GURU PUJA SPECIAL EDITIONbeauty and order results in the magnificence that
radiates outwards. But I guess it already whispered
that to you, didn't it?”
Ram was transfixed over the comment but
looking at the sunflower from that close made him
mindful and attentive for some moments. Those
moments were gold for him in the daily chaos he
was accustomed to.
“Let's go now; the next flower is waiting for its
audience,” Atul then led Ram to a small fountain
which was on the leftmost side of the park. The
fountain didn't work and there were green algae
and brown clumps of soil in the pond. In the midst of
that, on one corner, there was a lotus, sitting with its
pink petals dancing with the breeze over its green
leaves.
“I assumed you would take me to a lotus first!”
Ram chuckled, “But, I didn't know this park would
have one.”
“Haha! Now that you have attempted to connect
with nature, you would be able to grasp better the
lesson it sings. Now let me see, yeah there!”
Atul extolled and Ram wondered why. Ah! Right
there was a wet green leaf of lotus.
“What do you see?” Atul asked.
True, Ram would have said right away 'a lotus,'
had Atul not made him start with the sunflower. He
stooped and saw the lotus, particularly that leaf,
carefully.
It was much more beautiful than he ever
imagined. It reminded him of his school days when
drawing a lotus was all about curves! ...He never
knew that its geometry was so spell-binding. All the
layers of petals, one behind the other, were
supporting the inner layers cohesively. Verily, in a
dirty pond, it was remarkable to see that flower
growing into such exquisite beauty! The drops of
water on its green leaf were reflecting light like a
diamond. Suddenly, a small gust of air oscillated the
flower and the liquid droplets started to dance.
He looked at Atul with amazement and was
awestruck. The drops were literally dancing on the
surface of the leaf, without wetting it. He didn't
want to understand the physics of it, fearing it
would reduce the beauty of the phenomenon.
“Did it whisper anything?” Atul asked.
“Bro, I don't know, how come I missed
everything. I came to this park every day, but never
to this side as it looked dirty. I never imagined I
would see water doing a cosmic dance on a leaf like
that! We learned in the school that a lotus grows in
muddy water. But, it seems, it needs that! It needs
some adversity to attain its full potential and grow
into something to be the centre of such marvel. Just
like the sunflower, it's more than the structure. Atul
tell me, why am I feeling as if it's talking to me? It's
reminding me of my childhood, my problems, but it's
also making me feel peaceful, amidst all that. Is that
what a lotus whispers? To be tranquil amidst all the
problems?”
“How can I tell? It's whispering that to you. You
ask it.” Atul said and started looking at the dancing
droplet.
Ram was confused now. He wanted to know
something that he didn't even believe in a few
moments ago. But Atul was in no hurry whatsoever.
As the dancing stopped, they both sat on a
bench surrounded by mowed grass, trees, and some
strips of flowers everywhere. Atul opened his bag
and took out a diary.
“Ram, I know you are eager to know what I think
the flowers whisper, but I can't tell you. I can't
because it won't be your answer. But, I do want to
show you something that's very dear to me.”
He opened his leather-bound diary to a page
bookmarked. When he opened it, Ram noticed that
the bookmark was a flower, a sprig of lavender!
“This is my gratitude journal. I started
maintaining it a few years back and I wonder why I
didn't do it before. It could have saved a lot ofJULY 2019 AKHAND GYANETERNAL WISDOM 15