Definition of Strength

Mustafa and Hamid worked as bricklayers in an area close to Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. They had great sympathy for the innocent people of Kashmir and narrated how the youths of Kashmir were turning violent and taking to the path of brutality, bloodshed and coercion. Mustafa blamed it on the Government of India and Hamid placed a small part of the blame on their parents. But they agreed that the Kashmiri youths who were dying were heroes of the supreme order. They were sacrificing their lives for the cause of Islam. The illiterate Odia workers overhead them but couldn't make out the whole of what they discussed in their little room. But they were able to know what they discussed most of the time in the night. When they talked to the Odias, they vented their fury on the Government of India. The Odias were very friendly with Mustafa and Hamid who also loved to talk with them. Whatever it was, killing human beings for the cause of religion was the greatest and the most heinous crime against God. The middle-aged Kashmiri men argued that the youths of Kashmir who had died for the cause of Islam were the true heroes. The illiterate Odias had no befitting answers to their questions. As time passed, the bricklayers had developed an atmosphere of debate and discussion on religion or religions. There were sharp differences between the two parties. There seemed to be no end to those debates and discussions. All of them were,however,quick enough to forget their disagreements and behave as good friends the next morning. 

The owner of the kilns was an ordinary man who was kindhearted and charitable. Once he came to know about their debates and discussions and got scared of the two Kashmiri men. What if they brought more Kashmiri people to work in Odisha?

When the owner Abhiram was at this critical juncture, a young sadhu came to his house. The sadhu said to the owner of the kilns he had nothing to worry about. He narrated Abhiram's past most accurately.

Once Abhiram bought bus tickets to visit his elder sister who lived in Sambalpur. The young sadhu who was stopping in his house told him to cancel the visit. Abhiram's wife and son were livid with rage and the college-going son openly abused the sadhu calling him a "donkey" but he had to kneel down at the sadhu's feet the next morning.

Abhiram was watching the morning news on TV the next morning.He came to know that the bus on which they had to travel to Sambalpur had met with a serious accident.There was a most powerful collision between an oil tanker and the bus. Sixteen passengers were dead..! It was 6 o'clock when the accident occurred..!

Abhiram touched the sadhu's feet and said, "Baba please tell me your name...! You have saved our lives. How come you came to know about it?"

The young ascetic said, "I don't have a name. You can call me by any name..Son, all the mischief starts when you grow up and identify yourself as Rama, Hari, Govind, Madhab etc...I was fortunate to have forgotten my name and  those of my parents.."

"You don't remember your past? " Abhiram asked in bewilderment. The sadhu appeared to be quite sane and sensible. 

"I don't remember it ...but I can know it. Total loss of all kinds of memories is a must for salvation. Otherwise, your memories will bring you back into the world again.."

"I can't believe that...."

"But that's the truth...!Bodies are physical structures and are burned or destroyed inside graves but memories live on...Memories are not physical so fire or any other agents of Nature can't destroy them. It is those memories that cause rebirth."

"How true...!" exclaimed Abhiram's son. 

Abhiram introduced the young sadhu to the bricklayers and believed that the holy man would knock some sense into those ignorant people's minds. Meeting the bricklayers became a routine affair with the young sadhu. 

One evening the ascetic said to Mustafa and Hamid,"You two are not true Muslims...Don't think you are true Muslims because you wear Islamic clothing and have your typical beards...?"

Mustafa said, "Then who is a true Muslim?" 

"A true Muslim is one who follows Allah...."

"But we and our children are dying for Allah..!" Mustafa and Hamid shouted in unison. 

The sanyasi said, "Allah is a mighty Pillar without ends. This invisible Pillar is a million times harder than the hardest  visible pillar in the world. The Pillar's greatness lies in absorbing shocks, endless fatal blows and indiscriminate bombings. Shower all the deadliest man-made atomic and nuclear weapons at the Pillar.The Pillar will never react.He tolerates us because He has unlimited patience but we organise protest marches and indulge in destructive activities because we don't follow His example. In some European countries, the governments order the destruction of mosques. Does Allah punish them? No....because He knows those people are ignorant and stupid..because they are His foolish children. Does a father kill his son if his demented child sets fire to his house? Aurangzeb destroyed countless images of Hindu gods and goddesses but did the deities react? No...because the deities were the ones without the Ego. Aurangzeb was a victim of his Ego like any other king. The kings and rulers have always wrongly thought that it was their sacred duty to protect their deities because of their own sense of their Ego. Allah and Vishnu are the personifications of strength and humility and both refer to the same Supreme Soul..They know it is normal and natural for them to go inwards.Only the wicked and ignorant are always on tiptoe to turn upwards and create misery and unhappiness for their fellow beings.They're the victims of the Demon called the Ego.No one can be truly wise with a huge ego inside.Terrorists are perfect cowards because they are in the clutches of fear and a deep sense of insecurity and insecurity.The destructive activities they carry out are the mere manifestations of their Ego.Does Allah love the Ego? No.. Allah is as soft as water...because He is without the Ego.He is all kindness and mercy. Had He been a fool like the Muslims or the shameless fanatics of Hinduism in India today,He would definitely have come out to punish the people who destroy His mosques and temples."

