6 The Creator And His Creation
or Ishwara. Poet Rabindranath has expressed it in his wonderful
words:
You are infinite within the limit
You play on your tune,
Your manifestation is within me
Hence it is so melodious.
Ishwara is playing with His 'Leela' residing in the limit of His
creatures and the universe. Since Ishwara resides in every created
being, serving the creatures means serving Ishwara. And Ishwara is
also pleased when His creatures are served. So to love all is to love
Ishwara. Swami Vivekananda says, 'He who has mercy on creatures,
serves Ishwara.'
This is why we should serve all creatures. We should also serve all
human beings. We should take care of our pet animals. We should
plant trees and nourish them as well. Thus we shall serve Ishwara
who exists in all created beings. Here is a story about serving all
creatures.
Serving the Creatures by King Rontidev
In the ancient times, there was a pious king. His name was
Rontidev. Once while observing 'Ajachak Brata', he started
worshipping Bhagaban Shrikrishna.
Ajachak Brata means not to beg anything from any body. It also
means that one has to live on what others give him. King Rontidev
had to spend forty-eight days starving. He did not want food from
anybody. Nobody gave him food, too, at his own will. On the forty-
ninth day someone gave him some rice and 'payes'. He was about to
take the food offered to him.