Do You Believe in Miracles?

Life is a journey filled with unexpected turns, moments of despair, and instances of hope. Some of these moments stay with us, shaping our beliefs and perspectives. I want to share two stories—one from my childhood and one from a more recent experience—that have left a lasting impact on me. These tales are about resilience, the power of hope, and the miracles that sometimes intervene when all seems lost.

The Bird and the Sea

More than a decade ago, when I was a curious child eagerly awaiting my father’s return from a pilgrimage, he brought home a massive volume of the Bhagavad Gita and a beautifully crafted wooden book stand. Fascinated, I assembled the stand and randomly opened the book, struggling to read the ancient slokas but managing to grasp the summary.

The story that caught my attention was about a bird living in a forest by the sea. This bird had recently become a mother, and one day, while she was away searching for food, a tsunami struck, washing away half the forest. When she returned, she found her nest destroyed and her babies gone, swallowed by the relentless sea.

Desperate and heartbroken, the mother bird refused to accept her loss. She began to remove water from the sea with her tiny beak, determined to reclaim her babies. The bird god, Gatothkacha, observed her futile efforts and told her, "The sea only knows how to take. Once it has taken, it will not give back."

But the bird was undeterred. She continued her efforts, her resolve unshaken. Finally, moved by her determination, the sea god returned her babies, defying its own nature.

A Brush with the Sea

Fast forward to more than a decade later. I was comfortably reading a magazine when I received a call from my brother, asking for help to lead a group of girls on a trip to Gokarna. Despite feeling weak, I agreed.

The trip was lively, filled with energy, gossip, and drama. When we reached a beach, I noticed one girl sitting dangerously close to the edge of some steep, slippery rocks. I called out to her, warning her to move away from the sea, but she was lost in her thoughts and didn’t hear me.

I decided to approach her, carefully navigating the treacherous rocks. As I reached her and urged her to move back, I suddenly noticed a massive wave approaching. Instinctively, I grabbed onto a rock with all my strength as the wave crashed over me, covering the very spot where I had stood moments before.

The force of the wave was overwhelming. As it began to recede, it pulled me toward the sea with incredible power. I clung desperately to the last rock within reach, feeling the pain and the realization that I might not survive this. My mind filled with thoughts of my family, and I braced myself for what seemed like the inevitable.

But then, in what felt like a final act of grace, another wave came. This time, it pushed me back towards the shore, away from the deadly pull of the sea. Exhausted but alive, I found a large rock and held onto it with all the strength I had left.

At that moment, a friend who had irritated me earlier by asking me to move aside for a picture appeared. He reached out his hand and helped pull me to safety.

Reflection: The Miracles in Our Lives

Both stories, one drawn from the ancient wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita and the other from a personal, near-death experience, remind me of the power of resilience and hope. The bird's unwavering determination and my own fight against the sea's pull reveal that sometimes, miracles happen when we refuse to give up, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

In life, as in these stories, the sea may take, but it can also give back. It’s in these moments that we find the strength to carry on, and perhaps, a touch of the miraculous.