The Second Coming of Da Vinci
The Second Coming of Da Vinci Real Lost Symbols of the Bible
Sam S. Nath Eshna Publishing
Eshna Publishing 1219 Veiling Ct. Shakopee, MN 55379 ISBN: 1-451-50264-8 EAN-13: 9781451502640 First Impression 2010 © 2010 by Eshna Publishing. Artwork: ©2010 Eshna Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior and proper permission of the author. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by the way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. This Novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. The author takes full responsibility for the views expressed here and the book does not reflect the views of any publisher, promoter or organization. It is presented as a work of fiction: it is a possibility and no claims are made to the absolute truth. Visit Our Website: www.SecondComingofDaVinci.com For Discussion visit: www.TheSecondComingofDaVinci.info Cover & Interior Design: Lisa Lirones, LDesignerArtist.com Printed in the United States of America
Dedicated to My Parents Padam D. Sundriyal and Bhagwati D. Sundriyal Who Give Unconditional Love
A c k n o w l ed g me n t s This book was written with the help of many friends, colleagues, teachers and spiritual leaders. It belongs to the great knowledge of our Scriptures and to the great teachers who gave us the wisdom to understand it. Finally, the book belongs to Life itself which presents us with the experiences that are no less than any drama herein. I would like to extend a special thanks to my designer and long-time book aficionado, Lisa Lirones, for not only the excellent cover and interior design you see here, but also for her assistance in the final read. Her attention to detail, professionalism and expertise brought this book to fruition and I really can’t thank her enough. Thanks to Thomas P. Mason and his good guys team for reviewing the draft manuscript and making suggestions for changes. I also appreciate the great help from Penny Lapenna for final edits and proofreading of the manuscript. It is with gratitude to my teacher Yogananda who opened my heart to Christ. I also thank my Christian friends who never gave up on me, in order to save me from eternal hell. I would also like to thank my dear friends and followers of Islam, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism, because I have learned about these religions through them. There are four special people in my life whom I would like to acknowledge for their inspiration: DD Sundriyal, Rajeev Vasudeva, Arvind Singhal and Phillip Rand. You believed in me long before I did. Thanks for contributing so greatly to my life and for making such a big difference. n
Creating Games The author and the players in this book are creating the following games:
Sam Nath “I am creating a game that all religions thrive on common principles of Divine Love, Faith and Service.” Da Vinci “I am creating a game that human beings have access to their higher mind.” Sareena “I am creating a game that riot victims forgive the perpetrators of past torment to stop the vicious cycle of violence.” Salma “I am creating a game that people of all faiths unite in Love, Devotion, Service and Forgiveness.” Tom “I am creating a game that forgiveness can remove us from burning hell.” Martha “I am creating a game that forgiveness is possible for any sin considered unforgivable in the past.” Ron “I am creating a game that Satan is a cosmic joke.”
Raju “I am creating a game that internal inquiry leads to the higher planes.” Matson “I am creating a game that devotion to God is the key to salvation.” Melchior “I am creating a game that Man and Woman are equal.” Balthazar “I am creating a game that Divine Love is universal.” Gaspar “I am creating a game that is beyond symbols, where religions are Faith, Devotion, Love and Service.” Babaji “I am creating a game that religion should provide access to self-expression and freedom.” Jesus “I am creating a game that the kingdom of God is really within you and is accessible as the Second Coming of Christ.” Krishna “I am creating a game that commitment without attachment is real.”
