In the courtyard of the house, the child’s eyes are blindfolded. Countdown begins, ten, nine, eight, seven, and so on. The child’s mother hides herself. At the count of one, the little boy opens his eyes and starts looking for his mother. Is she in the kitchen or the living room, or is she hiding under the bed, in the bedroom? Deep search in all corners of the house, but nothing could result in finding his mother. The boy is shattered, tears about to roll down his cheeks. The grandfather extends him a chocolate bar — the child throws it immediately, within seconds. Grandmother pulls out a new toy car, that too multiplies into pieces. In between his sobs, with great difficulty, words come out of his mouth — all I want is my maa.
Where is the mother? The dirt of the house intermixed with his tears have left his cheeks smothered with charcoal-like substance. As the boy is stood with his face immersed into the woodwork of the door, his mother suddenly appears from behind the door — you looked everywhere, but why didn’t you check behind the door, she asks as she wipes his wet teary eyes. The child is suddenly smiling. He found his mother. The mother brings him his dinner and all is back to normal in the house once again.
This is a typical game of hide-and-seek between a child and his mother. It's the same way with the Lord. Till the time you are immersed in ego, you may cry and create havoc one after another, with no respite. The moment you shed that arrogance and become humble you will find that Lord is sitting by your side. You are there, but not there. When you bring yourself out of that inflated self, you will find the unconditional blessing hands of the divine on your head.
The Himalayas say that the beginning of your journey is the end of the identity you’ve created about yourself. When you drop pride, you embark on this journey. The journey to make yourself eligible to the divine begins there. Live your life precisely, weigh out your thoughts and gain clarity in your actions. Become simple yet responsible for your actions. All else will follow from thereon.
(The author is a spiritual yogic master. Founder, chairman and course director of Akshar Yoga, and president of the World Yoga Organisation)
