the army of beggars - [SacredLifeOfSwamiji] Life History of H.H. Sri Swamiji

[Guest guest]

Jaya Guru Datta

 

 

 

 

 

Samadhi Padam

 

 

(The quarter about the state of

Samadhi)

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9

 

 

 

 

 

Mushti

 

 

(Biksha or alms)

 

 

 

 

 

Those were the days of earning. Satya

was working at the post office and bringing the pay

packet home to assist in repaying the debts incurred

towards conduct sister’s wedding.

 

 

 

 

 

Satya received the pay packet and

headed towards Parvatamma’s house.

 

 

 

 

 

On the way, "Sir, please save me,

please save me", Satya heard two people crying by the

side of the street. He used to pass them daily on his

way home on his and had heard them cry several times.

But the cry of this time was different. Also it was

unusual to see them beg together at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

"Why are you crying?" Satya

enquired.

 

 

"We had to admit our baby son to the

hospital. The doctor prescribed some medicines but the

hospital dispensary did not have the medicine. It is

four days since we had anything to eat. We have no

milk to feed him and no money to buy medicine for him.

He going to die. If he dies we are sure to die. You

have to save us. Only, you can save us," they

pleaded.

 

 

 

 

 

"They are the shameless faces of

the beggars. They do not have any self respect. They

do not have any rules of conduct. Unfortunately, they

still have a stomach, which requires feeding. It is

also the body that bore the child. Which soul is going

to notice their hunger and the sorrow they are facing?

Which God is going to hear their cry or give them

food? They might lie to others but not to Satya, he

knew them well. They might eat first and kill the

hunger and then may waste the alms they have received

for the day. But they are certainly not the type who

would neglect their child and enjoy themselves."

Satya was moved by their plight. All the money he had

from the pay packet literally flew away and fell into

their hands.

 

 

 

 

 

He pedalled back home and all along,

his mind was going in circles in deep thoughts on the

subject of begging and the beggars.

 

 

 

 

 

"An act of dana has taken place

here now. What is its benefit? This is definitely not

a solution for their poverty. It is like an act of

sprinkling of water on a burning fire. What is the

root cause for begging? How far it has spread? It is

in the roots of the foundation of the society that has

created the beggars. Its branches have spread in all

the various divisions of the society.Holding on to

a hungry stomach and crying for food is considered to

be a wrong. On the other hand, in the name of service,

keeping the mind on winning the elections, one can beg

for votes and becomes a great man. But it is not

considered to be wrong and the person is not

considered to be guilty of the crime of

begging."

 

 

 

 

 

"If one stands on his head on the

street and receives alms, he is looked upon as an

acrobatic beggar. On the other hand if one does the

same feats in the Olympic games, it becomes a great

act and he earns name and fame.Holding on to the

"Ekanada"(1) and singing "Tatvas"(2) is

also considered to be an act of begging. But standing

on the platform, reading literature and receiving

honours is great and respectable."

 

 

 

 

 

"Both the groups of people of

contrasting qualities quoted in the above examples are

from the same school but from different classes. The

one from the higher class strips the clothes off the

one from the lower class and make him cry. This is the

result of the imported civilisation. Is it only a

child’s play born out of a naughty child? This play

gets bigger as one grows up and breeds a class of

beggars in each different field of society. What

should one call this?"

 

 

 

 

 

"These so called great men of the

society are behaving like the persons who keep on

lighting a fire from the back door while attempts are

being made by pouring buckets of water to put out the

fire at the front door. The society is keeping on

producing beggars while some kind souls are trying to

give alms and assist the beggar to come out of their

poverty. Even if one can, overnight, kill all the

beggars in a place, within a couple of days the

society will create a new army of beggars."

 

 

 

----------------------

 

 

Explanations:

 

 

<OL>

<LI>Small one stringed instrument.</LI>

<LI>Philosophical statements in the form of songs on

the "Truth".</LI></OL>