Krishna wants us to depend on Him

Last week, I was asked to present to a big group of about forty people on the importance of data quality. I was planning to use a spreadsheet I created a month earlier for this meeting. So I was confident about the presentation since I already knew what was in the spreadsheet and all I needed to do was do a last minute inspection before the actual meeting. About 20 minutes before the meeting, I opened the spreadsheet and reviewed what I had done earlier. To my utter dismay and shock, I could not understand the spreadsheet fully. I could understand parts of it but the idea I wanted to convey using the spreadsheet seemed elusive. I had written down definition of variables and I tried to decipher what I had originally done, given few more minutes I probably could have figured it out. But unfortunately I was woefully short of time and as the clock was winding down to the start of the meeting, my heart rate was increasing because I could not remember what I had done earlier and irony was my own data quality of the spreadsheet was in question. Anyways, I tried everything I could but still I was little stressful since I wasn't sure what I will be speaking.

I looked at the screen, looked at the clock, and with a confused mind I simply took shelter of Krishna asking me to give me the intelligence to speak properly. My prayer was perhaps 2 seconds. Anyways, I did the best I could in cleaning my spreadsheet and headed to the meeting room five minutes late. There were about forty members waiting for me to speak. I turn the computer on and it wouldn't work. It was my responsibility to have checked everything ahead of time. Anyways, after fiddling with the gadgets and after ten minutes of delay, I started the meeting.

Despite all the confusion in my mind, I breezed through the presentation in thirty minutes with everyone satisfied. Unlike myself, my opening (which is the weakest) was the strongest and I did not falter from there. With everyone satisfied, my manager and other staff members happy, I returned to my desk. I instantly recognized the mercy of Krishna. Even though this is an apparently mundane event, Krishna so kindly reciprocated to my short prayer. He gave me the intelligence and the words to speak just enough to complete the presentation. Of course this event is a matter of faith for others. But knowing my skills in public presentation, and my ability in tense situations from past, I can safely say whatever happened was the intervention of Krishna's kindness.

I simply depended on Him and did not so much worry about the outcome. If Krishna wanted to embarrass me, I cannot control it but at the same time if He wanted me to do well, also I have no control. For my part, I took shelter of Him in a mood of dependency and prayer. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that He is the ability in man and simply by acknowledging that fact by taking shelter of HIm can take us closer to Him. I pray to the Lord that I always take shelter of His Lotus Feet at all times and let Him be my master and I His instrument of His servants.

Hare Krishna