COVID-19 Reflection, a True Story of simple faith and devotion
This COVID-19 pandemic lock down in the country has brought to many, including myself, some of the best and deepest realizations in life. I would like to share with you today the example of one practitioner of bhakti-yoga whom I had known for last one year. The recent incidents showed to me how simple and faithful people can be so strong-willed during challenging times.
I am speaking about one of my students. She was undergoing a course on bhakti literatures and I was one teacher for Bhagavad-Gita, one of the books taught in the course. Every day she would come late for the class and I always wondered why. But I never understood, and I never asked her. Sometimes she on her own would say that because of ill health she would reach late.
Weeks later, I came to know that because she was following a strict religious vow called chaturamasya (a 4-month period of fasting for spiritual benefits) by eating only fruit, sometimes her health would wane and she would thus miss attending the class.
Quite a few times she insisted that I visit her house for prasadam (sanctified food offered to the Lord) and also meet her husband and son. I could not fulfill her request.
The entire year passed.
We met again this year in Vrindavan, a town 80 miles south-east of Delhi, popularly known as the town of bhakti in India. She again invited me for lunch at her house on the occasion of upcoming Guru Purnima festival (a traditional festival for honoring one’s teachers). I obliged. She told me that few more of her teachers would also join the lunch.
When I visited her house, the first thing I realized was that she lived far away from the Institute where she attended the course the previous year. Later as it became obvious to me that her family was going through financial difficulties, I realized she would actually everyday walk from her house to the institute in the heat of the Vrindavan sun to attend the classes just because she did not have sufficient money to pay for rickshaws.
I reached her home, a tiny one-floor house with only one room. Later few more people arrived, all my acquaintances. The family welcomed us all with great warmth and with much love and devotion served us lunch. This example of faithful and simple devotion touched me.
As I was talking to her husband, I also realized that because of the lockdown situation he had almost no earning for the last few months. By profession he is a tailor and there was no business for him.
So I asked him about his son, an eleven-year-old boy, “what about his school?” He replied, “We do not have money for eating. How can we send him to school?”
This is one family, amongst the many, which have faced similar severe consequences of the lockdown. What amazed me was their faith and adherence to practice of devotional and spiritual life. Some time later, when everyone had left, I expressed to the pious lady, “In these tough times, you are being very generous to invite others for lunch at your house. I think you need not do it.” She replied, with all honesty, “I have to show proper respects to my teachers. They have given me so much, so how can I not serve them back in this little way.”
What more could I say to her. For such simple-hearted faithful devotees the Supreme Lord makes all inconceivable wonderful arrangements to serve others.
