‘We know many things, my friend.’
‘My entire life is meaningless without her.’
‘I know,’ smiled the Pandit. ‘Perhaps I can help you.’
Shiva frowned. This was unexpected.
‘You want her to reciprocate your love. But how can she when you don’t even understand
her?’
‘I think I understand her. I love her.’
‘Yes, you do love her. But you don’t understand her. You don’t know what she wants.’
Shiva kept quiet. He knew the Pandit was right. He was thoroughly confused about Sati.
‘You can hazard a guess towards what she wants,’ continued the Pandit, ‘with the help of
the theory of transactions.’
What?’ asked a flummoxed Shiva.
‘It makes up the fabric of society.’
‘Excuse me, but what does this have to do with Sati?’
‘Indulge me for a little while, Neelkanth,’ said the Pandit. You know the cloth that you wear is
created when cotton threads are woven together, right?’
‘Yes,’ answered Shiva.
‘Similarly, transactions are threads that when woven together make up a society, its culture.
Or in the case of a person, weaves together their character.’
Shiva nodded.
‘If you want to know the strength of a cloth, you inspect the quality of its weave. If you want
to understand a person’s character, look closely at their interpersonal behaviour or their
transactions.’
‘Alright,’ said Shiva slowly, absorbing the Pandit’s words. ‘But transactions are...’
‘I’ll explain,’ interrupted the Pandit. Transactions are interactions between two individuals. It
could be trading goods, like a Shudra farmer offering grain for money from a Vaishya. But it
could also be beyond material concerns, like a Kshatriya offering protection to a society in
return for power.’
Shiva nodded in agreement. ‘Transactions are about give and take.’
‘Exactly. So going by this logic, if you want something from someone, you have to give that
person something they want.’
‘So what do you think she wants?’ asked Shiva.
‘Try and understand Sati’s transactions. What do you think she wants?’
‘I don’t know. She is very confusing’
‘No, she isn’t. There is a pattern. Think. She is probably the most eminent vikarma in history.
She has the power to rebel if she wants to. She certainly has the spirit since she never backs
off from a fight. But she does not rebel against the vikarma law. Neither does she fade into the
background like most vikarmas and live her life in anonymity. She follows the commandments,
and yet, she does not whine and complain to others. However unfairly life treats her, she
conducts herself with dignity. Why?’
‘Because she is a righteous person?’
‘That she is, no doubt. But that is not the reason. Remember, in a transaction, you give
something because you want something in return. She is accepting an unfair law without trying
to make anyone feel guilty about it. And most importantly, she continues to use her talents to
contribute to the good of society whenever she can. What do you think a person who is giving
singke
(singke)
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