What game would you create if you had all the time, money and love you need? Keep coming back to this page and update your game as you read the story. My Game: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________
contents chapterone
3
chaptertwo
27
chapterthree
41
chapterfour
67
chapterfive
97
chaptersix
121
chapterseven
145
chaptereight
173
chapternine
191
chapterten
203
chaptereleven
237
chaptertwelve
261
chapterthirteen
275
chapterfourteen
287
chapterfifteen
317
chapterone
the second coming of da vinci
chapterone “YOU ARE GOING TO BURN IN HELL FOREVER!” was the way that Tom introduced Christianity to Raju. “Since you do not believe in Christ, you will burn in the fires of hell and all the people you love will also burn in hell with you,” he added. The two boys were sitting under a tree in their city park in India along with Raju’s high school sweetheart, Sareena. The cool breeze of a late summer served as a stark contrast to what had just been said. Raju had been born a Hindu–and had been deeply religious since childhood. Sareena had been born a Sikh. Although Raju and Sareena were from two different religious worlds, both respected the other and loved each other regardless of religion. While both were good friends of Tom’s, neither could agree on the matter of hell. Raju felt a wave of fear rising inside him. Not for himself, but for his love, Sareena. •3•
the second coming of da vinci “How could anyone burn someone like Sareena in hell simply because she did not ‘accept Jesus’?” he thought. Raju was brave enough and young enough to not fear hell yet he could not tolerate the love of his life ever seeing the smallest shadow of sorrow. “Why should we burn in hell? Don’t we always do good things and pray to God daily?” he protested. “My priest tells me that there is only one God and so we both must have the same God. Why would God send us to hell–just because we do not know anything about Christianity? It’s not our fault that we weren’t born into a Christian family. We believe that the whole world is a family, created by one Father–the Creator.” Raju continued his protest as if his religion demanded rationalization. Sareena usually did not get into religious arguments, though today she supported Raju saying, “Our Holy Book also tells us that, ‘God is one, but he has innumerable forms. He is the Creator of all.’ So who is noble, and who is evil!? If this is true, how can anyone go to hell for not accepting Jesus?” continued Sareena. Raju was already traveling on the path of discovery. “Does God exist?” was his constant inquiry, “Who am I?” was the parallel posed. It appeared natural to him to maintain seemingly paradoxical positions of deep faith and inner inquiry at the same time. It seemed that deep faith allowed Raju to have questions about God and himself. •4•
chapterone As he was a ‘seeker’, he loved to know about God from other religions. Most Indian religions coexisted while respecting their differences, including Christianity. Its harsh judgment of non-Christians appeared to be more in the abstract than real. “It must be how Tom interprets Christianity,” was the usual dialogue between Sareena and Raju as they walked together to their different temples. In Sareena’s temple, there were no idols while Raju’s temple was replete with them. The contradictions in their theology on idols didn’t seem to matter one iota. Both Raju and Sareena believed there was an Omnipotent God, so he could be in both temples. “Idols are just like pictures pointing to eternal God and are not God in and of themselves. Idols and symbols are there to help remind us of God yet when we can assimilate God into our being, we should not need the symbols.” This was Raju’s justification for the general presence of idols in temples. Tom, who was usually given to repeated mentions of Jesus and burning in hell, didn’t do so today, as both he and Raju were more concerned about the burning hut. Both were deeply disturbed by the arson they’d just witnessed. Stunned by what he’d seen, Raju was trying to take his mind off the local shack that was on fire this very morning. He started, once again, to relive the entire incident… •5•
the second coming of da vinci First, the eerie noise. Raju recognized at once that it was a fire engine. The sound was unmistakable. The students rushed out of the school to watch the massive vehicle rush through the street, speeding past their very building. “Wonder where it is headed?” Tom asked. “Looks like the slums,” guessed Raju. “That’s where lots of huts are.” “Look! Tons of smoke! It is coming out in great clouds! Ron, let’s go see!” insisted Tom. (Raju looked at his friend pathetically. Tom had already given his friend a Christian name, Ron, and prayed for him as a means to save his friend from Eternal Hell. He did not know whether it would work, but he really wanted to save his friend from certain Damnation. Moreover, he wanted Raju with him–in Heaven.) “You know my parents will kill me, if they find out!” protested Raju. “Tell them that you went there to help them. They would praise you instead!” Raju thought about it, “They certainly will.” “Let’s go!” Tom had once lived in the slums. He knew of a shortcut and both boys ran with their school bags bouncing to and fro on their backs. They reached the slums after five long minutes, and as they expected, there was nothing but commotion. They could see the fire in a section of the slum–firefighters •6•
