WHEN THE FISH IN THE WATER IS THIRSTY

 



“With every breath, I plant the seeds of devotion;

 I am a farmer of the heart.

Rumi

 

Some days ago, a friend of mine called me. He said, “I want to visit Mount Mary church (Bandra), today… What is the protocol?”

Well, my friend is a Hindu Punjabi. I knew about some difficult times he has been recently passing through. So, the strong urge within his heart to visit a holy shrine did not come to me as any surprise. I have, always, gone to Mount Mary during the week days and sat there quietly, feeling overwhelmed with the surge of gratitude, humility and, above all, peace… Peace is what I have come back with.

Thus, when my Punjabi friend asked me, “What is the protocol?”… probably, what he wanted to know was: “Can non-Catholics go inside the shrine?” … “Are there specific hours for the visit?” … “Should one keep the footwear outside?”… “Is offering of candles or cash mandatory?”… etc., etc.

I said what I believed in: “Go there with your humble heart... Mother Mary doesn’t judge or discriminate... Pray in whatever manner you want to, with or without words… If silence speaks, let it… It reaches faster than anything else.”

Two days later, my friend described to me his experience at the shrine… “I felt a lot peaceful… I just sat there saying nothing, asking nothing… Still, I felt I was given.”






One of the things I fail to understand when it comes to our religious faiths is this: Do we really need shrines –- massive, gigantic, glittery?

Won’t God –- our deity –- listen to us if we pray sincerely within the confines of our hearts?

Well, to each, his own…

To me, the holiest shrine is built within my own bosom… If that shrine is not kept clean, there is no meaning in visiting any distant shrine -- no matter how famous that shrine is…

Jesus Christ, Gautama Buddha, Shirdi Sai baba, Kabir, Ram and Krishna –- to me, these are approachable, relatable, all-embracing souls. I really feel, that they are right here, right now…

And, right here, right now, I hear what Kabir says:


“I laugh when I hear, that the fish in the water is thirsty.

I laugh when I hear, that people go on pilgrimage

to find God.”

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic.: Pixabay/HieuNghiaMini

Video: Music Travel Love

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