Traveller's musings

Two drops from different rivers meet on the way to their journey to sea. One drop told the other ‘your spirits seem lowered my dear brother. What troubles your mind?’ The other drop replied ‘On the way a sad thing happened my dear brother. It has caused anguish to my soul and I am unable to console myself. I shall tell you about it. On our way we encountered a dying elephant. She must have been a strong elephant, roaming around the woods fearless. But now she lay under shade waiting for death because life seemed too painful to carry on. In her eyes we saw thirst for water. All of us tried to bring ourselves close to her, to quench her thirst but alas we could only bring ourselves to touch her feet. This act comforted her to such an extent that it reflected in her eyes. How helpless we become at times, my dear brother! I have been a witness to thousands of such crimes. I cannot be mute now. Man has become a tool of destruction. It fills me with anguish to tell you that I curse mankind. Do you remember the deer’s curse upon the tigers? How the tigers silently waited and attacked the meek in countless numbers all the years. Now there are but a few tigers roaming on earth. So shall become of man kind.’ Saying this both the drops fell silent feeling the constricted path of the channel. Now the sea is not far they told themselves. The first drop said ‘Console yourself my dear brother; man is but the son of God. Now I shall tell you about my journey. I was born in the holy mountains. My childhood was as joyous as anyone can imagine. I swam ferociously with my brothers and sisters. There where peace prevails in every breath you inhale and bliss dances in every breath you exhale, there where no sinner resides I come from there my brother where the mountains have wedded the skies and the clouds are their offspring. But this was only the good part of my journey as we began to flow downwards man kind exploited us in every way possible. We carry their sins and purify them; we wash away their ignorance and show them light. Resistance is the highest virtue my brother, and this virtue I embraced whole heartedly. Man is also a son of God like all of us. Mother Nature shall tame his crude ways. and then he shall learn from the tree to give without asking, he shall learn from the flowers to empty nectar for bees and from the river he shall learn that our ultimate goal is One. Behold this moment my brother, we are about to join the sea. I had dreamt about this moment all my life. Death of I and being One. I shall not be different from you and we shall not be different from the sea. Forget about your sorrows. Now our sorrows and joys dissolve into vastness.’