Hair-Oil for the Bald
Manoj Das
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Mahim was young, handsome and intelligent. He was also interested in matters spiritual. Everybody in the village loved him. He possessed a crop of lovely hair and he was very proud of it.
Once a Sadhu camped in his village. Learned and lovable that he was, people flocked to him, eager to hear his wisdom or to receive his blessings.
Mahim respected him very much and the Sadhu also took a liking for the young man.
One day the Sadhu got ready to depart.
"Sadhuji, what is your destination?" asked Mahim.
"My only destination is God. However, at the physical plane, the holy
"Will you let me accompany you?" asked Mahim.
"Gladly," said the Sadhu. He then confided to Mahim that the latter, indeed, had the making of a Yogi.
"I never advise anyone to take to a spiritual life unless I am sure of his Swadharma, the inner law of one's growth. So far as you are concerned, to follow the path spiritual is your Swadharma," said the Sadhu.
"Thank you, Sir, but I will need at least a month to prepare myself for taking such a radical course in life. I am acting as the hero in an opera which is to be staged next week. I cannot break away, leaving in the lurch all the others involved," said Mahim.
"I'll wait," said the Sadhu without any hesitation. "Your soul is much more important than my early departure."
Mahim thanked him and for the next few days, remained engrossed in the rehearsal.
At last the drama was presented and Mahim acted so well that the very next evening he received a letter from the landlord's beautiful daughter, professing her love for him.
Mahim was excited. He grew keen to marry her. Even the landlord had no objection to it. But the problem arose when it was found out that Mahim's father had made a solemn promise to the village moneylender to marry Mahim to his daughter. What was significant, the moneylender's daughter too wrote a love-letter to Mahim!
After some dispute, arguments and negotiations, it was decided that Mahim could marry both the girls!
"Baba! I think I am destined to lead the life of a householder for sometime. But be sure, I'll be with you at a latter stage!" Mahim told the Sadhu, his head hung. "To be frank, I find it difficult to disregard the love of two young ladies," he added.
The Sadhu gave out a guffaw. "They love you, do they?" he asked as if to himself.
"Of course they do!" answered Mahim.
The Sadhu sighed. "As you please," he said. "But what good is hair-oil for the bald!"
"Bald, you say, Sir?" Mahim asked, rather shocked. His hand went to his head and he felt his luxuriant hair.
The Sadhu departed. Mahim was married to both the brides. Soon his life grew miserable to both his wives frequently quarrelled with each other and with him.
Years passed. Mahim was a middle-aged man. Between his two wives, the moneylender's daughter was older than the landlord's daughter. The elder wife's hair began greying along with Mahim's but the younger wife's hair was raven-black.
Once Mahim fell ill. His condition grew critical. But he recovered and lay convalescing for six months.
During that period one of his wives was always by his side, while he lay in a state of daze.
At last he was able to sit up, stand up and walk. The day he took bath all by himself, he felt fresh and looked into the mirror to see his face after a long time.
He almost fainted. He had grown totally bald! He wept bitterly and by and by found out that while attending upon him, the younger wife would pluck all his grey hair so that he would look younger himself, and the older wife would pluck all his black hair so that he should not look younger than herself.
None of them really loved him; they loved only themselves. Mahim understood the meaning of the Sadhu's guffaw as well as that of his intriguing comment. It was too late for him to go on a spiritual quest as his illness had stripped him of his strength and energy.
There is a perpetual tug-of-war between the spell Prakriti or Nature casts on man and his inner aspiration for transcending it. The ominous warning the story gives is, even after one has heard one's psychic call, one can still be entrapped.
We cannot say that the Sadhu had foreseen the physical baldness of our hero. He used it figuratively, indicating that there is a time for everything and once a propitious moment passes, a great opportunity is lost.
-- With Regards and Prayers (D. Bhanudas) 9443150490 Visit: www.vkendra.org See : http://dbhanudas.wordpress.com See :The Ideal of Self-Confidence
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