Chiku

  

vita-raga-bhaya-krodhaman-maya mam upasritahbahavo jnana-tapasaputa mad-bhavam agatah

 

TRANSLATION

Being freed from attachment, fear, and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me—and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me. Thus they all attained transcendental love for Me. Love for me…     

Hmmm…

 

From my early ages, Dadi used to say all these types of Bhagavad Geeta poems, Kabir das dohe. 

Ha, I still remember, one time in my school when I was in the 5th standard, there is one Bhagavad Geeta competition that has been held.

 

Dadi used to sing all those hymns and some of these poems in Geeta early in the morning daily, so I got fascinated when I heard about competition and enrolled my name immediately. 

     

 When I said the same to dadi on my arrival at home from school, she felt delighted and hugged me. She is such a warm and loving, takes care of me, all the time. She even fights for me with my dad when my dad was angry with me saying that “ye hamari pyaari bachhi thi aisey darana maath beta, jaa mein iise samjaunga.”

 

She is humble and it's only because of her support, and guidance, I participated in that competition, and astonishingly, I have been awarded the first prize.

 

(But this time it's a different scenario.)

 

My Dadi said the same poem to recite in the competition along with some other poems and again she said me holding tight and flipping off my tears. For the first time, I started to hate her. 

 

Me: See dadi it's you who fought against dad when he hasn’t accepted to the rear that dove which was lying in front of our staircase 10 days back. It was dying with no care. 

 

I tenderly went and took In my arms and with your support gave the first aid. It’s only with your assistance I can make a nest with paper cardboard. We have taken care of that little dove for 10 long days. 

It was such cute dove, last days its wings came to normalcy, no scratch, it can fly in that cardboard. I too guessed it would come out and we planned today to buy an iron nest for it. 

But when I come home from school it was not there. Does dad did it?? I know this time you also involved in that crime so that why you are saying all these attachments and all stuff…

 I hate you…

 

Dadi: sweety!!! we haven’t done anything, you already how much I love you, so will I do that? nor your father. Trust me.

sweety, Please come and eat…

   Leave all this fear, anger, and all worries. Believe in God and love the surroundings and accept everything in its own way. He will take of you, he might shower love upon you in the same way. Who knows maybe your chiku(dove) might come back to you.

 

Me: I haven’t heard anything that she said, I’m not in a mood to listen to anything, my only concern is Chiku(meri chidiya). But the name ‘Chiku’ strikes me. 

   “Chiku” comes back to me???

 

Dadi: Ha sweety!!! it will… 

you pray to God and believe in him. Without disturbing anyone come and eat along with us. Your chiku will come for sure.

 

Me: Sachhi???

Dadi: ha beta… utto Abhi, come let’s have dinner beta

Me: I prayed to God Shri Krishna idol which was there in my home. I joined both hands and prayed to god to see my chiku and to touch it back once again.

 After that dadi maa held me in her lap and somehow made me eat little.

Me: Dadi I had a doubt?? do we not taken care of Chiku properly? Why she flew away?

 Papa shouted back at me “ enough sweety stop crying for that little dove, you have plenty of dolls around to play, don’t nag.”

 

This made my eyes watery once again, dadi interjected in the middle waving her hand as a gesture to stop towards my dad and consoled him hugging tight to her bosom. 

 

Dadi: It will come back to you sweetie, trust me, you prayed to god na, Chiku also love you, dear, it will be back for sure… 

   Have this allu parota with your favorite paneer curry…

Me: Dadi chiku also likes these paneer peace na, last Sunday we fed him.

 

Dadi: Ha beta but don’t worry, now once again pray to god, go to bed. Chiku will be back for sure.

 

 Next day Morning 5:30 am

 

As usual dadi again started chanting…

 

Sweety !!! sweety !!! Come and see who came for you…

         My dad calling me…

Me: what papa?? who came??

 Oh my god!!! chiku 

(It is roaming in my balcony.)

Chiku!!! I went near to him and touched it. It is feeling hungry I guess, I know this whenever he feels hungry he makes a different sound.

So I brought those paneer peaces from the small tray which was placed in a paper cardboard nest and offered him. He quickly ate it and offered some water in bottle cup as how I used to feed him before.

 Chiku ate nicely and fag-erred his wings in delight and started flew again. 

    I shouted “Dadi maa again it flew away” in disappointment.

 

Dadi: don’t worry sweetie it's his nature, freedom is what he wants, it cant stay In a cage, though you offer some delicious food. But it became a friend to you. I bet it will come once again. Why don’t you make some new bird friends ?? Offer some food in the balcony, place a water tray for them to drink so that they come and rejuvenate themselves and you can play with if they habituated. 

 

Me: following dadi’s words I placed some small trays filled with water and some seeds for birds…

 

 

Evening 4:30 pm

 

Few birds accumulated on the balcony, when I saw the trays empty, I refilled them, this time after having food also those birds still was roaming in the balcony…

I went near one and touched its nose. It hasn’t flown away, incredibly climbed on my shoulder, and stood for a while. It is the time, I saw chiku coming towards my balcony, astonishingly it came directly towards me and halted on my other shoulder. I felt happy as two doves halted, one on either side of my shoulders. From that evening I enjoyed playing with them, after coming back from school.

 

I haven’t understood what my dadi said about lord Shri Krishna dialogues in Bhagavad Geeta but one thing is for sure… if we love the way we love ourselves and believe in god, leaving fear and anger and see god in everything, definitely that love never perishes and will be with us all the time. 

vita-raga-bhaya-krodhaman-maya mam upasritahbahavo jnana-tapasaputa mad-bhavam agatah…

My dear friends with this story I liked to say you that, you believe in god, respect elders by obeying them words, and love every being as how you yourself without expecting anything from them in return. Sure one day they too shower the same love upon us.