This Above alL
Wisdom of a saint
Khushwant Singh 

IF you had asked me last month what I knew of Sankaradeva, I would have pleaded forgiveness for my ignorance. Then Satya Brata Saikia, who I had met in Guwahati many years ago, presented me with a copy of the first publication of his publishing house Orion Publishers, Jorhat, Srimanta Sankaradeva, Vaishnava Saint of Assam, by Dr Bimal Phukan. He was one of the Bhakta saints of the 15th century — Chaitanya Prabhu, Kabir and Guru Nanak. They taught people that the best approach to divinity was prayer and service to humanity. I quote a few lines:

Bhavadava dahana gahana vana saiyana

(Thy palm is like the lotus;

Thine eyes like lotus petals;

Thou art the consumer of worldly afflictions;

Thou art the sleeper in deep forest).

These lines end with a prayer of submission:

Jagadaha mapahara bhava bhoya tarana

(Thou art the saviour from the earthly grief;

Thou art the given of final bestitude;

O, lotus-eyed Lord;

I worship Thee).

I got a letter from Kamal Singh, Raja of Dumraon and ex-MP from Bihar, on his reactions to the fact that while the rest of the country has had the heaviest monsoon in 10 years, Bihar has had a drought. It has both sarcasm and humour.

"Drought is quite a relief actually, if one cares to think.

Umbrellas, as never before, have remained unopened, excepting for two or three days. Kachhua Chhap (mosquito repellant coil) and Hit (spray) remained unused. Mosquitoes, poor devils, never had a chance. The usual hoards of monsoon bugs and insects have been practically non-existent.

"Chhipkilis (wall lizards) are disheartened and

sluggish. Nights and mornings are delightfully cool. Sleeping in the verandah, fans are hardly needed. The weather is absolutely glorious. Hence, why worry about the failure of the monsoons, defying all predictions made by our weather people?

"Hoisting our National Flag on Independence Day was

celebrated in gay abandon. The Governor of Bihar headed the festivities, with the same aplomb (as always) in the state capital of Patna, which was spruced up after days of sweat and grind and lavish preparations. The sumptuous Iftar parties and dinner diplomacy remained most entertaining. So also music programmes and dance recitals (with photos, of course) held all over the state.

"We, rich and poor alike, get a free holiday on the day

of a bandh (of frightening frequency) called by our netas at the drop of a hat — what a wonderful relaxation it is for all of us.

"The netas are, of course, very busy, gearing up for the rapidly approaching Bihar elections, and newspapers display their entertaining antics (depending on ups and downs of politics) as well as the detailed reporting (with photos) of the worthy Mir Jaffars, Vibhishans and dalbadloos, criss-crossing the political arena. The voters can now sell their votes to the highest bidder. Hooray, and three cheers.

"What fun! What bliss! What heavens! So I say, to hell with the drought. Who cares? But, alas, all this fun and frolic (and bliss) was short-lived as the monsoons, after two months of non-cooperation, suddenly decided to wake up and, just possible, these might keep awake till the end of the season."

People in hell went on a hunger strike. Their demand was to be given accommodation in heaven, or sent back to earth. Out of fear of more unrest, Dharamraj sent them back to earth. After a while, they again went on a hunger strike. Dharamraj asked them: What do you want now?"

They replied: "Send us back to hell."

(Contributed by Rajnish Kumar, Jalalabad)

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