I'll narrate two stories.
We had just moved to our flat on the 9th floor. Two huge garden mice also became part of our household. It had been raining outside. I think the overflowing waters made them reach our flat thru the rain-water pipes. They were destructive ones. Every night they would gnaw at one of the doors and would bite off a part of it. Left to them, they would have polished off the whole door. Something needed to be done. We used rat poison and could eliminate one. But the other continued its mala-fide activities. One evening my son managed to trap it in the bathroom. Then I killed it with a broom. It was a huge one and it took me a while. It would almost try to fly towards me in retaliation.
After a few days I dreamt that I was surrounded by rat-like people. They were grilling me as to why I had killed one of their members. I was a bit terrified. Fortunately I saw Ganeshji standing at a distance. So I was somewhat relieved. I countered those rat-like folks as to why their member was eating away my door. After some exchanges, I found Ganeshji coming forward and asking them to go away. I was saved.
Now what made me think that Ganeshji would help me? That had something to do with my moving in to the Koparkhairane flat. When I was moving into it, I considered it to be moving into the Maharashtra mainland. In the true Maratha spirit, I had become a devout Ganesha disciple. I thought I was being warmly welcomed by Him into the new household. So I was elated when I saw Him standing in the midst of all those rat-like people.
Having said all these, am I in a position to kill another of those mice today? The answer is a big NO. I had seen in front of me how the life of a somewhat big animal being snuffed out by my broom. I feel pretty bad today. I am not sure as to how I am going to act if faced with a similar situation again. Most likely I’ll shoo it off. I am very much sure that I’ll have to pay for that someday – and I am ready for the punishment.
One other related query I always had was how come we revere Ganeshji so much but have to face His chariot - that brat rat? They are so destructive. The answer to this I got at the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai. In one corner they have nicely explained how Lord Ganesha made the rat as His chariot to control it. Maybe the rat-king got controlled.
The other story in the same year was when I visited the dentist for a root-canalling. As the lady doctor took up her instruments and I closed my eyes, I could see she was replaced by the Lord Himself. Ganesha was performing the root-canalling Himself on me. I was top of the world.
Maybe that is how you see things when you give up completely to the Almighty. I never had any inclination that the Lord would come to my eyes like that on the dentist’s chair.
To sum up Killing should be avoided as far as possible. Maybe a few items are out of that list – poultry, fish and other animals killed for their meat. But is that correct? Survival of the fittest?
Now I realize why there are strict vegetarians in the world.
Hi Wanderer - Hope you did not try telling the dentist that it was like Ganesha working on you ...would have loved knowing the reaction.
ReplyDeleteBy the way you can also choose to be Story teller after retirement - you seem to be doing very well on that front.