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Faith in God: The Bedrock of all Virtues; Nothing is Impossible for the one with Faith

It is with faith alone that Hanuman easily crossed the ocean; it is with faith alone that stones were made to float in water; and it is with faith alone that we will reach the divine.

The power of faith can accomplish even the most impossible of tasks with utmost ease. A devotee’s childlike faith and devotion can melt the Lord’s “butter-like” heart in a moment. History is replete with examples of how devotees, on the strength of their faith alone, moved the compassionate Lord to perform the most phenomenal of miracles.

Mira. Mira, a famous saint, used to spend all her time in singing the glories of the Lord. She was once offered poisoned drink in the guise of “prasadam” [consecrated food]. With complete faith in the Lord, she drank the offering; at her mere touch, the poisoned drink was transformed into divine nectar.

The Greatest Devotee. Once Sage Narada desired to find the greatest devotee of the Lord. He approached earth and visited a well-known priest. The priest prostrated to the sage and inquired about the welfare of all, including the Lord. When asked about what the Lord was doing at the present moment, Narada replied, “The Lord is passing an elephant through a needle’s hole.” The priest burst into uncontrollable laughter and ridiculed Narada for making such a statement. Narada smiled and walked away and continued on his quest. During his wanderings, Narada met several “self proclaimed” devotees, but none could believe what Narada was saying.

Finally, Narada arrived at a cobbler’s shop. The cobbler was thrilled at the sight of a divine guest and welcomed Narada into his humble home. After offering due hospitality, the cobbler inquired about the Lord. Narada again made the same statement: “The Lord is passing an elephant through a needle’s hole.” On hearing this, the cobbler’s eyes were filled with tears of joy. He said, “Ah, my Lord is so great. He can accomplish even the most impossible of feats. He can definitely pass, not just an elephant, but the entire universe through a needle’s hole.” Narada’s eyes were filled with tears to have finally found the best devotee.

Implicit faith does not seek the support of logic or scientific proofs when it comes to the Lord. There is no rationale that can demystify the Lord’s power. The Lord is the Master of this entire creation and there is absolutely nothing he cannot accomplish. Swami has often said: “At my mere sankapla [will], I can transform earth into sky and sky into earth.” How many of us practice this faith, though? When we are traveling by plane, don’t we trust our life in the hands of an unknown pilot? When we are being operated, don’t we place our entire body in the care of a surgeon we hardly know? Then why can’t we have implicit faith in our Lord? The Lord is our mother, father, and protector and the only one who really loves us and will never hurt us in any way.

St. Peter. Another story comes to mind: Once Lord Jesus appeared in the middle of an ocean and asked St. Peter to walk on water. St. Peter obeyed and, to the wonder of all, was able to walk on the surface of water. After crossing a certain distance, though, he felt fear and doubt. The moment he doubted, he fell into the water. While drowning, however, he called out to the Lord for help. Jesus immediately rescued his beloved devotee and said, “Why did you doubt, child?” Peter could walk on water as long as he had faith, but the minute he doubted, he fell into the water. The ocean in the above story could be compared to the world full of worries. The Lord is asking us to walk on it with implicit faith in Him. As long as we walk with faith, we won’t be affected by the sufferings of this world. The minute we doubt, though, our sufferings will overwhelm us. But, even in doubt, if we call the Lord, he will surely come to our rescue. Such is the unconditional love that the Lord has for us.

Faith can be cultivated by all. Being Swami’s children, there is nothing we cannot accomplish either. Let us pray to the Lord to grant us pure faith.

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