God in my backyard

[Guest guest]

God in my backyardLet our dealings be infused with respectWhat we speak is a reflection of how we think, and by extension, of what we are within.Ancient books of wisdom advise us to be correct in our choice of wordsand compassionate in the way we utter them.Often, harsh words escape our lips,only to bring regret and misery. Poet-saint Rahim spokeof the need to be gentle and moderate in dealing with all human beings."Rahiman is sansaar mein sabse miliye dhaaye/Na jaane kis roop mein narayan mil jaaye(let us be good to all, for we know not where we might run into the Lord)."

 

The idea that the feeble, meek or defenceless individual in front of us might be a manifestation of God is not new,for all living beings are said to embody different Anshas (parts) of the divine in themselves.It is also possible that a familiar presence in our lifemight be God's own messenger, or in this case, God Himself,as Arjuna discovered on the battlefield.His mortification is expressed in a touchingverse in the Bhagavad Gita: "Sakheti matva prasabham yaduktam/He Krishna, he yadava, he sakheti/ Ajanata mahimanam tavedam/Maya pramadat pranayena vapi(Believing you to be my friend — Sakha — I presumptuously addressed you often as 'O Yadava', 'O friend, 'O Krishna', not knowing your boundless glories. Often, we relaxed on the same bed, sat and ate together and I jested with you even in front of others. Forgive me, because my irreverent utterancesstemmed from foolish ignorance)."

 

Look at the striking contrastbetween the proud Kuru prince of Hastinapura,who thought of Krishna as a friend and ally and the terrified,guilt-ridden Arjuna of Kurukshetra,who has just finished seeing the Vishwarupa. Arjuna is left dumb-struck at the fact that all through his easy friendship with Krishna,never once did he come to know that the latterwas Vishnu or Narayana incarnate.

 

This predicament begs the question, can our dealings with othersnot be infused with respect,courtesy and sensitivity? -- P. Subramani