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Chapter 10
CONTEMPLATION OF GOD’S MANIFESTATIONS
53. God In The Animals
17. In my childhood, I was at Baroda. There I used to hear a lion’s resonant roar in the morning. That majestic sound would move my heart. It used to reverberate in the depth of my heart like the sound in the sanctum sanctorum of a temple. How gallant and benign the lion looks! It has a regal gait and elegance. Its beautiful mane appears like a royal insignia. That lion in Baroda was caged. It would roam inside that cage. There was not a trace of cruelty in its eyes; they were rather full of pity. It appeared absorbed within itself, totally unconcerned with the world. One feels that such a lion must indeed be a manifestation of the Lord. In my childhood, I had read the story of Androcles and the lion. How fascinating it is! The famished lion remembered Androcles’ earlier kindness and, instead of devouring him, began to lick his feet lovingly. What does this mean? This means that Androcles had seen the Lord in the lion. Lord Shiva is always accompanied by a lion. The lion is a manifestation of the Lord. 18. And is the tiger less fascinating? Divine brilliance shines through it. It is not impossible to befriend it. Panini, the great grammarian, was teaching his students in the forest when a tiger came there. The students got frightened and shouted, 'vyaghra, vyaghra' (Tiger, Tiger)! But Panini calmly began explaining to them the etymology of the word ‘vyaghra’ (tiger): 'व्याजिघ्रतीति व्याघ्रः:’—vyaghra is one having an acute sense of smell. The students had got frightened, but to Panini, ‘vyaghra’ was just an innocent and interesting word. The tiger ate him up. But so what? Panini must have smelt sweet to the tiger, so it ate him up with relish. What is striking is that Panini did not run away. He was a devotee of God in the form of words. For him, God was in everything, even in that tiger. That is why he is reverentially referred to as ‘Lord Panini’ in the commentaries, and his contribution is acknowledged with deep gratitude : अज्ञानांधस्य लोकस्य ज्ञानांजनशलाकया। (‘We bow to Panini who opened the eyes of the people, blind with ignorance, by putting the collyrium of knowledge in them.’) Jnanadeva has said, ‘घरा येवो पां स्वर्ग। कां वरिपडो व्याघ्र। (‘Let heaven descend to his house, or a tiger attack him, he remains anchored in the Self.’) Panini had reached such a stage. He had realized that a tiger too was a manifestation of the Lord. |
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