Sept_13

Etcetera
AT LARGE
not take everything from everywhere
and from everybody. I am not educated
like you but I have heard a shloka:
Paropakaram vahanti nadyaha
Paropakaram dugdanthi gavaha
Paropakaram phalinthi vrukshaha
Paropakaram idam shariram
(The rivers flow to serve others
Cows give milk to serve others
The trees bear fruit to serve others
This human body is meant
to serve others.)”
I can never forget the best lesson
I learnt from an ordinary housewife
who did not go to school but knew
the basic laws of nature, environment,
and the purpose of life. It
has stayed etched in my mind forever.
She is not with me for the past
40 years, but when I think of her, I think
of the cool breeze, the shade of
the tree, a glass of lassi and the
lesson that has made me what
I am today.
Whenever I see a banyan tree, its cool shade and the
way it shelters hundreds of birds that take refuge in its
vastness, I think of Ajji; she taught me compassion
My paternal grandmother, whom we
affectionately call Ajji, singlehandedly
used to look after a large piece
of cultivable land. In those days, she
used to travel by horse. Also, she
didn’t believe in the caste system,
which was prevalent at that time.
She would travel on horseback and
inspect the fields and eat along with
all the labourers under a tree. Sometimes,
she would carry extra roti
and laddoo for the labourers during
festivals. If she ever got to know that
someone’s wife was pregnant, she
would carry bottles of ghee and old
clothes for them. Once I asked her
casually, “Ajji, is there any place you
would like to visit?”
She said, “It may not be possible but
I have always dreamt of going to
Badrinath and Kedarnath, the ultimate
abode of the Lord!”
“What would you get by going there?”
“Everyone says you get a lot of punya
if you go there.”
“Why can’t you go?”
“Oh! It’s a long journey and it
may be difficult for me. But
I have found another way of getting
punya without going to Badrinath
and Kedarnath.”
“What is that?” I asked her, my curiosity
peaking.
“If you help women during labour and
give them good food, it is as good as
going to Badrinath and Kedarnath.”
I liked her spirit and sense of helping
people. Her concern for people
working under her was amazing.
Again, she was an illiterate housewife
from a small village. Neither did she
attend any philosophical class nor
was she in contact with the outside
world. She never received any awards
either. When her end came, she said,
“I would like to die tomorrow which
is an auspicious day. It is the day
Bhishma died in The Mahabarata.
I have led my life like a normal
housewife but tried to help people
in my own way. If I get another birth,
I want to be born as a banyan tree so
I can shelter many more people.” And
she did die the next day as per her
wish, which was amazing!
Whenever I see a banyan tree, its cool
shade and the way it shelters hundreds
of birds that take refuge in its vastness,
I think of her.
Thank you Avva and Ajji, wherever
you are. You have touched my life and
taught me compassion!
Murty is a well-known social worker and a prolific writer
harmony celebrate age september 2013 73