SHE IS 77 YEARS OLD, A HEART PATIENT, HER BODY RAVAGED BY ARTHIRITIS
Kavita Chhibber - November 24, 2005
Yet for more than two decades Saraswati Jain has given leprosy patients and the poor something to give thanks for.
It is the biggest one in Jaipur, India, yet the Sawai Mansingh public Hospital is creaking at the seams, flooded by an overflow of injured and ailing humanity, lack of finance and government apathy.
On the outskirts of Jaipur, it began as a refuge for lepers deserted by their own families as leprosy gnawed in to their bones, but today the Mahatama Gandhi Kusht(Leprosy) Ashram is now a beautiful sanctuary.
She is 77 years old, a heart patient with severe arthritis that would render a lesser spirit immobile, but Saraswati Jain has single handedly changed the lives of the lepers and four of the hospital wards that she has adopted in the hospital.
Her son Lucky, a physician based in Atlanta, says his earliest memories of his mother are of raising four children, three boys and a girl with grace and finesse on their father’s meager salary as a government servant. “ Money was limited but she never let us feel the dearth. Of course she didn’t have the means to do charitable work then, but she taught us a lot about spirituality and religion without imposing her own beliefs. Perhaps that gentle reinforcement has made all of us more spiritually inclined as we have gotten older.” Lucky says his parents’ home would always be an open house for countless spiritual gurus who would be fed and revered. Lucky is the only physician in the family, and says he left home at a time when he could have perhaps tried helping out and felt a lot of guilt. He decided that he would ensure that his parents would live comfortably after their retirement and also that they would have enough to do charitable deeds.
It was almost twenty five years ago, says Lucky that his mother was asked to help some lepers living in shanty homes. She was able to get land on the outskirts of the city from the government, with help from her husband, who probably had to pull a lot of strings to get things done. The land was converted in to a sanctuary for lepers, and named Mahatama Gandhi Kusht Ashram. The Jain community in Jaipur is pretty affluent and Saraswati Jain asked members of the community to work at the ashram for a day, see the plight of the lepers and then decide themselves if they would like to continue to help. For Mrs. Jain herself dealing with leprosy was a learning experience. “I don’t think in the early years even mom knew that casual contact with the lepers wasn’t going to transmit the disease to her. Initially she too would keep her physical contact to the minimum and come home and bathe, but today it is a different story.”
Saraswati Jain’s foray in to Sawai Mansingh Hospital happened as a result of her daughter in law being admitted there due to a head injury. While spending time there at the hospital she saw the terrible conditions and made a vow to God that if her daughter in law recovered she would do whatever she could to help change the conditions.
Lucky for his part has helped raise funds from his friends in the USA apart from the help his mother receives in India, mostly from private individuals. Anil Khatod and his wife Shubhra, are good friends of mine as well of Lucky, and his wife Shabnam. Anil says he had met Saraswati Jain in Atlanta on one of her visits to her son’s home and was deeply moved by her dedication to her cause and her wisdom. “ She is a living saint,” says Anil and adds that while he and his wife would chip in with donations along with other friends and family, it was only four years ago that the Khatods went to visit both the ashram and the hospital along with their two sons Sumit and Sahil.
Sumit, 19, who is currently at MIT, went to the ashram and the hospital at 17. “ When I was told we were going to a leprosy sanctuary and a hospital ward, not knowing better, I had my American vision of a sprawling estate, clean and sparkling as far as the ashram was concerned and the sterilized interiors of an American hospital. Nor did I know what a leprosy patient looked like. I hadn’t ever met one.” What confronted his eyes at the Sawai Mansingh Hospital was heartbreaking. “There were patients sprawled on both sides of a four feet wide hallway on the floor. People were unconscious, some lying on towel, grievously injured due to an industrial or vehicular accident. If this had happened to me in America, I would have received aid within minutes. Here people lay for hours waiting for help to come and many died waiting.”
Four major wards that include the trauma center, the cardiac, neuro surgery and the burn unit have been adopted by Mrs. Jain.
