Sorrows of Satan

Question: Swami ji, what do you call Satan in your pravachans or what’s a better word in hindi/Sanskrit for this enemy of our welfare and of term happiness? One of the translations i came across used Pradhaan Pret

My Response: I talk only about God not about theses co traversal topics. I talk about our failures,  lack of moral responsibility.

Question: Ji … so if I wanted to share from the Muktived on deliverance in Luke 8, etc., then what’s the best way to do that without appealing to demons and Satan?

My response: He is a defeated one and has no power or authority over my life.  I am responsible for my welfare and happiness that God gives me.  I lose it because of my failure, not others,  including the dark force. Unless I allow him to do anything in my life. So it’s my moral choice to decide whether I should allow him or not.  Beyond my will power he can’t do anything

Question: This is all true Swami ji … but how to deal with the actual incidence or katha described by Muktinath if I want to retell the story … it would sound strange and unnecessary to be possessed by a legion which is making someone mad and making them live in tombs and then entering pigs and killing them … it’s not possible to allegorize the entire incident … May be in the commentary or practical application one can say what you shared in your comment but the story explicitly about these details …

My response: The authors who recorded these incidents thought in their particular context that it is important to record these events. If I have to teach anything from Muktiveda, I won’t teach on this topic.  But if I have to teach verse by verse study in any book, then I cannot skip these portions.  But I have to say that they were recorded in a particular context.   Then it left with the individual bhakta how to deal with such topics and teaching. Some can take it literally and others can take it symbolically.  Those who believed in power-encounter, exorcism etc., let them deal with it.  I am a bit rationalistic person.  At the same time I know that my reason alone cannot have the final word in my life.  But this is not important for my bhakti in the Lord.

Several times we want to blame someone for our inability and responsibility rather than accepting our personal failure.  For the Christians the so-called Satan or devil or dark forces etc., serve this purpose.  This does not mean that I don’t believe in any dark forces.  It might be there. But instead of blaming someone for my failures, I will accept my responsibility for it.

Conclusion [by that bhakta]: Swami ji, it is true and practically evident to me that exorcisms and miracles that take place or are described in MV are not relevant to me in my day to day life as I move around … as one do the biggest miracle to me is to know and be known by Muktinath Himself…although if these incidences did happen as facts in the MVedic period, then they just mean that God displayed his power on specific ways when he came in a saakaar roop but they can also be taken as symbolic and spiritual tales of god’s power over darkness and things that oppress us in general … many of the miracles are so radical and shocking in MV and those cannot be replicated (although many religious scammers do claim to do so) and the only way to teach and understand them is to find all of their fulfillment in Muktinath as he is the true liberator of our hopelessness, meaninglessness, selfishness, ego and ultimately death which is our greatest foes …

Db, 27-5-2023, Gurukulam.

Appendix: The following is from my another article: Mother’s love is unique’.  Though the context is completely different, still as I borrowed the title from this book I would like to share what is the story about the Sorrows of Satan:

I don’t know how many of you know about the famous story: Sorrows of Satan by Marie Corelli.  It is available on the Internet, download and read it [her other works are: Vendetta; Romance of the Two World; Thelma, She, He etc.] I read her many stories.  The main theme is this: Satan, the fallen angel again approaches God with much repentance pleading Her to restore to his former status before his fall.  God agrees but puts one condition.  He has to go back again to earth and tempt human beings.  As he caused the fall of humans only by temptation, now he too can be restored back only by that process.  And if he managed to find one person who didn’t succumb to his temptation, then God would restore him back to his original status.  And with hope he comes again to this earth and takes various forms and tempts so many people.  But till the end he couldn’t find one person who successfully resisted his temptation.  At the end Satan broke down and cried by saying, ‘now even God, though willing, cannot save me because of the second fall of humans.’  It is important to note that God never told in this story that, ‘its all right.  That is not your mistake.  Though you were responsible for the FIRST FALL, this time now it is their moral choice. Anyhow as you repented and sought my forgiveness, I forgive you and now restore back to your original status.’  But at least in this story it didn’t happen and the second time Satan was punished for not his mistake and God was not ready to forgive him without any condition’.

Of course, this is an imaginary story. The message is clear: Even if a sinner repents and seeks forgiveness from God, She cannot bestow forgiveness, mukti and bhakti without any condition.  Of course, She waits eagerly for Her prodigal child to return back with much penitence.  But She can receive that child back only when it is willing to accept the terms and conditions to receive that forgiveness.  Whereas this is not the case with a mother.  So a mother’s love stands unique, because she never has  a ‘PRODIGAL’ child but always remains ‘her child’.   

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