Happy Krishna Janmastami everyone! I am delighted to see celebration pictures of Janmastami by my family on Facebook. This got me back to memories of my childhood at Gadwal. My mother and grand mother used to read the epic Bhagavatam during this time. One of my favorite story my grandmother used to tell us was about an elephant attacked by an Alligator crying for help prying to almighty to come and rescue his life. There is more to it. The theme of the story is total saranagathi ( surrender) to Almighty. I was telling this story to my son in the most simplest way without missing the impact and meaning of main elements of the theme, kindness, compassion and surrender to god’s will.
For a long time I did not understand my mother’s confidence and philosophy that everything will work out all by itself. I guess I was in my twenties having anxiety attack waiting for the results of my undergraduate degree. I sort of got it when my mom calmed me down explained it to me a couple of times. I remember she spent the whole after noon talking to me and saying now or never you need to get this other wise you will be in a total mess and miserable with anxiety and stress. I loved the way she explained. She said it is good you are sort of always competing with the three boys (my brothers) but you need to learn to totally completely surrender to Almighty for the results part. I am not asking you to sit down and do a bunch of prayers but just have faith develop the faith, believe that everything will work out for the best for you in the end. I always pay full attention to my mother when she speaks but I did not get it what she wanted me to learn around this time either.
Now I am going to tell you an interesting incident when I finally got a most profound spiritual experience in the middle of chaos at an airport. It happened when I was about leave to US from New Zealand . When we were just about boarding the flight the cops stopped my son and said he is detained and I can go if I like. I said to the cop he must be kidding and I am not leaving anywhere without my son. It so happened that my NZ Lawyer by mistakes totally forgot to remove an order to prevent him to be taken by anyone away from NZ . I had done it for his safety and she just forgot get it removed. Now I am in the middle of transit away from my friends in Wellington in Auckland airport in the night can’t leave the country for that day. So the first thing I did was I moved my trip to US later to the next night. My son was so stressed he just feel asleep and here I was eight months pregnant with big belly in the middle of the night in an airport of a new city I have never been sitting and thinking and planning how do I get to talk to my lawyer and go to a court and get the order removed in a day’s time to get back on a flight to US the next night. For some reason I thought of my mom how strong she was and what would she do? All of a sudden this saranagathi-total surrender and the conversation I had with my mother around my anxiety time in twenties came back to me. I sat there with Himmi’s head in my lap fast asleep and prayed to my Dad and of course God for not too long. There was this sudden calmness around me something so profound, peaceful, as if an angel is sitting with me around me I thought is could be my father ..I don’t know what it was but I became very calm, blissful, peaceful sort of knowing that tomorrow is going to be ok and every thing will workout well for me and I will be boarding the flight the next day. I closed my eyes trying to get some rest and opened my eyes to see a big Maori guy with tattoo’s watching me he just said go to sleep there is plenty of time for the morning. I slept for a while the next morning this guy goes and brings breakfast and coffee from McDonalds and tells me where the Auckland family court is helped to get a taxi and moved all my luggage in to it, gave the direction and wished me luck said everything will work out well for me. I am thinking was he God or something? I just could not believe. Then the day went so beautifully well as if someone is arranging everything for me I met this lady lawyer at the court another Angel who was more than happy to help me. She called my lawyer got the documents filled the petition at the court got the judge’s time for 4.30 pm in the evening I sat there in the court house awestruck watching something amazing happening around me I did not know until then meditation, faith, surrender, saranagathi was such a powerful thing. Here I was at 5pm with preventive order’s removed and path clear for us to leave in one single day. What you call it as miracle. Out of no where everyone is helping me big time almost telling me the right words that I needed to hear. That was one heck of experience for deep meditation and Saranagathi(surrender). Now I do it all the time…you can check with Himmi..Mom how is this going to happened? My answer: Uperwalla ( the guy up there/Almighty) will provide. You just have to surrender with complete total faith that’s all. Why we would not consider surrender unless we are full of ego self or foolish enough not to acknowledge and trust the all powerful, incomprehensible almighty, the creator, that which is keeping the planets in to alignment and in divine right order, that which is in charge of our life here. I guess I disagree with Stephen Hawking . I for one totally completely believe there is one higher power heavenly father up there watching over me and my kids I have nothing to lose and everything to gain in committing saranagathi in total complete surrender to Almighty . You see I have a good life I would say I have a wonderful and prefect life in Almighty’s divine design.
”There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. ” — The Dalai Lama
Picture of the same cradle I used to decorate as a child for Krishnastami celebrations.
Picture by: Srikar Deshikan.
Radhika Bauerle Radhika Puranam 