“There were so many painful stories that unfolded before our eyes,” said Anil. “We saw a young woman whose husband was dying of cancer and his disease had resulted in the selling of their meager belongings and accumulating a lot of debt. I just emptied my pockets and gave her whatever cash I had at that moment on me. The man was not going to make it. Another heart breaking sight was to see this young woman in her twenties dying and the legal battle in the offing between her sisters who were taking care of her and her husband who had deserted her, but wanted custody of their two daughters. The temperature at the hospital soars to 110 degrees in the summer, and drinking water comes to a boil. There are no fans, even in the blood banks, and people who come to give blood pass out because of the heat.”
Lucky says his mother started by bringing milk and bread in the morning for a few families in the wards she adopted. Other chipped in and soon she could provide breakfast for every one. She also raised money with the help of her well wishers like Anil and others who admire her and managed to have air conditioning installed in the blood banks, have water coolers in the wards along with fans not just for the patients but also for the physicians. A medical supplies shop outside the hospital became authorized to give free medicine and that was used to help patients in the wards.
The ashram for the lepers also has evolved over the years in to a clean and well maintained facility, according to Lucky and the Khatods. Shubhra Khatod says two of the most heart rending cases she saw were of a little 9 year old child who was deserted by his family and left in the ashram. “That poor child must be wondering where his family was, why he had been left there. The family had two other children and were afraid of the stigma and the spread of infection to their other kids. He has no one to play with as there is no one his age.” Her son Sahil went there at 13, and recalls that the child had lost all the toes of his feet and that the disease was already beyond the early stages. Shubhra also recalls seeing this beautiful young able bodied woman who had been married off to a leper because her parents were very poor. “ She has two young children and lives with the lepers because she feels she has to be with her husband.. Our hearts went out to her but she seemed reconciled to the fact that this was her home,” Says Shubhra.
Lucky recalls the case of a leper who had no hands or feet and had to lap up his food like a dog. A volunteer had employed another leper to take care of that man and was giving him a monthly salary just to do that till the day the older leper passed away according to Lucky. Sumit and his father Anil recall the story of a well educated man, who was married with children when he found out he had leprosy. “ He told me, he knew his family would be discriminated against and no one would do business with them. His sister was to get married into a prominent family of that area and the man said he was sure the marriage would be called off if news got around,” says Sumit. “ One night without telling any one that man ran away form home. Mrs. Jain found him begging on the road and took him in.” The man cooks for the lepers now according to Anil. Another one, who belongs to a well educated family from the South, does the accounting for the ashram.
A college mate of Lucky comes twice a week to treat the lepers for various health problems. Several additions have happened at the ashram from in-house toilets being built when 2-3 patients died crossing the highway to go across and relieve themselves, to small concrete rooms to house the lepers, a well that was dug to make the lepers self sufficient in water, and a medical pharmacy to take care of the lepers’ needs, according to Lucky.
“Another thing that happened was that other lepers started coming to the ashram to get treated as they were discriminated against in other medicinal facilities. They would stay in the ashram as long as they were being treated and then return once they were well,” says Lucky.
Perhaps the biggest milestone in the ashram was the construction of a Radha Krishna Temple. “It has changed the entire atmosphere inside the ashram,” according to Lucky. “These lepers had to always sit outside at any temple whenever they tried to pray and now the evening kirtans have become so popular that even healthy, normal people show up to participate. The kirtans are performed by a priest, the lepers themselves and often by learned saints who are passing by. It has given the lepers something to look forward to every evening. My mother had tried to get them to learn some vocation but they come here when they are in fairly advanced stages of the disease. As a result while some of them tried to make candles or learn weaving their hands start bleeding or there are only finger stumps which can’t hold anything. Praying at the temple has given these isolated people positive energy.”
Shubhra adds that the generosity of the private individuals is inspired in great measure by Saraswati Jain’s selfless work.” She can walk into a cloth shop and demand 50 saris or cloth pieces for the patients at Sawai Mansingh hospital, or go to a mithai shop ask for 50 puris and people just pack and give her, no questions asked,” adds Shubhra. Her driver takes her every where distributing the things she gets. He, according to Shubhra was found begging on the railway platform as a young boy by Saraswati Jain and she took him in and had him trained as a driver. Today he is self sufficient and totally devoted to her. It’s the same thing in the hospital too. Anil remembers an elderly man in a bad state lying in the hospital needing an MRI that would have cost 2000 rupees. Mrs. Jain walked into the hospital administrator’s office. Within a few minutes the man was checked and a free MRI approved for him.
