The Helpless Lady - A story

The drizzle had stopped. Darkness of the night had engulfed all and sundry that was barely visible in moonlight. It was a warm summer night. The warmth was natural at that time of the year, and the uneasiness that it was causing was nothing to complain about. A gentle breeze was bringing some relief, and rendering some freshness to the whole surrounding.

I was getting ready to walk my way back home, which was about three furlongs away from the place where I was standing. It was customary for me to take a walk every night after dinner. Tonight was no exception. I looked at my watch. It was past 9:00 pm. My attention fell on an advancing silhouette, quite definitely belonging to that of a woman, if I am not wrong. A car, with its headlights on, passed me lazily towards the city end. Now I could see the woman distinctly. She was heading towards me.

"Can I talk to you? ", She was now very near to me.
Now I could see she was quite an young lady, whose inherent beauty has been somewhat robbed away, possibly by the drudgery of some indecent life, which her shabby dress was proclaiming.
"Yes, what is it? ", I replied with an inquisitive tone.
"Can you help me? I have a kid, a boy, with no shelter to put up ourselves." She continued.
I couldn't find anything to say. I was still observing her. She looked respectable enough.
"My husband is a rogue. I need a shelter to keep my son safe; else he would sell my son off to a wealthy couple. I have fled. Can't you see? ..... I am in great trouble. ", she continued without any pause. . . . . with a great eagerness to pour out the words into my ears in one breath.

I was not prepared for this. Moreover, I was getting late. There was no one else around. I wondered where her son was right at that moment, for whom she was so much worried. Somehow I was no really believing what she was saying.

"See madam, I live alone, and it won't look fair to let you stay in my house even for a night. I hope you understand." I squeezed the words out of my mouth with great difficulty.

My words instantly made her withdraw herself from the advancing state, which till now she was willfully forwarding. She sort of went inside a shell.
"Have I been rude? ", I just thought.
"Where is your son? ", I asked.
There was no reply.
In the next instant I found her getting ready to move forward, looking vaguely at something that was not there. I couldn't utter any more words further.

She moved away from me and started walking. I kept on looking at her for some time. Then I also started walking back home.

I had forgotten the incident, and for the next one month or so it never surfaced in my mind, until one night I saw her again. She was sitting under a tree, with a little boy in her lap. Yes, it was the same lady, looking very worn out.

I advanced towards her, but could not find any word to map upon my tongue. Instantly my conscience slapped me across my face. I understood the mistake I had committed one month back. How narrow-minded I had been that night. I did not believe her words. I stood dumbfounded. She looked up towards me expectantly.

Many a years have passed by since then. That little boy is now a young lad of twenty-two. I find great solace when I look at him every morning, getting ready to go for work. Till he comes back in the evening, my hours remain dull.

His mother is no more. Only her memory remains. I could not save her. She died of some unknown disease, which her dreaded life with her husband had possibly bestowed upon her. But she left back someone for me to fall back upon. Still I find consolation when I think that his mother, my dear sister I suppose, could die in peace, under the roof of my house. That is the most I could do for her.

This story is totally imaginary. Any resemblance to any real happening may please be treated as coincidental.

Chandra, March 10, 2011

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Turning the pages of my diaries

The beauty of the rain-washed clear blue sky, the slow and smooth sailing of white clouds towards an unknown destination, the hide-and-seek of light and shade, the sweet fragrance of flowers, the dew drops on the blades of grass, reflecting the morning rays of the sun, moonlit nights with clear atmosphere, gentle fragrant wind swaying the trees, an occasional drizzle - all these can make one romantic, imaginative and creative. Chandra, 1978
_____________________________________
A note I wrote sometime back in spring, 1982:

In your eyes I seek myself,
Lost that I am now,
I can get back, what I have lost,
I just know not how. - Chandra, (at the age of 22)

This note was written for someone, but never delivered. There were no cell phones then! Hand-written letters, sent possibly through some messenger, a kid I suppose, or younger brother or sister, were the in-things in those days. Romantic, at the same time thrilling!!
_______________________________
Will Durant, the famous historian once said, "If men could be taught to think of their real interests, could be made to think of the distant results of their acts and deeds, coordinate their desires into a purposeful and creative harmony, then perhaps a concrete base for morality can be created."

