|
(Based on a story by Vithal Nadkarni, Splendour, Nov 2010)
Trekking a long path -
narrow, rough and hilly,
a seeker in all eagerness
reached a sage to request,
'Oh seer! I have traveled far,
do initiate me into enlightenment.'
The sage looked up,
mixing compassion with surprise
said with a candid smile,
'Son, Tat twam asi -
You are that!
The divine Self you look for
lies within you...
Meditate on that,
Merge in that
and that Self please realize.'
'I know that - simple and easy.
Lead me Oh Master! to inner secrets,
if there be any.' Expressing regrets
the sage added, 'That's all, my son!
Nothing more and nothing less
than this I know of.'
With seer's advice and traces of disappointment,
the young seeker moved on to meet another mendicant
to be candidly told to serve him
two and ten years before initiation.
With a heart - resolute and sincere,
the youth served the pious Master.
Before the first bird chirped
at dawn at the end of twelve years,
the young seeker in all eagerness
stood in front of the saint
with folded hands for initiation.
With a smile - simple and benign,
the mandicant uttered, 'Tat twam asi -
You are that! The Self lies within you;
meditate on that, merge in that
and that Self please realize.'
Thunder-struck, the seeker cried out, 'Oh no!
Is that all ? the first master too said so.'
'Son', taking the seeker closer said the seer,
'Truth is one and eternal,
can it change in twelve years interval?'
|
