I was taking my breakfast in a restaurant this morning when a Buddhist Bhikkhu walked in barefoot and in the traditional saffron robe. As he walked towards me, I noticed him looking over the counter at the prepared dishes. As he came to my table, I asked him if he wanted some food. He nodded. I called the shop assistant over and asked him to pack whatever he wanted. Surprisingly, he did not take the packed food from the shop assistant but instead gestured for him to leave it on my table. He then gestured to me to hand it over to him. I did as requested. He then began to say a lengthy prayer that I could not comprehend. I guess he had called upon Lord Buddha to bless me. He thanked me and walked out of the restaurant without stopping over at others' tables. Just some moments earlier, after taking my morning walk and as I walked into the restaurant, a friend who frequented a nearby temple addressed me. This time around, he gave me a handshake. There was a sensation in my palm that I felt even after I had washed my hands before taking the food and again after taking it. It lingered for a while. Yesterday, as I walked in a park, talking to myself about how the scenic park that had its pond and wildlife was destroyed as a housing scheme was coming up in its midst, I heard footsteps behind me. As a Malay man about my age walked past me, he politely asked permission to bypass. I tapped his shoulder as if giving way to him. Suddenly, a surge of energy passed through me, just as whenever I reach out to the Prapanjam. I had goosebumps all over me. Neither of us spoke further.
Prapanjam that has been kind to me all these while, of late, has been providing for all my needs and fulfilling my desires without asking. Just after my breakfast, as I drove by a friend's home, he stopped me to pass me a cassette player. He was a Christian from Pakistan who took up a job as a tailor, though he was trained in electronics. I came to know him when my family used to frequent the tailor for whom he worked. Soon, he set off to gather laptops, TVs, and other electrical items and repair and sell them to others in bulk. When I sent my daughter's laptop over to him for repair, I mentioned that I had many cassettes but had no player. He told me that he had one lying around somewhere and would look for it. Today, as I drove by, the timing could not be more perfect for he was clearing his store. He passed me the piece that dated back to 2003, but worked perfectly well. As I took out all my collection of cassettes to listen to these oldies that I had painstakingly compiled and recorded in the past, I could not help but agree that Prapanjam is indeed listening.
After taking a long walk, seeing many things take place both far and near and right before our eyes and under our noses, wishing we could help bring a change, hoping to reroute the stream, we arrive at the wisdom that says, "Let it be". Agathiyar tells us that our responsibility towards a child is until we raise them. We should learn to back off and let them grow up at their own pace. As the Beatles say, "Don't carry the world on your shoulder," that is what we all tend to do. My elder brother was a fan of the Beatles and their songs. I grew up listening to these songs that he played back then. I remember my late mother's favorite was John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads". Songs bring solace, peace, and also bring us to a state of acceptance. I have come to believe that what politicians and spiritual and religious leaders failed to do, music and musicians have. They have brought souls together, crossing the various and numerous divides that these leaders have created. While the political arena is tense with fiery words and the religious and spiritual discourses filled with fear and suppression, it is in music concerts that the soul sings and dances to the tune without fear or favor.
In asking me to quit doing anything after getting me to conduct rituals, do charity, and do Yoga, Lord Muruga revealed that to have me keep to myself and stay aloof, they practically had to paralyze me for some time to restrict my movements. It was forced confinement in my home between the years 2019 and 2021, tightened further by the coming of the pandemic. This time around, he has rekindled my joy for music and has me set up and refine my home music system, keeping me indoors again. I recall the moments when Tavayogi took me to three religious and spiritual leaders to educate me on the nature and desires of these gurus. The first held on to the establishment that his guru, upon his sudden demise, left behind without naming his successor. The second held on to a temple that he had built. Only the third, who was wrapped only in a blanket in the cold of Ooty, was a Gnani, said Tavayogi. Even the holiest man shall have a weakness for it is that which binds him to this gross body and world. This can be attachment, ego, sexual urges, or even a simple thing such as anger. Once the last of these strands of the rope is shredded, he can leave his mortal body and return to the world of souls. If I thought I had come to the end of my journey here, coming a couple of days ago, Agathiyar tells me that there is much to see and hear further. I wonder what else he has in store for me.