According to Socrates (300 BC), on the practical platform, justice, at times, turn out to be the strength of the strong, and morality may be defined as those constant inventions made by the weak to neutralize the strength of the strong (Will Durant in The Story of Philosophy). Theoretically justice is having and doing what is ones' own. It is effective coordination.

Some questions that are always very difficult to answer are:

1) Which is more helpful, a bagful of rights or a handful of might?

2) Which is desirable, righteousness or power?

3) Which is more helpful, goodness or strength?

Virtues of patience and cooperation can only be possessed by a saintly minority.

Religion is the means to prevent immorality and greed of men. God may be defined as the personified ideal of our love and hope. God helps to moderate our greed and control our passion. Belief in God promotes belief in personal immortality. Hope of another life after death gives us courage to meet our own death, to bear with the death of our loved ones. Philosophy teaches us to laugh in the face of the inevitable, to smile even at the looming of death.

Three most important things of this world are justice, beauty and truth.

We must not always live in the present only. We must try to live with the past, and if possible, with the future also. One must try to gain knowledge reading history, reading about the lives of great men of yesteryears, and at times try to live with their thoughts and ideas also.

Synthesis of knowledge and experience gives birth to wisdom. But wisdom is not wise if it scares away merriment. Philosophy and sense of humour go side by side. One is the soul of the other.

Nature is the conquest of matter by form, the constant progression and victory of life.

Credit: Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy
___________________________________
What should I do right now? I have seldom found a rational answer to this question. There lies the problem. Possibly it is very difficult to find something to ones' own liking. - Chandra, 1980
_____________________________________
Nothing is permanent in this world. A creation, however, should phase out gradually. It must not end abruptly. Some say things are not what they appear to be. Possibly unknowingly they utter the essence of idealism. Man is the ultimate creator. Some say that God is the ultimate creator. - Chandra, early 1980s.
______________________________
While drawing and painting, the areas I am striving for is beauty and aesthetics; the areas I am trying my best to avoid are vulgarity and obscenity. Sensuality I may not be able to get rid of always.

I always tend to fly away, my mind really. Somehow I have to keep myself grounded, with some constant pre-occupation that I love doing, something creative........ Chandra, 2001
_____________________________________________
It is a problem if everything goes wayward. If everything goes perfectly, then there also lies a problem. Bernard Shaw once said, " There are two miseries in life; one is not to get ones' hearts' desire, the other is to get it." It is true, but not for all possibly. Chandra, 2002
__________________________________
"The first step to become an intelligent person is to think that I am a big fool." 2005

He travels fastest who travels alone. My path in this life is a lonely one. I carry a big responsibility. I must carry it alone. For me there can be no companionship, no easing of the burden. I must accomplish this task alone. The whole task, when accomplished, will be an offering to my God. 2001
__________________________________________

- "What is this curious thing?"
- "I don't know." Think of it as anything you wish. Think of it as the head of an insect, you are watching from the front."
- "Where are its' body and tail?"
- "It has lost those in a fight."
- "Still alive?"
_"Yes"
- "What is its name?"
- "It's a she-cockroach. I have named it henroach." Chandra, 1985

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Love is not blind

We talk so much of love quite often, of judging others' mistakes, of forgiveness, and all that. Here I am putting down a few words about all these aspects. We come across all these in our daily lives.

There is a common saying that "love is blind". To understand the truth of this statement, we must first know which is blind, affinity or aversion, liking or disliking? People say that one who sees with a vision of love can't see everything. Then, do we mean to say that he who sees the most can't see everything? He who can see every frown, every movement and every gesture, who can listen to every word uttered, who can understand the reason for every silence, - he does not understand a person?

One who loves to read poems does not understand their meaning? The poet who visualizes nature with a vision of love does not see the true colour of nature? The scientist who discovers the scientific truths - does he do so only with the help of his research work and materials, without having any love for his subject?

People will say that had not love been blind, then why can't the lover see the faults and mistakes of his loved one? No, it is not like that. He does not consider the faults and mistakes of his loved one as unpardonable faults and mistakes. He does not see any offence in these things. Because a lover can see so much that he can see the surrounding areas of such faults and mistakes, he can read the history behind them.

If we alienate a mistake from a person and then look at it, it would appear to be very offensive. But if we put it in its place and look at it with our innermost eyes and feelings, a mistake or fault does not appear to be that offensive. We only see his faults whom we do not love. We do not see that human beings are apt to make such mistakes, and forget that to err is human. Circumstances have forced that person to make that mistake, and in spite of that, that person may be possessing many good qualities and characteristics for which he can be dearly loved.