The bricklayers were looking at the speaker with great curiosity.They had understood that the Ego was the chief source of the trouble everywhere and that the Ego was unreal.The anonymous Sadhu again said," Fanatics of Hinduism and Islam are the handmaids of brainless pandits and stupid maulanas..These hardliners are the greatest enemies of mankind.Lord Buddha was an incarnation of the Supreme Brahman.An evil character once  abused Him and spat in His face.The Lord didn't react because he knew that the man was a victim of ignorance."

"Are the jihadists ignorant..?" asked Mustafa. 

Baba said,"The Prophet had started jihad against the wicked people of his own times...against those who were harassing the kind and the innocent.Later on,the stupid Muslims elsewhere started doing the same..."

A Hindu bricklayer said,"Don't you think Muslims are stupid to assert that their Prophet was the last Prophet from Allah...?"

The sadhu said,"Remember the word "Prophet"..!In fact,no Prophet has come  to Earth since Muhammad cast off his mortal frame....My only grouse is that ignorant Maulanas are spreading hatred for non-Muslims amongst the masses. Now a new kind of militant Hinduism is rising...Jago Hindu!..Jago..! Have Hindus been sleeping all the time...?The true Hindu doesn't believe in any outward paraphernalia..To him,true religion means turning inward and being self-contained,not going outwards and running after external things...I am not a Muslim but I can prove,validate and most logically justify that the Prophet was a true messenger from God.He is the last Prophet too...."

"Then what about Guru Nanak,Sri Chaitanya,Kabir,Sai Baba,Ramakrishna Paramahamsa,His disciple Swami Vivekananda? " cried the Hindu bricklayer. 

"Listen to me carefully..Did any of the incarnations or free souls marry any women?No...they didn't..Muhammad's purpose was different.He had the strength to  handle some 9 wives. The only one before Him was Lord Krishna because He too had many wives.Lord Chaitanya and the others had other purposes to fulfil?Why do you think sex is evil? We Hindus worship the Phallus of Lord Shiva and the Vagina of the Divine Mother...We worship them together? Yes or no? " Even most educated Hindus don't know this...They are the most sacred symbols of the Creation. If we retained genuine respect for them,neither men, nor women would indulge in random sexuality.

"Don't you think it is wrong to say Muhammad is the last Prophet from God..." came an angry voice. 

"Do Hindus believe that another Adi Sankaracharya will come? Do Buddhists believe that another Buddha will come? Do the Punjabis think another Guru Nanak will come?Do Christians believe that another Jesus Christ will come? If the answer is negative,Muhammad will never come...That is a fact. "

Now,the bricklayers looked confused...They regarded the young sadhu with a mixture of suspicion and respect.

"Have you seen Allah...?"

"Yes, I have seen Him?He looks exactly like the description given in the holy Quran about Him.."

"You went to Jannat? "

"I am always in Jannat...Even now while I am talking to you..!" the sadhu said.The body is visible to you which is unreal but I am actually present in Jannat every moment..

The young anonymous sadhu was showered with innumerable questions.Instead of answering them,he said:"The holy Prophet Muhammad is much more active and dynamic now than when alive..!"

"How...?" asked a Hindu bricklayer. 

The sadhu said,"When mosques are destroyed and Muslims are subjected to humiliations as is happening in China and in some other European countries now,Muhammad doesn't react to those activities because all angels and holy souls refuse to react;their greatness or true nature lies therein and is truth strength,I mean the perfect ability to withstand evil forces.They laugh at the evil spirits who engage in destructive activities.Their glory comes from tolerance and tolerance means turning inwards and getting real strength and power;turning outwards is the tendency common to foolish humans, evil spirits and wicked beings..."

"Now all human beings are running outwards and after external things and objects of pleasure..." came someone's voice. 

"You are right....! The time for turning inwards is approaching...Don't worry...My brothers...An age of spirituality and peace is in the offing.Weaknesses are going to die and be replaced by real proper strength..."