Whenever I get the blessing to drive to Shri Vrindavan, I usually go by the Yamuna expressway. It is easily accessible, has a smoother drive, and is convenient for me.

This last time, I got the unexpected blessing of getting the chance to drive a senior Vaishnava monk to Vrindavan. I was scheduled to receive him at the airport and then drive directly to Vrindavan. I opened the google maps app and entered the destination. The route suggested by Google baba was alien to me. Now even before the opening of the Yamuna Expressway, I used to take the “Mathura Road” to drive to Vrindavan. Never before did I need to travel via Gurugram (a separate nation of sorts supposedly said to be 10 mins away from Delhi, but many times takes as much time to reach there from Delhi as it takes to reach Vrindavan). Now Google baba is a lifesaver when it comes to sharing directions to routes never taken and helping us reach our destination quicker. The small cost of snooping on our entire life notwithstanding. 🙂

However, I was a bit anxious. Sometimes even google baba errs. Machine hai, intelligent hai but made by designed to default humans. And sometimes, this anxious human’s mind gets overworked in such situations.

Did I enter the correct coordinates?

Are we on the right path?

Should I instead go by my trusted route, even if that may take additional time?

Well, I swerved my mind away from the useless chatter to the engaging stories shared by the kind monk. Within about an hour, I saw a signage board with “Palwal” written on it, and then I felt an assurance that we were on the right path.

And, if you have been a regular here, you know what is coming, don’t you?

An ordinary incident in the life of the smiling and yogi Panda led to the ideation of this blog!

The Currency of Trust

I wondered why did I keep following the navigation suggested by google?

The answer is simple enough:

Trust.

How does an individual, a device, or a piece of technology acquire trust?

1. Mostly by being consistent,

2. By living up to an established reputation,

3. By delivering a promise.

Google maps promise to make us accurately reach our destination in the shortest amount of time. As I write here that about 99% of the time, it IS accurate (hence the trust), but curiously the mind thinks back on that one or two incidents in the past where it failed! The human mind is a sneaky device in itself. But that is the subject of another blog or podcast.

Now, we reached Vrindavan in such a harmonious manner because of google maps and because I didn’t listen to the anxious doubts in my mind.

Additionally, it also had me thinking…

The Value Of The Right Kind Of Guide

Our land and its scriptures are filled with glorifications of a guru, a guide, and the right kind of teacher.

One of the primary tasks of a guide is to help us reach our desired goals and destination much quicker and harmoniously than if we tried on our own.

From learning to walk, talk, read, write, eat, and so on, we humans must be taught and guided.

The right guidance can make even the seemingly unassailable tasks attainable and easy.

I recall Dumbledore’s words from one of the Harry Potter books:

“Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.”

I have almost always found answers to my questions, doubts, and even guidance in times of need if I were willing to humbly enquire from people or even technology.

The wise ones say that when you enquire about something, you risk appearing like a fool for one moment, but not asking is risking remaining a fool for your entire life.

The more I grow, the more I learn, and the more glory I find in knowing that I will never know it all.

Why?

Because I know there will always be some new discovery, some new piece of information that can shock, awe, inform and surprise me.

To summarize:

1. We need a guide in life even if sometimes we know where to go. Heck, perhaps we need guidance more when we are certain where we have to go.

2. To ask is to learn, and to learn is to grow.

3. To shy away from seeking guidance is to risk remaining foolish.

4. Even the most ordinary moments in life can be an excuse to write as long as there is a compulsion. 😉

Thank you so much for reading until the end of the post. What was your takeaway?

Looking forward to the next source of inspiration from this ordinary but blessed existence.

Kushagra