Anil says the biggest issue still remains of money and volunteer help which is lagging. Mrs. Jain has received little help from the government or NGOS. “ The chief Minister of Rajasthan met with Mrs. Jain but nothing came out of it,’ says Anil, and adds that many NGOs have their own agendas and ego problems come in the way of selfless help. Anil and Shubhra say at 77, a heart patient and stricken with severe arthritis that would render someone else helpless, Mrs. Jain has a mind boggling routine. She leaves home at 9 a.m. only to return around 4 p.m. to have lunch and then rest a little bit. Around 6 p.m. she goes to a near by park and holds a satsang where she shares her wisdom and thoughts with many women and then returns home around 7 or 8 p.m. She then has her dinner and calls it a day only to start her routine all over again the next morning.
For Sumit and Sahil, it has been a life altering experience. “ You cannot just see what you see and walk away from it,” says Sumit who not only helped with volunteer work and bonded with the leper who had run away from home, but came back and helped raised thousands of dollars for the ashram and the hospital.
Sahil adds,” It makes you realize how privileged we are and how so many underprivileged countries have people living in abject poverty and stigma that comes from ignorance.” Both boys say that it has put a lot of things in perspective for them. Sumit says it comes down to even small thing like buying clothes, or spending money over things that begin to seem immaterial. “You almost feel like creating a change, because of the close connection and empathy you feel instantly, with the people you meet and with their suffering,”
For Saraswati Jain herself life has taken on a new meaning. “I now wake up every morning with a real purpose in life. The blessings of the poor provide me with the fuel.... I have more energy now than I used to when I was 50 years younger! If there is one message I can give to the readers, it is that we should put away some time for "shram daan" for those who are less fortunate. Charitable contributions are important, but merely giving money will not give you the true joys of serving.”
Anil and Shubhra say Mrs. Jain rarely asks them for help. The money that goes to the Saraswati Jain Foundation is used for her charitable work to the last penny as there are no overheads. “ Whatever we give her on our own and through the collective efforts of our friends is only a drop in the ocean,” says Anil, “There is so much more to be done.”
I wanted to share this story with all of you on Thanksgiving Day so that you keep Saraswati Jain in your prayers and also the hundreds she helps on a daily basis. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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Posted by Kavita Chhibber at November 24, 2005 05:34 AM
Comments
THE COMPASSION THAT YOU DISPLAY TOWARDS THOSE IN NEED IS IS TRULY INSPIRING, HAPPY THANKS GIVING
DO YOU THINK THE BEST CURE IS THE REMINDER THAT THIS LIFE THOUGH IT GIVES THE APPEARENCE OF REAL IS AN ILLUSION, ARE WE FEEDING TO THE ILLUSION BY TAKING THINGS AS THEY ARE ...JUST A THOUGHT WHAT DO YOU THINK?
ARJUNAN
SHOULD SARASWATHI JAIN BE THANKFUL THAT SHE GETS TO BE WHO SHE IS , BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE?
Amen! Thank you God, for earth-angels!
I remember watching a show on leprosy. They talked to a young girl; abandoned, starved, and eventually driven out by her family.
I remember her words so clearly: "I feel like the world's most unwanted, unloved."
I remember the sound; of a heart-break, fracturing my sense of reality.
I remembered condemning things of my own, child-hood impoverishment; and I resonated with her profoundly; however, not to the depths to which she experiences it.
I remember the feeling/thoughts of helplessness and hopelessness. I remember rejection of a non-compassionate community, back then. I remember the homelessness, the hiding during the day; awake all night aspect of our existance back then.
I remember realizing; that these things did not define who/what I am/was. Just, as that girl with leprosy, tried in vain, to lament; she is MORE, than her disease. She is a heart, that weeps; a body that aches; and a life, torn apart being ravaged by diseases of poverty.
Poverty and global suffering of human-existance, is a disease of the global community. WE can each make a difference, such as this amazing woman of this topic, and support the poor in our communities by extending hands of friendship, love and understanding.
This woman(of topic), is the exactor; to which makes a human, rise above it's natural, animal-inheritance; to a more defining spiritual essence; of which is our connected state.
Bravo, and I bow in her honour, in her direction.
