One more thing ! ......

The story of a Lizard !!

The story of a Lizard !!

Recently we, the older generation of siblings, had one of those rare get-togethers in Peoria, Illinois - made possible by three of my favorite nieces in that part of the world !! And soon we were into a discussion a la " Athato Brahamajignyasa ". or "Let us discuss Brahman" !!

Everybody had a say.

What happens when we get Moksham or final liberation or when we attain Brahman (Brahma Sakshatakaram!) etc.

And it was soon clear that all depends on what we mean by those words.

What happens is probably like a Eureka moment, a moment of unique realization !!

As we were going through that innocuous yet interesting discussion, I was reminded of a story related by one of my many great nephews!!

It stuck in my mind because he painted a fairly vivid 'eureka' moment!

He was playing that part in a marriage which is now a norm in most US- Indian marriages wherein the closest siblings say in public those all too sweet some things which the bride or groom might have shared at some point in time !!

On that occasion my nephew, good at narration, chose to narrate a story to highlight what is marriage about !

That is the “story of a Lizard “!!

It would be difficult create the exact scene but it suffices to state that on a perfect lazy Sunday morning my hero's wife was shocked into an irrepressible shrieking mode when she came face to face with a lizard which must be a rarity for them ! The dutiful husband was pulled out of his morning enjoyment and rushed in to be on her side in that moment of crisis !! Then they battled that “Lizard” literally 'together" !! Finally dead tired they sank in those comforting arms of the living room sofa !!

Blissfully happy with that 'joint effort', and with his wife in his arms, it struck my hero that

-“this is what marriage is all about”!! ,

and that is

Doing all things together !!!

That was truly a moment of “realization” for my hero!

Any number of mantras can be read but realizing “some” thing by one's own experience is the essence of any “realization”!

The mahavakyas like “Aham Brahmasmi “ or “I am that Brahman” or a Mahavakya like say “ pragnyanam hi Brahman”” or “experience alone is brahman” make that very point !!

Such moments of realization probably happen many times at different levels !!

Like that moment when your physics teacher explained a concept so well that you forever fell in love with Physics or may be when you met your would be fiancee who confessed that she can eat anything for your sake or when you realized what is the marriage about, - like my hero did !!

or when you did that favor to your eternal enemy and did not feel bad at all doing it !

Or when you reach that state of equanimity which brings a rare equilibrium to one's life which is near to the feeling of “ Aham Brahmasmi”

It is all about experiencing that moment , yes - like my hero !

That is the true awakening !

Om tat sat !!

PS : if you wanted to know what happened to that lizard – you can be sure it stayed put not moving an inch, giving its own message about marriage ! Stay put through the thick and thin !!!!!

om tat sat

info@kasarabada.org