Blog

July 2020

Why should tools worry about how the technician is going to solve the problem and do his job. Be a mere tool in His hands. – Chinmaya

Being a tool in His hands means total surrender. It means total acceptance without complaining, with a deep conviction that He does what is right and what is best, and thus allowing His will to work through us.

Gauranga was the original name of Sri Krishna Chaitanya. He always marvelled at the good fortune of the flute of Krishna. It was near to Him and dear to Him. It enjoyed the bliss of the touch of divine lips and hands. At times it would rest in His waist-cloth. He longed to be near and dear to the Lord as the flute.

One day he prayed to the Lord, “O Lord! Will you tell me the secret of coming near You and becoming dear to You? How fortunate is that flute!”

That night Lord Krishna appeared in his dream and said, “Gauranga, if you want to be transformed into an instrument like the flute through which my breath flows and Divine music emanates, examine the flute. The flute is hollow; nothing is inside. When I blow my breath into it, it flows freely into it, producing enchanting melodies.

“So render yourself hollow. Let your heart be rid of all passions and worldly desires. Then I shall certainly make you My instrument. But beware! There should not be any trace of ego or attachment in you, because that would prevent My grace from flowing into you. I bless you, Gauranga.”

Gauranga woke up excited early in the morning. He knew well that the surest and the most effective way to make one’s heart pure is to sing bhajans. He equipped himself with a pair of cymbals and a drum. He walked along the streets of the city singing bhajans. But there were a few persons in the city who did not like to be disturbed from their sleep early in the morning and they decided to put an end to this ‘Nagara Sankeeratan’.

One day, they seized the drum and broke it into pieces. Gauranga was not in the least upset but just said, “O Lord! Let Your will be done. Perhaps You do not approve of my drum beats. That is why it has been broken.”

The next day when Gauranga was going about singing bhajans, some men came and snatched away the cymbals. Gauranga exclaimed ecstatically, “O Lord! Perhaps you are not quite pleased with the way I play the cymbals. I am glad that I have got rid of them.”

He went about singing bhajans and clapping hands. He continued this singing for years together. This one sadhana relieved him of all traces of attachments and egoism. He reached a stage where just an utterance of the name of Krishna would throw him into a trance. There was nothing in Gauranga’s mind except Krishna Consciousness. Hence he came to be called Krishna Chaitanya by his admirers and ardent followers.

Once we have surrendered, we have no right to question and to grumble.

“God! But why?” is not the way of the one who has totally surrendered.

A Devotee went to the Guru and said, “O Guro! I have totally surrendered to the Lord. But my questioning mind is still not at peace.”

The Guru said, “If the mind is questioning, then your surrender is questionable!”

The true sign of surrender is measured in terms of how much the mind reacts to the ups and downs of life. Greater the reaction, lesser the faith in God; greater the inner disturbance, lesser the surrender.

Meera was a great devotee of Lord Krishna from her very childhood. She never desired or aspired for anything other than Lord Krishna. Yet she did cherish one desire – to install her beautiful idol of Lord Krishna in a temple of marble. She wondered whether her one wish would ever be fulfilled.

In course of time when she grew into a beautiful maiden she was married to Maharana of Chittorgarh. Meera at that time, having just stepped into teens had hardly any anticipation of marriage or married life. So her love for Krishna went with her to Chittorgarh.

There she requested her husband to build a temple for her idol. Maharana did build a marble temple for Lord Krishna to please his wife. Meera’s joy knew no bounds. Her wish was fulfilled at last.

Meera spent all her time in worshipping Lord Krishna and singing bhajans. Most of the time, she was in the temple. That made Maharana furious as he felt that his wife was ignoring him. So he ordered the closure of the temple. Thus Meera was prevented from entering the temple. She was shocked and sad beyond all measure. She did not know what to do.

When the mind questions the Lord’s will, it is immediately disturbed!

She turned to Krishna for solace. And she received the answer from within. She said to herself, “Why should I feel sad for the closure of the temple? Maharana could close this temple because it was built by him. But how can he close the doors of the temple of my heart where dwells the Lord? That is the temple built by God and the real abode of God. Let me reach Him there.”

She felt as though the Lord was telling her, “Why go out? Seek me within.”

Thus Meera considered it as Divine will the closure of the external temple. And before long, she found Him in her own heart!

A devotee knows that (i) Either He will solve the problem; or (ii) He will make him capable of solving the problem; or (iii) He will make him capable of enduring the problem. Hence a devotee is free from all worries.

Once Jnanadev and Namadev were walking through a forest. They were tired and thirsty. They found a well, but the water was deep down and the well was very steep. Now how to get the water?

Jnanadev had yogic powers. He turned himself into a bird, flew into the well, reached the water, drank it, and quenched his thirst.

Namadev had no such yogic power, but only intense devotion to the Lord. Thirsty though he was, his thoughts were in God alone and he got immersed in the chanting of His name. He was drifting into ecstasy and was in pure bliss, as if tasting the sweetness of God’s love.

Just then, the waters from the depths of the well rose up and started overflowing. Namadev, then, without any effort, drank the water and quenched his thirst.

God Himself gives whatever His devotees urgently need.

A lady, who used to efficiently manage a big orphanage, was once asked, “How do you do run this whole affair so efficiently without any worry?”

The lady replied smilingly, “I have made an agreement with God – that I will work, and He will worry!!”

How foolish it is to say, “I did, I achieved, I helped, I earned, I donated…”The world belongs to God; so too the body, the talents, the abilities, the field of action, the life, the inspiration, etc. In what sense, then, can we arrogate to ourselves of any achievement?

Rahim used to write poetry dedicated to Krishna. Tulsidas came to know about the unique behaviour of Rahim. While giving alms to the poor, Rahim gave with extreme humility. While giving, he kept his gaze downwards towards the earth. Tulsidas promptly wrote the following couplet and sent it to Rahim:

 ऐसी देनी देंन ज्यूँ  कित सीखे हो सैन | ज्यों ज्यों कर ऊंच्यो करो   त्यों त्यों निचे नैन ||
(O Great One!, from where have you learnt this amazing way of giving? As your hands rise to give, your eyes look down.)

Completing the couplet which Tulsidas wrote, Rahim replied in extreme humility:

 देनहार कोई और है   भेजत जो दिन रैन | लोग भरम हमपर करे   तासो निचे नैन ||
(The Giver is someone else, giving day and night. The world has a misconception that I am the giver. So, I lower my eyes in embarrassment!)

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