02.Meeting of Poison and Ambrosia

Chapter - 2

Meeting of Poison and Ambrosia
O! Goddess of knowledge, like a jewel (Chinta Mani Ratana) you bestow all desired materials, which fulfill all the wishes of its owner. May I, who bows before you, be blessed with the knowledge, trance, purity of thoughts and activity, real­ization of self-identity and never- ending pleasures of salvation? (That is, real joy of emancipation from rebirth)

> Violence is poison. Non-violence is ambrosia.

> Cruelty is more destructive than deadly poison and a heart anointed with compassion is ambrosia.

> Merciful attitude towards creatures is ambrosia and the angry reddish eyes are the expression of poison.

> Vengeance is poison. Forgiveness is ambrosia.

> Showers of affection, love, compassion and nonviolence calm down poisonous cinders and extinguish them.

> Non-violence is invincible. Violence is synonym of dis­grace and defeat

> The humble moist cloud of non-violence cools down the violence-heated earth.

> What is eternal or immortal is ambrosia whereas poison attributes to death or is mortal.

Achharya Shanti Sagar Ji Maharaj was an entire aggre­gate of forgiveness and patience. A gleam was always seen shining on his face. He was absorbed in meditation in a cave. Suddenly an almost seven to eight hands (meters) tall poisonous snake came and stood raising its hood before him. There were hair on its body and its copper-red eyes were sparkling. Its tongue was flick­ering back and forth as if ready to spit cinders of poison. Achharya Shri was beholding him unblinking and it was also looking at Achharya Shri with fiery glance. There was a serene expression of compassion and non-violence on this Saint’s fearless face. The snake was gazing at this compassionate image of affection, and he, an ocean of peace, taking it as a new-comer desirous of meeting him, bestowed his blessing on this king of Yama. It was a remarkable scene of the meeting of ambrosia and poison. When Achharya Shri narrated this incident to great Pandit Sumer Chand Ji Diwakar, all listeners were thrilled. Pandit Ji questioned what were his thoughts during his encounter with death? The answer of Maharaj Shri was a symbol of deep faith, in the theory of Kamias. He told, “If I have ever harmed that creature at any time it will cause harms to me otherwise it will go silently”. Such was the wonderful impact of the quiet, placid and fear­less image of Achharya Shri that that īiryanch (sub-human) Snake- king slowly went out of the cave lowering down its hood as if bowing down its head before him. It was an excellent example of transmission of feelings of victory of forgiveness over cruelty and anger.

The language of mind is more effective than that of the words. What we throw at others, the same returns to us. Eyes of non-vio­lence visit ambrosia even in poison. Compassion flows from heart to the door of eyes, converting the foes into friend. Moist eyes of affec­tion cool down anger. Language of fearlessness pacifies even the most venomous snake. Achharya Shri always had a feeling of friendship in his heart towards all human and sub-human beings. The uninhibited and spontaneous tendency for the mutual affection shines through the lamp of compassion. Achharya Shri bestowed his blessings not only on his admir­ers but on each and every creature.

This was his definition of saintliness.