A hut or a palace
Once, we were on the banks of River Rjuvalika, which had become sanctified by the touch of Mahavir Bhagwan’s feet. We were seeking these pious stones which were alluring, endowed with natural beauty and unique. I wanted these stones for creating the ‘Shri Bhagwan Mahavir’s Kevalgyan Kalyanak’ panel in ‘Shri Brahmi Kala Mandiram’ (a mesmerising museum in Veerayatan Rajgir). While searching for such stones, I used to become so engrossed and joyful that I would lose track of time. On one such occasion, night had fallen whilst we were looking for such stones. We had also lost track of the route we had taken. We could not retrace the path so we thought that if a suitable place could be found nearby, then somehow, we could pass the night there. A little further ahead, we saw smoke rising and so we assumed someone must be staying there. With a ray of hope we headed in that direction.
Reaching there, we asked the man in the hut, ’We would like to rest for the night in your hut, can you help us in any way?’ It was a small hut which had in it a stove, a bed and a few other belongings. The farmer’s wife and some goats were also inside the hut.
The hut may have been small, but the farmer’s heart was immensely huge. He lovingly said, ‘Yes, yes why not, you can stay here. All of you rest inside. My wife and I will sleep outside. Only my goats will need to stay inside.’ The area was quite dangerous surrounded by jungle where many predatory animals roamed. Yet the farmer’s generosity in saying, ‘You sleep inside, and we will stay outside’ really touched my heart.
The whole night, the sadhvijis and I sat on the bed. The goats were under the bed and constantly knocking it. We all sat quietly but my mind was pre-occupied only with the thought of how this family are able to survive in such a deep jungle. For his livelihood a person has to tolerate anything and everything and undertake all types of tasks. This farmer neither knew us nor had he seen or heard of us before, yet without even a second thought about his own personal safety, he gave us a place to stay. I bow down to his generosity and courage.
I keep on reflecting on his generous heart! How did this feeling arise? One whose life is lived in the shadow of death at every moment, is still very readily able to help and protect others. A person who is filled with love, selflessness and courage is a true example of humanity; he is definitely an angel.
