The kids were playing, one warm summer evening, when their grandfather finished his evening puja (ritual worship) and started reciting his favourite shloka (Sanskrit verse):
Om Puurnnam-Adah Puurnnam-Idam Puurnnaat-Purnnam-Udacyate Puurnnasya Puurnnam-Aadaaya Puurnnam-Eva-Avashissyate Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih
Aum! that is infinite and this universe is infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite taking the infinitude of the infinite (universe) It remains as the infinite alone. Aum! Peace! Peace! Peace
The kids, a group of four cousins aged 8-15 years, liked his shloka rendition. They gathered around him to ring the bells, symbolic of the end of the prayer. It was a daily ritual they enjoyed. As he finished his rituals, the youngest of the lot, Veer, suddenly asked out of curiosity, “Grandpa, what does it mean?”
Looking at me, my father smiled. He took a chair and seated himself. His audience was too young to grasp the essence of the Shanti mantra of the Upanishads, but he did not want to let this opportunity go without impacting the young minds.
He looked at them and asked, “Okay, kids, here is an interesting puzzle for you. What is that number out of which everything is taken and still it remains the same?”
While the younger kids scratched their heads wondering at the validity of the question, fifteen-year-old Arushi shot back, “Infinity?”
This story is from the July 2021 edition of Life Positive.
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This story is from the July 2021 edition of Life Positive.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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