Repetitive errors, made by a loved one, may be looked upon with a slightly different perspective. In that case the person at fault loves us less. So he does not care about his mistakes. Still our love enables us to pardon him.

So we can very well see that in love we can see more than what we can see in hatred and disliking. In love we can see the faults and mistakes and at the same time we can see enough reasons to forgive. In hatred and disliking we can see only the faults. Because in hatred our vision is incomplete. In love we can see with both the eyes.

So we should see the faults and good qualities in others in very much the same way as we see them in our loved ones. Because we understand only our loved ones fully. Persons with big hearts can forgive everybody easily. They are great men. Their vision of love is in full bloom. Such vision is incessant; it never ignores anything. They consider every man as the child of God.

When a baby slips and falls down, we lift him up. Same way men with big hearts lift a person with a weak heart, or an offender who is repentant, and help him to stand up. They show pity on people who are weak at heart. They teach us how to love others. They do not hate people.

So, we can see that love is not really blind. On the contrary, vision of love can see the most, which others cannot see.

Translation based on Bengali works of Rabindranath Tagore.

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Morning and Evening

In the morning we find ourselves totally lost, while in the evening everything else appears to be lost except ourselves. In the morning, we are one in a million. We can see all the machinery and natural forces of the universe, which are at work. We can feel that we are also a small part of that huge mechanism. The same rule, which has arisen me in the morning, which has forced me to go to work, has also made the sun rise and the flowers bloom. I am just a small wave in that man-made ocean, and around me there are millions of such waves, rising and falling like me.

In the evening, everything calms down. I do not feel myself at the mercy of the universe. In the morning I belong to this world, whereas in the evening this world belongs to me. In the morning I am created, while in the evening I am the creator. In the morning all counting starts with me and finally gets identified with this world, whereas in the evening all counting starts with this world and end up with me.

In the evening I am the ultimate, I am the conclusion, I am the fifth act. In the morning I had an insignificant role in the whole drama, whereas in the evening I am the hero of that play. In the morning this world becomes the king; in the evening I am the king. In the morning I lose my identity, while in the evening this world loses its identity. In the morning I open all the doors and windows and try my best to reach out for this world, while in the evening this world opens everything and tries its best to reach out for me.

In the morning I need the world, in the evening the world needs me. In the evening I regain my identity. My heart gets filled up with a liking for beautiful things, which nothing in this world can satisfy. Only a distant song or music from the heaven can then calm down my desire.

Translation based on Bengali works of Rabindranath Tagore.

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Keep things under control

How one would take his lessons from an incident or happening depends primarily upon the wisdom and intellect of that person. Different people take different lessons from the same incident. We differ in our interpretations. Our interpretations differ because these are highly influenced by our knowledge and past experience, which is different for different people.

There are certain dangers that do not knock at the door before entering, or the direction from which they are coming does not start glowing all of a sudden. It is true.

However, before something untoward happens, the Almighty gives us some reminders to become alert. We fail to recognize them, or plainly our ego induces us to ignore them. We possibly do not listen to what our inner soul tells us. Our externalism prevents us to listen to our soul. We must always have a firm grip on ourselves, particularly in a public place, social gathering etc. We must never get carried away, overwhelmed or overawed by the situation.

A spiritual mind is better equipped to listen to his conscience. If we can listen to our conscience, we will surely be in a better position to tackle difficult situations, or avoid untoward happenings. Our mind is the most important thing, using which we can have control over a situation.

In situations outside the four walls of our house, it is advisable to momentarily recall our own place, our house, its surrounding; recall the place we primarily belong to, recall our otherwise normal daily life from our memory a few times. It will help us to have a firm grip on all our activities in that alien or comparatively lesser-known place, amidst many a known and unknown people. This will keep us on guard and prevent us from any lapse we may unknowingly commit. We have the mechanism within ourselves to keep things under control. We just need to use it.

In spite of all our efforts, we, at times, fail to avoid certain unnecessary happening. In such rare cases we must know that God has something else in store for us, which we cannot fathom. In this world nothing happens without a reason.

In January this year, my wife lost the digital camera, which we took with us, when we visited the marriage ceremony of my cousin brother. She possibly left it in the cab during our return journey. Things like this can happen. No one is to be blamed for that. This happening made me write this post.

