|
Sivacharya, Samban, and
the Dog |
|
This is a reprint of the article
that appeared under Culture in Chandamama,
U.S. and Canada Edition |
|
A perfect world in our own imagination would be filled with people who have the same beliefs, think like us, and act like us and maybe even look like us. But no matter how fascinated we are with ourselves, I think it's safe to admit that this would make for a very boring world. Imagine that we meet a stranger and know immediately what he is thinking, how he will react to what you say and not add anything new to the conversation. It would be like reading a mystery novel and knowing who the culprit is in the first chapter. It would be like being stuck in an episode of the Twilight Zone for eternity. Our differences definitely provide variety and excitement to this world. People, through their origins, religions and beliefs, have produced unique cultures that shape each individual. We can view this process of culture development somewhat like gardening. In order to grow a tree, first you till the soil (basic nourishment), apply manure (rules and morals), plant the seeds (education), water and nourish the trees and plants (learn from the experience of others), prune the knots and remove the weeds regularly (correct judgmental or ignorant attitudes and beliefs). It takes a long time to make a beautiful garden just as it takes a long time for people to learn how to interact with each other without fearing what they do not understand. Once they have matured, the plants in the garden produce beautiful flowers and the trees provide shade and edible fruits. Culture is very similar. It is the product of millions of people over thousands of years and reflects their thoughts, actions, and philosophies. Like the plants and trees in a garden, culture contributes to the richness of our landscape. It is a natural instinct for humans to mistakenly believe that their culture is better than that of others. They will point to actions and practices of other cultures that, in their opinion, are inferior to their own culture. We have often heard, for example, that people who eat with their hands are less civilized than, say, people who eat with a fork and knife. Silly, especially when you know how good food tastes when eaten from your mother's hands. But we must not confuse culture with preference. Culture is far more about peoples' beliefs and actions and far less about what they eat, wear, or own. When we compare the basic goals and beliefs of people, we will find that, the things we cherish the most are generally the same. Since many of us are of Indian origin and live in North America, let us compare the Indian and American cultures. Unlike the Indian culture, American culture is predominantly European in origin. It seems different from Indian culture because the demands are different; people eat different food, the climate is different, and the traditions are different. An American may express his thoughts differently or react differently to events. But, underneath, these two cultures are very similar. Both Americans and Indians want to be happy, believe in a superior God; seek an orderly and stable society, and a close circle of parents, children, grandparents, and community. These goals are no different in the Middle East or South America or Africa. Once we recognize this fundamental similarity, we will stop categorizing people by things as simple as color and start understanding the complexity of each individual's experience on this planet. As a result, culture becomes richer when we treat each other with respect and compassion and recognize that our origins make us neither superior nor inferior There is only one universal truth: a person becomes enlightened only through the quality of his/her actions and not merely by the status of their birth or monetary wealth. The scriptures and literatures of the world religions are filled with stories that illustrate this basic truth. In the eyes of God, every creature is the same -- appearance, wealth, and even education makes no difference to God. That's what makes God the infallible being that it has become in every religion, across centuries and civilizations. If and when we, as humans, ever attain the status of God, perhaps then, we can claim to be superior. Maybe. The following story from Indian literature illustrates this concept. Chidambaram is a small town in Southern India. It's a town that is famous for housing one of the five most well known Shiva temples. A Long time ago, a learned scholar and jnani (a wise man) by the name of Sivacharya lived in Chidambaram. He often went into deep meditation and stayed in a state of trance for days. During this period, he did not follow the rituals that he was expected to perform every day. The fellow priests and scholars were outraged by his lack of discipline and excommunicated him from the village. Sivacharya was banished from the village and forced to live in the forest. In the forest, the only human contact he had was a low caste person by the name of Pethan Samban. Samban brought Sivacharya his food and helped him with his religious rituals. His little dog always followed Samban when he visited Sivacharya's hut. One day, a saint appeared before Sivacharya, gave him a verse written in a palm leaf, and left without uttering a word. The wise Sivacharya immediately knew that the saint was none other than Lord Shiva in disguise and that Shiva was asking him to bless Samban for his devotion and sincerity. Accordingly, Sivacharya read the verse out loud and blessed Samban. Samban immediately became a holy person and vanished into a light. The priests from the Chidambaram temple, who viewed Sivacharya as an enemy because of his unorthodox practices, came to know of this event and filed a false complaint with the king that Sivacharya had killed Samban. At the inquiry, Sivacharya showed the king the note from Shiva and said that he was merely following the command of the God to liberate Samban. The king did not believe his story and asked him to prove that he could make such a miracle happen. The king asked his servants to bring the little dog that belonged to Samban and asked Sivacharya to liberate the dog. Accordingly, Sivacharya read the verse and blessed the dog and the dog also vanished into the light. Sivacharya then took the king and his retinue to Shiva's temple and lit a lamp. On either side of Shiva appeared Samban and the little dog. The king bowed before the wise Sivacharya and apologized to him for disbelieving him. This story illustrates that to Shiva, Samban's sincerity, dedication, and purity of thought were more pleasing than his birth or wealth. The Samban story also illustrates that the only way to really become a superior being is to become a wiser being. The truly religious constantly strive to advance their thoughts and behaviors. Growing up requires that we not be affected by petty differences or discriminate against people. Maturity requires that we show kindness, love, and compassion to one and all without expecting anything in return. Enlightenment allows us to see god within everyone and everything The thing to remember is that while every culture is rich, no culture is perfect. It is for us to discard the negatives and learn the positives without blind faith over everything man-made. |