The Parijata and the Rose.

There was a beautiful garden near the ashram of a noble saint. The entire expanse of the garden was filled with roses in multicolored hues.  A lone Parijata tree stood in full bloom at the very end of the beautiful garden. The flowers smelled so divine, that people came from afar so that they could just take a stroll amid the blossoms.

On one such walk, a little girl enchanted by the beauty of a red rose tried to pluck it off. But not only was the stem difficult to break off, she also punctured her finger with the thorn that surrounded it. Blood oozed out and she cried out in pain. Just then a breeze blew and the flowers on the Parijata tree fell at her feet. She happily picked them up and went home.

The Rose laughed at the Parijata,

“Hold on tight to your blooms my friend. Can you not withstand one gentle breeze?”

“But I brought a smile to the little girl, didn’t I?

“Who cares about the smiles? These blooms are precious, they belong to me, and I hate to let them go.”

What happens when the gardener comes along with his cutter tomorrow and takes away your blooms?”

“Ah! I hate him too. You have no inkling how much pain I withstand. I dare him to try plucking my blooms with his bare hands. I could teach him a lesson then.”

“Let them go, my friend, attachment is the cause of all misery.”

“How can I not be attached? I have seen it bud and bloom, it is not possible to be devoid of attachment.”

“Then try to be attached with a sense of detachment. Know that it will one day leave you, maybe to adorn the lord’s feet, maybe to bring a smile to someone sick, maybe to warm a loved ones heart.. Love it till you have it, and then set it free to go.”

‘How true’, thought the saint who was listening to their conversation, ‘Attachment with detachment! What a divine mantra!

All relationships could benefit if they practiced this mantra. When a daughter is born into the family, this mantra is what the parents practice unknowingly, isn’t it? They know she will grow up and get married, and go away with her husband. So though they love her and are attached to her, they do so with a sense of sub-conscious detachment. They are prepared for her going away.

 A teacher is attached to her class of 40 students but does so with a sense of detachment because she knows that they will be gone after the year is over and a new batch of students will replace them.

An employee shares a similar feeling with the organization he works with. If he gets gainful employment elsewhere, he is ready to shift.

  Thus, though there is a momentary sadness it is easier to overcome it without hurting us emotionally.

 But look at the scenario where a son decides to move away from his parents. The parents have not prepared themselves for this detachment. Hell breaks loose and they find it difficult to let him go.

 It is true of any relationship, where there is only attachment, be it between friends, between husband and wife, between parents and children, between people and their pets, between siblings, between the departed and his loved ones..the list could go on.. The Parijata is right, ‘ love it till you have it and then set it free to go! ’

(Pic courtesy: Google images)