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Nature, as it is

Long back, I had seen this place. Just wanted to paint a picture of that place, with trees and undergrowth, as I had seen it. I couldn't recall all the details. Still..... Hope you like it. (click on the picture to view a larger and clearer image)

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Moving Away

Suppressing truth is not fair. But truth has a very special characteristic. It sticks out its head sooner or later, no matter what. One particular truth that I am realizing very distinctly is that most people take his share and move away silently. The bigger the favour, the lesser is the chance of him to reappear again. He reappears only when he again needs something. And again the same story of moving away silently.

Nobody feels like giving company to someone, even for a few minutes. True, out of courteousness, people do lend an ear to what the other person is saying, but mostly it is a deaf ear. People do respond with some statements, but mostly these are innocuous statements, arousing little or no feeling within. That does not touch the heart. This keeps on increasing, as one grows older and older.

There are people who are exceptions; sympathetic, considerate, compassionate - but it has become so difficult to find them.

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More from Life

Pride, ego vanity, desire for fame (even if at others' expense), enjoyment, entertainment, desire to acquire, symbolic lifestyle, etc. are playing a major role in directing our activities. This way, are we not depriving our own souls and frustrating the ultimate wish of God? The soul finds peace in giving away, not in taking. The Divine Soul also has the same nature.

We are progressing in various fields, but along with progress we are also carrying a lot of junk that is making our daily lives strenuous and exacting. Life, these days, requires such careful attention and precise accuracy. Which way is it - are we demanding more from life, or life is demanding more from us? Are we searching for the black cat in a dark room, with no cat inside?

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Virtue, Morality and Ethics

Virtue
Virtue is nothing but moral excellence, which promotes individual and collective well-being. It includes goodness, righteousness and uprightness. Each individual has his own values that build up his inner system of beliefs, ideas and opinions. Value system forms the inner core of a person from where he operates. Values also include cultural values.

Morality
It is the ability to differentiate between the right and the wrong, good and bad, through thoughts, decisions, intentions, actions and behaviour.

Ethics
It is a branch of study that addresses questions about morality; that is, concepts such as holy and evil, good and bad, injustice, virtue etc.

The four main virtues

1. Wisdom
It is a deep understanding and realization of people, entity, events or situations using ones' principles, reason and knowledge, so as to act in a way that produces the optimum results. It is also the ability to ascertain what is true, and what is right. It is basically composed of reasoning power using ones' value system and intellect.

2. Courage
Courage is to ascertain what is good for oneself, an instinct to preserve oneself, but surely not at the expense of others. It is an ability to act rightly in spite of problems and hindrances. It is the ability of the mind to face danger, pain, difficulty etc. without any fear. It includes also the ability to pursue truth.

3. Temperance
It is the ability to control desires. It means restraining some impulse, or maybe a control over oneself to go for the excess. It is basically self-restraint in action, statement, behaviour, thought, intention etc.

4. Justice
Justice means that everybody gets his due. It is basically righteousness or equitableness. It includes prevention of unethical procurement of pleasure, enjoyment and entertainment.

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Thoughts and Views - 1

During the last ten years (2001-2010) or so, we can notice there has been an evolutionary change in human thought process and behaviour. People are getting more and more attracted towards material gains. We have forgotten how to appreciate and enjoy a good work of art or a literary classic, or get some joy just by knowing other people, share some common thoughts with them or even share the joys and sorrows.

History as a subject no longer attracts our mind. We are always so much occupied with the present and future. Also we are feeling less and less secure. We get frightened or scared very easily. We are trying to shut every door and window and live in an air-tight compartment, except in cases where there is a possibility of any material or other gain. That is because most gains seem to assure some kind of prosperity. We spend very little of our time doing something for others out of the sheer joy of helping others. Our souls are remaining in a subconscious state.

These are happening possibly because we have lost our faith, our hope in age-old beliefs, customs and traditions. New thoughts are always welcome, but not by discarding universal truths. We fail to realize that misery lies even after getting our heart's desire. We are always trying to justify ourselves in our modest virtues. We have ceased to hope for our neighbour, because we cannot forgive him. We fail to accept our neighbours, our fellow men, with dignity, and thus betray them more effectively than our hatred could. Our moral shortcomings become our real failure in life. We need to understand the holy meaning of forgiveness. Our attitudes and behaviour are affecting our children also. That is the worst thing happening. They are becoming self-centered. Some day all these may ruin our society.

