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Sai R Vaidyanathan
The intolerance debate in the media has brought the cracks in Indian society to the fore. But the Gita says that for ones with true knowledge, worldly differences don’t matter. “The sage, by virtue of his knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste” (Gita 5.18).
No enmity
Can a tiger and a bull co-exist? Is it possible for an eagle and its natural food, snakes, to stay in proximity? Yes, in the divine realm, these are possible.
Lord Vishnu lies in eternal yogic sleep on serpent Sheshnag over Kshirsagar (Ocean of Milk) while his mount — eagle Garud — waits nearby.
In Lord Shiva’s family, the contrast is sharper. While Shiva’s bull mount Nandi has no problems with his wife Parvati’s tiger, the snakes around Shiva’s neck are not harassed by son Kartikeya’s peacock mount and also do not threaten Ganesha’s mouse mount.
The Lord looks the other way
To show that all devotees are equal to the Lord, the Krishna idol at the temple in Udupi, Karnataka, did something unusual. Legend has it that 16th century poet Kanaka Dasa wanted to have the Lord’s ‘darshan’, but he was not allowed to as he belonged to a lower caste.
As he stood outside singing about Krishna’s glory, the western wall developed a crack. Then, the idol turned from its traditional eastern position and faced west. Through the crack, Kanaka Dasa saw the Lord. Even today, a window (called ‘Kanakana Kindi’) stands as a tribute to Kanaka Dasa.
No difference
Eighth century saint Adi Shankaracharya once met an outcaste, his wife and four dogs on the way. When he told them to move away, the outcaste asked, “What do you want to move away the body or the soul? My body is made up of the same five elements as yours. So it can’t pollute yours. My soul, like yours, is made of pure consciousness.”
Adi Shankara realised his mistake and accepted the outcaste as his guru. Then, the group standing in his way revealed themselves as Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and the four Vedas.
God’s own army
Once, Goswami Tulsidas was staying at a temple on the outskirts of Rajasthan. A group of low-caste Bhils came to him. Saying that Lord Rama stayed for many years with forest-dwellers, Tulsidas mixed freely with the Bhils.
As his follower, Rana Pratap of Mewar, had fallen on bad days, Tulsidas not only arranged finance through trader Bhama Shah, but also set up an army of Bhils to aid Rana Pratap. “Didn’t Lord Rama fight King Ravana with an army of Vanaras?,” he argued. Then, Tulsidas persuaded Mughal general Raja Man Singh to withdraw. It is rightly said that for the enlightened, the whole world is a family (vasudhaiva kutumbkam).
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