Realization and Recognition of Divinty

“I cried and craved for the want of shoes until I came across someone without feet” so goes the age old saying...it is a well known fact that we all constantly crib about the suffering and shortcomings in our lives and often wallow in self pity till we hear, read or come across worse cases or circumstances. We all face situations when the going is really tough and full of challenges, during these times we can draw immense courage from the lives of others around us and even from our vast literature, both fiction and nonfiction.

     Ever since I grew up to read and understand mythological stories and tales from epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, I have often wondered whether they are based on facts or fiction. With the increase in age and the learning experiences thereof,  the lessons and morals that these epics have taught me, both in direct and subtle ways,  acquired more meaning than the actual stories they had to offer. Recently ,as I was learning to cope and come to terms with an unusual situation in my life and trying to figure out why I was denied the right to realize some of my basic dreams and desires that any normal being is entitled to, I gathered immense courage and confidence by recollecting what was conveyed through the epic ’Mahabharata’.I remembered how  the Pandavas,  inspite of being good and virtuous had to suffer at the hands of their evil cousins, the Kauravas,  and were exiled twice for 12 years during their lives. Along with that came the realization from my knowledge of 'Ramayana' that even today if peace and prosperity prevails in a city or country, the Indians compare it to ‘Ramrajya’ and yet even in Rama’s Era ,Lord Rama inspite of being an avatar, king and epitome of virtue, had to go to exile due to his step mother’s aspirations for her son Bharata. I thought to myself, if it could happen in ‘Satyug’ then why not in ‘Kalyug’? If it could happen to such great souls then why not to the ordinary souls like you and me.

    Moreover, for the Pandavas, there were equal number of friends and well wishers as there were foes and wicked doers and there came the rightly deserved justice at the end of all their trials and tribulations. Even so for Lord Rama if there was unfair and unjust Mata Kakayi , there was her son Bharata, the devoted and dutiful brother...if there was the wicked and evildoer Ravana, there was the kind  and god-fearing Vibhishan...if there were endless demons and dangers during the exile there were multiple number of devotees and die-hard loyalists... and there were celebrations and jubilations when Lord Rama returned to his kingdom...celebrations that continue to this day, millions of years later as  deepawali festivities. These tales of “victory of  good over evil” are a  great source of inspiration and motivation to thousands of ordinary mortals like me.

   Interestingly when we are happy, we are so oblivious to the fact that happiness and sorrow are two sides of the rotating picture of life, that we do not pay heed to the sorrows prevailing around us and when we are sad, we feel that we are suffering alone...until we share our sorrow with others around us. Pain is a great leveller and a great tutor... opening us externally and internally to the realities of life... making sure that we learn from all that we hear, read and observe around us. Suddenly we start lending a sympathetic ear to the woes of an ailing elder or a grief stricken neighbour...we start recollecting morals learnt from stories read during school days and those we heard from our grandparents...we start listening, reading or contributing to the spiritual columns and discourses...we start remembering and making more sense of the 'words of wisdom' meted out by parents throughout our upbringing... and above all we start looking beyond our own pain and sorrow and start realizing and recognizing that we are not alone...with this comes the understanding of the divine connection that exists between all human beings... and the significance of uplifting spirits through sharing and caring...and eventually the realization and recognition of divinity around us.