North
what great questions arjunan..I can only speak from my personal experiences with both..I dont know if life is an illusion because what I feel, see, sense and hear, and think about all seem very real..I apply that reasoning to materialistic desires..that life is an illusion and material gains, and all that glitters is not gold. On a day to day basis, I find my existence as real as the air I breathe, the flower I caress, the child that I hold in my arms, the anger, hurt, frustration that I see around me, and like many others I try to make an effort to change and make things better, and to improve myself. All lives are work in progress and I hope all of us try to make our lives a positive illusion if anything.
As for Saraswati Jain, she only does what she does because something compels her..she didnt ask to be featured, and doesnt seek publicity. She has been doing all this for 25 years, this is the first time any one has written about her.
I am not sure she is what she because they are who they are..they have been there for a long time..and so have all of us..but among hundreds of people living in that city, only she stepped up to do her bit..for me this is a story that shows how strong the human spirit is. If sarawati Jain has accomplished so much and singlehandedly inspired so many others, think of what we could all do if we joined hands and through positive vibrations created a wonderful reality out of life's illusions.
Thank you for asking two wonderful questions. I'm going to think some more about this..This response is instantly what came to my mind..Please tell me wht you think about this yourself and I would love to hear others too.
thanks Ron..Mother Teresa came to my mind too and that is why I wanted to honor this simple, unassuming lady from India.
Saraswati jain is an inspiration for everyone...
Thanks North, very well said..could you email me directly at kavita@kavitachhibber.com..needed to talk to you about something
Thanks Kavita...For bringing in a real life story of compassion and dedication. Yes, Many thanks and regards to all those like Saraswathi Jain, who do great work.
You must have heard that saying "Becoz God cudn't be everywhere, he created mothers". It's people like her, thru' whom God glorifies.
Someday down the road perhaps, we'll hear your name in some other form in which you keep working. May Love&Luck surround you on your path!
Love&Gratitude...Sachin
Wow. Saraswati Jain certainly sounds like and is a woman of grace......
She has gone the extra miles, given out of her heart and set a wonderful examples to her family, friends and many others...
Thank you for yet another person I am learning about in this world.
Love, Joanie
HI Kavita; just sent off an email to you; moments ago. Thanks for the nod; I am one person too; whom greatly admires women such as these; it is women such as this; I aspire to echo.
North
This Story reminds me the number of people live in temples in Trichy, Tamilnadu with all kind of decease. Most of them are leprosy patients. The numbers are really big, probably in hundreds.
There are many stories of struggle if you talk to each of them. At times I just cried and prayed that they all will get relief in the name of God. I always felt helpless to those individuals who are in need.
There should be a "Saraswati Jain" in every city in India.
It’s amazing that there are STILL few people who really care for those who are in need.
I pray for her good health and a long life.
Yogi
"I wanted to share this story with all of you on Thanksgiving Day so that you keep Saraswati Jain in your prayers and also the hundreds she helps on a daily basis. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!"
....I will be keeping them in my prayers. I'm glad you shared her story, she is a true inspiration. We have come to use the term 'hero' so loosely.......to me Saraswati Jain is a true hero.
"There should be a "Saraswati Jain" in every city in India."
I agree with you Yogi, and I think there can be one everywhere. We can each be a Saraswati Jain in our own small way.
True, if everyone was compassionate and giving as Saraswati Jain the world would be a better place.
God bless you Saraswati Jain you are an inspiration to all.
Esther.
There is a light that emits love, from a giving soul; it touch's those very live's being lived in a hopelessness state of existance; unseen -unknown's; abandoned by a cold, harsh, society with no room for human frailties, such as illness or physical disability.
SHE; Saraswati Jain, is the light; which is the dawn, that brings hope, into a suffering one's life.
Kavita; I'm so inspired
Anyway, to make a long story short; after a great crock-pot of stew for din; MORE laundry, laundered; in-between all things done; I made - this for you and Saraswati Jain to enjoy looking at:
One design, of one heart with a molded teardrop of hope, in two shades.
http://xs56.xs.to/pics/05475/heartofhope2.ds.jpg
http://xs56.xs.to/pics/05475/heartofhope3.ds.jpg
I am soOo inspired by women such as you both! I hope you both like it; it's how I see you both, via digital design.
