In plain words
Time, action, cause and duty must become one. What is the body? It is like a water bubble. If the air goes out of it, it is gone. Some day or other it is bound to go. If not today, it will go tomorrow. We must not grieve over what is bound to go. What has come cannot but go. What has gone cannot but come. So there is no need for us to brood over these comings and goings. We must recognise the principle in which there is neither. What is pure, what is impure? So too with hardship and happiness. In My view, we must wish for hardships more than for happiness. Hardship itself gives us happiness. To desire happiness is a mistake. We must keep hoping for hardships alone. The wisdom that comes from going through hardships is not found in happiness. Question any of the wise, any great soul: “Sir! How did you attain such great wisdom?” He will say, “Sir! The pains I suffered were not like these. I suffered pain upon pain. Those very hardships are the root cause of this much wisdom coming.” “Kaṣṭe phale,” it has been said. Only when we go through such hardships do we gain the right fruit. The joy that is in hardship is found in nothing else. But people today: they themselves must suffer no hardship whatever. “Not a penny spent, and Kaivalya brimming over!”: so they wish. This is impossible. You must bend your back and work. You must sweat as you work. If you merely sit enjoying happiness, hardship feels painful. You must enjoy happiness after going through hardship.
Once, when Kṛṣṇa came to greet Kuntī: “When did You come, Kṛṣṇa! How is the war going?” she asked. Then Kṛṣṇa: “Aunt! Good and bad, death and birth, all these are natural! Give up brooding over them. Ask for whatever you want,” He said. Then Kuntī again: “I want nothing, Kṛṣṇa! Until I give up my life, until I merge in Your lotus feet, grant me hardships alone,” she asked. Hearing those words, Kṛṣṇa: “Aunt! Is what you have suffered all this time not enough? From the time you married Pāṇḍu until this day, you have known nothing but hardships. Why do you ask for still more hardships?” He asked. To that Kuntīdevī: “Kṛṣṇa!