chapterone intensely combating the blaze–in a desperate attempt to save what they could. Suddenly, there was an acute flare-up from inside one hut. New screams choked the smoky air. A middle-aged firefighter, who looked like their chief, was running inside the flaming hut. Another was directing a water jet on and around him. It looked heroic to Raju. Unexpectedly, he noticed something peculiar pass across his friend’s face. Lit by the flames, Raju could see that Tom was clutching the small cross that hung from his neck. Tom was watching, with strange fascination, something inside the hut. Then Raju saw it. A woman appeared to be inside, her entire body on fire, with the firefighter valiantly attempting to reach her. The whole scene was so frighteningly horrific yet Tom watched with some sort of mysterious enthrallment. “What are you watching, Tom?” Only there was no reply from his friend. “I must ask him about it later,” Raju mentally noted. All of a sudden, the hut crashed down! Cries of despair issued from the crowd. Moments later, a dark figure emerged carrying an even darker figure, walking towards the ambulance in unsteady steps. Medical personnel rushed to meet them. In under an hour, the scene appeared secure–with Raju thrilled to have witnessed such displays of courage with his own eyes–and the efficient manner with which the firefighters performed their duty. •7•
the second coming of da vinci On their way back, Raju declared, “I am going to work for the fire department when I complete my studies!” Not surprisingly, Tom was not in a talking mood. Raju guessed that Tom had still not come out of the experience of watching a woman burn alive. “Come on, Tom! We see such things on TV all the time!” He tugged playfully at his friend’s collar. “Now, come out of it and smile a little!” Tom looked up at his friend. “Now I know!” he said with a firm voice, “Now I know that your God must be Satan.” Raju knew that Satan was a bad word, even in Hindi, still he kept quiet about it. He just managed to ask, “Why do you say so?” “The people who put these huts on fire are Hindus. They were burning the huts because the people who live in them are Muslims. Only Satan can do such an awful thing–and as all Hindus are ruled by this Satan–they do things like this. I already knew Muslims were ruled by Satan, by what I’ve already seen come from them, but now I know that even Hindu gods are Satan’s gods. There goes your daily prayer, Vasudhev Kutumbakam (prayer for the world as my family).” Raju lost all patience with Tom’s accusations, nonetheless, he tried to be quiet and maintain his poise. After all, he did have a point this time. “How can some call themselves Hindu and burn Muslims simply because they do not share the same •8•
chapterone faith?” wondered Raju. “Does God really exist and if He does, why does God allow people to kill each other in His name? “My Omnipotent God should be able to stop these people,” used to be his assumption. “If He cannot stop evil, how do I know He exists?” he pondered. “What happened in that slum is certainly the work of Satan. God will never allow this and neither will the Hindu religion,” Raju continued. “In the Hindu religion, we call this the Ego or the Maya. It is the Ego which creates separation between people, and the illusion or the ignorance of trust which causes people to fight in the name of religion. Our religion is very clear: “‘There is no religion if it does not include serving others and there is no greater sin than harming others,’” Raju quoted from the Hindu holy book. “When Hitler killed the Jews, it was because of the Ego of Hitler, his ignorance, his Satan–not because of the Christian God. Hitler was not Christian and these people were not Hindus,” resolved Raju, “Mother Teresa and Hitler claimed the same religion but produced very different results.” “You have committed many sins, haven’t you Raju, as have I?” Tom continued, “We are all sinners and so we must pay the price. Jesus paid the price for all of us by dying on the cross.” •9•
the second coming of da vinci “And now you are going to add that the philosophy of God is just and kind at the same time. In justice, He must punish us–but for His love, He forgives us!” replied Raju as if he had heard it all before. “Yes, but you need to accept Jesus, as he paid the ultimate price. That’s the only way God can harmonize justice and mercy,” interrupted Tom. “How can God balance the sins of all humanity with just one sacrifice on the cross?” countered Raju. “If someone else pays for my sins, then it is neither justice, nor mercy.” Raju was raised believing in karma as the foundation of life. He could not understand how anyone’s sins could be forgiven by another’s sacrifice. He just couldn’t reconcile what Tom had come to believe. Raju remembered that once he had successfully resisted the sacrifice of the lamb in his name, an act that was supposed to pay for his karma and bring him good luck. Raju couldn’t fathom how killing a lamb could bring him luck and happiness. Now, Raju was mystified and perplexed about this ultimate sacrifice of Christ, without knowing anything about Christ. One day, Tom invited Raju to his church to meet with the old priest he called Father. Father began by blessing them both. Tom had earlier asked Father to persuade Raju to accept Jesus in his life as the Savior. Father David was going to try, without appearing to force him–he felt • 10 •
