april 2023 krishnaarchana 25 Gita is relevant in this context. (Chapter 3, Karmayoga, Verse 30) ‘Perform all works as an offering unto Me and constantly meditate on Me as the Supreme. Become free from desire and selfishness, and with your mental grief departed, fight (Arjuna)!’ In other words, if you discharge your duties in the service of the Lord without claiming ownership, or renouncing your desire for personal gain, you will do a good job and get a deep sense of peace and contentment after the action was performed. Every morning, I sit and meditate on the smiling face of Lord Krishna playing his celestial flute, and after twenty minutes, I feel peaceful and energized, ready to face the day. This routine has become the sanctuary for my heart. Spiritual belief and practice can have a phenomenal effect in promoting better health and well-being. About the author: M. P. Ravindra Nathan, MD, FRCP (Lond & Canada), FACP, FACC, FAHA is a retired cardiologist and Emeritus Editor of the AAPI Journal. He is a columnist for Khaas Baat and frequently writes for Tampa Bay Times. His articles have appeared in Medical Economics, Cortlandt Forum, Florida Medical Journal and several souvenir magazines. He is the author of the two books, ‘Stories from My Heart, A Cardiologist’s Reflections on the Gift of Life’ and ‘Second Chance – A Sister’s Act of Love’ (www.amazon.com or www.bn.com ). Aadhya was a little girl who did not believe in Krishna. Because of this, she didn’t enjoy praying and she always believed that God was someone’s imagination. One day, as was the custom, she picked up her lunch bag and ran to school. There she found her friends. ‘’Aadhya, did you know that today is a very important test? It counts for 50% of our grade! Did you practice? Are you ready?’’ Her friends kept asking her questions until Aadhya said, ‘’I’m ready, I have learned everything that I need to know.’’ Her friends believed her and stopped pestering her. Aadhya went into the classroom. The teacher was distributing the test worksheets while Aadhya sat down. The teacher came to Aadhya’s side and gave her the worksheet. Aadhya took one look at the worksheet and concluded that it was too hard for her. She was confused. She thought that she had studied. She started writing the answers that she thought were the true answers until she realized that she didn’t have an eraser. She checked into her pocket by putting her hand inside and felt something there. It definitely didn’t feel like an eraser. She felt it and took it out to see what it was. It was a picture of Krishna! Her mom must’ve slipped it inside her pocket while she was getting ready! Even if she didn’t believe in Krishna, she felt much more relaxed just holding something in her hand. After she was relaxed, she took a deep breath and looked at the test questions again. She felt like she saw them somewhere! She remembered that the class had learnt it last week, and now confident, she found an eraser and erased all the answers that she thought were wrong and wrote her own answers. She had finished! The bell rang and all the students gave the teacher their test papers. The teacher said that she would correct it by tomorrow. Aadhya went home, tensed. She didn’t even feel like eating dinner. But then she remembered that she was lucky to have food in the first place, so she after ate it happily. After dinner, she tried to go to sleep but she couldn’t stop tossing and turning. Finally, after a long time, she fell asleep. The next morning, she rushed and got ready quickly. She ran to school really fast, just in time to see the teacher distributing the corrected test papers. The teacher gave Aadhya, her test paper and she got 97%! Aadhya reached into her pocket and felt the picture of Krishna again. She took it out of her pocket and smiled. After school, when Aadhya went home, she saw her mom praying to Krishna. Aadhya joined her mother and she looked at the idol of Krishna in front of her. She thought she saw him wink. She smiled. She believed in God now. Aadhya remembered what her mother told her once. It’s that: God isn’t an easy way out. God doesn’t create miracles. God will give you opportunities. You have to use them to create miracles. FEATURE By Bhadra Devi Menon (14 yrs) Krishna’s Aide
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