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Chapter 10
CONTEMPLATION OF GOD’S MANIFESTATIONS
53. God In The Animals
15. And the cattle that serve us! How full of love, tenderness and affection the cow is! In the evening it rushes to its calves running through hills and forests. The Vedic sages are reminded of heavy-uddered cows rushing to their calves to feed them when they see rivers gushing through hilly ranges. The sage says to a river, “O Goddess, like cows, you bring milk-like holy and sweet water. Just as cows cannot stay back in the forest, you too cannot stay back in the hills. You rush to meet your thirsty children.”—‘वाश्रा इव धेनवः स्यंदमानाः।’ (‘The waters rushed to the sea like the lowing cows eager to meet their calves’.) The Lord is there at your door in the form of the affectionate cow. 16. And the horse! How noble, how faithful, how loyal it is! How dearly the Arabs love their horses! Do you know the story of the Arab who was compelled by financial difficulties to sell his horse? He went to the stable with the bagful of money received as its price. But the moment he glanced at the serene and loving eyes of the horse, he threw away the money and said, “Come what may. Let me die of hunger if I must. But I will not sell the horse. God will help me.” How the horse snorts when we pat its back! How lovely its mane is! Indeed, the horse has many qualities. What is there in a bicycle? Look after a horse well, curry it regularly, and it will be ready to die for you; it will become your friend. A friend of mine was learning to ride, but the horse would not let him mount it. When he complained about it, I told him, “You try to ride the horse, but do you ever care for it? When someone else looks after the horse and you want to ride it, how will it work? Curry it first, give it food and water, and then try.” The friend did accordingly. He came to me after a few days and said, “Now the horse does not throw me off.” The horse too is a form of the Lord. Will the Lord throw off His devotee? That horse yielded to my friend’s devotion. A horse does see whether the rider is a devotee or not. Lord Krishna used to curry and feed the horses Himself. Unlike a bicycle, a horse jumps over ditches and ascends the hills. The graceful and loving horse is verily a form of God. |
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