Namaste,
I am having a happy and healthy life. But something keeps me bothering. My parents and my brothers family do not share harmony. Me and my brother share a strong bond and we love each other. For some reason my Sister-in-law feels that no one likes her in the family and always has negative feelings towards us. I tried my best to explain her how much we love them. But nothing works and she always finds faults in my parents. I do not know how to help them.
Please guide.
—Guriya, USA
Dear Guriya,
Unfortunately, this sort of disharmony sometimes happens among in-laws-and for that matter, within immediately family as well.
How can you help them? You can be kind to all involved, as it seems you are doing. You can avoid condoning your sister-in-law’s negative behavior (nor condemning it either). You can affirm your love for all of them (whether inwardly or outwardly). And you can pray for harmony. But that is all you can do to change the situation. Everything else is in their hands, and in God’s hands.
Here is a wonderful practice that Paramhansa Yogananda recommended:
Visualize parents, brother, and sister-in law surrounded by divine light, and for one minute pray: “Lord, fill them with peace and harmony, peace and harmony.” Then visualize yourself in light and pray for 15 seconds: “Lord, fill me with peace and harmony, peace and harmony.”
About this prayer, Yogananda said: “Do this 5 times a day – 3 or 4 times might work, but 5 times practically never fails.”
Blessings,
Gyandev
