Karuna's Panchbhuta

As she read through the lines of the Bhagavad Gita her thoughts crossed over to something else, a thought about the Panchbhuta or The Five Elements of the Universe. She was religious and followed her religion with all truth and sanctity. But her son never listened even once to the slokas she played from the recent CD that Subhas had presented her on her 55th birthday.

Today as the slokas or the recitation of the verses from the Holy Scriptures spread across the room, she remembered the days she spent with her father in the Puja Ghar/Prayer Room for the Morning Prayer. As he carried on with the everyday puja customs he told her about the importance of the Panchbhuta or the Five Elements of Life.

In the prayer room were the brass idols of Lord Krishna holding the silver flute and the idol of Radha…Krishna and Radha looked good as a pair. And Goddess Laxmi, believed to be the Goddess of wealth by the Hindus seated next to Ganesha, her brother, whose mantra is always recited first. And the Shiva Linga, bathed with lots of water every day to keep the angry god cool.

Puja rituals began as the gods were bathed and clothed in colourful small dresses stitched with care and elegance. The lamp lit and the flowers from the flower basket put at the feet of the gods. The arati came with the singing of the bhajans and how children waited restlessly for the Prashad (sweetmeat offerings to the gods) to be distributed once the puja was over.

Karuna sat thinking of the world’s close relation with the Panchbhuta or the Five Elements of Life. She thought gravely about the five elements and their importance in life. If the earth did not exist, there would have been no life. Air is a must for life to live on this earth. Existence of water and water bodies is necessary for survival and for the rains to come. If there would have been no fire there would be no heat and how would food be cooked. She thought about sound where her thought went to the fifth element, ether.

She sat cross legged on the chair and thought…even in disbelief one does live in life with the five elements of the universe for they are the basic elements of life. Karuna felt there was so much integrity in the Panchbhuta and her religious belief. An honest thought…