My Wanderings 99 Short Story No.55 A Unique Visitor

My father after retirement, at the age of fifty five only, as Incharge of Khrew Alopathic Dispensary opened a medical shop near his residence at Purshyar locality in Srinagar city. He started practicing medicine and providing medical services at his shop to all locals at  very low charges due to his spiritual insight and background. Sometimes he would provide free medical assistance and  services to poor and needy . Therefore, most of the locals became his permanent customers. It was not a commercial  but mere a sustenance venture and a pastime hub of  my father. Moreover,  being a thorough gentleman and honest to the core, his customers and all the shopkeepers around respected him very much. It was not only customers but most of his acquaintances , who were of allied nature would visit his shop on daily basis for religious discussions. It also became a meeting place for most of his retired childhood  friends. Pt. Janki Nath Kaul ' Kamal ' , a renowned religious scholar , Pt.Niranjan Nath Karihaloo , director of Sericuture dept. , Pt. Kanth Ram, head master of Mission School and many more  scholars and like minded people. They  started visiting his shop almost on daily basis  . My father after attending his patients would also indulge with them in religious and literary discourses and discussions . Pt. Janki Nath Kaul ' Kamal ' has given reference of my father and crux of their discussions   in many of his religious books, which he authored later on. Whenever there were no patients and friends at his shop, he would mostly be seen  involved in reading religious  scriptures. 

Actually religious journey of my father started at very young age, when he was a bachelor and newly posted at Badgam village . He used to visit a river  near by for a bath and sandhya vandana early in the morning , when it was quite dark. One day a  great saint Sh. Nand Lal ji Mahraj, who later on became his Guru  , found him on  the stairs of river and after observing his spiritual bent of mind asked him , if  he was intrested in reading religious  scriptures, then he should visit my ashram in the evenings . My father readily accepted his offer and started visiting his ashram which was adjacent to local temple of Budgam. After sometime,  his Guru asked him to stay with him permanently in the ashram as   many other disciples of Guru Mahraj  were  living there. Then my father started living  in ashram under the  full discipline and curriculum of Ashram for many more years until his transfer. But Guru shisha legacy remained alive until the death of his Guru Mahraj. 

I had seen my father daily reciting the verses of Shrimadbagwadgita. It was not only receiting but he had become the embodiment of its virtues and personification of its ideals. He was not a millionaire but ordinary middle class person  He did philonothropy in his own way and within his means . In other way he attributed his actions and services towards the almighty . He did actions for  sustenance of himself and his family only and beyond that  he would help the needy and provided  his services free of cost to the  poor. He never involved himself in the bondage of his actions and remained absorbed  in Nishkam karma. 

Most of the patients always remained obliged to my father because of his spiritual  attitude and healing touch in his hands while treating them. 

One day a stranger visited his shop. He appeared very well to do person because of his attire and personality . He asked my father that he needed his  consultation for some ailment from which he was suffering . My father also injected him from an injection vile which he had brought with himself . When stranger wanted to pay my father for his services,  latter outrightly refused to accept the  payment. But stranger was very much particular to make his payment. Later on the stranger told my father that he has made it a point in his  life not to withhold anybody's payment or debt, because he has  learnt the lesson regarding this  from his personal experience. Then he started to narrate his experience to my father. 

On day it happened that I was visiting some village on a Tongha,  a horse driven cart. I was seated on the back seat and driver was driving the cart on a country road . The cool spring  air was full of fragrance due to the surrounding trees with blossoms . The sweet scent of blossoms  intoxicated my nerves and I had a wink of sleep. While sleeping I saw a dream that the horse , who was pulling my cart came close to me and talked to me  like any other gentleman . He told me that I owe this cart driver Rupees two  in my last janma and now I have become his slave in this janma . I want to leave this janma now as I feel very much tired of it.  if you  can  help me and repay him Rupees two with out his knowlege , I will remain obliged to you. 

Later on I recovered from my dream and picked up Rs two note from my pocket and threw it slowly on the front side of cart with out the knowledge of cart driver . In the mean time , cart driver observed the note. He asked me whether it was my note . But I shaked my head in refusal. He took the note from the deck of cart and put it into his pocket. 

Within a short span of time. I could observe the legs of Horse wavering and he instaneously fell dead  on the road. 

Now my father could not discuss any  more on this subject and accepted his payment reluctantly. 

My father could not make millions but he lived his life most satisfactorily and in peaceful manner. He was not much  ambitious person but his needs were taken care of by the Almighty quite comfortably. 

 His  legacy of goodwill, high moral character and spiritual insight is worth trillions and a matter of pride for his descendants and acquaintances.