A day with Manual

Manual glanced at Litha and seeing her blank face concluded that she hadn’t understood much about genesis. He had overestimated her to understand the details of mankind’s developments that had taken place over countless thousands of years. But he was not in a state of mind to explain it in more detail, and there was no time also. If he failed in the mission he would be compelled to admit that all these efforts of Jehovah to make mankind stand on its legs have gone futile.

He shouldn’t let it happen.

They started their journey again and at around 3’o clock found a farmer who was taking a nap after lunch. Immediately Manual started conversing with him.

“Ravi, let peace and happiness be with you”, said Manual with a broad smile, “we are interested in knowing how you solved the boundary dispute with your neighbor.”

“Oh! That I somehow cud handle without harming the leaf or the thorn, that’s all.“ Ravi was brief in his words.

“Can you elaborate it further?” demanded Manual.

“There is nothing much to add.” said Ravi. “One morning I woke up and saw that my neighbor had encroached into my property. He and me were pals and when I saw his misdeed my blood boiled with anger.  Some people who are fond of giving free counsel advised me to recapture it using muscle power.  Some others said that I was going to lose it if I don’t complain with the police. I realized that whichever way I adopt I was going to lose my friend.  So I kept my cool and thought about it. Why did he commit this atrocious act? Isn’t he considering me as I consider him. I put myself in his shoes. I thought on how he would have reacted if I had done it and what I would have expected from him. I realized one thing that I don’t have much use with the property he had taken by force. His condition was worse than mine.  I went to his house and told him that I let him take up more land if he wanted.  He said he didn’t want my generosity. I was not joking, I told him.  The next morning the border was there at the previous place and we  are friends still. We’ve forgotten that incident”.

“If your friend had encroached into more of your plot, wouldn’t the people here have ridiculed you to be one without guts?”

“Ask them to get lost. They would have helped only to deepen the crisis. If he had done as you said I would have let him have it whole heartedly. It was his need that was compelling him. I regard friendship and peace in our families more valuable than listening to the advice of others who are more interested in fishing in troubled waters.”

“Well Ravi, you’ve handled this wealth of injustice righteously and you have gained one more friend in me.” Manual shook hand with that farmer.

 “The world might judge your response to be a weak one. But in the view of heaven it is enough to pardon your sins. You were faithful in this wealth of iniquity and so you will be trusted with that is real.”

“Where?” He asked without comprehending it.

“In heaven, where your wealth won’t be encroached by your neighbor. There you have a father waiting for you, who make the sun rise on both the good and evil and make the rain fall on both the righteous and the sinners. He is very patient, so patient that he doesn’t break a bruised reed and doesn’t extinguish a smoking lamp. For he expects the reed to regenerate itself and the lamp to burn brighter throwing light around. He loves you more that your mother who gave you birth and suck.”

That farmer cast a suspicious look at Manual and said, “I haven’t known true love after the demise of my mother. How can I believe that there is someone who loves me more than her?”

“You believe in your mother’s love because she carried you in her womb for nine months and brought you up with care and compassion,” said Manual. “But there is someone else who laid your way through all those generations from the first man. Is it so difficult to believe in him who gave you the breath of life?  The probability of you not born was manifold than that of your birth. A weak link in your family chain, an unpardonable sinner, what all things would have stopped your arrival on this earth?  Can’t you believe in the Almighty who paved way for you?  Can’t you believe in him who arranged air, water, light, food and other things that you need before you asked for it?“

“Can I believe?  Am I worthy of his love?“ He asked with hope.

“Though you were not knowing him he was knowing you all this time. That father in heaven rejoiced at your birth more than your parents. He falls in despair when you commit evil in the company of sinners and sacrifice yourself into hands of death. He waits patiently for you to return to him. He will receive you like the father who rejoiced at the return of his prodigal son.” Manual paused for a moment and said “Today he is proud of you because you have treated your brother with righteousness, compassion and love. You have the right to attain everlasting life, a right that you can demand boldly.”

“What should I do to get my right?”

“Believe that there is a father in heaven than loves you. If your faith is pure, sin won’t approach you. Treat others like the way you like to be treated, the same way as you treated your neighbor,“ said Manual while adding Ravi’s name to the list.

 “I’ve a father that loves me! What a strange dream! My father was an oppressor who didn’t know the meaning of love. I was happy when he died. When who is this father? Whoever he is I will find him. Can I tell this to my neighbor also? We belong to a different religion.”

“Sure. You can build compound walls but can’t stop the roots from growing into the other’s property or can you stop the wind from flowing into your neighbor’s compound?”

He got up and went to his neighbor to talk about his dream.

“Their hearts are as innocent as that of children. One moment they might be fighting but the next moment they would have forgotten about it and forgiven each other,“ said Manual with a bright face. “I’ve faith in this man, that he will look for and find the father that loves him and he will follow him carrying his daily cross and grab the place that has been arranged for him in heaven”.

“But what he did was only a small thing.” commented Litha. “He handled a problem well, that’s all. Is that a big issue?”

 Manual told her a parable in reply. “A certain noble man set up a beautiful garden and called his  servants. He said to them, Here, I’m giving my garden to you. I’ve arranged what ever you need in this garden. You can use anything in it as you wish, but live in harmony like brothers, loving each other and sharing what is given.

After a certain time that noble man called his right hand man and  asked him to see how they were dwelling in his garden and to inform him about them.  That man, when he reached the garden, saw those servants living in hatred and treachery, distrusting and illtreating each other. The fruits of the garden were gathered by a few and the majority were not given their share. They had drawn lines as their borders and had built fences and appointed armed guards to protect their territory. Mass destruction weapons were created and amassed to destroy the enemies. He saw extravagance and wantonness on one side and the poor that were hungry for they had no food to eat on the other side. People were discriminated because of the color of their skin. He informed his master whatever he saw.

The master came to the garden to see for himself and saw everything.  He was furious at them, Evil servants, to whom does this garden belong?  Who owns its wealth?  How dare you claim ownership of that which is given to share?  You wicked people, why didn’t you give your brother one-hundredth part of the love that I gave you. You, big debtors of love, why didn’t you give your brother small debts of love?”  Manual paused and asked after a moment, “Won’t he destroy them with their own weapons?”

The girl asked him who that nobleman was to which he answered, He who has ears will hear.