Gyaneshwari -Sant Gyaneshwar
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Chapter-13
The field and the knower of the field
When he walks, O Arjuna, in this cautious way, no one can describe the magnitude of his non-violent nature in words. Just as a she-cat holds its kitten in its teeth lovingly without hurting it, or an affectionate mother looks at her infant with a tender glance or a sore eyelid gets relief when it is fanned with a lotus-leaf, he walks over the ground in such a gentle way that if a worm comes into contact with his feet it feels happy (251-255). O Arjuna, if he sees a worm or an ant while walking, he beats a retreat. He turns back without treading upon any tiny creature with the compassionate thought that his noisy step would disturb the sleep of the all-pervading Self in the tiny creature and affect his composure. When he does not tread upon the grass for fear of hurting any life, how is it possible that he would trample over a creature after seeing it? Just as an ant cannot scale the Meru mountain or a fly cannot cross the sea, so he would not step over any creature he comes across (256-260). Just as his walk bears fruit in clemency, his speech is also full of compassion. His breathing is gentle, his mouth the very abode of charm, while his teeth are like sprouts of sweetness. So when he begins to speak, first love oozes out from his mouth and then the kind words follow. To the extent possible, he does not talk to others and if such an occasion arises, he prefers silence, fearing that his speech would offend someone or touch a tender spot, or create a doubt (261-265) in somebody’s mind or spoil somebody’s plan or startle or cause pain to somebody or someone may disregard his speech or raise his eyebrows and look at him wrathfully. |
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