I was on a bike trip with my cousin to Tunganath(highest of the panch Kedar's) in Uttaranchal. We were about 10Km away from our destination when the bike tyre got punctured. My cousin got a lift and took the tyre to nearest puncture repair shop, which was about 20Km downhill. I thought of waiting at a small tea stall nearby and keep a watch on the bike and luggage. With nothing to do, I got chatting with the tea-stall owner over cups of tea. It soon starting getting dark with ominous clouds threatening with heavy mountain rain. There was no sight of my cousin and I was getting a little worried on what to do next. I was also worried on what to do once the tea shop owner decides to close the shop and asks me to leave. What happened next was really interesting. He told me to wait at the shop, while he goes to the village and get some stuff. By the time he came back, it had started raining really heavily(only those who have witnessed mountain rains can appreciate it). He told me that he went to get provisions for making dinner and then he made an excellent dinner of daal + rice for me. The rains had become even worse by then and it was pitch dark. I couldn't even see 10m ahead and was wondering what had happened to my brother. The shop owner on the other hand told me not to worry and made arrangements for me to sleep in the shop basement. Long story short, i had a wonderful sleep in that cozy basement and found to my amazement that my cousin had somehow comeback in the night and we continued our journey further.
I was really amazed at the hospitality of these people. Providing shelter and food to an unknown person, without asking anything.These people who live in small one room house with very basic facilities have a much bigger room in their hearts. We, who live in multi-bedroom houses can not even tolerate our friends and relatives staying for more than a couple of days. Few years back, it was very common to have people from extended family and family friends coming and staying for days.
All that seems to distant history as people have become more focused on their smaller families.
Our scriptures are replete with stories about the importance attached to Atithi(someone who comes unannounced). The Taittriya Upanishad even equates Atithi with divine by declaring "Atithi Devo Bhavah". The ancient thinkers wanted us to see divine in everyone and showing reverence to an unannounced guest was a hallmark of our culture.The beauty and greatness of sanatana dharma lies in these traditions. There is an interesting story about Krishna hosting Sage Durvasa for sometime in Dwaraka and how Durvasa tried every trick to find mistake in Krishna and his family's conduct. In the end, he is happy and gives many boons to Krishna and Rukmini. That story is very very interesting, may be covered in another post...
I was really amazed at the hospitality of these people. Providing shelter and food to an unknown person, without asking anything.These people who live in small one room house with very basic facilities have a much bigger room in their hearts. We, who live in multi-bedroom houses can not even tolerate our friends and relatives staying for more than a couple of days. Few years back, it was very common to have people from extended family and family friends coming and staying for days.
All that seems to distant history as people have become more focused on their smaller families.
Our scriptures are replete with stories about the importance attached to Atithi(someone who comes unannounced). The Taittriya Upanishad even equates Atithi with divine by declaring "Atithi Devo Bhavah". The ancient thinkers wanted us to see divine in everyone and showing reverence to an unannounced guest was a hallmark of our culture.The beauty and greatness of sanatana dharma lies in these traditions. There is an interesting story about Krishna hosting Sage Durvasa for sometime in Dwaraka and how Durvasa tried every trick to find mistake in Krishna and his family's conduct. In the end, he is happy and gives many boons to Krishna and Rukmini. That story is very very interesting, may be covered in another post...
Wonderful! I too have similar experiences about the big heart of small huts people where Atithi Devo Bhava finds a true meaning! Waiting for Krishna and Rukmini's story.
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