CHINNA KATHA
- A Little Story from Bhagavan

Fortified by Faith

During the Second World War, a steamer carrying Indian soldiers was bombed by a Japanese aircraft and was sunk. Many lost their lives. However, five among them managed to board a lifeboat and hoped to survive in spite of the surging ocean. They were tossed about for many hours.

One of them became desperate and cried, "The sea will swallow me. I will be a meal for the sharks!" Due to such fear, he drowned.

Another warrior wept for his family, "Oh, I am dying without arranging for the future of my family." He too lost faith and breathed his last.

The third soldier thought, "I have with me the insurance policy and other documents. What a pity! I should have kept them at home. What will my wife do now? I am sure to die." Needless to say, he too lost hope and died.

The other two men, however, reinforced each other's faith in God. They said, "We shall not yield to fear. We shall prove that however desperate the situation may be, God will certainly protect us if we have faith in Him."

Even as they were encouraging each other in this manner, a helicopter sent from a coastal ship, which had received signals for help, caught sight of these two men and hauled them up. When they were safe on land, they said, "It is only five minutes between victory and defeat. Faith earned the victory; lack of it brought about defeat and death."

~ Baba

- Illustrations: Ms. Vidya, Kuwait