby!

I was advised in the initially stages of my spiritual career to move to the US ... Whatever I have gained in life could have easily fetched me above a billion dollars by now. Money and comforts is never the goal of a true seeker ... such things are sought only by those who care for material riches, comforts and status in life. It is not that remaining all the time contented with life I speak in such a way ... even if the whole Cosmos and its riches are put at my command ... would I desire anything out of it other than two meals per day and an average life. Spiritual masters were never after the Midas touch!

Always there to clarify your queries (send your query),

Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 on Heaven and Earth. For more on heaven and earth heaven on earth visit - heaven and earth

Full text of query: I was reading your Essay on Swarga. Surprisingly, enough you say that the people living in the west are living in Swarga. I was in the west for about seven years and I do not agree with you. If your defination of Swarga is west then I think you have wrong beliefs and notions.