The New Age

This is the new age. Welcome to the new millennium lifestyle. Only we have to remember that material pursuits do not reign supreme. Running after fame, fortune and honour should not be the primary objective.

Starting at the bottom, distinct changes can be seen among kids. They are learning the tricks of survival very rapidly. But wisdom is not developing. We are to blame ourselves for this. Loss of innocence now comes too early, as they are learning many a things of life too early. Childhood has been cut short. Images of soft drinks, fast foods, fancy cars, motorbikes and mobile phones flicker on their minds very prominently. They are growing up singing the tune, "This heart wants more." Enjoyment, and more particularly self-entertainment are at the top of everything.

Aspirations have their positive aspects also. They form the basis upon which all developments and achievements take place. With a reasonably good education, a clear vision and positive thinking, one can fulfill his ambitions.

The cyber revolution has changed people's minds, opened up visions of a world of free communication and interaction. One can now seek information, descriptive or visual, on anything under the sun. Internet now allows every person to reach out to a global audience. But only those with a desire for and the ability to move fast with time will benefit from this. Flexible jobs and flexible working hours are altering people's lives in a significant way.

However, we must never give up our quest for spirituality. We must remember that spiritual upliftment and material pursuits should be mixed in right proportions. Making a life is more important than making a living. Longing and belonging should always move together.

Also read: Spiritualization and Common Man

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Right to Create

Days pass on one after another. But within each heart there remains a painful feeling that possibly what should have happened has not happened. Many more things ought to have been accomplished. Men are constantly saying that he must attain and achieve what he is destined to. Till now he has been able to attain very little. That men can think in this way, distinguishes him from all other living beings. I have not been able to grow up into what I was destined to grow up into, is never comprehended by any living being other than man. God has sent men to this world with consciousness and an ability to build and create, seek and find, to experiment and invent, to explore and discover, and thereby express his humanism.

God has sent men to this world in a very helpless condition. A baby cow starts running around within a few hours after taking birth. Human babies take several months even to stand on his feet. But at the same time God has endowed men with immense ability to create, build and grow. He has not decorated our body with various colours like a peacock, but he has given us paints and brush to put colours anywhere we like, according to our wish. The Almighty wants to see that a being of immense strength and ability may emerge out of His creation of the human being. That is His wish. There lies His joy. He seeks to find total satisfaction out of His best creation. Man will create and man will build, and He will derive His ultimate satisfaction and delight out of it.

Men are destined to make all such arrangements himself to beautify this world further, to make his life worth living, to make this world a heavenly abode, thereby serving as the ultimate source of gratification for the Divine Soul. If men fail to do that, all His creative efforts become futile.

We, as human beings, are getting buried under the drudgery of everyday life. Daily habits have turned us into slaves in the hands of man-made destiny. The drums of man-made destiny keep on producing a dull, monotonous beating sound, for men to hear every moment. There is no tune in it. Borrowed thoughts, mimicry, artificiality etc. are engulfing us from all directions. Materialism is keeping us confined in dungeons.

In such a state His Divine Light finds no way to enter into our house. His grace is everywhere in this world, possibly except in our hearts, which we have saved for ourselves only.

His presence is everywhere in this world except possibly in our houses. There He won't come until we invite Him. From times immemorial, He is standing at our door-step asking for our permission to get in. Alas! We have always been so ignorant about this fact. He would love so much to enter into our houses. He has never asked for the best place to sit upon. He will be happy just if we can share our own seat with Him. In our entire house, we have managed to assign only a small place for Him. Let us recognize Him once for all. He is our friend, our guide, and our philosopher. Let us not frustrate one of the highest truths of this universe.

We cannot build or create on our own. We have to have His grace upon us to create something of everlasting value. We have to see our creations not only in the light of everyday use, but also in the light of eternity. We have to experience the eternal feeling and gain an everlasting lease of life. All our creations will become meaningful that day when we will be able to share our seat with Him. That would be the day of real celebration.

We have visited many a sacred places, we have performed complex rituals and religious ceremonies to seek glorification, and finally find a place in the heaven after death. But where is the heaven? There is no such place called heaven. It is up to us humans, to create our own heaven in this world.

