Story 11: “The Secret Mantra – From Normal to Special”

 Story 11: “The Secret Mantra – From Normal to Special”

Rahul came back home from school. He looked sad. There was disappointment in his eyes. Grandpa was sitting nearby, reading the newspaper.

Grandpa (smiling gently): Rahul, my dear, I didn’t hear your cheerful voice today… Is everything okay?

Rahul (quietly): Yes, Grandpa... (pauses for a moment while walking) It’s just… today we got our math test marks. I scored 8 marks less than I expected. I still can’t believe I made so many mistakes… And in math!

Grandpa: But, my dear, you knew how to solve the questions, right?

Rahul: Yes, Grandpa. I made mistakes in the calculations. But I don’t know how I went so wrong.

Grandpa: Sometimes this happens, son. It just means you need more practice. That’s all. Don’t worry. From now on, come to me every day for a little while with your math book. I will give you a few questions each day… and you can practice them. Just wait and see — you won’t make mistakes anymore.

Now, cheer up, Rahul! Tonight, I will share a beautiful mantra from the Gita with you.

Rahul: Is it a magical mantra, Grandpa? One that will help me get good marks just by chanting it?

Grandpa: Not quite, Rahul. I’ll tell you everything tonight. For now, eat your lunch and take some rest.

(Later that night, Rahul comes to Grandpa at the set time.)

Rahul (quietly sitting down): Grandpa, can we skip the video today? Just explain it to me directly.

Grandpa: Oh no, today’s video is very important — I’m going to give you a powerful mantra!

Rahul (smiling softly): Okay, Grandpa… he's on the video.

(Grandpa picks up the Bhagavad Gita.)

Grandpa: Come on, Rahul, read this verse with me.

(Both read the verse together.)

Karmaṇy evādhikāras te
mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr
mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi." (Bhagavad Gita 2.47)

Grandpa: Rahul, this verse from the Gita teaches us four important things. Listen carefully:

First: "Karmanye vadhikaraste" – This means you have the right to do your work (your duty). Your job is to do your best. Like for you, Rahul, your duty is to study well. So you should study with full effort and honesty. That is your "dharma" — your responsibility.

Second: "Ma phaleshu kadachana" – This means you don’t have the right to the result of your work.

Grandpa (smiling): Rahul, do you know what "phal" means?

Rahul (smiling back): Yes, Grandpa — it means result!

Grandpa (laughing gently): That’s right! So this means, whatever result you get after doing your work — it is not in your control. So don’t worry too much about the marks or the result. Accept what you get, and keep doing better next time.

Rahul: So, Grandpa, should I not care about my marks at all?

Grandpa: You don’t need to worry about marks — you just need to work hard. Today, we’ll understand only the first two lines of the verse.

Rahul: Grandpa, please explain it in a really simple way.

Grandpa (gently): Alright. God is saying — do your work with full focus, hard work, and confidence.
Like you, Rahul, you are a student. So what should you do? Study with full attention, learn with understanding, repeat your lessons, and do your homework carefully. But — don’t keep thinking:
"If I get good marks, Mom and Dad will be happy, my teacher will praise me… and if I get fewer marks, they’ll feel bad."

Rahul (a bit confused): You mean… I should study well… but not even think that people will be happy or that I’ll be praised in class?

Grandpa (smiling): That’s right! It sounds strange at first, doesn’t it? That’s why the Gita helps us change our way of thinking. It helps us go from ordinary to extraordinary!

Rahul (excited): Ohh! So the Gita makes us go from normal to special?

Grandpa (proudly): Absolutely right, my dear! That’s today’s secret — the mantra to become special from normal!
When you do your work without fear and without expectations, that’s when you become special.

Grandpa (smiling again): Look at the trees — they give fruits, whether someone eats them or not…The river keeps flowing, whether someone drinks the water or not…
They all just keep doing their work.

Rahul: But Grandpa, trees, rivers, mountains, sun, stars — they’re not human. They don’t have emotions. They don’t feel happy or sad like us. So, how can they know what joy or sadness means?

Grandpa (calmly): That’s a good point, Rahul. So let’s talk about humans.

Look at your Mom and Dad —
Mom takes care of the house, cooks food, and helps you study… even if no one praises her, she does her work with love and full effort.
Dad goes to the office every day, works hard, and takes care of all our needs — without asking for anything in return, without expecting thanks or praise.

Rahul (thinking): But Grandpa… how can I enjoy doing something if I don’t think about the result? Won’t it be boring?

Grandpa (with a soft laugh): Let me explain it your way.

When you make a reel, if you keep thinking, “Will it be good or bad?” — then you won’t say the dialogues properly, and your face won’t show the right expressions.
But if you focus only on where to pose, how to act — then the reel turns out great! And when it’s great, of course, the views come too.

Rahul (happily): Yes, Grandpa! That’s exactly what my football coach says too —
“Rahul, just keep your eyes on the ball. Don’t think about anything else!”

Grandpa: Exactly! Rahul, we should just focus on doing our work well.
If our work is good, the result will be good too — all by itself.

Rahul: So that means… whenever I do something, I should focus only on that task and give it my best. I shouldn’t let other thoughts bother me.

Rahul (thinking a bit): But Grandpa… is it okay to think about the result after finishing the work?

Grandpa (more serious now): My dear, before starting any work, we should ask ourselves just three things:
– Is this the right thing to do?
– Will God be happy with this action?
– Will this hurt anyone?

That’s it! This is what we must think before starting anything.
But what do we usually do?
Even before starting, we start imagining:
“What will I get from this? What’s in it for me?”

Rahul: And when we don’t get what we expected… we feel upset, right, Grandpa?

Grandpa (nodding): Exactly! And this thinking wastes our energy.
If we don’t get the result we imagined, we keep worrying about it.
This stress eats up our energy and time.

Rahul: Oh! So thinking too much wastes our energy, like overthinking about my low math marks?

Grandpa: Yes, Rahul. Instead of thinking about what went wrong, think about what you can improve next time.

Rahul (agreeing): Yes, Grandpa. I should start preparing for what's next.

Grandpa: Right! We must prepare for our next step.
Because if we keep thinking about the past, our energy gets used up.
And then we have less power left for the future. Understand?

Rahul (quietly): But Grandpa… sometimes, even after working really hard, if the result is not good… we do feel sad. And then we don’t feel like trying again…

Grandpa (gently): That’s exactly what the Gita teaches, dear!

Our results depend on many things — some we can control, and some we can’t.
For example, if someone is running in a race:
– He can wear good shoes,
– Wear comfortable clothes,
– Practice a lot,
– And take help from a coach.

But…
He can’t control the weather.
He can’t control how fast others run.

Rahul (understanding): So I just have to check if I ran my best.

Grandpa: Yes, Rahul! Did you run with the same effort you practiced with?
If yes, then whether you came first or not, it doesn’t matter much.

Rahul (laughing): Right, Grandpa! Because we don’t have control over results. We only have control over our actions. And if we do the right actions, we don’t really lose — instead, we learn our strength! Like how far and how fast I can run.

Grandpa (with pride): That’s today’s mantra, my boy!
When we do our work with dedication and the right practice, we become better than before, and that’s how we go from normal to special.

Rahul (with excitement): Wow, Grandpa! Today’s learning was amazing!
From now on, I will start my journey to become special!

Grandpa (laughing happily): Very good, my son!
Tomorrow, we’ll learn the next two lines of the verse.

Rahul: Yes, Grandpa!
(Rahul bows to Grandpa and happily walks to his room.)