Gyaneshwari -Sant Gyaneshwar
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Chapter-13
The field and the knower of the field
He does not like to carry a rod or a stick in his hand. How then can he think of wielding a weapon? He does not like to rotate a lotus even in play or indulge in flinging a wreath of flowers for fear that it will act like a sling and cause hurt to creatures (281-285). He does not caress anyone for fear of disturbing the hair on his body and grows his nails without cutting them to avoid injury. Usually, he keeps his hands disengaged, but if at all he moves them, it is because he is accustomed to join his hands in a bow. He is abashed at giving the sign of safety, or lending a hand to a falling person or caressing a person in distress. Even the moonbeams do not possess the tenderness with which he removes the sufferings of others. When compared to his soft touch, even the breeze flowing from the Malaya mountain appears harsh, and with the same gentle touch, he caresses the animals (286-290). His hands are always free and unoccupied, but they are like the cool parts of a sandalwood tree, which, though not bearing fruits, are not fruitless. Enough of this rhetoric. The actions of a good person are in perfect harmony with his temperament and character. How then is his mind? Is it necessary to make a separate mention of it? To whom does all this play that is described, belong? Do not the branches form the tree? Can the sea exist without water? Are the sun and his rays different? Are the limbs separate from the body or is fluid different from water (291-295)? Therefore, know that whatever external activities of the senses have been referred to so far, belong to the mind. Just as the seed which is sown in the soil comes out as tree, so the mind radiates through the senses. If non-violence does not exist in the mind, how will it flow out of the sense organs? O Arjuna, an idea first springs in the mind, and then it finds an expression through the mouth, sight and hands. How can a thing, which is not in the mind issue forth in speech? Can a seedling ever sprout without a seed in the soil (296-300)? |
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