Rather, one should inwardly offer it to the Mother, recognising that it is She who has worked through us, and therefore the felicitation truly belongs to Her.
My question concerns the opposite situation. How should one inwardly approach it when one’s work is criticised? You said that when criticism comes, we should be vigilant and examine our actions sincerely.
But if, after quiet reflection and scrutiny, one feels that the work was done sincerely and to the best of one’s understanding, yet criticism still continues, what should be the right inner attitude in such a circumstance?
Should one remain quiet and offer the situation to the Mother, or is there another way of approaching it in the spirit of sadhana?
Yes, if one looks within and finds that one has done what best one could do in a given situation, then one should remain inwardly quiet and see why one gets disturbed by the criticism. It is generally either because one expects some appreciation or praise, or at least no criticism from those whom one loves and cares for. If such be the case, one can take one of the two recourses. Either one speaks to the person and tries to explain how these criticisms do not help; they only hurt. This straightforward expression helps, as sometimes the other person has got into a pattern without realising its negative impact. Criticising often never helps. It is a bad way of communication, but unfortunately, most people do not understand it because of the patterns they inherit from their parents. Perhaps trying to explain once might help. If it doesn’t work, then one should silently offer it to the Divine Mother, not only the criticism and the hurt one felt, but also if any reaction rose within against the person who criticised, as such reactions subtly harm both. One should then understand that it is difficult for anyone to understand and hence it is better to scale down the expectation and continue improving upon oneself.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
