22	IN THE VISION OF GOD
that God is, and He is all kindness and love. \Ve are not to
judge His existence by the material comforts we obtain in
life or by the absence of such comforts. The trials and suf-
ferings -we undergo are necessary for our spiritual
growth. For the sake of God princes have renounced
kingdoms and have taken to the beggar's bowl and rags.
Life is misery for Mm who knows no contentment, how-
ever affluent he may be in circumstances. A poor man con-
tent in his cottage is far happier than a monarch discon-
tented in his palace. Contentment is a gift of God which
we get through faith aad submission to Him. God never
means us harm. Our want of belief in His benevolence is
the source of our misery. You may say yours are hard facts
that sternly face you. They are nothing when you assign
them the right value, and thus understand the true purpose
of life. Verily, God is not for him who frets and fumes.
Brother, do not give way to despair. Submit to His will
and all will be well."
He heard Earn das in silence while his eyes were
filled with tears. Ramdas left Mm and proceeded on his
journey,
Ramdas' mind set to work: whence is the misery of
the agriculturist? !No doubt, one suffers by one's own
actions or karma. How did karma in this case work through
external causes? The middleman and the moneylender were
certainly the ostensible causes of the poor man's ruin,
The heartless exploitation by the tradesman on the one
hand and the greediness of the money-lender on the other
must have crushed him down. The ceremonies and festivals,
over wMch large sums of money are wasted, should have
driven him into the clutches of the latter. Added to these,
there are the caprices of the weather and seasons and, to top
it all, heavy taxation.
At midday he arrived at a village where, under a
grove of trees, there was a tank in which lie had
his bath, and then his bhiksha in the neighbouring