North
Well, seems to be a glitch in the second link, marked 3.ds; not sure the prob; but, on my screen; it's cut off at bottom!
I just deleted it, re-uploaded/same file name; and it is still showing as mid-cut cut off; even though it shows the whole page on the free pic-hosting site it's on! whahH..sorry! Not sure wha's up wit dat! I stand before you, befuddled!
North
This has been an especially nice day for me. The autumn air was crisp and fresh, the sun bright against the billowy clouds, and a feeling of thanks that started the moment I awoke.
My daughter has been very sick, and for nearly 2 years, was hospital-bound. It has been an illness that took the vibrancy and health from her, and friends along the way, whose lives went on, and stopped reaching out. Several times, I was told there was no hope for her recovery. We have not spent this holiday (my favorite) together in several years. Yet, today my prayer to be together was answered!
Reading this article Kavita, as so often your words and stories do - has the most profound affect on me.
Kindness, patience, and Love seem to go unnoticed in this time of anger about politics, wars, disasters, whose right or wrong, and the fast pace of living.
Yet, firmly I know, from the depths of my being, good is everywhere present, in 'unsung' heros, like Saraswati Jain.
I am moved and humbled by her care and dedication!
And for all the sharing in the posts today.
With love and Blessings to All,
~~ Kate
Arjunan
You have hit on the deepest question there is or should I say the last stages of man's enlightenment. Indeed when one starts on a spiritual quest(especially in the East)Maya is thr first demon handed to you. Examine it from all possible angles, you are tirelessly told, and what starts is a fierce if terryfying road to questioning everything that you have known as your life/idea/opinions/being. If you make it through, there comes the more grandiose stage where the ego now tells you "look you are beyond illusion!" Many get stuck here and begin to preach to others how they too should vanquish the 'illusion of ego' for that is where Maya resides. In the preaching/guiding as they develop followers and get stamped as pious/detached/do-gooders the lurking ego now points to how you are the great messianic force, here to release souls. Now the ego is in a scary place becuaes ostensibly you are 'freeing others from illusion' and hence see yourself above/beyond attachment and hence illusion. But you are still discriminating between being the doer and the others as the receivers. Many, many get stuck here.
Zen is perhaps the only school which tirelessly weds Samsara and Nirvana together saying all is the same and any perception of seeing them as two is an illusion. A famous Zen monk Sosan had these priceless words, "what is worse than mind is the discriminating mind." referring to the goals/language /persona that a 'spritulaized' person begins to assume.
To be fair, on the quest for Truth, illusion attacks repeatedly and resoundingly, which is why the famous example of Buddha being attacked by Mara (maya)in the final moment. And it is what Mara said to him that is most significant. She said "Well you who have transcended illusion so absolutely now see how deep and complex its roots are. How will you translate these to free humanity, for none will understand your words. Will you find the language?" And precisely she referred to Buddha's last illusion of wanting to 'liberate' all. The Great man absorbed the challenge with care and finally stepped off the edge saoring to an unchallged height, which is why Buddhism (Zen even more purely so)so carefully stepped out of God and heavens but focussed on man and his highest potential.
Unfortunatley in the practice of his teachings many got stuck in the ritual (because of their discriminating minds) and hence in a far away land without the sulliness of Brahmanic virtues, Chan or Zen was born which BoddhiDharama could transmit purely as the nectar of what Buddha was pointing at. All is illusion. Understand dharma and karma to be acts of where your essence takes you. Discover that essence, acts in its accord and live in the body as part of the play. Much like Krishna called EVERYTHING the play, making none higher or lower. In fact his message to Arjuna (your namesake :-)) was also to act in accord of his nature, that of a warrior, trained to stand up against injustice. Showing him the pre-ordained dead realatives on the battlefield was precisely to underscore that he was just being given a chance to act out his dhrama as a valourous warrior. Beyond that there is nothing holy or lowly.
In Zen language:
"What is called the reality-nature of mind is neither born nor destroyed. There are distinctions among all phenomena only based on false thoughts. The forms of objects do not exist separately apart from the mind’s thoughts. Therefore, from the beginning, all things are detached from the forms of language, detached from the forms of names, and detached from the forms of mental objects: they are just the One Mind. Hence the name True Thusness."
