What If the Question Arises?

One day during my morning walk, I saw an old man cooking on the roadside. I sat down beside him, intrigued by his simple setup. He lit a fire with a small piece of wood, arranged four bricks around it, and gently shaped dough with his palms to fry puris in very little oil. He cut the brinjal and potatoes in a relaxed manner, using every part of the brinjal, even the top. Despite having no way to regulate the heat, each puri came out perfectly. I thought about how I needed a kitchen, gas stove, and various utensils to cook different dishes, yet he needed none of these things. He was completely immersed in his work, radiating a serene calmness.

After making 50 puris, he used the leftover oil to cook the vegetables. He also offered me some of the food. I asked him, “Why are you making so many puris?” He replied, “I’ll eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And if someone asks, I should have enough to share.” He was an ironsmith.

Later, I kept thinking about him. Do he and other simple people like him wonder about the purpose of life? Is it love, compassion, happiness, helping others, self-realization, or God? Perhaps it’s all of the above.

A few days later, my friend, who is happily married and enjoying life with her husband, family, and child, visited me. She buys gold and diamonds, fulfilling all her desires. Suddenly, she asked me, “What is the purpose of life?”

I pondered for a while. What could I say to her? She seemed to lack nothing. If I said it was to find true happiness, she might say she was already happy. Not knowing what to say, I smiled back, but she persisted. Finally, I said, “I know my purpose in life, but I don’t know yours. I guess you have to find it yourself.”

She asked, “What is your purpose in life?”

I replied, “To be more calm and peaceful, and to know the complete truth.”

She asked, “What do you think is the whole truth?”

I said, “I haven’t found it yet.”

She pressed on, “Still, what do you think?”

I thought back to a memory and shared it with her. “When I was 10 years old, our school took us on a trip to a bell temple near Nainital. The teacher told us, ‘When your turn comes to get close to the goddess, make a wish, and it will be granted.’ As I waited for my turn, I thought hard about what to ask for. Should I ask to get rid of my school, bad teachers, and strict granny? Or for my own room in the house? Or to become the best student and win awards? Nothing seemed worth that one wish.

When my turn came, I closed my eyes and, for a few moments, went blank. Then, to my surprise, I asked, ‘Oh goddess, please give me true knowledge.’ I was just 10 years old.”

My friend smiled and left, but I wasn’t sure if my answer made any sense to her. Later, I kept thinking about it. What could be the purpose of human life? Surely, it must be the same for everyone.

A few months later, I had a realization that made me very happy. The fact that my friend was asking this question indicated that something was missing in her life. Birds, animals, and simple people around us, often not so educated, seem to live their purpose naturally. They are present in the moment, simply “being.”

Our position is like that of a fish swimming in a pond, unaware of its swimming skills. The fish makes all possible efforts to realize that it has been swimming since birth. The purpose of its life is just to be aware of its own nature. Now it swims as never before. Nothing much changes, but its growing confidence in this awareness makes it very happy. Suddenly, it felt as if the dark clouds had parted and the sun had come out.

Poem

What is that we are missing?

To learn how to swim! That fish knows

But to be aware of what she knows.

Go slow…go slow