Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Were the clouds summoned?

The early morning sun sent dazzling silver beams that plated the saw dust coloured twigs in glowing gold and dropped shining pools of pearls of sun rays on  emerald like jewel of leaves of the sacred fig tree ,fluttering bashfully in the gentle strokes of the unseen wind.

From each string of these pearl encrusted leaves of emerald swung birds, chattering excitedly in a whirl of white and brown,as they flitted from one delicately dangling string of leaves to another,pecking furiously and gorging at great haste  ,at the tiny red fruits that seemed to have sprung up and ripened magically over night!

The mynas were stuffing themselves in a ravenous appetite and at   break neck speed that a indicated an deadline to be met, which was mystifying  .Definitely these seasonal figs were not the myna's only meal and the tree is not going to runaway that night.carrying away all its fruits.This excited feasting lasted but for  few hours and on the day next the revellers did not appear.A lone woodpecker and few timid squirrels scampered over the tree nibbling at the after overs of the partying
of,the day before.

That night dark storm clouds gathered and the next morn poured rain with such a  fury that the vigorous sheet of slants  dug up the sun hardened soil like a plough loosening the soil in preparation for sowing,.Then onwards the rain settled to  a gentle spray forming  rivulets and small ponds in spaces not covered by tar or cement.In few days the the dark clouds having emptying all its liquid contents turned white and fluffy.

The Arasamaram--fig tree, looked fetchingly fresh and breath taking as it absorbed the shower of golden rays of the early morning sun that was no longer eclipsed by rain bearing dark clouds.The enchanting  picture it presented ,the pearl encrusted emerald leaves strung in golden thread  bespoke of creativity.The thrill of creation , the absorption of which ,in those few golden moments moistened my eyes.

That flock of ravenous mynas were definitely a part of the cycle of regeneration and propagation of that fig tree.They had a brief period viz one and half days to feed , digest and then eject the indigestible seeds,before the rains came  cleaving the grounds or collecting in sand filled crevices of buildings ,enabling the seeds to germinate and carry forward the tree's  life cycle  .

Was the haste shown by the birds was because they knew instinctively that the rain was in the offing and the fruits so delicious to their palate had to be devoured before they were wahed away in the impending torrent of rain?Or was it that the tree was ready to propagate itself and had attracted the flock with its fruits and let  a day pass and then used its inherent holy power to summon the rains?

This question kept taxing me for a quite  awhile to be resolved today .The thrill of creation that each leaf individually as well as the tree as  a whole  that  emanated settled the issue.It is the tree--the sacred fig tree which is considered to be holy by Bhartwasis and worshipped as such since aeon's ,which has beckoned the rain bearing clouds to do its job and help carry forward its unending life cycle.

It is no wonder that the Bhagwad Gita whilst enumerating all divine glories of the supreme one say in the following sloka

'Aswatthah sarva vrikshanam'

meaning--Among all trees i am the holy fig tree.


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