A bird in the sky

When we experience divine freedom, power, and bliss, to become a walking, talking expression of the Divine in this body, we have earned our liberation, says Shivi Verma

- Shivi Verma

The ultimate goal of human life is to attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death—moksha.” Having heard about it repeatedly from my elders and intrigued by it, I asked my grandmother, “What would happen once we get liberated?”

“After we die, we will merge with God, and always be at peace and joy,” she said.

“Then why did God create a world where people came to suffer?” I enquired.

“Because human beings have to reap their karma on this plane.”

“Was there no possibility of being freed from our karma while in the body?” I wondered. I was given to understand that there was not, and this mysterious thing called liberation came to us only after we died. The idea of earthly life as a prison term for delinquent souls depressed me infinitely. And the concept of attaining liberation after death was uninspiring. I thirsted to find the actual meaning and experience of liberation.

Human bondage

To my dismay, earthly life was filled with bondage. One was enslaved by time, limitations of the body, and circumstances. Misunderstandings, missed goals, and betrayals made life very undesirable. When everything I tried failed to work, I sought divine intervention. And from then on, a subtle grace and guidance entered my life. With the Divine as your guide, there were fewer chances of making grave errors of judgment and then reaping their sorrowful consequences.