Arati Charitable Trust

Gita means ‘song’ and the 12th chapter of the Bhagvad Gita is the song of devotion - the ultimate Bhakti. The pinnacle of knowledge is devotion. These verses are our favorite from our childhood days and to me they make more sense now than ever before! At that time it was pure innocence but now there is a depth to it - depth in innocence is devotion. Arjuna asks Krishna who is the best yogi? Is it the one who adores you in your form or the one who adores the supreme as the unmanifest Brahman?

Krishna replies saying:

The best yogis are the ones whose mind is centered on Me. The path is the fastest for those devotees who depend totally and exclusively on Me. Even those who adore the unmanifest Brahman, they too come to Me though that path is not as easy.

If your mind wanders and is unable to remain fixed on Me, then the practice of Yoga will help you.

If you find such practice also difficult, then seva will help you.

If you are unable to devote your time for seva, then offer the fruit of your actions and this will immediately bring you peace.

Having said this Lord Krishna describes who is dear to him.

One who is friendly and compassionate, equanimous, ever-content, has a say over his senses, is committed, and surrenders to me is dear to me.

One who has no harmful intent, does not annoy others nor is annoyed, is free from jealousy, fear and hatred is dear to me.

One who expects nothing, is pure, wise and unbiased, free from prejudice, is focussed and free from doership - such a devotee is dear to me.

One who neither grieves or is excited, and is unattached to good or bad actions and is full of devotion is dear to me.

One who treats even the enemy like a friend, is unshaken by humiliation, is equal to heat or cold, pleasure or pain, praise and criticism and such opposites is dear to me.

One who do not even care for enlightenment and is solely devoted only to Me, is extremely dear to me.

This is the Yoga of Devotion.

One morning, on my way to work, I was stranded by an Uber auto driver in the middle of the highway. I must have had a worried expression on my face, which made an old man driving a rickshaw stop and ask me where I wanted to go.

Sceptical at first, I told him I needed to get to my office at the other end of town and that I was already late. He said, "Please come in, ma'am. You can pay what you want", in impeccable English.
Taken aback by such kind behaviour, I said ok and what followed was a very enriching 45 minutes.

Of course, as a researcher, I couldn't contain my curiosity & asked him how he spoke such good English. To which he replied that he was an English lecturer!

He predicted my next question & asked himself, "So you're going to ask me why I am driving an auto, right?"
I said, "Absolutely, please tell me."

He said that he is 74 years old now & that he has been driving a rickshaw for 14 years.

Previously, he used to work as an English lecturer at a college in Mumbai because he did not get any jobs in Karnataka. He got one in a reputed Powai college, where he worked for the next 20 years. At 60, he retired & returned to Karnataka.

"Teachers do not get paid well. And since it was a private institution, I don't have a pension. By driving a rickshaw, I get at least Rs 700-1500 a day, which is enough for me and my girlfriend", he laughed.

When I laughed too, he said, "She is my wife, but I call her my girlfriend because you must always treat them as equals. When you say wife, husbands think she is a slave who must serve. But my wife is in no way inferior to me she is superior to me sometimes.

She is 72 and takes care of the house while I work for 9-10 hours a day. We live in a 1 BHK in Kadugodi, where my son helps pay the rent of Rs 12,000, but beyond that, we are not dependent on our children.
They live their life, and we live ours happily. Now I am the Raja of my road. I can take my auto out and work when I want."

Not one complaint about life.
Not one regret.
So much to learn from these hidden heroes.
My morning was made.
-- Shared by Nikita Iyer on LinkedIn, Reposted with Permission

PC: Nikita Iyer on Linkedin

Jai Gurudev.
Robin Fernando is a final year B.Sc. Computer Science student at Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya in Coimbatore. He was raised by his mother after his father passed away 12 years back. Due to the financial stress of the pandemic, Robin is also going for a part time job to make ends meet and pay his fees. Thanks to the continuous support and encouragement of our donors and well-wishers, Arati has paid for Robin's tution fees for the semester. We hope this small gesture of ACT goes a long way in easing his stress so he can concentrate on graduating with flying colours and beginning his career.
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