For the past two-four days, there had been a lot of movement of birds in the verandah of Kabir's house. The birds come with straws, put them on top and then go away again to collect straws.
This would happen continuously, if a few straws fell down the floor would become dirty. But what does this do to the birds? Their construction work is going on, the work of nest building. What do they have to do with filth?
New guests who are about to arrive. And the new guest also needs a house to live, right? After all, they also need a roof to live under, what if there are birds? Flying is a different matter, no matter how high one flies, everyone needs a base to live.
And then in their world everything is self-service. They have to do everything themselves. No servant, no master. Everyone is the king of his own mind and everyone is the servant of his own mind.
Whenever Kabir came to the verandah, he would see garbage lying there. This happened many times. But when he looked upwards, it occurred to him that the birds were bringing these straws again and again and placing them above and those same straws fell down. And the house gets dirty.
Kabir does not like dirt at all. Kabir got surprised and upset while getting the cleaning done, sometimes by the maid and sometimes by himself.
He said to his mother in a tone of complaint – “Mummy, see how much these birds make the house dirty?”
It didn't take long for mom to understand. While explaining to Kabir, she said – “Son, she is building her house and when a house is built, some dirt is definitely created. Come, I will clean it. After a few days, the little babies will look very cute when they start chirping and flying around.”
“Like this mother?” Kabir asked in surprise.
“Yes son, small guests will come to our house.” Mom explained to Kabir very lovingly.
Curiosity arose in Kabir's mind, where do the small birds come from, how do these small and cute babies come? Now all he was waiting for was when he would be able to see the lovely children.
Now he had sympathized with them. Earlier he used to consider the straws lying below as garbage and throw them out. But now, whenever the bird went out, he would collect all the straws and secretly climb on top of the table and place them near the nest. And kept it in such a way that the bird does not find out. Secret cooperation like secret donation.
Children have a strong desire for cooperation and sympathy. Just thinking that the sooner the house is built, the sooner the children will come. And sometimes he would himself pick up the straws lying in the garden from outside and climb them on the table and place them near the nest.
And when the birds would not take those straws, then sometimes by speaking, sometimes by gesture, he would say – “Take these straws also. These are also for you.” But only if both understand each other's language.
Kabir would look towards the nest every morning, and then ask his mother with a disappointed heart - "Mummy, how many more days will it take for the babies to arrive?"
A question to which no one had the answer and anyway it is not so easy to answer children's questions. Not everyone is Birbal.
While explaining to Kabir, mother said, “Son, all this is God's will, He will send it immediately whenever He wants.”
“But when will God's will happen? It's been so many days." Kabir said reproachfully. As if he was complaining to God. For children, mother is no less than a God.
Perhaps it did not take long for God to listen to Kabir and early next morning a chirping sound was heard from the nest. The atmosphere inside the nest was hot. The hustle and bustle had increased. Perhaps God had heard Kabir's prayer. Her wish was fulfilled and the bird gave birth to babies.
When Kabir came to know about it, he was over joyed. He ran to his mother and told her the happy news.
He said, “Mummy, there is a chirping sound coming from the nest, listen to it.”
Mother explained to Kabir – “It will be visible after a day or two when the children come out. Till then we will have to wait.”
“Mummy, what if I go up and take a look?” Kabir asked out of curiosity.
“No son, the bird will get angry and will leave the house and go somewhere else.” Mom said while explaining to Kabir.
“Then what should I do? Mummy." It was Kabir's question.
“In just a day or two the children will come out on their own.” Mom said while explaining to the child's mind.
“Okay, mom. I will see only when they come out.” Kabir said while explaining his mind.
Only Kabir knows how the two days would have been spent, for which it was extremely difficult to wait for each and every moment. But today the baby birds came out of the nest and that too when the bird had gone out to collect grains.
Perhaps due to the delay, the sons may have been worried about their mother or their anxiety may have increased due to feeling very hungry?
Well, whatever be the reason, Kabir's wish of seeing the child was fulfilled today. Today he looked at the small children to his heart's content. And in the meantime, the bird also reached there.
Children open their mouths chirping and birds put food in their mouths. Kabir saw the divine scene. His eager mind became restless.
Sometimes small children would wait for their mother by turning their faces out of the nest and sometimes when their mother was visible, they would chirp and call her. Kabir would have been very happy to see all this.
Sometimes he would put jowar grains in the plate and move away and would stand at a distance and wait for the bird. He used to wait for that moment when the bird would take the grain and put it in the mouths of its small children.
This moment Kabir liked the feeling of this very much. And waiting for this moment, he would wait for hours away from the nest.
It had now become a common thing for small children to come out of the nest, flap their wings and try to fly. But there was no decrease in Kabir's intimacy. He would take full care of them.
Sometimes he would put grains in a small plate, climb on the table and keep the plate near the nest. And stood at a distance and observed the activities.
One day Kabir saw that a cat was trying to reach the nest by climbing over the things kept on the table. It didn't take long for him to understand that the cat could harm the children. He immediately chased the cat away and told his mother.
