GOD AND HUMAN

God and Human

Up there is a big temple with a big shrine. Painted and polished just like a gentleman’s
black shoe. Down there is a small temple with a steeple curved and bent as if it topples
down. Daily it’s like a fair in the big temple engulfed with pleasant adore of incense, 
sonorous chanting of verses. But what a pity to the small and the old one where hardly few
lousy women would bend their head. But interestingly, both temples are of lord Shiva.


People worship that temple, pay homage, pilgrims come from far away. The temple is always
full of devotees. Milk and sweets are offered to god Shiva. Fruits and flowers cover the 
idol. People believe in god. They go on worshipping and worshipping because they have to 
wash away their sin or have to complete their vow and pray for something. It seems those 
milk, sweets, flowers and even money offered to the god are like bribing god to fulfill 
their needs and desires.



They believe someday they will get salvation and wash away their sin, so they are on their
way to hard penance and worship to get the god and his grace.


Temple is again full today. Comparatively bit more people than usual, since it’s a sacred 
day and people believe it’s the best day to worship.

Bells are being banged. Whole temple is covered with the flock of devotee with fruits, milks,
sweets, money etc. sacred verses and spells are being chanted. Some people are quarreling
for the line to worship, blaming each other for trespassing the line and row.


An old man, completely in a rags from top to the toe, face full of white beard and 
moustache; squatting, needless to say he is a beggar. His hands are trembling, vividly 
showing his hunger and weakness. Scruffy hairs, stinking unpleasantly in such a way anyone
can sniff two miles away. His eyes are anticipating mercy for food and hands are
continuously begging for alms. Alas, nobody bother even to glace him. He is wishing if 
somebody feeds him.


He is continuously begging people. Once in a while he gets but many of the time empty
handed. He is continuously staring at the effigy of lord shiva, over flooded by sweets 
(laddu), flowers, money, milk and fruits. He wishes if he could eat those things given 
to the idol. Near the temple there’s a small restaurant (Bhatti) full of sweets and fast 
food items. A fat middle aged man is yawning in the counter, sometime swings his baton
to the monkeys wandering around.


The poor beggar, gazing at the sweets offered to lord shiva, takes a gulp of saliva and 
what else he can do. He feels human has love and respect to only the idol of god. Human 
don’t walk on the right way shown by the god but instead commit lots of insane and 
unraveled sins and finally join the long line in the temple to wash them out.


The whole day this old fellow stays perceiving human and their love for god. Inside the
temple, god is full of fruits and foods, outside, the beggar is dying of starvation. God 
has majestic home i.e. temple but this old fellow is homeless, foodless. Everybody is
caring and worshipping god inside but outside not even a single one turning eye to the
poor man. No pity at all. Inside, the idol is washed by milk, outside no water even to 
quench the thirst of that poor beggar. Flock of people lining to worship and offer things 
to the idol but no single hand to tame the old beggar’s wounded heart……………………………………………………
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Suddenly, the old beggar raises his body. Sluggishly, gazes at the temple and effigy of
the god. Surprisingly, he has might to stand and walk now. It seems the mighty falcon 
is about to hover around the blue horizon. Now he is heading back from where he came.
Astonishingly, his steps are not like the old beggar’s earlier but like the fastest 
leopard leaping and heading to the unknown destination…………………………………………………………………………………
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subhash thapa magar