chapterone that Raju needed to accept willingly, without undue pressure being brought to bear. “I will answer any questions you might have about God and religion and introduce Jesus to you,” Father David began with a smile. “I think Tom has told me everything about your religion. I cannot believe that there is a religion which believes that people of other faiths will go to hell–and people of their own faith will go to heaven–regardless of their actions. How can you have such a narrow-minded religion as that?” Raju challenged in inquiry. He didn’t think that he offended Father David as these kinds of discussions were common among Hindus. Some Hindus believed in a personal God with form and others in an Omnipotent God with no form. Still others believed in the Divine Mother and yet others in the Divine Father. Some even believed that they aren’t separate from God or that there is no God at all. In Hinduism, questions are permitted as long as they are leading toward a higher truth or revealing a different layer on the path of inquiry. Hinduism is one of the few religions that accepts even those who claim God is a nonentity. Father David fell silent for a moment. He then replied, “I believe in the Bible, the Word of God, and the Word of God tells me what I must relate to you: God cannot be wrong. Everything else you hear is heresy spread by Satan.” • 11 •
the second coming of da vinci He continued, “We don’t have many gods as you do, for we have only one God. Since he is far superior to all your gods, we will not even acknowledge them!” Father David then remembered what Father Yesudas had said to him earlier, “We are with the King, and henceforth we care not for satanic images.” Just the same, he did not add that as he answered Raju so as not to offend him. “I, too, have committed many sins but I am cleared of them daily. Moreover, when my time comes, I will call ‘Christ!’ and he will come and tell the hellkeeper to stay away from me. He will then provide me with beautiful white clothes and allow me into God’s heaven.” “But Father! Our teachers told me that if we pray to any God or take a bath in the Ganges, we are spared from hell. So what is the difference? We all are sinners and any good that one does, no matter one’s chosen faith, should reduce the burden of one’s transgressions?” “I don’t know about that, Raju! I suppose that goes for people with an abundance of good deeds. For sinners like us, Satan will definitely try to put us in that raging fire!” He added quickly, “But I will not be one of those lost souls! I will call ‘Christ!’ and he will welcome me to heaven!” It was Raju’s turn to fall silent. The sun had nearly set–darkness began to engulf their world. The friends got up and hurried home. “Why are you late today?” inquired his mother. • 12 •
chapterone “I went to church,” came Raju’s reply. “Did you read the Bible?” she questioned. She believed that one can learn something worthwhile from all Scriptures. On her encouragement, he had read so many Scriptures and religious stories that he sometimes became confused, wondering whether the faith he had was just based in fear. At home, he lived in fear of upsetting his parents. In school, he feared his teachers. In temple, he feared his God. He used to habitually ask, “Am I faithful or fearful of God? Can this faith and fear coexist?” Raju liked to debate religion with the Hindu priests because priests are proud of being Hindu and knew all about God. Though at the ready, his priest could not answer simple questions like, “If the Hindu religion is so great, why is India so poor? And why are so many Indians so corrupt? And what of the needs of the many as opposed to the needs of one’s self?” His priest would rather finish the prayer rites and go home, than try to answer his question: “Have you seen God?” Now, he had a totally different perspective from Father David about God. He could use that knowledge to further challenge his priests with the sole purpose of finding out the real truth about God. Father David was willing to listen and discuss, giving Raju another forum to seek the answer to his question, “Does God exist?” and “Who am I?” • 13 •
the second coming of da vinci Furthermore, his intellect would always debate the existence of God, so he would let other people convince him about God! It was like a negative of a negative, becoming a positive. “We have so many gods, why not add Jesus to my list of Gods?” was the ultimate reasoning he could not resist presenting to Tom. “I, too, can call Jesus for help!” Raju told Tom with excitement. “Jesus can be our God as well, as He is for everyone.” “You cannot have Jesus as merely one of your gods. My God is very jealous. You should only believe in the one Son of God and you must convert to Christianity and give up your old beliefs about false gods. Then, and only then, will your life be cleansed of sin,” explained Tom. Raju found himself angry and frustrated with these increasingly demanding stipulations from his friend. What his intellect had seemed to make so easy, was after all so hard, due to Tom. Now, it was time to get even. “Are you free of sins?” asked Raju. “Yes, totally!” Tom exclaimed. “Then, why is it that I am at the head of the class? Having to tutor you until the day before final exams– to prevent you from flunking out? Why can’t you just call on Jesus to pass your exams? Do you not have to work hard, as in karma, rather than just pass with Jesus’ help–with your Christianity making it so? Everything in • 14 •
