How can we possibly call this world “complete” or “perfect”?
There is suffering, misery, ignorance, and war. Every corner of the world echoes with the cries of distress. Yet the scriptures declare:
“Purnam idam”—this creation is complete.
How is that possible?
“Purnam idam”—this creation is complete.
How is that possible?
The key lies in understanding what kind of perfection this is.
Perfection doesn’t mean the absence of pain. It means everything is perfectly designed for its purpose, and that purpose is spiritual evolution.
Perfection doesn’t mean the absence of pain. It means everything is perfectly designed for its purpose, and that purpose is spiritual evolution.
God didn’t create a world free of suffering. He created a world that could incubate and evolve souls across lifetimes—through joy and sorrow, success and failure—until they reach ultimate realisation.
The World is a Divine University
This world is not heaven. It is a spiritual university. And like any meaningful education, it includes tests, mistakes, lessons, and growth.
God has deep faith in His design. Infinite souls have evolved through this system, and He knows each one of us can too.
Yes, the world challenges us. But each karmic result, each difficult circumstance, becomes a stepping stone—an opportunity to rise.
Even suffering has its place. Sometimes life is a university of hard knocks, and pain becomes the teacher. It forces us to reflect, to surrender, to seek the Truth within.
Peace in the Storm: The Story of Two Paintings
Once, a king held a painting competition on the theme: “Peace.”
Two artworks made it to the finals.
The first depicted a serene valley: gentle skies, birds flying, flowers blooming. The scene radiated perfect harmony.
The second was chaotic—dark clouds, lightning, and a roaring waterfall crashing down jagged rocks.
But hidden behind the waterfall, in a small crevice, a bird had built its nest. In the midst of the storm, it calmly fed its chicks, untouched by the turbulence around it.
The king chose the second painting.
“This,” he said, “is real peace—not the absence of disturbance, but the ability to remain undisturbed amidst chaos.”
That is the kind of inner perfection the world aims to shape within us: Stillness that passeth all understanding.
Change Begins Within
Our instinct, when faced with discomfort, is to change the external world:
“If only this person changed… if only the weather were better… if only my boss behaved differently…”
“If only this person changed… if only the weather were better… if only my boss behaved differently…”
But God designed this perfect world so that we could change.
A wandering monk was once seen frequently checking his reflection in a mirror. Some devotees asked, “Why are you—who preach detachment—so concerned with your looks?”
The monk smiled and said,
“I don’t look at my face for vanity. When I’m disturbed, I look at the mirror to remind myself—this mind is the real problem. And it is the mind I must train.”
From Changing the World to Changing the Self
There’s a well-known reflection:
“When I was young, I wanted to change the world.
As I matured, I tried to change my country.
Later, I focused on my family.
Now I realise, I should have started with myself.”
This world is perfectly engineered for that sacred inner work.
Sculpting Beauty Through Pain
A log of wood once requested a sculptor:
“Please make me beautiful.”
The sculptor agreed—and began chiselling.
“Ouch!” the wood cried.
“What are you doing?”
“Making you beautiful,” the sculptor replied,
“For that, I must remove the parts that don’t belong.”
Day after day, the chisel struck. The wood complained. Yet in time, it became the beautiful deity of Bhagwan Jagannath, worshipped in temples and pulled in grand processions.
Likewise, pain is the divine chisel that removes our inner ugliness—anger, greed, attachment.
It is part of God's sacred sculpting process.
Pain: A Divine Alarm
In the study of leprosy, researchers found something fascinating:
It isn’t the virus that destroys the limbs—it’s the loss of pain.
Patients, unable to feel pain, unknowingly injure themselves repeatedly.
It isn’t the virus that destroys the limbs—it’s the loss of pain.
Patients, unable to feel pain, unknowingly injure themselves repeatedly.
Without pain, there is no awareness. No correction.
That’s why God embedded pain into life. It’s not cruelty—it’s compassion.
It’s a divine alarm, a teacher, a tool.
Pain is inevitable. But misery is optional.
With divine wisdom and guidance, we learn to respond to pain not with despair, but with transformation.
Even Incompleteness is Part of the Design
Are we, as individual souls, truly complete?
From our perspective—flawed, struggling, stumbling—it may not seem so.
But from God's view, we are exactly where we need to be.
Like a baby in the womb—still forming, still growing—yet perfect for that stage of life.
The mother doesn’t say, “My child is incomplete.” She says, “My baby is perfect.”
Likewise, God sees your potential.
He says, “Hate the sin, not the sinner.”
The soul is divine. The outer layers will fall away with time.
The Buddha once pointed to a depraved man and told his disciples:
“Forty lifetimes ago, I was like him.”
In God's grand design, every soul will rise to perfection.
Every soul is on the journey home.
Final Thought: Trust the Design
So yes—this world is complete.
Not because it’s free from pain, but because it’s perfect for its purpose—to awaken us, polish us, and lead us back to divine perfection.
Your storms are part of your sculpting.
Your pain is part of your purification.
Your challenges are the chisels that shape your soul.
The world isn’t broken—you’re simply under divine construction.
🕊️ Trust the process. Honour the chiselling. Embrace the perfection hidden in your pain.
👉 Let this blog not end with reading but with reflection.
💬 What Resonated With You Most?
Did a particular story, metaphor, or line speak to your heart?
👇 Drop it in the comments—we’d love to hear from you and grow together.
👇 Drop it in the comments—we’d love to hear from you and grow together.
