Empathy I Feel You

Having empathy is one of the highest hallmarks of attaining human hood. The world is desperately in need of more compassion and greater empathy, yet we often find ourselves struggling with this emotion. Shivi Verma and Shilpa Shah explore the contours of this sacred virtue and how best to remove the obstructions that come in the way of its natural expression.

- Shivi Verma and Shilpa Shah

The Hindi word ‘karuna’ has no equivalent in English, and yet it means a kind of empathy which is full of emotion; making one feel, understand, and identify with someone else’s pain. Without empathy, the world would become an inhabitable place. Moved by empathy, people often make the highest of sacrifices, if such an act could remove the other’s pain. Many spiritual anecdotes exemplify how seekers were tested on this crucial parameter, before being granted their wish by the Divine.

In the sacred Kanwar Hindu tradition of India, devotees collect Gangajal (water from the holy Ganges) and offer it as Abhishekam on the Shivling, in Rameshwaram (a holy place in South India), during the auspicious Hindu month of Shravan. During one such pilgrimage, Sant (saint) Eknath of Maharashtra filled two pots filled with Gangajal in Varanasi and carried them slung across his shoulders to offer them to Lord Shiva at Rameshwaram. On the way, Sant Eknath, along with his fellow pilgrims who were also carrying pots filled with holy water, had to cross huge mountains, rivers, jungles, and several obstacles to reach their final destination. Being peak summertime, the scorching heat from the sun was unbearable.

Yet, without uttering a word of complaint, he continued on the journey with complete faith and love for the Divine in his heart.