SISTERS OF
FATE AND PIPPAL TREE
Dr. R. S. Tiwary
A
Three Sisters of Fate preside
Over the destiny of man
In Greek mythology,
From birth to death ....
Man a tool in their hands.
Clotho, the youngest
Governs the moment of
His birth, holding
A distaff in her hands
Lachesis, the middle,
Spins out events and actions
Of his life, and Atropos,
Cuts the thread of his life
With her shears, closing all.
Their decrees are unalterable
Even by gods.
B
‘Shruti’ declares
Man is “amrita-putra”.
The son of the Immortal
A living spark from
the fiery body of “Brahman”,
Thus possessed of heat
And energy, baffling the unseen.
His life therefore is no
Velvety sheet liable
To yield to the shears.
Man grows a Pippal Tree
Of his actions and deeds
Whose roots strike deep
Into the womb of the earth,
The shears becoming edgeless
And blunted, man living
His life full and glorious
Departing at last for
His Divine Home, he leaves
Behind him the “Ashwattha”
Of his glories whose sweet
Fruits are eaten by
The family of birds
Under the supervision of
The “Hiranmaya Purusha”
The Golden Being.
The Three Sisters of Fate
Keep looking helplessly
On man’s enjoyment of
The festival of life ...
Their plan of playing
Havoc with man
Gets frustrated
Mesmerises the common citizen
Of the august Indian Republic.
Merit, integrity thrown
To the four winds,
Whither is drifting
Our national odyssey?
References
‘Pippal’ is a tree, commonly known as Peepal in popular parlance. This is often mentioned in the ‘Upanishads’ carrying holy association’s.
The ‘Mundak upanishad’ speaks of a Pippal tree, also known, as ‘Ashwattha’ in Sanskrit, on which two birds of the same family are sitting.....the one (“Jeeva”) eating of its sweet fruits and the other (“Paramatman”) keeps looking on. He is called “Hiranmaya Purusha “, the Golden Being.