When I was in school, we were taught a few chapters from the Bhagavad Gita, and that too for an interschool competition. Later, I never got the opportunity to read the Bhagavad Gita again. It was in my late 20s that I got a pocket-sized book from the ISCKON temple I visited, which stays with me even today. I open it and read whenever I feel confused or lost. Something, which I feel has stayed with me for a long time, is this line from the Bhagavad Gita, which is,

It’s honestly such a comforting thought, that when you give actual, real and genuine devotion, it never goes unnoticed. And it even reminds me of two stories I heard when I was younger, one that still fills me with warmth even now.

The Devoted Villager and Krishna’s Grace

There was once a simple villager, living near the edge of a dense forest, he wasn’t that big on any rituals, didn’t know how to read scriptures, but despite it he’d light a small oil lamp under a tree, put his hands together and quietly say

“Krishna, I don’t know much. But I believe in you. Please look after me and my family.”

That was all he ever offered. Nothing grand. Nothing lavish, just simple, steady faith. The villagers would mock him, “you think lighting a lamp and whispering under a tree’s going to change your fate?’ But he didn’t mind. His devotion wasn’t shaken by ridicule. Then came the drought. It was bad— Crops dried up. Families packed up and left. But somehow… his little patch of land stayed green.

Everyone was stunned.

One day, a wandering sage stopped by and asked, “How did you survive this drought?”

The villager gave a small smile and said, ‘I don’t know, Maharaj. Every morning, I just tell Krishna, “Take care of me.” Maybe… He listened.

The Devoted Milkmaid

“In a quiet little village near the Yamuna River, there lived a sweet milkmaid named Shabari [Not the one from Ramayana she is a different figure]. Every day, she’d cross the river to deliver fresh milk to the hermits. And every step of her day, from churning milk to walking the wooded paths, she filled with Krishna’s name. She hadn’t seen Him, but to her, He was always there, walking beside her, listening.

Then one day, the river flooded. The boatmen wouldn’t cross; it was too dangerous. That meant no milk for the sages.  Heart aching, Shabari poured her worries into prayer. That night, Krishna came to her in a dream, smiling softly:

‘Why fear? Walk in My name. The river will listen.’ At sunrise, with nothing but faith in her heart, wrapped in the feeling of that dream, she stood by the roaring river and whispered,
‘Govinda! I walk in Your name.’

And just like that, as if wrapped in something unseen, she crossed. The waves never touched her.

People were shocked. ‘How did you do it?’ they asked. She simply said,
‘I didn’t cross the river. He took me across.’”

This little story captures the heart of the verse so beautifully.

“To those who are constantly devoted and who worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”
(Bhagavad Gita 9.22)

What This Story Teaches Us

This tale feels like a living whisper of Bhakti Yoga—the way of surrender, of heart-led devotion. The villager didn’t recite verses or perform fancy rituals. His strength wasn’t in outward practice, but in the purity of his heart.

 And that’s exactly what the Gita reminds us. Krishna doesn’t ask us to be perfect. He just asks us to show up—with love, with trust, and with open hands.

 And when we do… when we truly place our worries in the hands of the Divine, the world around us seems to respond—tenderly, and often, like a gentle miracle unfolding.

Your Takeaway from Chapter 9, Verse 22

• You don’t need big rituals or loud prayers to connect with the Divine.
• Just a heart that trusts—that’s more than enough.
• Devotion isn’t always about asking for things. Sometimes, it’s just saying, “I trust You.”
• And when that trust is real, Krishna keeps His promise: “I personally carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.”

Has there ever been a time when your faith carried you through something you didn’t think you could handle? or a simple prayer came through when you least expected it? If something comes to mind, drop it in the comments. Let’s hold space for each other’s stories and keep the warmth flowing.

And if you liked this post, don’t forget to check out more spiritual stories and learnings from the Bhagavad Gita on the blog.