Last Sunday dad, two of his friends and I went to listen to murshid‘s discourse. Weather in Punjab last weekend was unusually pleasant in mid May. We started early from home at about 4.00am. Drive from Ghanauli up till almost Jalandhar is a breeze these days. I like the road along the canal from Ropar till Balachaur. This small stretch of the highway is surrounded by green country side of Punjab. Early morning drive is amazing there! Dad’s “dollar” works at the Balachaur toll plaza, but the blokes at another toll plaza before Phagwara are a finicky lot and (rightly) refuse to recognize dad’s “dollar” — his now expired ID. Children don’t let him (mis)use his ID or anything that he ethically shouldn’t be using to have his way. This time opponents were in majority so they tried to exploit the “dollar” but the attempt failed when the toll plaza guy refused to accept that ID. However, the toll guy asked dad where we were headed — people often get influenced by dad’s persona, particularly his now all-grayed out mustache. Dad said we were going to Dera at Beas. Hearing this the toll guy said: “OK now this ID of your works because you are going to Dera”. I almost stopped the car and tried to pay the dues then and there. The elderly friend of dad then stopped me and said: “At the final day too it will be His Name that will let us through, why worry if He let us through this little toll thing?” I reluctantly moved on, but these words of the elderly gentleman kept lingering in my head. Being a responsible citizen I wanted to pay my dues. Invoking your Murshid‘s name for the most trivial of the things like this toll is almost criminal in my view! Nevertheless, I was thinking that ultimately it will again be His Word that will save me at the final day and not my own effort; at that moment too am I going to say: “No I want to pay all my karmic debts myself“? From the principle standpoint I’m not sure if the two situations — the toll and the final day — are much different.
Nevertheless, Lord’s Name is His Currency that is valid everywhere!
Mistakes of our lives 