MAN’S EXTREMITY IS GOD’S OPPORTUNITY

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

MAN’S EXTREMITY IS GOD’S OPPORTUNITY
It is only when a person is in greatest danger that he begins to shout and call for help: “Help!
Help! Help! Save me! Save me! If you do not save me, I am lost!” In that state of dire extremity, he
looks for someone to come and rescue him. He calls aloud and is prepared to do anything, because
he wants to save himself_"Whatever you say, I will do." When one’s resources are completely at an
end and one realises one’s absolutely helpless state, then, like a man drowning, knowing he can no
longer rely upon himself or save himself, one reaches up and calls out for help from the outside.
In this way, perhaps certain heavy sorrows, extremely dire situations, catastrophes or
calamities become the turning point of one’s life. From a feeling of self-sufficiency, from a basic
egoistical arrogance of feeling that one is capable of doing everything in this world, one comes into
a sudden realisation that here is something which one cannot face.
As long as the jivatma is in a state of, as they say “hypervitaminosis I,” an oversupply of the
vitamin “I”, ahamkara (egoism), the jivatma is lost, because ahamkara is the first product of avidya
or ajnana. It contains the essence of individuality. And this individuality is a state of alienation
from one’s eternal oneness, one’s unity with the Divine Reality. And this state of alienation from

our divine Source, our divine cosmic Origin, which deprives us completely of the awareness of our
essential svarupa as amsas (parts) of the supreme paramatman, is the root cause of all the
tapatrayas (sufferings or afflictions) of samsara and prapancha (worldly life).
If you wish to commence your liberation from total bondage in this net of ahamkara and
mamakara (I-ness and mine-ness), attachment, selfishness and an identification with these inner
principles of a separate, finite, little ego-personality, then the first thing needful is to realise and
recognise the insufficiency of this little ego-principle, which up till that moment was to you the
centre of your universe, the most important and precious thing in the world, the dearest thing, for
which, to protect its interest, you have been prepared to fight with anyone.
When this ego-principle is recognised in its true colours, that it, as a matter of fact,
constitutes your real problem, that it is the factor that holds you in thraldom, in bondage, then you
realise that if you rely upon it, you will ultimately be left in the lurch. When that realisation begins
to dawn and you start looking up for a higher Being, a higher Power to take you out of this
predicament which has been brought about by giving over-importance to the ego, then commences
your liberation.
Thus the all-knowing Lord-of all existence, anantakoti brahmanda nayaka prabhu
bhagavan (God, the Lord and the Ruler of millions and billions of universes), Who is the inner
prompter, sarvantaryami, in order to give the highest wisdom teachings for all mankind, brings
about this conflict situation and puts Arjuna into a fix, like Hamlet, not knowing what to do.
Arjuna actually does know what he has to do; he has come fully prepared for it. But
suddenly, when the attachments of the sentimental and emotional aspect of his personality begin to
invade his consciousness and begin to overcome him, overwhelm him, then he finds himself in a
terrible fix. Suddenly there is this clash between the clear thinking intelligence, the rational aspect
of Arjuna, and the overwhelming and very powerful emotional and sentimental aspect of Arjuna.
And the sentimental aspect of Arjuna is now trying to undo everything. And in this state of fix, not
able to decide what to do, this normally clear thinking young prince, who had come with no doubts
about what he had to do that day, cries aloud for help. They say: “Man’s extremity is God’s
opportunity.”