Miss M. was very happy that I had learnt the mantra “Samasta Lokha Sukhino Bhavantu.” She then asked me if I had mastered the food mantra. I was hoping she wouldn’t ask but I had to be honest and told her I was still struggling with it, and it was difficult to put it into practice as the other cats would not co-operate.
She laughed and said, “Never mind. Take your time. Look, I’ve got a present for you,” and she handed over to me a beautifully illustrated book containing Sai Baba’s teachings. Entitled “Love Is What I Am”, it had been compiled by a group of devotees and each page had a quotation and Baba’s photograph with lovely flowers, birds and butterflies, all drawn by these devotees. Each page was a work of art and I could feel the love and joy radiating from the book. (You can see a picture of the cover below).
After Miss M. left, I ran excitedly to Lao-Tzu’s corner to show him the book but he was nowhere to be seen. I thought that was rather strange as he seldom moved away from his spot. I searched the whole garden, calling his name again and again. There was no answer. Then a terrifying thought struck me. What if a cat from one of the neighbouring houses had found him and devoured him? I could hardly sleep that night worrying about him.
When morning came, I went straight to the garden and to my relief, the old rat was back in his corner.
“What happened to you? I was sick with worry last night!” I cried.
He looked up at me and I was shocked to see the bloody wounds on his face and body. “Sorry, Da,” he replied, his voice hardly above a whisper. “It was such a lovely evening yesterday that I forgot myself and wandered out to the road. All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, there was this huge tom cat. He lunged at me and we fought furiously. I never thought I had the strength to put up such a fight but then I was fighting for my life! Fortunately some kind passersby came to my rescue and chased him away and I managed to crawl back here.”
“Thank God you’re alright,” I said, “but in future please be careful!”
“Come, let us pray,” said he. We both knelt down and Lao-Tzu prayed, “Dear Lord, today I am alive is because of your infinite compassion. You saved me from the jaws of death and delivered me safely back home. I thank you for your mercy and for giving me good friends like Da here who has treated me like his own father. He is as dear to me as the son I once had. Dear Lord, I could never thank you enough.”
I was so touched by Lao-Tzu’s prayer that I could feel a little tear trickling down my cheek.
And I added, “Dear Lord, I thank you also for saving my dear friend from near death. Without him, I would be like a lost soul wandering in the darkness.”
PART 2
After Lao-Tzu had drunk some water, I persuaded him to get some rest. He agreed and closed his eyes. I sat with him for a while until he fell asleep.
Later that evening, I went back to see Lao-Tzu. He had recovered more or less and seemed his usual self. I showed him the book that Miss M. had given me and he too was impressed by Baba’s teachings. He had also heard of this great teacher but like Head Nun, did not know much. We read together a few of Baba’s quotations:
“There is nothing greater than Love. Anything can be accomplished through Love.”
“See with the eyes of Love. Hear with the ears of Love. Work with the hands of Love. Think thoughts of Love. Feel Love in every nerve.”
“Duty without Love is deplorable. Duty with Love is desirable. Love without duty is divine.”
“Love as thought is Truth. Love in action is Right Conduct. Love as feeling is Peace. Love as understanding is Non-violence.”
“Start the day with Love. Fill the day with Love. End the day with Love. This is the way to God.” (I remember this one!)
We both agreed there was a mountain of wisdom behind each quotation and Lao-Tzu said he would like to borrow the book to read.
Then, as is normal with us cats, curiosity got the better of me. For some reason or other, the words of Lao-Tzu's prayer came floating back to me. I was quite sure he mentioned he had a son. In our previous meetings, he had never talked about his family life. I didn’t mean to be nosy but I felt it might be good for him talk about it and get it off his chest.
“Sir, forgive me if I am intruding into your privacy, but you did mention yesterday you had a son…?”
Lao-Tzu smiled. “It’s alright, Da. Yes, I had a son. It’s a long story but I’ll try to make it as short as possible. His mother who had always been weak and sickly, died at a young age, leaving me to fend for him. He was a very good, obedient boy when he was small, but when he grew up, he became very strong willed and restless. He wanted to know what was going on beyond the fence of the house that we lived in and every night, he would sit by the fence and peep through it. As time went by, he became bolder and eventually he sneaked out night after night. When he returned home in the morning, he filled me with stories of what he had seen – the big cars, the city lights, the fun, the glamour. He was beyond my control any more.”
Here Lao-Tzu paused and after a while continued. “One night he went out as usual and did not return….”
“I’m sorry, Sir. Is he still somewhere out there right now?” I asked. (Oh boy, what a stupid question!).
“I wish he were,” said Lao Tzu sadly. “That night, a neighbouring rat woke me up from my sleep and brought me bad news. My son had been knocked down by a speeding car. We both went to the spot where his limp body lay and carried it back to the house. We buried him under a tree that very night. It was the saddest moment of my life.”
It was indeed a sad tale and I wished I had kept my mouth shut.
“Hey, don’t feel bad, Da,” said Lao-Tzu. “That was a long time ago. We should never live in the past, you know. And don’t worry about the future either because it is uncertain. The present is what is important, I’m sure you know that.”
I nodded. I could not speak for there was a lump in my throat. We sat there silently for the rest of the evening, looking at the stars and feeling the soft breeze caress our cheeks.
This was one night in my life I shall always remember.
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