But we alone cannot build our heaven. For that we need the help of God. He is also waiting for us. He has created everything on His own, except heaven. For that He also needs the help of human beings. Without us, His desire to create the heaven has remained incomplete. That is because we were too much engrossed with ourselves, and had failed to notice that God is waiting for us to help Him create the heaven. Working together with Him, we only have the right to create the heaven.

A day will come when all our accumulations will seem worthless. That day we will have to leave our throne for Him. Whatever we have created and accumulated in our lives, we have to give everything to Him, and again merge our souls with His Divine soul and make our human birth a success. We will realize that without Him, everything will turn into dust, and with his grace all our creations will collectively give birth to a place like heaven in this world.

Translation based on Bengali works of Rabindranath Tagore.

Also read : Religion is Simple

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Tired Afternoon

This very simple painting in mixed media on paper, (watercolour, colour pencil, little pastel) was done in 2005. Here I have tried to depict a glimpse of the life of a shepherdess of the hills. Just took it out yesterday night and found that some areas have faded out. I had to work for more than two hours to set it right. It is ok now. Note the stick lying in front of her.

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Endowed in some way

Not all people are endowed with equal abilities. Men differ from one another in so many ways. A man may not be mentally equipped enough to serve someone else. This may have got something to do with genes preventing him to go into subordination. He may dislike taking orders. He may even be unable to earn his daily bread and butter. He may be a person who loathes subordination. That may be his mind-set.

He may be a spiritual person who dislikes materialism, and as a result finds it disgusting to indulge into jobs that fetch money. He may be a person who dislikes the drudgery of daily life, and just may not be able to concentrate upon his work unless it gives him delight, joy and peace.

He may be a creative person who could never realize the fact. Knowing oneself is such a difficult task. He may be a person who has been driven by circumstances and expectations from people around him to take up some job, which he utterly dislikes. Environment and circumstances play such a big role in building up a person. He may be a person who never tried to mimic someone else's life.

Even then, we must not forget that every person has been sent to this world with certain qualities and abilities. There are people who fail to realize his endowments, and spend the life in total darkness. His talents remain untapped. Faiths and beliefs, imposed upon him from childhood, may have prevented him from realizing his capacity, power or ability. This may have prevented him from answering to the wake-up call.

Such men may also possess a characteristic of becoming autonomous in his own way, which constantly induces him to solve his problems himself. This may be his shortcoming, but who is there in this world without any ?

He may be an artist or a literary talent. Who knows ? Lack of success may drive him to a state of mental depression, which people around him may fail to recognize. The thought of having wasted a lot of time and effort may make him feel pressurized also, because his desire to achieve is always there.

After all, at the finest level, all relationships are give-and-take relationships, possibly except the one that exists between a mother and a child. As that depressed feeling puts him several steps backward, ultimately he may be labelled, even by his near and dear ones, as a person who is good for nothing.

But he is surely not a person devoid of all abilities. He is definitely endowed with some. If others fail to understand it, then it is their shortcoming; their virtue and morality are at stake. One thing that people around him can't see is his constant effort to meet with success.

Such men and women are there in this world, at various corners. It is our duty to recognize them and stretch our helping hand so that they can also live in this world with dignity, which has been so ruthlessly or most unethically snatched away from them, possibly by fete. Such men and women are not to be condemned, as in God's total creative pursuit, there is a place for everyone.

Must also read : Bigger Audience

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Bigger Audience

When ones' audience is a single person, he may as well whisper, meaning that just whispering may serve the purpose. But when the audience is large, he needs to exert a lot to make people listen.

When a person realizes that he has something to give to this world, however small it may be, something that will remain in this world after he departs, something that will bring peace and happiness in some other people's lives, something that will help people to progress, in whatever small way it may be, and feels it is his duty to accomplish the task, then he definitely takes up far more responsibility voluntarily upon himself than looking only after his near and dear ones. In his mission to accomplish the task he mostly finds himself all alone. It becomes a lonely journey for him, which he must complete alone.

His perspective becomes wide and high, his vision becomes broad, and he needs to set himself somewhat free, not fully, from the drudgery of everyday life, in someway or other, so that he can work, he can fulfill his commitment. He really needs freedom from other commitments, particularly social.

The thing becomes quite tough as people around him mostly fails to understand the load of his task. He feels caged up at times. Plainly such a person has to work under severe constraints. Thing becomes a bit easy if people around him take up a liberal attitude, which is seldom found.

