Man and a sparrow named “chioo”: 4

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”.

There was He and there was She. He chioo and She chioo.

He said, we will build a nest. She asked, Why?  He said, I don’t know. I feel like it … and I thought you will like to … She said, okay, yes, I will like to.

He brought one straw. She brought another straw. He said, you are tired, I will bring the straws.  She said, you are tired, I will build the nest. Then together they built a nest-home.

Then He brought one grain. She brought another grain. Then “bhurrrrrr”, he went and drank some water. She also went and drank some water. Then both brought one more grain each. They said, these are for our babies.

Then came the little baby Chioo in the nest. Days became small and “bhurrrrrr” they passed while bringing grains for her and taking care of her. She got little wings and she used to fly around, always twittering. The nest was always filled with her existence. Full to the brim with happiness. The home was home because of her. It existed and had meaning because of her. He and She didn’t realized how fast the days passed.

Baby chioo grew and her wings grew. The nest became insufficient and the piece of sky around the nest became small for her. When she found her He Chioo she flew away with him in their unlimited sky.  

Heart throbbed with concern and joy when she was in the nest and while she was learning to fly. And then there were tears of happiness of fulfillment and pain of parting when she flew away … .

Now again, only He and She remained in the nest. Once in a while He would say ‘Chiu-Chiu’ and She would say ‘Chiu’. Then sometimes She would say ‘Chiu-Chiu’ and He would say ‘Chiu’.

Then, sometimes, baby Chioo (now she was also a grown-up) would call over the wind. While she was on air the nest was full of her continuous twittering, as if she was flying around. Then there were only memories.

Still, as usual, reminding all these past things, the real sparrow “chioo” was twittering “chioo-chioo” and was flying ‘bhurrrrrr’ around. Her existence was a matter of fact. She was so familiar, that she was a part of his life.

But he didn’t know that. He still could understand nothing really.

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”: 1

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”.

There was a man. And there was a sparrow named “chioo”.

First she met him in the story of “chioo and kaoo”.

He was a baby at that time and she was as if his mother. She used to sit in her wax-house that wouldn’t get washed away in rain. She cleaned and bathed him, clothed him, fed him, protected him and cared for him.

But then, he didn’t realize that.

He knew nothing at that time.

There was a man. And there was a sparrow named “chioo”.

She met him in the courtyard. Always twittering chiu chioo- chiu chioo, hopping and jumping, flying away bhurrrrrr and coming with bhurrrrrr. Sitting on the lap of his grandpa, he then used to throw grains and chioo would come near to eat them. When he learned to walk he tried to run with clumsy feet, trying to catch her. Then she would fly again with bhurrrrrr. She was real, now in his courtyard, materialized from the story of  “chioo and kaoo”.

But then, he didn’t realize that.

He knew nothing at that time.

There was a man and there was a “chioo”.

Now she came through another story. Grandpa’s favorite “unending story”.

There was a large godown. Many men used to bring huge quantities of grain and stored it there every year. The godown had a small window. Through it one sparrow came, took one grain and flew away with bhurrrrrr. Only one grain, enough for her small beak and small appetite. Thus many sparrows would come and go. This went on and on forever.  

In that story, that godown never went empty and everything was always enough for men and sparrows and everybody for that matter. And there was a hope and assurance that the story would never end. There was safety and security. There was a faith that till the time you hear the sounds of sparrows twittering “chiu chioo”, and the sound of their flying “bhurrrrrr”, godowns will never be empty and everything will be enough for everyone.

But then, he didn’t realize that.

He knew nothing at that time. 

There was a man and a sparrow named “chioo”.

He was a small boy then. He would be studying or playing in his home.

She would bring hay in her small beak, one straw at a time. She would sit on a bar of a window and peep inside. Then she would enter. Thus she would wander, bhurrrrrr in and bhurrrrrr out of his home all the day.

She chiu and He chioo had built their nest-home with the straws behind the photo-frames of Grandma and Grandpa. A home in the home. In those days, hanging on the walls, there used to be photos of grand parents, grand-grand parents and lots of framed pictures of Gods and Goddesses. In their omnipresence, families of their children and families of sparrows would flourish. Sweet homes were filled with continuous sounds of “chiu chioo” twittering, laughing and shouting. In that pleasant nostalgic mixture of sounds one sound was of his own.

But then, he didn’t realize that.

He knew nothing at that time. 

Katha 22 – Man, Cherry and ... – E

One day a man showed a cherry to another man.

Another man said, “You have a cherry but I have an apple”.

After some days, the first man showed an apple.

Another man said, “But now, see, I have a watermelon”.

