Arjuna and Krishna were surveying the battlefield to devise their strategies before the Kurukshetra war began. A sparrow fluttered up to Krishna and chirped, “O Lord! Look! My young ones are going to be killed tomorrow when the fighting begins.” Krishna looked and sure enough, there was a nest on the ground with young ones squeaking away merrily.
The sparrow was most distressed. Teams of men and elephants were clearing the field for battle. The tree on which her nest had been build had been knocked off by an elephant. Krishna only smiled. He said, “I cannot stop the Wheel of Time.” The sparrow was quiet for some time. Then it said, “But I can have faith O Lord.” Krishna nodded.
The next day, the Kaurava and the Pandava army stood facing each other across the battlefield, ready to begin. That’s when Krishna, who was Arjuna’s charioteer, turned around and said, “O Arjuna, please hand me your bow and an arrow.”
Arjuna was startled. He said, “But you had vowed not to fight… Tell me what you want done.”
However, Krishna quietly took the bow and an arrow from Arjuna’s hands. Then he said, “Look… that is the elephant that knocked down the tree on which the sparrow had its nest.”
He fitted the arrow into the bowstring and took aim at the elephant. However, the arrow, instead of piercing the elephant’s hide, only knocked off the bell around its neck.Arjuna was surprised. “Krishna!” he exclaimed, “You missed. The elephant is alive. Shall I…?”
“No, it’s alright,” replied Krishna.
***
The war of eighteen days was over.
Krishna drove Arjuna’s chariot through the battlefield. Suddenly he stopped. “Look at that bell,” he said, “Can you lift it, O Arjuna?”Arjuna was surprised. Was Krishna going to make him clear things on the battlefield?
He hopped off the chariot and lifted the bell. Then came the surprise.
Four young birds fluttered out from under the bell, followed by the mother sparrow. They had been safe under the bell all this while. Krishna had never meant to kill the elephant. All he had done was to reward the sparrow’s faith by keeping her and her little family safe, under the big brass bell.
FAITH is often its own reward. It can make things happen.
FAITH is also accepting the Grand Design of the Lord, while we put all right efforts in all possible ways, letting go of worries about things beyond our control – learning to go with God’s Plan rather than expecting our life to go according to how we wish it to be. Action with surrender is the essence of Faith…..Guruji…..🙏😊✋️
GF’ Blessings.
