Vedantic Tales : The Blue Pellet

I am all she has, he now went on with difficulty. She is growing old and is not at all well. The sannyasin turned his large, glowing eyes back to Madhav, but remained silent.

You see, sir, Madhav said, even though she is not dependent upon me financially, her emotional dependence is very deep. What can one do?

He asked the question in a flat tone, not seeking an answer, for the answer was obvious. One could do nothing; one was trapped. He felt within himself the anguished cry, the futile beating of clipped wings belonging to some once powerful being meant to fly forever upward. Yet at the same time that anguish created and intensified another anguish the anguish of his mother, the pain of all creatures old and alone.

She is a very wonderful woman, he said.

Certainly, the sannyasin replied.

I owe everything to her. She took care of me when I was a child. Now she is old.

And before you were born, the sannyasin asked, there was no one to care for her? Or is it that God has relegated the job to you? No doubt He is depending on you. Well, it is, of course, very noble to serve another, to devote one's life to satisfying the emotional needs of others. God need not enter into that arrangement at all. Very good. May He, however, bless you both.

The sarcasm of these words was not lost on Madhav. He blushed and looked down at his hands, which he found were twisting with a life of their own. He forced them to come to rest.

[ Back ] [ Vedantic Tales ] [ Up ] [ Next ]