As money is not attached to such a task, at least during the period of accomplishment or even later, people give very little importance to his task. Such is the materialistic world.

He needs to have a firm grip on confidence and faith, and pray to God that he may succeed in his mission. In the process his whole endeavour turns out to be an offering to the God.

Must also read : Endowed in some way

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Religion is simple

If I have to light up even one corner of my room, I have to make arrangements for so many things, like electrical wiring, switch, electrical connection, bulb etc. The light that I get after making so much arrangement is still so little, though it serves my purpose. But this little light makes the darkness outside even more intense.

But to get the natural light I don't have to make any special arrangement. As soon as I open my window, my room gets flooded with broad daylight. Religion is also like this daylight. It is abundant, and simple, and ever-present. It is a gift of God. We can get it everyday as a matter of habit. Like getting the daylight, we don't have to make any special arrangement to get this eternal religion. Had it been so, we would never have been able to get the true essence of religion.

Whatever we try to create ourselves, that becomes complex. Our relationships within the family are complex, our society is complex, and our lifestyle is complex, because these are man-made. Complexity makes things weak, simplicity makes things strong and easy to grasp. Religion has never been a complex stuff. From times immemorial, it has always been so easy to grasp. That is the universal religion, the religion of humanity.

If religious practices appear to be complex to us, that is because we have made it so. Instead of submitting ourselves to the simple religious faiths and beliefs, we have tried to mould religion according to our wishes, our needs, our faiths and beliefs. We have complicated religion with artificial practices, complex explanations and unrealistic imaginations, which make it so difficult to comprehend. We have curtailed religion in many a ways and tried to give it our own shape, and in the process fragmented it into innumerable parts and divisions. Religion does not change with time or place. As a gift of God, it remains same for everyone, same for every place and time.

We try to assume or imagine religion in a way that would bring comfort to our hearts. Our assumptions make it fragmented again and again, and we wrongly assume it as consisting of all the characteristics of this material world with its vast complexity. We try to build it in our own way. That eventually brings sorrow.

We cannot live under the open sky. We need a dwelling place. But if we want to capture a portion of this vast expanse of the sky to beautify our dwelling place, will we succeed ? Obviously not. We can only open the window to catch a glimpse of the sky. That way a relationship is established between the endless sky and our finite dwelling place. That makes us peaceful.

If we try to catch a sparrow and keep it in a cage, we will lose it soon. It will die of starvation. It needs freedom more than anything else. So we can only enjoy a sparrow when it is hopping freely amidst nature. Such is the nature of religion.

In order to see the broad daylight we need to open our eyes. In order to feel the presence of the Almighty we need to open our mind's eye. He is everywhere. Only we have to bring that feeling within us. How to bring that feeling ? Go out in broad daylight, look at the sky, take a deep breath and just think about this universe as a creative endeavour of the Almighty, constantly being accomplished through a force, which is incessantly flowing towards us. Please utter the words, "Oh God, do reveal Thyself." You will instantly feel the presence of God. You will feel expansive, selfless, courageous and joyous, as you get connected with Him. Establish this connection at least once daily. It only calls for an eagerness to know Him and an effort similar to the one that we give to get daylight. It has always been so simple. It calls for no other extra effort, nothing else. Soon you will also be free from all sins, which vanish instantly at the advent of God. Love will get established as a consequence.

We must cherish what we have. We must never lament for something that is unreachable. Restraint is absolutely necessary. We must never feel greedy about something. If we can get rid of excitement and be peaceful and tranquil, all the joyous and delightful things of this world will reveal themselves in front of us automatically.

The philosophy of the Almighty is not to throw ones' might all around. It is not always necessary to show ones' might. One who can hold his might within himself and yet remain calm, peaceful and tranquil, he is really the possessor of all the might.

We need to accept all, that is as true as broad daylight, without any question. Truth is always the nearest, the easily accessible, the easily understandable, the undisputed, the safest stuff to dwell upon and the dearest one to live with. It is of no use running after the enchanted deer to catch it. That will turn into a futile effort, resulting into a dissatisfied feeling.

Let the heart become free from all selfishness, conflicts and uncertainty so that we may not run around in all directions hopelessly. Let us concentrate on what we wish to achieve. Let our minds remain concentrated on that Universal One. May truth, enlightenment and eternal feeling reign supreme in our lives.

Translation based on Bengali works of Rabindranath Tagore

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