Last week, I was told to address few students in Kota on the
philosophy of Bhagavad Gita. In particular, my talk was on how by
depending on God, we can do our best, while staying aloof of the
anxieties about the results. In other words, how can we do our part
despite knowing that ultimately we are not the controllers and accept
the result of our actions. One of the points that I had planned to
include in my talk was about how at times we are possessive about the
result of our actions or want something to happen in a desired manner,
but find that God orchestrates the events in a strikingly different
manner for our own good. For a short span of time we may feel broken
hearted & find it difficult to deal with situation. but over period of
time when complete plan is revealed we are left with this special and
indescribable feeling that we are always loved, cared and looked after
by God. Little did I know that I was about to have a practical
realization of the same myself!!
One such incident took place when I was just about to start my journey
to Kota last Saturday. A friend of mine had volunteered to book my
Mumbai-Kota train ticket a couple of days prior to my journey. I had
handed him a chit listing Mumbai-Kota trains with respective departure
times from Mumbai. By mistake, for one of the trains (namely, Golden
Temple Express), I wrote an incorrect departure time of 09:45PM from
Mumbai Central, instead of its scheduled departure time of 09:25PM. My
friend happened to book my ticket on this train and when I asked him
the departure time of my train, he quoted 09:45PM, recalling from the
chit that I had given him.
On the day of my journey, I felt I would easily catch the train. As I
was climbing down the stairs on platform no. 2 at Dadar railway
station on the Western Railway, a Churchgate-bound slow local train
left the platform in front of my eyes. I had no option but to wait for
the next one.
That day also happended to be Varah Dwadashi viz., birth anniversary
of Lord in the form of Varah. While waiting for the next train, I felt
like reading some pastimes of the Varah Incarnation from Srimad
Bhagavatam, which I was anyways carrying in my bag. As I started
reading, I got so absorbed in it that I failed to notice the arrival
of the next train on my platform. Only once it blew the horn, while
picking up speed, I came to my external senses. Alas! I missed yet
another train. As I was cursing myself as well as my destiny, I saw a
Churchgate-bound fast local train on platform no. 4. I felt it’s
impossible to change the platform & catch that train. I was thinking
anyways in 5 mins next slow train will come & I can board that. But
next moment a strong calling came from inside that I have to catch
that fast train. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and somehow
boarded the train as it was about to speed up.
As I reached Mumbai Central railway station, it was already 09:23PM. I
asked a passerby, “From which platform will the Golden Temple Express
depart?” He replied back “It’s leaving from platform number 1 in a
minute”. My heart was in my mouth. I headed for another sprint, and
barely managed to board the speeding train. After I located my seat, I
finally breathed a sigh of relief and reflected on the sequence of
recent events.
I wondered had I boarded that Churchgate-bound slow local train from
Dadar to Mumbai Central, I was bound to miss my Kota train by a close
margin. And I would have been lamenting like anything. This reality
shuddered me. I realized Krishna orchestrated everything to help me
catch my Kota train because he wanted me to share his sublime message
of Bhagavad Gita. Some may argue that it was sheer coincidence. But to
quote Einstein, “Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.”
Sometimes, we get morose in our life, but if we are chanting holy
names of the Lord and are putting our best, although things may not
turn out the way we want it to be, but rest assured it is for our
better. God has the perfect plan for each one of us.
There were 80 students present for the talk. As I shared this incident in my talk, few from the audience expressed
in the post-talk discussions that this incident really inspired them
to accept the reality and depend on God. And it made my day.
depending on God, we can do our best, while staying aloof of the
anxieties about the results. In other words, how can we do our part
despite knowing that ultimately we are not the controllers and accept
the result of our actions. One of the points that I had planned to
include in my talk was about how at times we are possessive about the
result of our actions or want something to happen in a desired manner,
but find that God orchestrates the events in a strikingly different
manner for our own good. For a short span of time we may feel broken
hearted & find it difficult to deal with situation. but over period of
time when complete plan is revealed we are left with this special and
indescribable feeling that we are always loved, cared and looked after
by God. Little did I know that I was about to have a practical
realization of the same myself!!
One such incident took place when I was just about to start my journey
to Kota last Saturday. A friend of mine had volunteered to book my
Mumbai-Kota train ticket a couple of days prior to my journey. I had
handed him a chit listing Mumbai-Kota trains with respective departure
times from Mumbai. By mistake, for one of the trains (namely, Golden
Temple Express), I wrote an incorrect departure time of 09:45PM from
Mumbai Central, instead of its scheduled departure time of 09:25PM. My
friend happened to book my ticket on this train and when I asked him
the departure time of my train, he quoted 09:45PM, recalling from the
chit that I had given him.
On the day of my journey, I felt I would easily catch the train. As I
was climbing down the stairs on platform no. 2 at Dadar railway
station on the Western Railway, a Churchgate-bound slow local train
left the platform in front of my eyes. I had no option but to wait for
the next one.
That day also happended to be Varah Dwadashi viz., birth anniversary
of Lord in the form of Varah. While waiting for the next train, I felt
like reading some pastimes of the Varah Incarnation from Srimad
Bhagavatam, which I was anyways carrying in my bag. As I started
reading, I got so absorbed in it that I failed to notice the arrival
of the next train on my platform. Only once it blew the horn, while
picking up speed, I came to my external senses. Alas! I missed yet
another train. As I was cursing myself as well as my destiny, I saw a
Churchgate-bound fast local train on platform no. 4. I felt it’s
impossible to change the platform & catch that train. I was thinking
anyways in 5 mins next slow train will come & I can board that. But
next moment a strong calling came from inside that I have to catch
that fast train. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and somehow
boarded the train as it was about to speed up.
As I reached Mumbai Central railway station, it was already 09:23PM. I
asked a passerby, “From which platform will the Golden Temple Express
depart?” He replied back “It’s leaving from platform number 1 in a
minute”. My heart was in my mouth. I headed for another sprint, and
barely managed to board the speeding train. After I located my seat, I
finally breathed a sigh of relief and reflected on the sequence of
recent events.
I wondered had I boarded that Churchgate-bound slow local train from
Dadar to Mumbai Central, I was bound to miss my Kota train by a close
margin. And I would have been lamenting like anything. This reality
shuddered me. I realized Krishna orchestrated everything to help me
catch my Kota train because he wanted me to share his sublime message
of Bhagavad Gita. Some may argue that it was sheer coincidence. But to
quote Einstein, “Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.”
Sometimes, we get morose in our life, but if we are chanting holy
names of the Lord and are putting our best, although things may not
turn out the way we want it to be, but rest assured it is for our
better. God has the perfect plan for each one of us.
There were 80 students present for the talk. As I shared this incident in my talk, few from the audience expressed
in the post-talk discussions that this incident really inspired them
to accept the reality and depend on God. And it made my day.
