ELEVEN PRAYERS
K. K. Sharma
1. All in One: We are many; But all are
in one universal, like all colours in white light. But why the many in one hate, quarrel and kill each other?
A speck of
dust is praying to Universe to reveal its overall plan and logic;
2. Life
& Death: A tree dies after producing thousands of
seeds; The seeds too have life though in a different form;
Lord
Krishna said “One discards this body like a worn-outshirt and takes a new
shirt”; At a stage the desire to have new clothes is equal to the comfort of
the old clothes or even no clothes
That is
the stage of a spectator like that of a river joining the sea.
3. Evolution: Sat,
Existence, Universe; All have evolved into the present; Scientists say that
life evolved from single cell amoeba;
In the sea the bigger fish eats the
smaller fish. We evolved to be fish on
land and no wonder we carry many of their instincts still to breed like fish,
fight, kill, deceive and shout that all is for peace and happiness;
4. Horrible: Earthquakes,
storms, floods, accidental fires-nature visits-lust, greed, anger, hatred, wars
among the living contribute to nature’s fury
In between
and off and on a few drops of honey and passing beauty are provided by nature
(Existence), while the so called God’s Agents in millions and millions kill
each other to establish superiority of some gods over those of theirs.
5. Speed up Evolution: Having dominated the earth for millions of years (by eating all
creatures moving in front), the dinosaurs have gone into oblivion; In the sea,
the bigger fish still eats the smaller fish;
It is
known that man, the greatest of predators, has been exhausting the sea-life by
overfishing.
For
upholding a prophet’s sayings or for enforcing a dress code or language or increasing
their standard of living by cut throat competition, let not men or groups of
men kill each other in millions and all in the name of establishing what one or
one group thinks is right.
6. Goals: Finding
ourselves existing, not knowing from where we came and where we are bound to
go, provides many bitters and a little
honey and seeing millions dying in prime and unnaturally, our goal is to become
fearless of anything and attain a state of meaningful joy.
7. Obstacles – stepping stones: Since achievement of meaningful joy is the goal of all and
the path is neither straight nor paved but full of ups and downs, lives’ – time
consuming, strewn over with obstacles and horrible set-backs. Think and act what can overcome them.
The higher
the mountain, the greater the joy of having climbed it; the greater and more
the obstacles, the challenge and joy is more to overcome them for otherwise
life’s achievement shall be insipid.
8. Examples:
Man learnt
swimming like fish, flying much faster than birds, discovered electricity and
produces it in varied ways to get wondrous works done. Man constructs dams to check the fury of
floods and use the waters for irrigation, etc.
In the sea
and jungles the stronger and deceptive eats the weaker and the straight
forward. But man instead has been
evolving to overcome this instinct to protect the innocent and the weak to
tolerate differences and resolve them by compromise and in peace.
That
murders, communal troubles, wars still continue to take place indicate only
that evolution is a slow process.
Dinosaurs
ruled the earth for a few millions of years before getting extinct.
Tigers and
lions which were in thousands and thousands till five hundred years ago, are
now in hundreds only and before long could be found in zoos only for the
amusement of children. Even among
animals, the aggressive and carnivorous are getting extinct as part of
evolution; speed it up as well as you can.
9. Methods:
Gandhiji said
“Truth and non-violence” should be the guiding principles of living.
While
being generous in judging others, success demands that one remains strict with
oneself in behaviour and action. So
said another person.
Honour or
shame from no other condition arise than that one who does his part well and
therein lies all the honour, said another thinker.
10. Is this needed? Oh
Existence – I beseech you in silent humility with open heart and mind to lessen
the pain of all living beings; I do not know the plot of this cosmic drama, but
this I know that it is painful for most and horribly so for many and that the
justification or logic of it is beyond my comprehension.
Oh
existence, please reconsider if the actors of this cosmic drama, should kill in
millions and the animals and insects eat each other to play their small roles
in this drama and all in praise of you.
11. Appeal:
Existence has
various seeds and of these evil is one; ‘Khestram Ketragyamcha Mam vidhi’ – (I
am all that is outward as well as the soul of this existence’) so said Lord
Krishna in Bhagawad Gita.
Disasters,
diseases, deceipt, wars, carnivorousness and many other cruel instincts are but
the seeds of evil in Existence.
If these
are held by some as failed attempts of a researcher as failures serving as
stepping stones for success and as Existence is hurting itself for reasons not
known to a speck of dust i.e., the speck of dust prays to the Existence to
enlighten us whether there is justification, if any, for all this evil and
pain?