Reflections...

…contd

And all the people in that village blamed her friend for her condition. She was the one who had taken her to city. She did not take care of her enough there. They all pitied Rani and developed immense hatred for her friend.

And her friend had to face all the shame, anger, frustrations, ill repute just for the sin of showing her reflection to her. She just took her to a place with few mirrors where she happened to see herself….But……….” my guru stopped looking at the setting sun. she became silent. I did not require her to talk anymore. I understood.

My guru had told me once in some other context “Even being Right has it’s share of pain coming its way”. I didn’t understand it then. Now, I do. I didn’t know whether to admire my Guru or feel sorry for her for receiving brick bats from the people she was working so hard for….but then, I realized she never gave it a thought herself…she continued with her work just the same…

Smile crossed my lips and admiration lit up my eyes and I thanked myself for letting me be in her company….

Me, My Guru

Reflections

….contd………

Then to prove her friend, she took another crystal lying there and hit all the mirrors one after the other. They broke. Now, no. of reflections increased! And so, when she laughed, she could see more images laughing at her. She became wild with anger. She hit the mirrors again and again. Few mirror pieces stuck her and she started bleeding. She cried out of pain.

She hated her friend for bringing her here. She hated the city. She hated the moment she decided to come to city where she was bleeding so much as was hurt so much. She returned to her village – Bejan, bleeding, wounded and totally broke. Her wounds healed over the period of time. But people found her behaviour erratic and unpredictable.

She would be angry one moment hurting all near her and the other moment she would be crying uncontrollably loud. She became hysterical once. She became dead silent at other times. Her laugh had become cynical and her arrogance gave way to vengeance.

.contd….

Me, My Guru.

Reflections

..contd...

She stepped into the room with high expectations and lo, to her amazement, she found lots of women in that room who were so ugly she didn’t feel like looking at them. She didn’t like those women. She looked more or less similar. When she made a face, those women made it too! She felt intimidated. She felt humiliated by their stares and fear took over her. She didn’t like their presence. She turned round to leave that room when she found her friend entering it. She told her friend “Don’t go in. There is a group of ugly, mean, women in that room who make funny faces.”

Her friend was surprised. She came to see who these women were. When her friend showed the women surrounding her, she laughed and said “OMG Rani! Can’t you see they are nothing but your reflections? This room is called ‘Addala gadi meaning ‘Room of Mirrors’. Mirrors surround you and hence you are seeing your multiple reflections. Haven’t you seen your reflection till date?”

Rani was stunned. Now, her village Bejan didn’t have a single mirror. She didn’t know what a mirror was. She didn’t understand what a reflections was! But she felt cheated and insulted by her friend who showed such a ugly face and said ‘it is you’. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was shivering with anger. And all along her friend was laughing loudly. Her laugh sounded like a mockery to her. She took a huge stone, which was actually a beautiful piece of crystal kept there and hit her friend. It hit her head and she started to bleed. Rani felt good. She thought ‘Good! Now try to insult me. You deserve this pain and more for saying these are my reflections.” She felt she could kill her friend for saying so.

Then….

…contd……

Me, My Guru

Reflections

I found it odd that few of my Guru’s students sometimes were angry with her and also talked ill of her. These were the same students who have benefited a lot from her and had praised her so many times for having brought about a positive change in their lives. Their experiences made them glorify her. Their benefits made them talk high of her. But, down the years these same people also left her after calling her names. Today was one such day. But, to my Guru it was like any other day. She took the day’s proceedings as she does any other small daily routine – with a smile that stayed in her eyes. She didn’t explain her stand. She didn’t justify the happenings too. Infact, she did ‘nothing’. They left. She continued with her works. I unable to contain myself asked her “What is the basis of the anger and hatred that these people have for you? How come those who praised you for so many years suddenly turned against you and yet you are calm and composed?”

“In the city of Bejan,” started my Guru and I knew here was the story to follow which also had an answer for my question. And as ever I looked forward to listening to the story “lived a woman named Rani. She considered herself queen befitting her name. She felt all others were good enough only to serve her. She thought she was very beautiful and this thought made her feel very happy. But, her belief didn’t stop there. She also felt all others were ugly and no where near her. She being beautiful could never be wrong and others were to follow her instructions without questions. She would be very angry if anyone questioned her, contradicted her or doubted her statements. Her wish was her command. And it was to be executed.

