Blog

June 2012

In the grand scheme of time, plans will get executed as ordained, in the system of evolution. Individuals are mere tools. – Chinmaya

He will get His plans executed, anyway. There is none to object if He has decided.

The authority with which Lord Krishna speaks to Arjuna even before the start of the battle says it all – “These mighty Kaurava warriors have already been killed by Me. You merely be My instrument and take all the credit of killing them!”

Individuals are mere tools in the hands of the Lord.

Now, what is that great grand plan that He executes with these tools?

In the fourth chapter of Bhagavad Gita, the Lord makes it clear His task – to establish righteousness (dharma samsthaapana). All His tools are employed for this purpose.

Total surrender means allowing Him to use His tools according to His Will.

A man was walking along a dusty road in New England. It was a hot day and he was tired. Suddenly, he came upon a water spring. “If you are thirsty, drink!” said a sign put up nearby. He drank the cool water and felt refreshed. A little further up the road was a comfortable wooden bench under a shady tree, with a sign which said, “If you are weary, rest awhile!” Close by, was a basket of delicious looking apples with a sign, “If you are hungry, help yourself!”

The stranger was moved by the unknown benefactor who had shown such care and concern for passers-by. As he walked further, he came upon a humble cottage, outside which sat an old man, whose face beamed with kindness. “Lord’s blessing be upon you!” called out the old man upon the sight of the stranger.

“Thanks a lot, but, may I know what is it that has prompted you to be so kind and generous to perfect strangers?”

“Oh, God has given us trees, shade, water, fruits and so much else in plenty,” replied the old man. “All I do is to share the blessings with weary travellers. It is the least I can do!”

The weary traveller on that hot, dusty road was Sam Walter Foss, the famous English poet, journalist and humorist. His encounter with the kind old man inspired him to write the famous poem ‘The House by the Side of the Road’.

This attitude, that “God alone is the Doer and I am a mere tool”, frees us from all our imaginary fears and anxieties instantly.

A wealthy man was full of worries, despite having everything the world could give. He was never happy. He had a servant who knew what it was to trust in the Lord.

One day, when he found his master worrying himself almost to death, he said to him, “Master, is it not true that the Lord ran this world before you were born into it?”

“Yes!” said the master.

“Is it not true that the Lord will run this world after you leave it?”

Again the master said, “Yes!”

“Then,” said the servant, “why not allow the Lord to run the world while you are in it?”

In surrender, our actions gain a new glow, a greater efficiency as the self-asserting ego is no more there to interfere with the Divine plan.

A famous and successful surgeon once invited a friend to watch a complex surgery that he was about to perform. As the surgeon went through the laborious process of preparing himself for the operation, the friend was surprised to see that he was a little tense.

“All set?” the friend asked him gently.

“Almost,” replied the surgeon, and then stopped what he was doing and bowed his head for a moment. Then, calm and relaxed, he led the way to the operation theatre.

During the surgery his hands never faltered, his concentration never wavered. The complicated procedure was accomplished smoothly and successfully.

Later, the friend said to him, “I was surprised that you prayed before you started. I thought that a surgeon only relied on his own ability.”

He answered, “A surgeon is only human. He can’t work miracles by himself. I am certain that science could not have advanced as far as it has, were it not for something more than man. You see,” he concluded, “I feel so close to God when I am operating, that I do not know where my skill ends, and where His begins!”

Let’s stop interfering. It is His world. We are His tools. He has His ways and He knows what is best. Let’s remain a hollow flute and allow Him to play His music.

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