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The Sadhu's Gesture - Inspirations from Daily Life



It was the day after Maha Shivratri after temple hopping of the ancient temples in and around Trichy in the great night of Shiva. My sister and I set out to offer our worship to Lord Vishnu at Srirangam, close
to Trichy.

After a fulfilling darshan of Sriranganathar coupled with tasty nibbles of the Prasad-pulisadham (tamarind rice) and thayirsadham (curd rice), we got into the car. As we engaged ourselves in a conversation waiting for the driver to return, a Sadhu approached us.

He passed off easily as a traditional Indian Sadhu, clad in ochre robes. He had flowing hair and wore Kumkum on his forehead.

It was beyond doubt that he approached us for alms; we casually handed out some money. There was a faint but a sure sign of gratitude on his face. He then immediately turned around and lifted both his hands above his head at the temple tower in adoration of the Lord and walked away quietly. This could seem as just another ordinary act of adoration of the Lord…. May be the money that he received could be enough for a meal that day. Perhaps he did not have to make a few more rounds of asking for alms.


But, as I mused, I was struck by the sense of the surrender and gratitude that he exuded. That simple act conveyed various things. To totally depend on God amidst total uncertainty portrayed humility and wisdom that one can learn from such expressions in daily life.

Furthermore I felt relieved that I wasn’t judgmental about his tidy appearance before handing him the money. We usually gauge a person with preset parameters before we give alms. We check for physical disability, age and strength in order to determine whether he/she is capable of working to fend for himself. I felt physical disability may be visible to judging eyes, but pain within, which needs to be understood most often lies camouflaged by a trim and tidy look.

A little more sensitivity would ease out hidden pains. 

Random musings.

Picture Courtesy: Sonu Agvan
www.unsplash.com 

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