The Mango Tree

Life seems to be at its most beautiful moment when I connect my inner self with the environment; when both seem to be in unison with each other; when I raise above self and start appreciating each and every creation of the God Almighty.

It was during one such moment that I began my inward journey with a thought about “Mangoes” and as I closed my eyes, I heard someone say “Nice fruits aren't they?”

“Nice is an understatement, I will say delicious” I replied. The person nodded his head in agreement and went ahead “Did you ever think of the bearer of this fruit; The Mango Tree?”

“No” I said. The man chuckled and said “I did not expect anything better from you or for that matter from any of your kind”.

“Year after year it keeps giving delicious fruits to the mankind. It seems as if it is fulfilling a sacred ritual, a commitment given to its creator, the God Almighty. It looks as if the tree is living up to the God’s expectations” he continued.

I felt my eyes open wide even with their lids firmly shut.  Images of mango groves with tall and mighty trees, full of all varieties of mangoes loomed large in front of me. I saw myself going around the grove, looking at the branches bent down with weight of the fruits, a sweet aroma emanating from the ripened fruits and the trees swinging their heads slowly with an open invitation to offer their services to me.

I felt a gentle touch on my shoulders and I came back from my reverie and I heard the person say “All those which exist under the sky are created with a definite purpose by the God Almighty. The expectation while creating is that everyone and everything lives up to the purpose for which it has taken birth. The purpose of the purpose is to ensure peaceful co-existence, selfless service and a desire to see others happy”

There was a little pause so that I could brace up for some bitter truth to follow.

“Contrary to the expectations of the creator there are some who do not live up to the purpose while some do it heartily. You will notice that the nature; its flora, fauna, the water, the air, the rain, the clouds all perform their duties perfectly. They never look for recognition or rewards. They just keep going about their task so as to make their existence meaningful” the person stated.

“What about the human beings?” I asked.

“I knew that you will ask. I deeply regret to say that the human beings do not come anywhere near fulfilling the purpose of their creation. Their greed and selfishness do not allow them to extend even an empty hand to others as a gesture of help. They fill their coffers and are reluctant to spend a penny to fill someone’s heart with happiness; they spend lot of time, money and energy to get a shapely body but do not flex a muscle to drop a drop of water on someone’s parched lips; they spend hours together in front of a dressing mirror and keep smiling at themselves but hardly smile at all the beautiful creations of the nature” so said the person.

I felt that the person was speaking as if he was in a trance. “Yet, yet, the human beings, without any remorse keep enjoying the fruits of the selfless services offered by other creations of the God Almighty. What an irony? They are the biggest takers and not givers. They do not have the heart to do so”

“Is it not being very hard on the human beings?” I asked.

“No. It is not. Search your heart with earnestness. You will find the answer and come back to me when you find one. We will then embark upon a journey to learn the means to make your life and that of other humans meaningful”. He bid goodbye with a wide benevolent smile.

I went outside into the garden and bowed in front of a “Mango” plant I had planted recently.

The Frail Old Man

I see him in my dreams; I meet him in my waking hours; I feel his presence with my eyes closed; my heart speaks to him even when we are miles apart; he is within me and outside of me and he is a stranger as well as a close friend. He is with me when I breathe and will be when I can no longer breathe.

He is the frail old man; clad in a white cotton dhoti wrapped around his waist, which goes down barely beyond his knees, his upper body lightly covered, a simple smile worn as an ornament, eyes radiating love and understanding as a means of communication and heart big enough to take in everything that is directed at him but return only those words and actions which are pleasant.

 One day, I met him in his modest home which he calls his little heaven. He was up even before sentinels of the night gave up their vigil. In the dark shadows of the creepers and plants of his balcony, he was radiating such a glow that he could be seen from a distance. I went up to him and sat next to him. He seemed to have noticed my presence even with his eyes closed and put a loving hand on my shoulder. The warmth which passed through his hand into my body dispelled my fears and gloom which I gathered over the night and filled me with hope. The strength in his touch defied the frailness of his body and my mind became still.

