When close-ones ditch !
Osho told a story :
Mansur was a great Muslim Saint. He realised the ultimate truth of the universe. One-ness of the world. He declared loudly 'unhalak', means 'I am the Bramha (God, Ultimate)'. People at that time did not accept it. They could not sustain the boldness and courage of Mansur. They grabbed Mansur and started punishing him. They whipped him, they hit him hard with stones and weapons. Mansur's smile remained on his face. People were further angry and violent. They cut his hands, legs one by one. Smile continued on his face. He started praying with his blood, called as giving vajoo to the God. Violent people removed his eyes piercing sharp pointed weapons in his eyes. Mansur became blind. Blood flowing out from everywhere. Still Mansur was smiling. He was in his own trance of divine pleasure. He was asked his final will before cutting his tongue. He said, 'Oh God, forgive these people as they don't know what they are doing.' People started stone-pelting towards Mansur.
There was a close disciple of Mansur namely Shivli. He threw a flower on Mansur's half-dead body. Immediately at that instant when the flower touched Mansur's body, tears flew out of Manur's eyes. Another Saint Juneid was present there. He got sutprised to see the tears. He gestured and asked Saint Mansur, 'When all others were pelting the stones and cutting his organs, you were laughing/smiling all the time. Now you are blind totally. Still when Shivli threw a flower on you, without knowing who did that, why did you start crying? How could the flower hurt you more than the stones?'
Mansur told, 'it is understandable the deeds of the other people who don't know me well, who don't know the real experience I got. So their deeds were pardonable. Act that could be ignored. But Shivli was well aware of me and my experiences. He has travelled on that path to a great extent. But still he lacked in courage to support the truth. He was afraid to be on my side publicly. He wanted to show all other public that he is with them. The act of throwing flower was an evidence for it. There is no need of eyes to recognise that person who threw the flower. At the same time he never wanted to hurt me by throwing a stone. He was in two minds. Outwardly he had no courage to back the truth, to go against the public. Inwardly he was understanding and in support of me and the truth. But he is coward. He could not go against the public, despite his understanding and knowledge. He travelled a lot honestly in the quest of Truth. He was in his last slot of the travel. But he failed in the final crucial test. And that is the reason for my tears. I feel pity for him. He turned his back to the Truth at the last moment.'
There is a similar story most of us know. Story of Jesus Christ.
In the earlier night of his Crucifixion day , Jesus gathered all his close-ones, few disciples and told them that,'today's night is crucial. The enemy are chasing him. They will catch me tonight.'. All his disciples were shocked and decided to protect him. One of the disciples wanted to show his courage and his total deep affection towards Jesus. He stood up and vouched that,'he will fight against the enemy and resist them to catch Jesus. He will die for saving Jesus.'
Jesus told,'before dawn, before the cock gives baang, you will deny thrice that you don't know me.' The disciple felt bad. He again vouched that he will resist tooth and nail and defeat the enemy even at the cost of his own life.
Jesus told everybody to go for sleep. He told that disciple to remain alert just outside his tent. Jesus wanted to pray the God in his last night. The disciple proudly boasted and assured Jesus not to worry. In the midnight Jesus came out of the tent. The disciple was dosing deeply. Jesus woke him up.
Jesus said,'you were ready to give your entire life for protecting me. But you could not remain alert and awake for few hours even.'
The disciple was ashamed a little bit. Apologizing he said,'it wont happen again.'
But it happened again and again. Jesus smiled every time. Finally the enemy caught Jesus when this disciple was sleeping deep. The enemy caught hold of this disciple outside the tent and asked his identity. They asked what he was doing there? Whether he was knowing Jesus. The disciple flatly, straightly refused that he was knowing Jesus. He told them that he was a free traveller and was resting there for a while. He doesn't know Jesus or anybody there. Jesus glanced towards him. Jesus smiled knowingly.
The enemy led the fierce procession of Jesus and this disciple under the pretext of he being one of the enemy-people only participated in the procession. Enemy was pelting the stones on Jesus. Kicking and abusing him while dragging him on the road. This disciple took part in the stone-pelting as well, taking full care that Jesus was not seeing his act. The enemy was asking him why he is participating in the crowd-led procession. He said that he has to travel in that direction and he is getting the benefit of the light of the lamps.
He denied thrice that he knows Jesus. Jesus meaningfully saw towards him and said,' before the dawn and before the Cock gave baang you denied thrice.' The disciple turned his eyes.
The disciple outwardly wanted to show the enemy that he is one of them. He forgot apparently what Jesus did for him in the past, how Jesus imparted the knowledge to him, how Jesus served him in his worst days. He wanted to protect himself from all the troubles, wanted to save his own skin from the problems. Therefore he kept his identity undisclosed.
At the same time inwardly he wanted to show Jesus that under that pretext he wants to give company to Jesus in his last journey. He wanted not to discourage Jesus. He was trying to establish his loyalty to Jesus, though in the most futile way.
तदितर खग भेणे वेगळाले पळाले,
उपवन जलकेली जे कराया मिळाले,
स्वजन गवसला जो त्याजपासी नसे तो,
कठिण समय येता कोण कामास येतो..
When all the birds came together at a Garden-lake for Water-games, one of them was caught into a trap. At that time all others flew away leaving the trapped bird (svajan) alone. Who comes to help when you are in real trouble? asks the poet.
SNN
4-12-2009