Of course Ma Saraswati Jain is doing exemplary work, but all who she heals are there for her to do what her consciousness has desired for many lifetimes. And she came together with those who in their suffering desired to have one such as her touch them with a loving hand.
This stage of reaching the absolute emptiness first of the Self and the play around is the final level where all ego (I am distinct, greater, more blessed and evolved)comes to a rest. A great aspiration, Zen calls it Spirit Peak but truly few make it there for its also known as 'Few House Mountain."
Hi Kavita,
U know I have a weakness I have a soft corner, no a soft bunglow for people Like Mr. Jain, GRAND LADY , I salute her, helping in itself can be tough , that too when one is in the grip of crippling illness.
I think the goodness in her propels her forward.
Ispita Saha.
Sorry
Mrs.Jain , please pardon my tying error.
Ispita
Kavita,
After reading this, one does feel selfish and smaller..Astounding.I wish life had unfolded in a manner where one could be of greater use to others.
swami Vivekananda has written that one should give alms with folded hands, since the beggar is giving you the opportunity to gather a karma of merit. He is in fact doing you a greater favour than you are to him. This thought has never left me and in my small way do whatever I can.But it is too small in comparison to the angel of mercy like Mrs. jain.
My in-laws and my parents gave me the wonderful opportunity to serve them, for which I shall forever be indebted. There is no way that we can ever repay our parents. On great coercion my parents agreed to live with me. I lost My father last year though,and have lost my father-in law too. Both were my greatest buddies. I can live with myself today because I could be there for them in their illness. I only hope and pray I did not disappoint them or let them down.
Your entries bring out the best in all.. Womans touch I suppose. You are doing great service by even highlighting these these glorious deeds.Only a sensitive soul will react to the pain all around. Since sensitivity is not being mindful of your own needs but those of others'. Where is the solution though?
I am reminded of a couplet,"ya duniya ke zakhmon par marham rakh de, Ya mera dil patthar kar de ya allah..phir chahe deewaana kar de ya allah"
Thank you every one..was away at a thanksgiving dinner last night and got to see the posts only in the morning just now.
North your creations are vibrant, rich and beautiful just like you sem to be. Thank you for taking the trouble to make these in the midst of all that you were doing.Jasjit, thank you for that beautiful explanation. I enjoyed reading it. Yogi, your post was heart breaking. I wish there was a way to help. Even though leprosy is curable when caught in the early stages, many people dont seek help because of shame and the stigma attached until its too late.
Kaveetaa , you quoted from Dard se mera daman bhar de- a song I have sung often at parties-and the lyrics as full of poignancy and beauty...you are such a pure soul with a heart of gold..while others resent taking care of their elderly parents and more than that in laws,you have done so with grace and gratitude. I hope people will read your post and be inspired to do the same for all their loved ones.. So often every thing we do for others is laced with underlying expectations. Your post is a wonderful example of unconditional love. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks Kate, Ispita, Preethi, Sachin,Esther and Trinity for your responses..all valuable. I have directed lucky and my friends the khatods to this website and I know they will be deeply touched by all of you
My maternal grandmother was one of the most generous people I knew..at any given time even after my grand father passed away and she didnt have as much money as she used to before(she refused to take a penny from any of her kids)..she would still have an open house. She would say to me-always count your blessings when you can feed and honor your atithi(guest)..not every one is blessed with that ability and you receive barkat(unexpected blessings) only when you give.
Good morning Kavita; and Happy ThanksGiving Blessings to you and all celebrating the seasons harvests, this year. Ours in Canada was early October.
Glad you liked the picture Kavita; thank you! When I am inspired; I cannot stop until the creation is completed. It's an obsessive compulsion, at times. My inner eye; at times, seemingly has a "mind & will" of it's own?
I become like the mad painter; absorbed in creation; until satisfied I have completed it's mission; or is that perhaps vision?
Wishing everyone a wonderful thanksgiving weekend; and as a blessing; May we all open our hearts to Spirit's essence; and make a difference, in the life of at least One.
In saving One, we save All.
North
Thanks North, Joanie thanks for your post. I will take a look at the link you sent..this weekend is a bit hectic and I'm running out right now..
THANX FOR THAT WONDERFUL INSIGHT..JASJIT.
