ARANI SERIES
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Spark 24
Be Thou An Instrument in God’s Hands!
The practical advice that the Geeta offers to us is best expressed in the following lines:
Remember Me, and do your duty. (8.7) 1
Do My work, staying devoted to Me. (11.55) 2
Be thou an instrument in My hands. (11.33)3
The Universal Prayer in Christianity, as expressed by Saint Francis of Assisi, echoes the same spirit in the words: Lord, Make me an instrument of Thy peace!
The following story4 illustrates the spirit of surrender to God and being an instrument in His hands:
THE PENCIL PARABLE
In the beginning, the Pencil Maker spoke to the pencil saying, “There are five things you need to know before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and you will become the best pencil you can be.”
- You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand.
- You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but this is required if you want to become a better pencil.
- You have the ability to correct any mistakes you might make.
- The most important part of you will always be what’s inside.
- No matter what the condition, you must continue to write. You must always leave a clear, legible mark no matter how difficult the situation.
The pencil understood, promising to remember, and went into the box fully understanding its Maker’s purpose.
The essence of all spirituality seems to be – to erase the ego – to live vibrantly without any interference from the separate self.
Swami Chidananda in Himachal Pradesh
Notes:
1 mām-anusmara, yudhya cha.
2 mat-karma-krit, mat-paramo, madbhaktah…
3 nimitta-mātram bhava savya-sāchin
4 Page 86, “Mind and Modern Problems” by Swami Bodhamayānanda, published by Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad (Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence)