No Time Like Now

Which blessing from God are you most thankful for?

“Alysha, my dear, do you know what the great learned Sage Adi Shankar Acharya said when he was asked this question by his disciples? Without hesitation, the Archarya answered: ‘What I consider to be the greatest blessing and boon from God Almighty is that He has finally allowed my soul to come into this world in human form. The human form is very precious, for which we must submit gratitude to God each day without fail.’

His disciples then requested him to explain further.

‘It is only through the human form that our soul can find its way to its ultimate (final) destination – the state of Union with Him. But alas, most of us waste this great opportunity:

Think of a performer at the circus. After years and years of determined efforts and practice since childhood, he is finally ready to walk the tight rope without any kind of a safety net underneath – the ultimate culmination of his lifelong ambition. The rope is stretched tight high above the ground and the  performer starts...his mind clear, his focus stable, with nerves of steel and unwavering discipline, he walks the rope one step at a time. The crowd is hushed, watching his every move raptly, painfully aware that one misstep will lead to certain death but the performer progresses forward. Alas! When he is just one step away from reaching the end of the rope and achieving his goals, his mind wavers; he becomes distracted, loses his concentration and misjudges the last step..........

That, my disciples, perfectly describes the condition most of us are in today. We do not appreciate the enormous blessing that has been bestowed upon us – we are God’s highest creation, we are Human Beings! – and we tend to waste this golden opportunity behind meaningless pursuits and desires of money, power, fame, self-glorification etc. Perhaps this is so because we are unable to remember how long it has taken our souls to reach human form. The journey of the soul is aptly represented by each step taken by the performer on the tight rope. Step by step, our souls have progressed forward until this, the final step, the human form.’– ”

I interjected my grandmother, “Oh, is that what our Pirs mean by ‘lakh choraasi fera’? Also, the words of Imam Sultan Mohamed Shah [His Highness Aga Khan III] come to mind.

“Indeed. Amongst most Hindu scholars, it is believed that the soul takes on 8,400,000 different forms before being granted human form. Our Holy Pirs have mentioned this several times with the words you have quoted. So, I believe that what these scholars say is true. And the farmans of Imam Sultan Mohamed Shah [His Highness Aga Khan III]  are also very clear about the exalted nature of the human form and about how regretful it is that we are just taking this unique opportunity for granted. I am sure you have heard this over and over again from Alwaezes and lecturers, so my perspective will centre around our Hazar Imam [His Highness Aga Khan IV] who has said clearly in one of His speeches – ‘The beautiful thing about human beings, what differentiates them from animals, is that they can change.’

This is indeed a cheerful thought and these words have become a mantra for me and I try always to remember them. We as human beings can change, that is something animals cannot do. And, my dear, we have to change. By change I mean: regain our focus and remember why we have been born and what is the main purpose of our lives.

There lived a rich merchant in Mississippi, a landowner, with huge cotton farms. He had lots and lots of slaves whom he acquired during his frequent journeys to Africa at very favourable prices. He was a tough taskmaster and made each and every slave work from dawn to dusk in his farms. He took pleasure in the fact that these human beings belonged to him. They were his possessions, to treat as he wished, and he treated them very badly, dolling out to them meagre meals and one loin cloth (even in the freezing winters) and making them live in appalling quarters. Even his many horses were better looked after than his slaves. A real tyrant! He became so used to seeing expressions of hatred and contempt on their faces – that pleased him a lot – that he immediately noticed a new slave whom he had just acquired. This particular slave went about his punishing routine with a smile on his face and this did not sit well with the merchant at all. He made his tasks tougher day by day and halved all his meals. But the man smilingly continued and cheerfully greeted his master whenever he passed by. The merchant was aghast. Why does this man not hate me like all the others do? Why is he so cheerful? He decided to pay a visit to the slave’s tiny room one evening. The slave was kneeling down on the floor, his hands held high and he was thanking God Almighty for His mercies and His bounties. The merchant went weak at his knees and had to lean against the wall for support. This is a slave. He has no possessions. He works from dawn to dusk like a donkey and of late, I have made his tasks even more unbearable. He hardly gets any food to eat, has only one loin cloth to his name and lives in a hovel, worse than a pigsty, and yet he is bowing down before God and thanking Him! And look at me!

Tears flowed down his eyes and he went back to his mansion, his head bowed and his heart enlightened. That moment was a moment of awakening for him. The next day, he called all his slaves and informed them that they were no longer enslaved but would henceforth be his partners. Those who wished to stay would be paid for their work and would get proper housing, meals and clothes henceforth. Those who wished to leave were free to do so and would be provided with means to go wherever they wished. The slave he saw the previous evening was the first to react. He rushed forward and embraced the merchant and all others followed suit. This was a radical move for those days and times and many other landowners and merchants were inspired to do the same with their slave labour. This initiated the emancipation and eventual abolishment of slavery in southern USA.

The main point of my story is that the merchant changed and became a better person and thus progressed forward towards his true purpose. As I have said, we all have to change and there will come a time when we will all face a moment of awakening. History is full of examples of people who changed:

·         Valmiki changed from a thug, robber and murderer to one of the greatest and most learned sages. He was given the honour of writing the great epic, Ramayana.

·         Angulimala Daku  used to kill people and cut off their fingers to make a necklace to wear around his neck. One meeting with Gautam Buddha changed him into a devoted and learned sufi.

·         Farid-ud-din Attar changed from a chemist, apothecarist and successful businessman to a renowned Sufi Darwesh who has authored the famous Conference of the Birds.

·         Varas Ismail Gangji heard one verse of ginan in jamatkhana and that was his moment of awakening. His whole life changed and he became a devoted leader of the Ismaili community, very near and dear to the Imam. I am sure his story is very well known.

                                

Similarly, we too must change but we are very stubborn. No, I should not say that. It is not that we do not want to fulfil the purpose of our lives and reach that blessed point, but we tend to forget easily or get distracted, via our minds and egos, in the temporal enjoyments of this world and thus keep postponing or procrastinating our intentions to change. But time ticks on and on and on...”

“Sant Kabir visited Banaras often. On one visit, he met Manav and offered to guide him spiritually. ‘Please give me some time, I need to get my children educated properly first then I will surely become your disciple. I really want to.’
Fifteen years later, Sant Kabir met Manav again in Banaras and made the same offer.
‘I am not ready yet, let me get my children married and settled down and then I will surely become your disciple. I really, really want to.’

Five years later, Sant Kabir ran into Manav again and asked him to come and learn from him.
‘Please forgive me, I am anxious to see the face of my first grandchild and to have him or her on my lap. Once I do that, I promise to sit down and learn from you. Nothing will make me happier.’

Another five years later, Sant Kabir could not find Manav anywhere in Banaras. Eventually, a well wisher led him to Manav’s house where he saw a huge portrait of Manav with a garland of flowers hanging over it...”

“Darwesh Ibrahim’s six statutes are an extremely useful way of not forgetting and avoiding postponement and procrastination.

Statute 1: if you do not wish to change then you have no right to take anything free of charge from the Lord. You are not allowed to breathe in the free air, you cannot use the bounties of water and food which the Lord provides. No giveth, no taketh.

So if you decide not to change today then don’t breathe, drink or eat.”

I couldn’t help but smile when I heard this powerful pronouncement. How can one live without breathing, eating or drinking for even a moment? Surely, this was a clever way the Darwesh used to ensure his disciples would not forget what was expected of them.

“Statute 2: you have no right to behave as you like and commit sins on earth or on any other part of God’s creation. So if you wish to do as you like and behave improperly and create impurity then find a place (to do so) which has not been created by God or which is not part of God’s creation.

Statute 3: if you wish to act in any manner that you like and indulge in wrong doing and sinful behaviour then you must find a place to do so where you are hidden from the eyes of God. You cannot behave badly in the presence of God and so, be bad only if you are sure God is not watching you.”

I could not help but admire the ingenuity of the Darwesh and also the truth of his words. Regular reminders of these three statutes would definitely inspire one to change.

“Statute 4: When the Angel of Death comes for your soul, order him to wait. Tell him you are not ready, you haven’t repented for your sins and done all the good deeds that you have wanted but have kept on postponing. Command him to come back at a more convenient time when you have finished all this.”

Oh my God. As if the Angel of Death can be halted. This obviously means that since we do not know at which moment the Angel of Death will appear to pronounce the end of our time on this earth then we can’t afford not to change immediately.

“Statute 5: if you are unsuccessful in convincing the Angel of Death to wait and you are presented before the Lord for judgement, tell Him that you do not want to be judged. You have not had time to ‘balance your accounts’ and therefore cannot participate in the exercise of judgement. Command Him to close up His books immediately.”

As if! Every thought that occurs in our minds, every word that escapes our mouths, each and every action of ours is noted down and will be examined at the time of judgement. We may not even remember what we did or thought or said five minutes ago but the Lord makes note of everything, right from our first breath to our last. Will He listen to us and close up His books? I don’t think so!!!

“Statute 6: if the judgement is not in your favour and God commands that you be taken to hell then just put your foot down and tell Him that you won’t go. You’re not going to any such place. Just refuse.”

I almost laughed out loud. Ibrahim Darwesh surely had a good sense of humour. This would just be like a convict refusing to be imprisoned upon sentencing. Truly an excellent way of remembering that we cannot afford a single minute more of postponement of change.  

NO TIME LIKE NOW.

Courage is a Must -- The Story of Sudama

THE STORY OF SUDAMA

Sudama was from a poor family, the son of Matuka and Rokan-Devi. He met the royal princes, Krishna and Balram, in the Gurukul of the great sage Sandipani. Soon after the meeting, the young Krishna extended a hand of friendship towards Sudama. “Friends must help each other in situations of peril and danger. If I am ever in peril, You will be able to help me out of it, but God forbid, if You are ever in trouble, how will an impoverished Brahmin like myself ever be able to help You?” Thus, Sudama was at first quite hesitant to accept Krishna’s offer of friendship. But, upon insistence by the latter and assurance that they would remain true friends forever, Sudama acquiesced and throughout their Gurukul years, the two remained as close as two peas in a pod; fast friends, completely inseparable. Once their education was complete, Krishna and Balram returned to Mathura and thereafter to Dwarika where Krishna’s fame rose, day by day, as a valiant military leader and just and loving king. Sudama, on the other hand, returned to his village, a moneyless Samwadi Brahmin, spending his days chanting the name divine and, day by day, elevating his spiritual knowledge and status. The two friends lost contact for many, many years.

Whilst his spiritual knowledge and status reached great heights, Sudama’s worldly conditions were truly appalling, deteriorating daily. Each day, Sudama would beg for alms from five – and only five – houses and distribute these amongst his four children and wife Vasundhara, taking care to keep a share for the Lord Krishna as well. This left hardly anything for himself and he became physically weaker and weaker. But he completely refused to compromise his principles, break his faith and beg from more than five houses. Instead, he pushed on, taking strength from his immovable faith in Lord Shri Krishna. The alms became more and more meagre and there were often long periods of time when the family would barely have enough for even one complete meal. During such times, after taking out Lord Krishna’s share, Sudama and Vasundhara would give all of the remaining morsels to their children, retiring to bed with only a swig of water for themselves. It was a heartrending situation and when the children started crying from hunger and begging their parents for more food, Vasundhara would burst into tears and beg Sudama to go and see his childhood friend, Krishna, the rich king of Dwarika. Sudama, however, remained adamant and steadfastly refused to do so, feeling that this would be taking advantage of Krishna’s friendship.

“The Lord Krishna is all-knowing and loves us and cares for us. If we are going through tough times now, that is due to our own past karma and we have to accept and bow down to the will of the Lord.” – This was always his standard response to his wife’s entreaties and she soon gave up any hope of Sudama ever taking help from his childhood friend.

Lord Krishna was, of course, well aware of the trying times Sudama and his family were going through and when Sudama’s days were very tough, Lord Krishna would refuse to eat anything Himself. Instead, He would sit and play soulful, lachrymose tunes on His renowned flute. Sad and upset at seeing their Master in this condition, Rukmini, Lord Krishna’s first wife (believed to be the incarnate of Lakshmi), was deployed by Krishna’s other wives to humbly request the Lord to reveal the reason behind His loss of appetite and His melancholy mood. In a sombre tone, Krishna explained to Rukmini the situation concerning His friend, Sudama. Rukmini was horrified and urged the Lord to help His friend by sending food, money and elevating the family out of their impoverished condition.

“He is your friend and You have to help him,” she pleaded.

The Lord’s response was stoical. “Of course I know he is My friend and nothing would make Me happier than to bestow him with the best bounties, but the time is not right. Sudama and his family have as yet to complete payment of their past karma. Once the account is settled, I will surely do the needful.”

Many months passed by, with no change in Sudama and his family’s plight. But Sudama remained imperturbable, spending his days smilingly singing praises of the Lord and meditating on His name. His wife, on the other hand, was not a happy person at all. She hated seeing her children so frail, weak and hungry. She would sit for hours entreating Lord Krishna to help them just for the sake of her children. And so the days passed.

One day, Chakradhar, a friend of Sudama’s came to visit and begged Vasundhara to force Sudama to join him in singing praises of the King at the palace. He said Sudama was very learned and could write even better poetry than him. He also had a more beautiful singing voice.
“If we join forces, the King will be very happy and extremely generous. You will never have to go hungry in your life again.”

Sudama was all set to flatly turn down this offer. “The true Brahmin writes poetry and sings songs only for the Lord Krishna and not for a mere mortal like the King, who is not even worthy of any praises. That would be wrong and against the Brahmin’s faith.”

Vasundhara asked Sudama to take a good look at his children and notice the despair and hunger on their faces. The guilt was too much for Sudama to bear. Thus he agreed to accompany Chakradhar to the King’s court the next day.

The King had imbibed more than usual and was happy that a second person had come to sing more praises of him.

“Make me happy and sing me a poem describing how brave and great a king I am, how merciful and loving I am to my subjects and how benevolent, generous and praiseworthy I am,” he commanded.

Sudama looked up, puffed out his chest and invoked a beautiful poem in praise of Lord Shri Krishna. In his poem, he cautioned the King to climb off his pedestal of arrogance and to bow down and touch the feet of the Lord, or else catastrophe would befall him. Only those under the protection of the Lord Krishna would survive and be saved from the eternal damnation of hellfire.

There was a stunned silence in the entire court. Chakradhar was shaking and shivering to his very core, a terrified man. But Sudama stood unmoved, his face lit up with a beatific smile as he remembered the happy times he had spent with his friend in the Gurukul. True to form, the King ordered both Sudama and Chakradhar to be put to death immediately. Chakradhar fell at the King’s feet, snivelling and begging for mercy. “Sudama has not eaten a proper meal for so many days and this has made him go crazy. He is not in his right mind.”

The King ordered the guards to beat up Sudama good and proper and throw him out of the palace.

Crawling home some time later, Sudama fell at Vasundhara’s feet, oozing blood everywhere. Vasundhara, shocked and horrified, made him lie down and then cried to Lord Krishna for help. “Oh Lord, You know our condition. How will I obtain medicine to heal my husband? Is this Your friendship? Is this the fate of his devotion?” Thereafter, she fell into a troubled sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, she found her husband sitting up on his bed, gazing wonderingly at his arms and feet. Not a single scratch was visible on his entire body. All wounds had miraculously disappeared over the night and all swellings and bruises had healed completely. Vasundhara laughed in delight and fell at her husband’s feet, praising Lord Krishna loudly. Her gaze then fell upon a heavy silver bowl under the bed, half full of ointment. “Look! He was really here. He was really here Himself!” She thrust the bowl towards her husband and both of them looked at each other with amazement. They then fell at the feet of the Lord’s murti, weeping with joy and gratitude. But then Sudama quietened down and his face became sad. He turned to Vasundhara and reprimanded her for troubling the Lord. “How could you make Him come here for a small person like me? He has to look after the whole world and He had to leave everything and come rushing to my aid! I have sinned! And it is all because of you.”

He then looked resolutely at Vasundhara and declared that he would have to go physically now to Dwarika to thank Krishna for this wonderful miracle and to apologise for having troubled Him so much. He immediately got up and started walking towards the door.

“Wait! Wait! Surely, you can’t go to see your old friend empty-handed.”

With that, Vasundhara rushed to her neighbour’s house and returned with a handful of puffed rice (sattu). “This is all she could spare.” With that, she bid him goodbye and a safe journey. Sudama cautioned her that he was not going to Krishna to ask for anything. His only purpose was to thank his friend and apologise. And thus began Sudama’s memorable journey to Dwarika.

In His private chamber at Dwarika, Krishna was on top of the world. He twirled Rukmini round and round, laughing with joy. “Finally, he is coming! He is coming! He is coming!”

Rukmini was overjoyed to hear about this. “But how will he get here? Such a frail and weak man, hungry for days, barefooted and sparsely clothed. Surely, you don’t expect him to walk all the way here? Let me send a special chariot for him.”

Krishna stopped her from rushing off. “Sudama is coming to see ME. And I am no ordinary person. He will have to endure difficulties if he wishes to have my darshan. I am the Lord of the Worlds and to see Me is a rare and unique opportunity for any ordinary human being. But don’t worry, I will be with him every step of the way, look after him and make sure he gets here safely and fulfils his purpose.”

The sun was blazing hot, the earth dry and cracked and Sudama’s every step sent shocks of pain through his body. Still, he hobbled on, determined in his purpose. Sometime later, as he flopped under the blessed shade of a tree to rest for a few minutes, he heard the melodious tunes of a flute. Looking around, he spotted a young man sitting across from him, playing the flute. Sudama hobbled towards him. “You play the flute so well, young man. Your tunes are a soothing balm to my troubled spirit.”

The young man smiled at Sudama and motioned to him to sit down next to him. The youth was of course none other than Krishna Himself (in disguise). He continued playing the flute for some time and smiled when He saw that Sudama had fallen into a contented sleep. He gently shook Sudama awake. “It is time for lunch. You must be very hungry.” Laughing, He opened His lunch sack. “My wife has the habit of sending me off with enough food to feed an army. I am sure there will be more than enough for you and I to have a proper meal. Come on, join me.”

The hungry faces of his children and wife flashing before him, Sudama did not move from his spot. “You go ahead and eat your lunch. I am fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Krishna knew of course why Sudama was refusing to eat and secretly raised His hand.

Immediately, a chariot appeared and drew up alongside them. The driver of the chariot asked the two men whether they had eaten. “My master’s daughter is getting married and he has taken it upon himself to feed all the people from ten villages for the next fifteen days. Which village do you hail from?” he asked.

Krishna furtively looked at Sudama to make sure he was paying attention and then asked the charioteer the names of the ten villages. One of the villages named was Sudama’s. Upon hearing it, Sudama asked excitedly if everybody in that village had been fed.

“Oh yes! I remember that village so well!” exclaimed the charioteer. “It was especially gratifying to feed the people of this village as they all seemed so hungry.”

Handing them some plates of food, the charioteer drove on. Sudama had tears in his eyes, thanking the Lord under his breath for looking after his family and taking away his worries for the next fifteen days. He then ate heartily with the youth, enjoying every morsel. Burping contentedly, Sudama thanked the youth for his kindness and got up to continue on. The youth fell into step with him and hearing that Sudama was headed for Dwarika, informed Sudama that it would be His pleasure to accompany him to the outskirts of the city as it fell on His way.

The remainder of the journey was very pleasant. The youth [i.e. Krishna Himself] catered to Sudama’s every need. Food was plentiful, cool breezes were blowing and melodious tunes from the flute simply ate up the miles. Soon, the city of Dwarika appeared in the near distance, shimmering in its glory. “There lies Dwarika,” the youth pointed. “I must take your leave now. It has certainly been an immense pleasure having your company on this long journey.”
Sudama hugged the youth and proceeded towards Dwarika.

Hobbling into the town square, marvelling at the beauty of Dwarika and how prosperous the people looked, he asked some young men directions to the palace. “I want to meet my friend, Krishna.”

They hooted with laughter. “Krishna is YOUR friend? You must be joking!”

However, one wise old man reprimanded the youth and politely gave Sudama the directions he wanted. Upon reaching the magnificent palace gates, he informed the guard to tell Krishna that His friend, Sudama, had come to meet Him. He waited and waited and finally decided to accept the obvious. He dejectedly hobbled back towards the town square.

Meanwhile, Krishna, who was about to sit down to eat, noticed the guard hovering at the entrance. He summoned him and when the guard imparted the message, Krishna jumped up and ran towards the front gates. “Sudama! Sudama!” He shouted. His crown askew, His silk scarves trailing behind Him, His feet bare. Down the corridors, through the hallways, across the courtyard He ran, shouting Sudama’s name at the top of His voice, tears flowing freely from His eyes. All guards and palace attendants watched open-mouthed as Krishna ran past them and on to the road beyond. As He rushed towards the town square, shouting and screaming Sudama’s name, amazed citizens of Dwarika started following their king. Never had such a spectacle been witnessed!

Sudama, upon hearing his name, turned around. The youth who had laughed at him so derogatorily were shocked to see the king Himself flying towards Sudama. Soon, Krishna was embracing him, shedding tears of joy and clasping him tightly, unwilling to let go. The people too had tears in their eyes. They loved their king and they were overjoyed at seeing Him so happy and so emotional.

Sudama was led respectfully back to the palace. At the entrance, Rukmini and Krishna’s other wives welcomed Sudama with great honour and led him to Krishna’s private chambers. Krishna made Sudama sit on His own throne and then washed his feet Himself, crying tears at the sight of so many thorns and the bloody cracked heels. Sudama was overcome with emotion and could not speak at all. Not only did his friend remember him but it was obvious how much He loved him. It was all like a dream.

Sudama’s stay at Dwarika with Krishna was heavenly. Krishna would not leave his side for even a second. He was given beautiful clothes to wear, fed with the best morsels and pampered to no extent. The two friends reminisced endlessly about their time at the Gurukul. When Krishna asked what Sudama had brought for Him, he hesitantly brought out the sattu. Krishna was delighted and declared this simple offering to be the most valuable gift He had ever received.

Soon, the time came for Sudama to depart. “I am a Brahmin and my religion enjoins me to accept your hospitality for only so long. I have to observe etiquette and take your leave.”

Declining Krishna’s entreaties to stay longer and thanking Rukmini for her excellent hospitality, he turned down the offer of a chariot and set off on foot, back to his village. Some miles out of Dwarika, he met the same youth again, riding on an ox-cart. Sudama had no problem accepting the youth’s offer to join him and the two proceeded on. When Sudama described to Him Krishna’s hospitality and what a wonderful time he had had in Dwarika, the youth snorted, “Then how come you are empty-handed today? And why did He not escort you personally to your home? What kind of a friend is He?”

Sudama cut Him off and pretended to fall asleep. The youth smiled to Himself and started belting out tunes on His flute. Sudama’s mind was in a turmoil. The youth was right. Krishna should have sent gifts for his wife and children. Maybe He forgot in all the excitement. “But I am glad I did not listen to Vasundhara and ask for help. That would have been embarrassing.” With that, not being able to bear adverse thoughts about his friend, he sank into a deep slumber. When he awoke, he was at the crossroads that led to his village. The youth bade him goodbye and rode on.

Sudama stool still for a while, wondering how he would face Vasundhara and his children with empty hands. Shaking his head, he walked home slowly. Suddenly, he was surrounded by an awesome spectacle! The place where his village used to be had transformed into an extraordinarily beautiful town with palatial houses lining the streets on each side. With his eyes popping out of his head, Sudama walked towards where his hut used to be. In its place was the most magnificent palace. “Perhaps the youth has mistakenly dropped me off somewhere else,” Sudama thought. He turned to go back but then heard the voices of his children calling for him excitedly. He whipped around and saw his children rushing towards him, all dressed like princes. A lady then came out of the palace, clad in a shimmering red silk sari, decked from head to toe in gold and diamonds. As she came closer, Sudama nearly fainted. The lady was none other than Vasundhara!!!

Speechless with wonder, he listened as Vasundhara recounted how Shri Krishna had sent His special architects to transform the whole village as a gift to Sudama and his family. “And to think I was upset at being sent empty-handed? What a stupid and ignorant fool I am!”

Falling at the feet of the gold murti of Krishna in the huge temple room of the palace, he shed tears of remorse and shame. Just then, Lord Krishna Himself appeared and took Sudama in His arms and asked him to make a wish. Sudama looked up at his loving Lord and said, “Despite all this worldly wealth and bounties that You have bestowed upon us, I wish to remain always Your devotee. All this should not affect me and in spirit, I wish to remain an impoverished Brahmin for the rest of my life, singing Your praises and chanting Your sacred name.”

The Lord smilingly raised His hand and replied, “Tathatsu (May it be so).”

End of Story

POINTS OF INSPIRATION

1. Sudama showed great courage by steadfastly keeping to the principles of the Brahmin faith. He would beg only from five houses and not from a single house more. He did not waver when his wife and children were hungry. How many of us would be able to be as resolute in keeping firmly to the principles of our faith despite all adverse circumstances?
2. It requires courage to accept one’s conditions as payment towards past karma. This is very difficult and reminds me of Mawlana Sultan Mohamed Shah’s farman: “Whatever difficulties befall you should be accepted with joy as they help in washing away your past sins and cleansing your souls.”
3. Sudama did not weaken at all when faced with the wrath of the King. He had thecourage to face the King and refuse to do wrong. He also showed courage by fearlessly warning the King of the consequences of the King’s arrogance. He was valiantly ready to accept any punishment from the King, and when beaten up so badly, did not utter a word of complaint. Comparing him with Chakradhar, Chakradhar’s cowardice shows truly how courageous a man Sudama was and this point further enhances the ideas brought out by my grandmother in Part One of this article on Himmat, whereby one must have the courage to oppose people in authority when they are in the wrong.
4. It was very courageous of Sudama not to take advantage of his friendship with the mighty Krishna and immediately seek His assistance in alleviating his family and himself from poverty.

Doing Right, A Test of Courage – Part 1

 

“Granny, I have been reading our 48th Imam, Mowlana Sultan Mohamed Shah (alayhi salam)’s holy farmans and very often, I have come across the word himmat. According to the Imam, it is vital for a true mom’in to have himmat. So one must have courage if one wants to be counted as a true mom’in. I have thought about this a lot but have not quite been able to exactly work out the inferences contained within this one simple sentence in the Imam’s holy farmans. Please help me out by sharing with me your thoughts about this.”

“Consider these words carefully. They have been preached, in one form or the other, by very many wise men and gurus:

Do what is right,
without thinking of the consequences –
what will happen if you do what is right.

Not keeping quiet, speaking up or taking action if you come across something wrong happening requires great courage. This is the singularly most difficult challenge for the ordinary human being. It is very, very easy to just ignore it or keep quiet about it due to various [mostly selfish] fears.

David was a brilliant engineer and it was no surprise that having graduated at the top of his class in university, he was the first choice for the country’s most prestigious and market-leading aeronautics engineering company. He worked hard with utmost loyalty. It was no surprise therefore that barely a year later, he was promoted to head the design team, thus becoming the youngest engineer in the history of the company to achieve such a respected and coveted position.

The years went by happily. He got married to a lovely English girl and was blessed with two adorable children who thought the world of him, a feeling that was entirely mutual. At work, things could not have been better. The company had received great media exposure over its new Supersonic jet, which his team was proud to have designed. The prototype was excellent and the maiden flight, scheduled for the following week from New York to London and back, was completely sold out. The world’s focus was trained on this maiden voyage. The company expected to receive huge orders upon the success of the flight and earn billions of dollars as well as fame and accolades from the scientific world. Indeed, life was great and he looked forward to soon accepting board membership, thus making history yet again.

But then, on a Monday morning, he noticed an anomaly in the final test reports of the prototype. It seemed that there could be a small chance of the engines being unable to withstand the highest speed of the jet. He checked the results over and over and over again. But there it was – a minute flaw but nevertheless a flaw. He was shattered to say the least. His first instinct was to immediately inform his boss so that the maiden flight could be cancelled. But then the consequences of doing so flashed through his mind: He would never have a place on the board. In fact, he would surely be fired on the spot and never work in the industry again in any part of the world. His children would have to leave private school. Even worse, they too would be teased and humiliated by their friends, because of their dad’s failure. But above all, the company would be ruined forever. The press would have a field day and it would never be able to recover from such public humiliation. ‘No, no, no. I cannot do this, I just can’t.’

He paced up and down in his office for hours and hours. Finally, he reached the conclusion that it was best to remain quiet and ignore the whole issue. After all, a 0.01% chance of a problem was not ikely to manifest itself. The design was solid and had been approved by many, many experts, none of whom had raised any objections. Perhaps he was over-thinking the issue, given his perfectionist nature. With that, he locked up the reports, putting them out of sight and out of mind.

The maiden flight took off from JFK Airport amidst great pomp and fanfare, all passengers bubbly and excited. Like a proud father, he watched (on his monitor) the jet eat up the miles and when it landed at Heathrow merely three hours after departing from New York, he popped the cork on the champagne bottle, his heart jumping with joy. Two hours later, the jet departed Heathrow with equally excited passengers, looking forward to landing in New York in the shortest time ever.

Meanwhile, back in New York, at the company headquarters, the mood was very festive. The wine flowed freely and all company employees and executives were in top spirits. David held court in the centre of the room, graciously bowing his head at the numerous kudos and congratulations he was receiving from all directions. He was on Cloud Nine and beamed every time he thought of the great things that lay ahead for him. Suddenly, the clamour in the room died down as all eyes turned towards the enormous television screen in the corner of the room. The words “BREAKING NEWS: SUPERJET CRASHES” flashed across the bottom of the screen. Someone immediately turned the volume up and the whole room collectively gasped in horror as the news anchor, in a sombre voice, informed the world that the Supersonic Jet had crashed into the Atlantic barely an hour before it was due to land at JFK. It seemed there were no survivors.

David wished he was dead. The anchor’s voice and disastrous words reverberated like thunderbolts in his head and he thought his heart would come crashing out of his chest at any minute. There was an eerie silence in the room except for the muffled sobs of the secretaries. David slumped to the floor, tears flowing unchecked down his cheeks. ‘Why did I not stop the flight when I had the chance to?’ This thought made his whole body go numb. He, himself, was responsible for all those deaths!!!

But worse was yet to come. David’s cellphone started ringing. Still in a trance, he switched it on and heard his father-in-law’s voice, shaky and steeped in grief, relaying the devastating news. His two sons, holidaying in England with their grandparents, had decided to cut their trip short in order to give David a huge surprise. They managed to obtain last-minute seats on the Supersonic Jet, only because they were David’s sons! His father-in-law started sobbing openly now and in the background, David could hear the agonised screams of his mother-in-law. Switching off the phone, he started wailing like a banshee. His anguished screams echoing throughout the building. The stricken, accusing eyes of his wife was the last image he saw before everything dissolved into black oblivion…”

“Oh my God!” I cried. “How terribly awful!”

“Indeed,” Grandmother agreed. “David received a heavy punishment but he had only himself to blame. He forgot that his promotion, his job, his family and the company were not more important than the hundreds of innocent people whose lives he put at risk by keeping quiet. His fear of the consequences of doing the right thing resulted in the destruction of his happiness forever.”

“But what if he had informed his boss and the boss refused to listen and cancel the flight? What if he was forced to keep quiet or else face immediate termination?” I asked hotly.

“Then he should have resigned immediately and informed the authorities and the media of his findings as well as his boss’ refusal to listen to him and cancel the flight. Perhaps the media would have pressurised the company to cancel the flight, in which case no lives would have been lost. His boss would have been the universal villain and David a hero earning the respect of one and all. Above all, he would have a guilt-free conscience and his own family would have been safe. Who knows? All that I am convinced of is that David would triumph because doing the right thing makes God happy and proud and therefore cannot go unrewarded. In our everyday lives, the stakes may not be as high as they were for David and thus easier to ignore but a wrong is a wrong. And must be courageouslyopposed. That is the duty of a true mo’min. Believe me, every human being, at one time or the other, WILL come across such a situation and will have to decide whether to becourageous or cowardly and selfish.

Your earlier question, Alysha, was actually very apt because it touched on the second aspect that I wish to discuss today. Most people fail to do the right thing because of pressure put on them by people in authority, more powerful and influential people than themselves, whom they are unable to oppose or question.

General Jesop, mandated with the command of the US Marine Camp in Cuba, always considered himself to be a real man: tough, brave, fearless and a born leader. He ran his camp with an iron fist, preferring to instil fear in his marines. He needed every one of his men to unequivocally obey his commands. This could only be achieved, or so he thought, if they feared him. The camp was in dangerous territory and not following orders could result in heavy loss of lives in the event of an enemy attack.

General Jesop hated Private Willy Nelson from the minute he arrived and wanted him off his camp. He thought Willy was a frail, namby-pamby geek, unworthy of being a marine, and especially his marine. However, all of the General’s attempts at making Willy give up and demand a transfer failed. No matter how punishing the routine, Willy doggedly carried on. After all, he needed to make his family proud. His great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all decorated war veterans and Willy did not wish to let them down.

The General then enlisted two of his best Privates, Joel and Harry, to bully, harass and hound Willy in the barracks at night. This would surely succeed in getting rid of him. Joel and Harry actually liked Willy and admired his determination but they could not go against the General. They feared him too much and so they had to comply.

The pranks were often cruel and humiliating, making Willy’s life a living hell. Unfortunately, one such prank went horribly wrong. As Joel and Harry dipped Willy’s head repetitively into the toilet bowl, they failed to notice that Willy was having trouble breathing and only when his body went slack did they let up, to find that Willy was unconscious. In a state of panic, they tried their best to revive him but, tragically, Willy died.

Of course, it was Joel and Harry who were held responsible and they would soon face a grim court martial. Their pleas for leniency, claiming it was only meant to be a prank, fell on deaf ears and it was widely rumoured that both men would surely face execution. However, their defence attorney convinced them to confess the truth and inform the court of the General’s role in the tragedy. Their fear of the General had made them hold their tongues for a long time but finally, faced with a guilty verdict and death, they spoke up. The General was arrested and sentenced to death. As for Joel and Harry, they were shocked to learn that they had been dishonourably discharged from the US Marines.

“But we were only following orders. Is that not what a US Marine has been trained to do?” they protested.

“Not if the order is unjust, unfair or immoral. Even if it was the General giving the said order,” came the reply.

Both Joel and Harry led a life of disgrace thereafter. Society could not forgive them. Nobody wanted to employ such disreputable soldiers. Nobody wanted to socialise with them also. Or even live near them. It was soon heard that Joel hanged himself. As for Harry, nobody quite knows what became of him…

For most human beings, it is impossible to oppose people in authority. Haven’t we often heard about bosses telling their secretaries to say on the phone that they are not in, the mistress of the house telling her maid to get rid of the unwelcome neighbour at the front door by making an excuse that the mistress is sleeping or she is not well or she is having a bath etc and the employees meekly comply?”

“Uh oh,” I interjected, chagrined.

“Such instances are countless in number and are a daily occurrence. It is only with greatcourage that one can stand up to one’s boss or to one’s employer or to a higher person and refuse to do anything wrong. Am I not right? And yet, truth and right are higher than everything else.”

“Surely what you are saying makes sense but it all seems to be like a Herculean task. How does one develop such courage? We are not angels or celestial beings. We are merely mortal humans, after all.”

“What you say is true but the trick is NOT TO FORGET THAT NOTHING MATTERS MORE THAN THE TRUTH AND THE RIGHT. In the words of Varas Ismail Gangji’s mother: ‘Have no misgivings as to how you will find your livelihood now. One who walks the path of righteousness never comes to grief. Truth befriends the righteous man. Treading the path of righteousness, you will always be happy.’

Always remember this when faced with the dilemma of doing the right thing. Automatically, you will gain courage.

Secondly, God has filled the world with exemplary human beings of exceptional courage. At such times, remember them and you will feel braver. Mahatma Gandhi, frail, weak but highly courageous and convicted to his principles; remember the blood-soaked face of the late Nobel Laureate Wangari Mathai as forest officers beat her mercilessly with their truncheons, she never backed down. In her eyes, it was wrong to cut trees and harm the environment and she stood up for this right to the very end. There are many others: Nelson Mandela and the latest additions, Anna Hazare and Baba Ram Dev.

Remember their courage.

But above all else, keep in your heart and in your mind the words of the Imam: ‘The true mo ‘min is like a fearless lion. The true mo’min fears only God and nothing and no one else.’

At times when you need the courage to do the right thing, nothing works better than a silent prayer to the Almighty, telling Him that you wish to do the right thing but that you are weak and fearful, and you need the courage to stand up for the truth. Doubtlessly, He will be happy and proud to fill your heart with courage immediately.”