WHEN ACTORS GET CAUGHT UP IN THEIR ROLES...SHOULD WE JUST REMIND THEM OR SHOULD WE TRY TO FIX THE ROLES.
IF LIFE IS AN ILLUSION, THEN CALLING IT AN ILLUSION IS ALSO AN ILLUSION.
Kaveeta....I enjoy reading your post. Your response was So unpretentious and honest. Yes, people like Saraswathiji touch sainthood. Being a Family person, to do something for the world at that level is a very difficult thing, that too as a service.
Life is a two way process, what we call flow...it is true as Vivekananada had pointed out, you're getting a chance to do the service. Kaveetaaji....aaj ki competitive selfish duniya mein, agar koi Saraswathiji ka 10% bhi kartha vho tho...we've to salute that, rather than seeing what she is benefitting out of it. Watch out these people who say that....this is the typical holier than thou attitude. Karthe kuch nahi, learn two words of philosophy and try to bring people down with that, rather than first seeing what Good they are doing. If they are genuine, they simply cannot miss appreciating the good.
You must have heard that saying "A smallest Deed is better than the Grandest Intention". Duniya mein kahin milenge tumhein bathein karne waale, loving work karne waal kum. It's great to know about your family Kaveetaa....very few are destined to have such a one. Coincidence, the same is with other Kavita and both write about that here. To me.....it's a pleasure to read about your family background, this is a Very big thing for me...an issue close to my heart, becoz this is one thing I was deprived of like so many others in the world, which you both have been blessed with. I'm sure you both are aware how lucky you are and how valuable that is in life.
In deeds, if we can do even a fracton of what this Wonderful woman Saraswathi jain is doing in our own little world...I reckon we wud have done a good job.
Love...Sachin
Kavita,
I want to share this information and hope it helps all.
Just this weekend, I read a book called
"The Sprouting Book" by Ann Wigmore.
She recommends a diet called "Living Food LifeStyle" based mostly on sprouts and eating raw foods.
This diet is very economical and the reason I could connect this info to this piece you posted here is that in the book, there was a section titled
"Healing Camps in India" where she describes how she witnessed hundreds of people with all sorts of problems -from heart disease and cancer to leprosy and malnutirion recovering extremely well on this Living foods diet.
I sincerely hope this information is passed on to Saraswati Jain, as she needs some care also, it looks like.
-Hari
Thank you Hari. I will send this information to her son, who is a physician as you may have read.
Thank you for caring enough to provide the information
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Recent Posts
- 06/08/08: Open Thread
- 05/08/08: Can the Mystery of Consciousness Be Solved Objectively?
- 05/08/08: Returning to the Mat
- 04/08/08: Outlook - Perspective - Meinung - Pensiero!
- 04/08/08: Is the Universe (including life) a Purposeless Accident? Science of Purpose: Part 1
- 04/08/08: Given that, at base, we are One being, should we always bear in mind that even the most conflicting of views will have common root connections?
- 03/08/08: Stampede in India
- 03/08/08: Are We an Accident?
- 03/08/08: Weekly Intent - Kevin Boon
- 01/08/08: New Life in a New World
Recent Comments
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kavita chhibber commented on SHE IS 77 YEARS OLD, A HEART PATIENT, HER BODY RAVAGED BY ARTHIRITIS
Thank you Hari. I will send this information to
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Hari commented on SHE IS 77 YEARS OLD, A HEART PATIENT, HER BODY RAVAGED BY ARTHIRITIS
Kavita,
I want to share this informatio
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SM commented on SHE IS 77 YEARS OLD, A HEART PATIENT, HER BODY RAVAGED BY ARTHIRITIS
Kaveeta....I enjoy reading your post. Your resp
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ARJUNAN commented on SHE IS 77 YEARS OLD, A HEART PATIENT, HER BODY RAVAGED BY ARTHIRITIS
THANX FOR THAT WONDERFUL INSIGHT..JASJIT.
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kavita chhibber commented on SHE IS 77 YEARS OLD, A HEART PATIENT, HER BODY RAVAGED BY ARTHIRITIS
Thanks North, Joanie thanks for your post. I wi
Kavita,
Happy Thanksgiving,
Saraswati Jain is a great woman who exemplifies the very best in humanity, despite her own frailties. She reminds me alot of the late Mother Teresa.
Ron.