Compassion is feeling the pain of another and taking action to alleviate the pain in some way or the other. Compassion is a divine quality. It is an overwhelming feeling where we empathize with the pain and sadness of another and wish to reduce it. Compassion flows when we have internal experience that we are all one, we are interdependent and the sorrow of one being affects all others. It is a sign of emotional maturity. It is only through compassion that we can reach within ourselves in our quest for self realization and achieve the highest goal of human existence.
Compassion or feeling the pain of others is not being sentimental. It is an experience and awareness that all creation is one. It is doing justice to all. It is showing mercy towards all. It is an out-flowing of the highest human energies and divine love from within self towards others.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – this commandment is found in all religions and all teachings. Compassion is the natural outflow of following this commandment. Compassion teaches us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. The compassion of sages and gurus take on new levels and teach us higher lessons of life as given in the story below:
A sage lived in a hut at the foothills of a mountain. He was an enlightened being who spent his time in meditation and praying for the well being of mankind. He lived a simple life. He ate the fruits and berries which grew in that area. There was plenty of water to drink from a sparkling stream which gushed down from the mountain. He had very few visitors. An occasional devotee would come and offer him some coins or food. He had very few possessions. He wore a long robe and had just one blanket to cover him for protection against the cold at night. He was very content and always in bliss. He wanted nothing; needed nothing and he was one happy sage.
Once, a thief entered his hut. The sage was sad and disturbed as he did not have anything of value for the thief to rob. After all that poor man had walked many miles to reach this hut in search of something to rob. Now he would have to go empty handed. So he offered his blanket to the thief and said: Please accept this blanket. I have nothing else to give you. You came here with some expectations and I do not wish to see you pained as there is nothing here.
The thief was confused but he over took the blanket and went off. He was fascinated by the sage who had nothing and still gave off his single possession to him. So he went to him another night. When the sage saw him, he asked him why he had come. The thief said he had come to steal again. The sage replied that just the previous day, he had a visitor who offered him a few coins. He had kept them in the corner of the single shelf of the hut. The thief could have them as he did not wish to disappoint him in any way. The thief was once again taken aback at the love, compassion and generosity of the sage. As he was about the leave, the sage said: Please offer thanks for what I just gave you. The thief blinked in amazement and offered his thanks and disappeared in the dark. He wondered why the sage asked him to offer thanks!
The thief was caught the next day and it was discovered that he had been to the hut of the sage. The sage was summoned to the court. The sage said: I know this man well. He did not steal anything from me. I gave him some coins yesterday and he thanked me and left. He is not a thief! The thief fell at the feet of the sage. He was a transformed man and later on lived a life of love and compassion like his Guru.
Compassion flows when we see the light of God within us and in all. This is possible only when we do our SitaRam Mantra japa, meditation and follow the teachings of the Guru regularly.
