Hungry for a miracle

I was struggling to stay out, it was late but I just thought I can keep chanting. That’s when I saw this young man walk in my direction. He looked very dejected and kind of stopped near me. I gave him a card and inquired if he has heard about yoga. He said yes but questioningly asked ‘What can it do for me’. So I started to explain how most of our problems are in the mind. He interjected right away asking, ‘no will it solve my problem?’ I told him I don’t know his specific problem but generally when people are calmer they can solve more problems – he mildly nodded. I noticed all the while he had these hiccups. So as I was talking, again he interjected – will it solve my problem. So I asked him was his problem financial or health. He started to explain he had no where to live his family has kicked him out and asked me if I have a place to live. I told him I have a mantra that will give him strength and showed him the Hare Krishna mantra and he repeated it with me. Then again he asked but how will it solve my problem. He said every step he takes there is pain, he can’t even walk. Again he asked me, how it will solve my problem. At that very moment two very severely hunchbacked people walked past us and I pointed in their direction and told him that was pain and that real progress requires attitude of gratitude and he should chant Hare Krishna. He was really upset. I told him its not like the chanting will find him his house but it will transform his life. I was running out of ideas, but at that very moment he said ‘Oh my god, can you see my hiccups stopped’ He was a changed man in seconds – he was smiling and laughing. He said this is a miracle, I am in pain for so long, cant stop these hiccups and chest was hurting, could do nothing to stop it but now it stopped. He started to ask me – how did the hiccups stop (as if I knew). I told him everything is going on under Krishna’s will, these hiccups may come back again but you need to see you are not the body. He said I was not believing you, but now I believe you, I will surely read this book. He now showed interest in the books and started to inquire more about Karma. He left with two books and I requested him to chant everyday. I pray humbly that he just chants.

Looking back it, I was thinking how cheap our faith in Krishna is. We need to see a little magic show, a little miracle. We don’t realise that the very fact that we have human form of life and are in association with Srila Prabhupada’s books, Vaikuntha gems, is the greatest miracle. Srila Prabhupada explained that if someone just stops and appreciates a book and says thank you, doesn’t even take it, its Shraddha and that is enough to get them a human form of life. What is the destination of this young man, so frustrated and lost in life and little does he know that he left with the world’s greatest gems.