Then, after many years, the first one came and said to another man, “I went everywhere but I couldn’t get a watermelon. All are already in possession of somebody”.

Another man said, “Yes, of course! One has to get it by killing the other person. Every big person, trying to be bigger, knows it. You must be an idiot not to know this. You will die as a small man”.

The first one said, “No! Now you, my honorable teacher, have made me wise”.

Then he killed another man, snatched his watermelon and became a big man.

Then he lived as a big and wise man.  

Or, he lived as a big and wise man. But everybody knew, he was a murderer.

Or, he lived as a big and wise man. Everybody knew, he was a murderer but who can say it of a big man?

Or, everybody thought he was a big and wise man. But he knew, he was a murderer.

Or, he lived as a big and wise murderer.

Katha 22 – Man, Cherry and ... – D

One day a man got a cherry. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “You have a cherry but I have an apple”.

After some days, with lots of efforts, the first man got an apple. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “But now, see, I have a watermelon”.

Then, after many years, the first one came to another man and said, “I went everywhere and did lots of efforts. But After lifelong search, efforts and hardships I couldn’t get a watermelon. Watermelons are rare to find and the existing ones are already in possession of somebody”.

Another man said, “Yes, of course! That’s why one has to get it by force from the one who has it. That practically means killing the other person. Every big person, trying to be bigger by getting watermelon, knows it. I thought you knew it. But you are either imbecile or idiot. You will die as a small man”.

The first one said, “Then I will prefer to die as a small and idiot man than to be big like you”.

Then, as expected, he lived as a small and idiot man till he died.

Another man thought, there is no cure for those who refuse to be wise. 

Katha 02 – Man, bucket and water – D

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day. Every day he used to say, today I am happy with half bucketful of water.

But I am not satisfied. What if I get full bucket?

So he tried and did efforts and got more and more buckets of water. But he didn’t know what to do with excess water.

Other man also did more efforts and got more and more buckets of water. He used it properly to fulfill the needs. He was happy and everybody was happy.

But he was not satisfied. He had an ambition and he made progress.

And he started to believe in the link between efforts and fruit and between ambition and progress.

And there was another man who wished and got many buckets of water.

He believed in the power of wishing and Hope. He was convinced that efforts are not needed.  

But there was another man. In spite of need, strong wish and tremendous efforts he couldn’t get more water.

Unsatisfied he was. And he was also unhappy.

And there was another man who didn’t get any water. He didn’t even knew why he was dying.

Then there came Lord Krishna. He saw all these men and many others and thought.

Then he dissociated fruit from efforts. Because they were not associated in the first place and how could he possibly preserve faith in life?

But there is another point. We don’t know whether Lord Krishna needed water and how much he used to get daily.  

Katha 02 – Man, bucket and water – C

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day. So every day he used to say, today I got half bucketful of water. I am a happy man.

But I am not satisfied.

Then he thought, can anyone be happy but unsatisfied at the same time?

But anyway, he felt that way.

So every day one man used to say, today I got half bucketful of water. I am a happy man.

But I am not satisfied. What if I get one full bucket of water? I will try.

I got half bucket without efforts. With some efforts I may get full. What’s the harm in trying? Let me try.

So he tried and got full bucket of water. He said, now I am happy. But with more efforts I may get two. Let me try.

And he got two.

So he believed in efforts.

He did more efforts and got more and more buckets of water.

But he cannot understand what to do with extra buckets of water.

But there was another man. He also did more efforts and got more and more buckets of water. He used it properly to fulfill the needs of his family as well as people, animals and plants around him. And he used it economically because he new the efforts behind every extra bucket.

Everybody was happy and he was also happy. But he was not satisfied. He thought, probably I think big, I have ambition, that’s why I did more efforts.

And I made progress. And with me everybody progressed. 

He started to believe in progress.

And he started to believe in the link between efforts and progress.

And there was another man who was happy but unsatisfied with half bucket of water.

He thought, what if I get one full bucket of water? I got half bucket without efforts. What’s the harm in wishing? I will wish.

So he wished and got full bucket of water. He said, now I am happy. But with more wishing I may get two. Let me wish for more.

And he got two.

So he believed in the power of wishing. And he of course believed that efforts are not needed to get more. In fact he didn’t know what efforts are.    

And there was another man who was happy but unsatisfied with half bucket of water.

With wishing for more he got one and with efforts he got two. But with strong wish and tremendous efforts he couldn’t get more water.

He lost his faith in wishing.

He lost faith in efforts.

He lost faith in ambition and progress.

Unsatisfied he was. And he was also unhappy.