Just a few days ago, a massive earthquake of 7.2 magnitude shook Turkey, in which hundreds of people lost their lives or suffered injuries. Like in many rescue efforts after an earthquake, in the Turkey earthquake too, the rescue workers found survivors – a baby and adults, alive in the rubble after being buried for as many as 4 or 5 days.

It is very heartening that they survived, and while reading such news one cannot but ponder – what makes or breaks the odds of people’s survival beyond the life expectancy of humans when left without food or water? Generally, when something is beyond the limits of being easily explainable by modern science, it has its root cause in the spiritual realm.

Having gratitude for what has been given to us by God is an important aspect in the development of spiritual emotion. A few days ago, I witnessed one such example of gratitude.

Living in an āshram (hermitage) where SSRF has its research centre in Goa is not like living at home. It is a very spartan lifestyle and the frills and luxuries that are available to us at home are not available in the āshram. However seekers of God transcend their need for these luxuries as for them, the benefits of living in an āshram, far outweigh worldly luxuries with respect to the āshram providing a conducive environment for spiritual development.