8. Listen to Heart - Supreme Assistant…….

Hari Bol...

8. Listen to Heart - Supreme Assistant…….

I was studying BE. My friend had joined NDA at Khadakwasala. We used meet on Sundays at Pune. He was continuously asking me to visit NDA. I planned for coming Sunday. I was excited and got up early on Sunday morning. I reached swargate (bus stop) and took a bus to NDA. The bus was of PMT. It was not a direct bus so it had to stop on the prescribed stoppages. I could find my friend at bus stop where I had to get down. “Waaahoooo……. What a big and fantastic campus” I automatically told my friend. He took me to several places inside the campus. I could find the life very disciplined. All these cadets are supposed to be the future of our country. The country would in their safe hands. So their training helps them to improve their alertness by physical and mental exercise.

I was walking back to the bus stop. It was evening. The darkness started covering. The street lights were switched on. The vehicles started moving with the headlights on. My friend was saluting all the vehicles (four and two wheelers). I could find some cadets were on front rolls on the way. I was wondering. I decided to ask him about this behavior of his. I asked him, “what is the rule for salute and why do you salute”. He answered in a very simple way, “You need to salute all your seniors and this way you pay respect”. I told him “you are saluting all, are all senior to you”. He said, “In this darkness I do not know who is passerby. I cannot take a risk of missing a single senior also. I am giving benefit of doubt to juniors also by saluting them. If I miss one also I would also be on the front roll. I don’t find anything wrong in paying respect to juniors also. They would also feel happy that my senior has saluted me. So I am not hurting in fact I am respecting all as human beings”. It was a great thought. I said, “Now I salute you for this gesture and nice lesson which you have given me on the pavement. You made his pavement also a classroom”. We then laughed…..This walk of mine is unforgettable. I was wondering on the way back to Pune that I was in darkness internally and externally (which had covered all of us) but my friend was in darkness only externally but internally he had found light and was surrounded by positive energy.

I happened to meet my friend a year before in Delhi in person. He is Colonel. I saluted him for the great thought which I still carry. We were having dinner together at his place. We introduced our wives & then we were busy remembering our school days. We talked about the present. He shared another experience with me. He said he was on an important expedition few months before. He said “I cannot share the details of the expedition as I am committed but will share an incidence”. I respected his concerns and decided not to enquire much. He went to take the charge of the group which was given to him for the expedition. The second in command saluted him and briefed him about the battalion. He introduced himself and conveyed the plan and asked them to be at ease with alertness and wait for next order. He went to his room. The room was knocked. A junior of his wanted to meet him. He called him inside. The junior wished him. The junior then asked him to recognize him. After a long exercise of the brain he could recognize him and my friend saluted him in return with great respect and pride. This junior of my friend was an instructor of his in laboratory at NDA during his training. My friend was full of emotions. His instructor said now I love to see my student leading the expedition. Let me see and learn from your leadership. My friend emotionally said to his instructor that “I cannot pass any order to you as you are my guru. Now you are assisting me. I do not know what to do sir. I am nervous. The instructor again taught him to do his duty (Karma) and as per duty the instructor (college teacher / guide) was supposed to assist him and asked my friend to move on to achieve the target of the expedition. The confidence of my friend increased and they were successful in completion of the expedition. This was a real scene of Mahabharatha where Krishna asks Arjuna to perform his duty.

In Mahabharatha, Pandavas chose Krishna on their side. Krishna took the role of a charioteer. Arjuna was his friend and Krishna apart from his friend he was also the Master and Guide of Arjuna. Krishna is not sitting on high moral cloud and passing judgment on humanity but accepted the role to assist Arjuna who represented humanity.

Courtesy : Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ) ,  Srimad Bhagavad-Gita ( by A. Parthasarathy  & www.gitadaily.com ) Chapter 1 : Text 14