With the help of maid Payel, mother removed all the things kept on the table and kept the table at another place. And also made such arrangements that the cat could not reach near the nest.
Now it occurred to him that the cat could harm the baby birds at any time and it was his first duty to protect them. He decided that he would spend most of his time in the verandah.
He also kept his study table and chair in the verandah. Moreover, the dog was also tied to a pillar so that the cat could not wander around the nest. Now even his studies would take place in the verandah only.
Perhaps King Dileep would not have served Nandini as much as Kabir served the bird and her children. Raja Dileep had selfishness. But what is Kabir's selfishness, he just feels good in serving. Children's love is pure, their love is full of selfless feelings. Beyond deceit and fraud, God resides in his sacred mind-temple.
And thus, only a week had passed when one day Kabir noticed that there were neither birds nor babies in the nest. The birds flied away and the nest is empty.
Waited for one more day, perhaps birds have lost their way. But if he did not come then he did not come. The bird and the children had flown away somewhere.
The child's heart became sad. The thread of love is like this only. When it breaks it definitely hurts.
He said to his mother with a very sad heart, “Mummy, the bird has flown somewhere with the children. Now the nest is empty.”
"Good! Did the bird fly away? Okay, it's good and another one will come." Mom said this deliberately lightening the atmosphere.
“No mom, I liked baby birds.” Kabir said with a sad heart.
“But wherever they feel good, they will stay there.” Mom explained to Kabir.
“No matter how much I cared for them, they still left.” Kabir said in a complaining tone and tears welled up while saying it.
Mom, how can she explain this deep mystery of life? Children are lovely, they love innocently and selflessly. And love itself is the root cause of attachment. Binds the innocent mind.
Whoever has come has to go one day or the other. Only Kabir's mother knows how difficult it is to explain to a child. Who can explain better than mother? And can your child understand?
But it is true that one day or the other we all have to fly away somewhere and the nest has to remain here. Then what kind of attachment is it? But still, the attraction is there. My eyes fill with tears.
While explaining to Kabir, mother said, “Son, when your father was a child, father's mother used to breastfeed him and feed him food and he used to live in the village.”
“Oh Mummy!” Kabir was surprised and laughed.
“Yes, and listen, then father grew up, he got a job here in the city, so he quickly moved from the village to the city.” Saying this, mom showed him a childhood photo of herself from the album.
“Mummy, this is a little girl sitting wearing a frock.” Kabir said after seeing the photo.
“Identify, identify properly, this is of mine.” Mummy increased Kabir's curiosity.
“Mommy, were you like this before?” Kabir started laughing after seeing the photo.
“Yes, I was like this earlier, then I grew up, got married and then I quickly came to your father.” Mom explained to Kabir.
At first Kabir laughed and then said, “Then mom, when I grow up, I too will become like dad?”
“Yes son, you will study now, then wherever you get a job, you will quickly go there. Your beautiful wife will also quickly come to you.” Mommy tickled Kabir.
“Okay mom, I will quickly come to the other room and you quickly bring me cold water from the kitchen. I am very thirsty.” Kabir said.
And when one thirst is quenched, another one continues to thirst, this is the law of nature. Perhaps Kabir might have understood something too.
He understood that if God has given wings to birds to fly, they will definitely fly. In the free limitless sky. Birds are the beauty of the sky and not of closed cages.
On the other hand, Kabir's father, thinking that Kabir's mind would be occupied and his mind would be diverted from the baby birds, ordered two parrots with cages from the market. And hung both the cages below the nest where it was. Complete arrangements for food and water were also made.
When Kabir saw the parrots in the cages, he was surprised. But he did not like it.
He said to his father, “Papa, how good would it be if we blow away these parrots? How beautiful will they look flying in the sky?”
“Yes, but as you deem appropriate?” Papa said. Even father would have wanted the same. But sometimes for the happiness of children, parents have to do work which they do not want. But his efforts definitely remain to show the children in the right direction.
Kabir fed both the parrots sour sweets, gave them water and then opened the cage door and laughed. Huey said, “Parrot fur…, Parrot fur…, Parrot fur….”
And within no time both the parrots disappeared into the boundless sky with the flapping of their wings and perhaps Kabir's mind had also become as vast as the boundless sky.
And mother was standing there looking at Kabir's happiness.
Then seeing his mother, Kabir said laughingly to his mother, “Mummy, the birds has flown, the parrot has flown.”
Kabir broke both the cages very brutally so that no other parrot could be kept in these cages.
And the nest was left there so that another bird could come and live in it.
But what do the innocent Kabir know that in their society, they build their own houses. They do not live in anyone else's house. What's more, everything there is self-service only.
Innocent Kabir does not know that when these life-breaths fly away, this mortal body is of no use, nor does any soul re-enter this mortal nest. The soul has to come out of the nest to meet God. As soon as this bird flies away, it disappears into the infinite sky. At one place there is separation and at another place there is union.
Even we are not able to understand this small thing, and our eyes fill with tears when the bird flies away. Ganga and Yamuna flow away. The mind becomes sad.
This is the rule of the world.
***
Anand Vishvas
