The Great Sire deserves our ‘Sajda’, our whole hearted obeisance, our love, our respect and a promise, not to violate his commands

They join their hands, and bow down, and sometimes just lie prostrate, in order to impress upon gods that they are in ‘sajda’, in a posture of absolute thankfulness, and surrender to gods. But, are their minds prostrate? Are their desires focused on the great Master? In spite of this posture of seeming selflessness, they carry a big ego ‘I’ which refuses to go with the body posture which stands outside man, and challenges anything that tries to bow it down. Men have never been in the best of relationships with gods. When something goes wrong, they blame gods. And when something turns out to be good, they arrogate all the credit to themselves. The greatest error that man has committed is: he has forgotten his direct descent from gods. Go to ‘pundits’, [Hindu clergy], and ask what is Pitter Dosh [when we fail to please and placate our forefathers]. God is the great grand forefather, and by our actions, we are always stirring him into surprise and anger. He wonders do we recognize him as our greatest Sire?

Image courtesy: The Good News Herald

It has to be ascertained whether in his innocence or in his insolence, man has made gods rethink about their creation. Man quotes the holy books yet, in his actions, he is nowhere near the Gita or the Ramayana. When it comes to preaching, he is Lord Krishna, but when it comes to action, he is not Arjuna, he is Duryodhana. He is Kamsa. He is Ravana.  Only ten thoughts out of hundred that pass my mind are good. Ninety times, I am thinking of myself. I am thinking of foul things, my base passions, and find my mind grazing in forbidden fields. Man has a strange propensity. If you stop him from doing something, he feels impelled to go and see what is there beyond the veil. Gods have kept themselves in ‘purdah’ and lo, the entire scientific machinery and techno-empire is after God and his secrets. When you tease a dog, it sets after you barking. Perhaps this is what gods have done to man. Now, he is after them, barking with big strides, and gods are on the run.

Striding fast and waving their tongue

Over their eager teeth,

The men chase them,

While gods run for their lives.

Can we expect obeisance, or surrender from a mind which is filled with itself? A million fantasies seize the mind of man. Give him anything, he leaves it aside, and goes on for the unthinkable and the unrealizable. Peace with such minds is inconceivable. And, if you want to bow before somebody, you need a mind at rest, a mind convinced that there are things beyond your control, and there are forces which operate the levers of which you are not aware. That there are a few things that you are doing, and a thousand that are happening without your knowledge. When this realization comes to man, he will find himself standing in front of the great Super Sire of all creation, his head bowed down.  Then, and only then, once again I assert, when man feels he stands nowhere, no comparison to Him, only then, the Sajda will be complete, and accepted by the Lord. Otherwise, it is only Google play. Gurbani sums up this attitude of mankind in a few words: “Sees niwaye kiya thye, ja ride kasude jaye’. [Bowing the head makes no difference, if the mind is distracted with foul thoughts]

Men have never been in the best of relationships with gods. When something goes wrong, they blame gods. And when something turns out to be good, they arrogate all the credit to themselves.

No doubt, gods do not expect much from men, and they look at their pranks indulgently. If they are trying to please, appease, or make fools among themselves, even fighting, cursing, – they don’t mind.  Apes, dogs and foxes are always at their play. They feel concerned when men forget their royal descent and stoop to foul games.

Image courtesy: Oh Keke

When somebody gives you a hand to pull you out of a ditch, you feel thankful. When somebody gives you some money to pay for the examination fee of your son, who otherwise might have to quit his studies, you are thankful. We are told to say ‘please’ whenever we have to seek a favour, and ‘thank you’ when it is done. This is civilized behaviour. These are minor courtesies which make our life smooth. But, there are things which are quintessential to our existence, and for which, we don’t even have to say ‘please’.  They are available to us free and in huge quantities. Still, a ‘thank you’ from us is missing. We do not even realize somebody has given us birth on this beautiful earth, for which we never sent an application. As soon as we were born, someone gave us a few blood relations. A mother, a father, a sister – who love us so much. Then, aah! We can breathe. There are winds, laden with sweet aroma of flowers. Flowers? These too someone created. We needed water. There was water, not in bottles, but in rivers. O my God! Such a rich store! How blessed I am! And, for all this, a simple ‘thank you’ is not enough. The Great Sire deserves our ‘Sajda’, our whole hearted obeisance, our love, our respect and a promise, not to violate his commands.

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Published under International Cooperation with "Sindh Courier"