I came out of the trance when I heard the sound of soft and delicate feet approaching us. I opened my eyes to see two tiny tots cuddle up to the frail old man. Leaving me wondering as to where from they came, they climbed in to his lap and he hugged them very close to his heart. The unspoken words of love between them seemed to have filled the entire environment and the early morning birds started chirping as if to welcome the three of them in to their fold.

The old man held the tiny tots close to him, got up from the chair and started walking up and down the balcony as if he was taking them for a morning walk. The older child whispered something in the frail old man’s ear. The old man lifted and put him on his shoulders while keeping the younger one in his right arm. Three of them were so happy in their own world that time seemed to have stood still for them. They started laughing, acting as if they were catching butterflies, crossing streams, climbing trees and hiding in closets. I could hear the frail old man narrate stories which made the tiny tots very happy and they were planting kisses on his cheeks. A memorable treasure indeed and a lucky man beyond any doubt.

“What a beautiful world! I thought”

“How could you do that? You are frail and old. Where from do you get the strength?” I asked him.

“The strength is not in the body. It is in the heart. When it is filled with love and understanding, it is the strongest amongst the strong. Its strength enables you to scale great heights, to overcome difficult situations, walk an extra mile to meet someone beyond midway and make sacrifices to bring a smile on someone’s face”. He paused to say something endearing to the tiny tots and they laughed heartily.

“It does not ask what you received. Instead, it encourages you to give without putting any price tag on it” he continued.

“Life is about spreading happiness; happiness comes out of giving happiness and feeling happy on seeing others happy”.

“I am sure that the truth will be embraced with earnestness and a big heart by one and all”.

So saying, he melted into the beautiful early morning wonders. I raised my head to see the God of Light riding on the chariot of seven horses glowing with soft golden and orange rays.

The Kitten

A few days ago on a calm early morning, I opened the gate of our house and went out to pluck flowers to worship the God Almighty. It was about 4 AM and the street was deserted. However, it was full of activity. The absence of any human being was adequately compensated by flower laden plants on either side of the street. A gentle breeze was the sole beneficiary of the sweet fragrance being selflessly given out by the flowers. Some tall trees which stood guard at night were eagerly waiting for their day’s duty of providing shelter to the mankind from the sweltering heat of the season.

I absorbed everything with great delight and moved to pluck flowers from two small plants in front of my house.  Something inside me told me to step cautiously and I looked down instinctively. What I saw appalled me and I stepped back. In front of me was a small brown kitten lying motionless with a trickle of blood coming out of its mouth. A passer-by on a motorcycle or car must have accidentally nipped its life in the bud.

 

I stood there looking at the soft toy like kitten which looked like a fallen flower.  My grief full to the brim was turned into tears when I saw a cat approaching the dead kitten. I moved away to a distance and watched the cat. It went closer to the kitten, licked it many times and sat touching its body. I could make out that the cat was its mother and observed both of them carefully.  It seemed as if some silent communication was going on between them. After a while, the cat started crying continuously as if to invoke the divine grace to bring its baby to life. It waited for some time and moved away still crying aloud.

The sad resigned gait of the cat was as if to say that it has done what it could and left the rest to the God Almighty.

Its silence conveyed many emotions and feelings. I sensed it saying   “I seek justice but am helpless; I wish to pour the contents of my broken heart but am speechless; I long to bring my precious little baby to its feet but lack the means; I want to put it to proper rest but lack the resources. Oh! God Almighty, I am putting my precious baby at your feet. Please take care of it”.

I kept looking at the kitten and its mother. A question came to my mind and I brought it out loudly as if addressing everything around me “ All the things in this Universe, including the human beings are the creation of the God Almighty. Then, why are the lives of helpless, speechless animals and other living things considered to be less precious than that of the human beings? Is it not the human being who created this differentiation?"