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Enlightenment Journal | Spring 2011

Log onto www.unity.fm/program/theyogahour  to listen to Nipun Mehta,  

Rev. O’Brian and Sriram Shamasunder,  
MD, discuss: LIVING SEVA: YOGA IN  
THE WORLD for insights into how to  
work with full integrity, free from the 
attachment to results.

“Mohanbhai, if I didn’t trust you, 

why would I give you the money?”

“Sahib, don’t trust me. I’m a very 

bad person. No one trusts me,” he says, 

while rejecting money and down-

playing himself for the next couple of 

minutes.

To his several minute tirade, I 

respond with a one-liner, and an extra-

broad smile on my face: “Too late. I 

already trust you.”

Again, a moment of stunned silence.

Mohan doesn’t really know how to 

respond, or what to do next.

“Okay, sir, tell me your name. I 

will come and tell you exactly what 

happened with this money.”

“Mohan, I already trust you fully. 

You don’t need to tell me anything. It 

will be an unspoken contract between 

you and the world,” I say.

I get the sense that he has never 

experienced such a blatant act of irra-

tional faith. Still, Mohan feels a need 

to reassure me that he will live up to 

the trust I have in him. After fumbling 

around for a bit, he gathers money 

from all the hidden pockets of change. 

“See, see, I have Rs. 312 on me. You 

have given me Rs. 240. I will do my 

honest best today. You can be sure of 

that. I won’t let you down today.”

Rs. 240 is worth less than a movie in 

the U.S., but no movie has ever left me 

feeling this connected with life. Right 

as I am about to go, Mohan throws in 

his final condition: “Sir, I won’t let you 

go without your giving me your name 

and address. You have to. You can’t 

leave without telling me.”

“Mohan, I tell you what. You and 

your family, you come to the Seva  

Café some day. You’ve seen the Reebok 

building; it’s right on the fourth floor. 

If you come in the next week, I’ll  

be your waiter. Otherwise, ask for 

Jayeshbhai, and tell him you’re my 

friend. He’ll know.”

He grabs a newspaper from one of 

his bins, pulls out a pen from under 

his seat, and writes down a few things 

in Gujarati. “One day, bhai, I will find 

you and tell you all my stories.” Almost 

silently, he whispers, “Thank you.”

“See you, my friend,” I say while 

walking off. He smiles, snaps his 

fingers, and lifts his right index finger 

towards the sky. I don’t know what it 

means, but maybe it is the seal on our 

unspoken contract. 

Nipun Mehta is the founder of Charity Focus 

which now has over 300,000 members, who  

live life creating ripples that continue to draw 

more and more people into the circle of giving. 

www.charityfocus.org. This article first appeared 

in the 2010 winter issue of Parabola magazine, 

reprinted with permission. www.parabola.org.