Philosophy Heals??

This story comes from 1988, the year I reached Pune. Many memories of the city are still warm in my heart, Fergusson College, from where I started my teaching career, lifelong friendships nurtured in the city and many more. But today I am going to share a story which I read in a Pune newspaper excerpted from ‘Dnyaneshwari’ by Saint Dnyaneshwar, the 13th century Indian saint and even today remains one of the most insightful stories of my life.

This is the story of a mother who is so busy in her household work that she unknowingly neglects her little four-year-old daughter. The girl one day tells the mother that she is not a good mother as she doesn’t spend time with her and doesn’t love her. Somehow the mother instantly realises her mistake and decides to make amends.

Saint Dnyaneshwar writes that next day the mother wakes up early, finishes all her household chores, and takes the little girl out to a beautiful fair. The stalls were all set up with bright toys, sweets, clowns, balloons and all that can make a child’s heart go a flutter, or so the mother thought. To the mother’s dismay all this did not make the girl happy and a little later she actually told the mother that she doesn’t like the place and wants to get back home. The mother tried cajoling her for a while asking her to look at the funny joker, the beautiful doll, but to no avail instead the girl started crying and insisted on getting back home. Exasperated, the mother sat down angrily to pick up the child and take her back but as she sits down and comes to the level of the child to pick her up …something happens…as if a new revelation is made to her and she exclaims “Oh My God” ….

What happens, what makes the mother exclaim, is it that the girl is running fever, is it that the girl has hurt herself, or is it that the girl wants nothing but the mothers touch ….

No not really… actually when the mother sits down to pick up the girl she comes to the level of her child and painfully realises that from that height the girl was not able to see any of those beautiful things which the mother was trying to show her. Instead what she saw was a lot of dirt, dust, filthy trouser ends and used packets which was completely opposite to what the mother was trying to show her. Saint Dnyanaeshwar writes that the mother immediately realises her mistake, picks up the girl and puts her on her shoulders and instantly the child is happy.

Through this poignant story Saint Dnyaneshwar illustrates the significance of a spiritual master in the life of a human being, who like the mother can lift the human beings from the dust and din of life and elevate them to a new height of spiritual awareness from where they can see the beautiful world. The story stuck with me not only for the significance of a spiritual master but also for many other lessons….

In the present COVID-19 times the leader like the mother, has to kneel down and get into the shoes of her people and perceive the world from their frame of reference. The leader will have to quickly understand the realities of the common people, employees, students, disadvantaged communities, poor people, specially-abled people and multitudes of diverse audiences across the world in varied scenarios and respond empathetically.

Listen! Oh leader your people are worried and are looking up to you to lift them and show them the new horizons, the new world order.