Monday, May 29, 2006

Deathless Rose

"In my heart where blooms the Deathless Rose"

Rose symbolizes love.

There is a love that is human and there is a love that is divine. Human love depends upon human factors and is mixed with human motives. This love imposes a claim on the loved one. It demands recognition, it insists on a response. If that is not forthcoming, there is disappointment, resentment, anger. It is a conditional transaction. It is transient.

But divine love is unconditional. It exists for its own sake, it flows because it is its nature to do so. It does not seek a return. One loves because one cannot help loving. It is endless, boundless, deathless.

And the source of this immortal love is your psychic which is itself an immortal spark of God. This spark is there deep in the core of our being, in the inmost heart-cave, as a perennial spring of sweetness and love. As you feed it with thoughts turned towards the light, emotions that are more and more purified, energies that consecrated and physical movements oriented towards the Indweller, the spark grows into a flame. The rose blossoms. There is a continuous outflow of love and sweet rapture.

Attend and become aware of this sanctum in the earth where the bud of love waits to blossom into a full-petalled rose at the feet of Godess.

--M.P. Pandit on Light by Sri Aurobindo

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

In Awe

I have returned to Orissa. Photos and news on Pakistan next time. For now, a breaking and amazing story of true Love.

Rahul Brown (rahulbrown.livejournal.com) is a fellow "ABCD" (American born compassionate Desi) committed to various acts/projects of service and writing a book in India. Last week Rahul discovered a 70-yr old, hungry and wet man in one of Ahmedabad's gutters. He took it upon himself to stop all activity in his life to serve this old man as his own.

Rahul admitted the old man into Civil Hospital...which has turned out to be quite uncivil in repeated situations. The hospital is completely neglecting the old man, as well as other patients. Rahul is waiting to get TB test results before demitting the old from the hospital. Due to hospital slacking on getting the test done, Rahul thought he could speed up the process by pushing at every stage. ...At one point, he was asked to transport an open vial of blood from one hosptial wing to the other!

Daily, Rahul feeds and cleans the old man. Yesterday, he had two helpers from Manav Sadhna--one helped cleaned the old man's self-soild pants and the other watched Rahul's bag.

The old man is hard of hearing and doesn't understand Gujarati or English. He is from Rajasthan....Rahul is determined to get this old man well enough to return him to his village in Rajasthan.

...When I told Rahul how much in awe I am of his act to stop everything else and focus on this old man, he simply replied in his calm and deep tone, "I am getting more than I am giving."

...I've been trying to find ways to help the situation. Rahul says money will help little, since taking the old man out of the hospital is a no-go until he gains his strength. If you have family in Abad that could help in taking shift to watch after the old man this week, write me.

...Lastly, I share this story with you to ask you to notice the next you're wanted and received in a situation of need, out of the blue.