One not so fine day, she received a friend of hers who came from the city of Sajjanpur. Now, her friend talked so high of the city and the life there, that our poor Rani couldn’t resist the wish to accompany her friend to city.

Everything in the city was larger than life. Everything was beautiful, colourful and bright. She was drawn to a very big temple. She entered it excitedly. Now, this temple was famous for having a special room, which had multiple mirrors in it. It was called ‘addala gadi’ ‘room of mirrors’. Poor Rani had never seen a mirror in her life. The curiosity engulfed her and she ran towards that room. She was hightly excited when she opened the door of that room. She stepped into the room with high expectations. And lo!………

…contd….

...contd.......

How does it make a difference to me? How is this verse applicable to my day-to-day life and its shortcomings? How does this knowledge make an impact on my pains and sufferings?

Universe is Brahman and both are full. I being part of This am also Full.

But, I don’t experience this Fullness. Instead I experience Sorrow. Sorrow is a state of existence that is experienced out of ignorance which makes us believe we are incomplete and hence the search takes us to all towards the search for the objects that supposedly can fulfill us – materials, people, relationships, feelings, achievements et al. But, the search only makes us feel more tired, agitated, incomplete.

And we pray ‘asatho maa sath gamaya

Thamaso maa jothirga maya

Mruthyor maa amruthanga maaya’

Meaning -

Lead us from darkness to light

Lead us from ignorance to knowledge

Lead us from death to immortality.

Then finally, this search takes us ‘within’ and that’s when we realize “Aham Brahmasmi” ‘I am Brahman’ meaning “I am complete”.

This realization helps us to see that We are Full, complete and therefore blissful. There is no space for sorrow in us. At every moment, even at a moment when we perceive the greatest of our problems, the problem-free source alone exists and we experience bliss in spite of situations of life.

Only when it is experienced its meaning is understood, otherwise we would be eternally going in search of the words, meanings and explanations.

Zen puts it beautifully “You can do nothing to be who you are except by Being you!”

This moment is complete. That moment is complete. Everything at any point of time is complete or perfect by itself. Every stage in growth or transition is complete by itself.

And a Sufi practitioner would put it as

“Din mein bahut baar gaye uske daar pe liken

phir bhi lage hai ke bahut kam hum gaye”

“Many a times, I have gone to his house in a day and yet

felt I’ve gone very less number of times”

“Poornamadah poornamidam poornaat poornamudachyate poornasya poornamaadaaya poornamevaavshisyate om shanthi shanthi shanthihi”

This is a Sanskrit shloka from “Shukla Yajur veda”. It means

“That is whole/full/complete

This is whole/full/complete

From This whole came That which is whole

Still That remains whole.

From the fullness of Brahman –GOD has come the fullness called the Universe leaving fullness alone as a remainder.

That Brahman is complete. It means IT is full and nothing more can be added to make it full. Like a pot which is completely filled doesn't require even a drop to make it full, likewise Brahman which is full and infinite and nothing more can be added to it to make it full at any point of time as everything that exists is included in IT already. Anything and everything in the universe which can be comprehended at any Time (Past, Present and Future) is included in That which is full.

This –Universe which is created from Brahman is also complete. Just as the reflection of a tree in the mirror is as complete as the real tree.

If it were so, how come we don’t see Brahman when we see the Universe? Simple. When we see the rope, we don’t see it as a snake. But, when we see the snake we don’t see the rope. This is called as ‘Rajju sarpa nyayam” or ‘snake rope logic’.

Even when all the people present see the snake and not the rope, yet the rope doesn't lose its ISNESS. IT exists though not perceived by any. And the snake doesn't exist though perceived by all present. Likewise Brahman doesn't lose anything when IT is not perceived by any. The Universe appears on the Brahman, yet Brahman doesn't lose itself.

How it is useful in my life?

............contd.....

If we actually know who WE ARE it shouldn't matter what others think of us! We also wouldn't think of proving how bad others are and how good we are! We would automatically stop marketing ourselves!