A monk
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| Image Courtesy : illustrationsof.com |
Yesterday I was waiting for the bus at the bus stop with my friend. We were busy in gossips. Someone overheard. "Excuse me! Are you both friends??" A voice with foreign accent broke our conversation. Now that was a totally unexpected, doubtful question and as i turned around to my amazement, here was a dhoti clad foreigner boy, with a radiant face, sparkling blue eyes, shaved head, with a choti (चोटी) or pony tail standing in front of us, with a mystical smile. We were speechless for a moment. And it was broken with another question from this monk "Hello my name is (I didn’t hear)......... and am a monk from Ukraine. i have devoted my life to the ISCKON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness...are you both good friends?? i was taken aback whether he sensed some Homo aspect in us who were human with straight orientation or was there some proposal of him for nirvana or some Kalyuga? Promptly i replied "yes we are good friends but, we are only pure good friends nothing else".
Puzzled he became and me too. Miscommunication or
misunderstanding only god knows. Then he took out a hardbound copy of a book
and showed to us. It was Bhagvad Gita the most sacred book of Hindu
faith. Now more confused I became, quite uneasy, that what this monk
wanted to prove now with this sacred book? Whether he wanted to make us swear
with that book that we were two normal friends of sholay film's
time or something else? And there he said "do you know about this book? Pointing towards the book
Yes! We do, it’s a very sacred book of our faith
i.e. Hinduism. Each verse mentioned in the sacred text is something to imbibe
in life, very practical. It is Bhagvad Gita. He said: "Yes you are right, this have changed my perception about life, so my friend can you donate something to this
monk? Please. i need भीक्षा
(donation) for Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Will you help your this monk friend? If
you could buy this holy book i may get some hope for the next day. Please". Till now
we managed to grab attention of all the people waiting at the bus stop on us.
two curious onlookers huddled around us, trying to inquire what the situation
was about and who this monk was. but when they could not get their answer in
any animated form. they disappointed went to their respective place. this is a
common Indian inquisitive nature: to make huddle on public places!
I said "dear friend we are students so we have
limited money that is given reluctantly by our parents. So we can donate
just a small part. But you don't sell that book. It’s very sacred. Keep with
you". Here keep this. i took out Rs 20 note and gave to him, and
said : "this was the maximum i could donate to you at this stage of my
life. You have been to India for solace. May god bless you" his eyes
sparkled. Aura of contentment was more radiant. He thanked us with gratitude
and the words were: Hare Krishna hare rama. He gave us a beautiful card
with lines written in Ukraine’s language about Lord Krishna. We are yet
to decipher what message it exactly conveys. But one message was already
conveyed that: spirituality is a universal phenomenon!
- Harish Benjwal
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