chapterone our classroom seems to work as in karma–except your heaven and hell thing. Who has seen life after death? We do not even know if God exists!” hammered Raju. Raju was a believer, though he always questioned, “Who was, or who is, God?” His religion allowed him to ask such questions about God. “Do not believe in anything I tell you about God,” said one saint who was visiting their local temple, “Go and realize for yourself the true nature of God. It is to be found within and not in the Scriptures. The Hindu religion allows people to question God and his love, as He is considered so above our egoistic thinking, that He will accept and understand it all with love. He is aware of our ignorance and his understanding is infinite.” Tom was quiet upon hearing Raju’s outburst, as it was true that he had a hard time memorizing all the answers, lessons and facts and would always need help from Raju in his studies. More importantly, he was not free to challenge God with why he wasn’t able to remember the answers, even with so much effort. Nor could he answer why Raju seemed to know everything the very first time the subject matter came up in class. Raju had explanations for all of these–as to the karma inherent in past lives, being carried over to the present life–and hence Raju possessing such a remarkable memory. However, Tom did not believe in reincarnations. He thought that all these incidents must be random chance or some plan of God of which we were unaware. • 15 •
the second coming of da vinci Raju and Tom always discussed God like this and tried to justify their own way of knowing God with their own facts. Throughout their growing up together, Tom was deeply concerned with his friend being in hell after death. Conversely, Raju was concerned about the myopic viewpoint of his friend. Nevertheless, the moment they concluded their religious discussions of the day, they would go on with their lives as if their differences didn’t matter at all. They both liked the same food, the same sports and shared so many other interests, that their religion was more of an expression of passion–not affecting their friendship. “Let’s go to Sareena’s house,” called Tom from Raju’s door. They hadn’t seen each other for a week due to the curfew imposed in their city. Hindu and Sikhs had started fighting on a political issue, but when law and order was out of control, a curfew was imposed. Now that they were able to meet again, Raju eagerly anticipated Tom’s arrival. He was equally ardent to meet with Sareena, after such enforced restraint, and tell her how difficult it was to have to wait to see her, especially with no phone lines working. They both were shocked when nobody answered the doorbell at Sareena’s house. A neighbor came crying, “You did not hear about Sareena? Her uncle took her to Bombay. There were riots here and some Hindus burned her family alive. • 16 •
chapterone “Sareena is lucky to be alive, as she was at our house at the time, and those wicked people thought she was Hindu.” Raju did not know if he was shocked, sad or angry at hearing this hideous news. His stunned emotions were running headlong on too steep a roller coaster to tell. For the first time, he started crying, embracing his friend Tom–seeking badly needed support. His legs would not hold him up. “How can we kill our own people? Forget the Divinity. What happened to our humanity?” Raju was trying to take the pain Sareena must have felt, knowing that her beloved family had been mercilessly slaughtered, knowing she would have to live her life out as an orphan. Those bastards had burned Sareena’s dreams. They had ruined her innocent life–not even knowing who she was. Raju had forgotten his own pain through his concern of not knowing where Sareena was, his guilt at being alive and not being able to help her family and, finally–by his utter helplessness to comfort her when she needed it the most. He remembered all the sweetness she possessed when they used to walk to their temples and pray, “The world is created by one light. Then, who is noble and who is wicked?” Now, for Raju, this seemed like a joke directly from Satan, mocking both of them. Raju saw that Tom was • 17 •
the second coming of da vinci crying with him: they both were sharing this common pain, with neither having the words to comfort the other. When pain is deep, the world cannot bring solace. The only comfort is in allowing the tears to run their own course, creating an empty hollow, where one day healing may start. Raju remembered Tom did not say that Raju’s God must be Satan this time but, in his grief, he wondered what difference existed between God and Satan. “Why me? Why Sareena?” he asked himself, not knowing whom else to ask. “If God is real, why is there so much evil? Why does He not stop evil? Why is He so weak in the face of Satan?” he grieved. “We both used to go to temple to pray and I even accepted Jesus as a God, but nothing saved Sareena’s family...” Such was Raju’s guilt and anguish. He felt, at that very moment, his relationship to God had started to change–from love to fear and even contempt. “Who cares if God exists? Let him do his job and I’ll do mine,” was his misplaced intent–a knife twisting in a heart filled with unbearable disappointment and pain. Raju decided he had to punish the people who killed the family of his loved one. Now, it was a matter of justice–and redress for love. Raju asked Tom to give him a ride to the nearest police station. • 18 •
chapterone “We’re here to report a crime. Someone burned the family of our friend, Sareena. They were Sikhs. Their neighbors told us that a Hindu mob killed them,” Raju kept going on and on until the Hindu police officer stopped him. “These Sikhs are terrorists; they want a separate nation from India. Now they will get a separate nation– in heaven,” the officer opined. Raju was shocked to see the carelessness of the police officer. “No, they were not terrorists. They were our friends.” “Oh, so you are friends with terrorists. I see you wish to be locked up in jail. Did you see anyone burn them? Who knows who was in the mob?” he growled. “You can go ask their neighbor. They saw them,” Raju persisted. “Get out! There is no case. There are no witnesses,” concluded the police officer. “I will not leave until you give me the case number,” Raju insisted, bent on justice for his lost love. It was the least he could do. “Put this guy in jail!” the police officer abruptly, and with finality, commanded his assistant. The assistant obeyed. Raju could not believe that he was behind bars, as if a common criminal. “Do you want to go home or do you also want to go to jail with your friend?” bellowed the cruel officer to Tom. • 19 •
the second coming of da vinci Tom promptly left the station, rushing to inform Raju’s parents. His parents were in a panic–they’d never dealt with police or courts–and had little time to come to Raju’s aid. A new curfew was being imposed yet again. Raju had to wait in jail for three days alongside common criminals. For three long days, with nothing to do, no one to talk to and nowhere to turn, he had another realization during this period of introspection, concluding: “Something is terribly wrong here. Does God exist transformed? Something is wrong here and I must change it but I cannot change it. I feel so helpless...life is such a struggle. Nonetheless, I must prove that I am worthy.” At that moment, Raju decided he would no longer be poor and helpless. Rather, he determined he would work so hard and earn so much money, that those who jailed him because he was helpless would never be able to do so again. n “If you want to make lot of money and be successful, then you should go to the States. Here in India, it will take you such a long time,” was Tom’s advice. They had ceased their discussions about God, as all that mattered to Raju was exacting justice–by and through his determination to be successful and overcome any struggle. • 20 •
chapterone Upon Raju’s acceptance to an American university, it was time to leave his homeland in India. Before he departed, Tom touched him devoutly, with his cross, as if seeking forgiveness from Jesus for Raju–hoping the touch of the cross would save him from eternal Hell. “Let’s get in the car. We’re running late for the airport,” declared his father. His mother hugged Raju and held him for a long time, uncertain when she would ever see him again. She was happy for him, as she knew that this was “the impossible dream” for Raju–to go to America for his higher studies. Nobody from his family had even conceived that such success could be possible. “Will my father hug me like this too?” wondered Raju as he looked at his mother’s wet eyes one more time. Raju remembered his father as always working hard, but having no time for himself or Raju. He knew his father loved him but his father had never expressed it. If money or time was the way to express it, his father had lacked both and didn’t even hug his children. Raju would be gone for at least two years, possibly longer. He knew this was the last opportunity he would have to tell his father that he loved him. And he knew that there were no such words in his father’s vocabulary. “OK! I am about to leave!” Raju was trying to bow to his father but he stopped him. For the first time, he looked into Raju’s eyes and said, “Take care of yourself. I know you will accomplish all that has seemed impossible before. • 21 •
the second coming of da vinci “With my life savings, we could not even have traveled across India, much less go to America. Today, you are, but son, never forget where we come from.” “People used to laugh when you would dream because they couldn’t conceive it would really happen. Today you don’t need to laugh at them. They were all victims of their own lack of understanding, not seeing the full potential life has to offer.” “You never let problems stop you from achieving anything, just as you never stopped dreaming. Today you are fulfilling my dream!” and with these words, his father hugged him for the first time. Raju was in tears. He heard his father sigh for the first time, as if he could not control his emotions. Raju had never touched his father and today he not only had blessings with his words but also his embrace. They were both crying and as it got louder, those around them started hearing it. It was significant that for the first time, Raju was not shy at all, crying in the presence of strangers. He kept his arms around his father and they both suddenly stopped crying at the same time, as if their tears had run out. They were surrounded by silence and suddenly, time and space had merged. Raju in that very moment felt a Divine experience that he used to hear narrated by his priests. He was lost in the space-time conversion with a joyful consciousness. • 22 •
chapterone Their sadness of being separated by the vastness of space had transferred to a sense of compassion. He felt his own compassion flowing toward his father. In that moment, he gained an important perception. The only way his father knew how to express his love was by his working all the time. Even if it meant being away from the family and sacrificing his own pleasures, he did all that, so he could provide for his family and have hope for their future. “What if he had never told me that he loved me?” Raju thought. This was immediately replaced with awareness in Raju’s consciousness: “His compassion is always with me.” Raju realized that one does not require language to express love. The soul knows when it sees compassion. At this very space and time, it did not matter to either of them that Raju would be gone for years. They knew that they didn’t need anything–as the soul will always perceive compassion. n
• 23 •