Throw a Stone in a Pond, the Universe Isn't Quite the Same as Before

India's divine scriptures, the Upanishads, include this verse: "The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard."

Salvation, in my experience, means finding a way to save oneself from the superficial, empty, mindless chasing of that illusion called happiness. Yes, happiness found outside ourselves is an illusive illusion. Only inner joy feeds us and keeps us sane, saves us.

The late British author W. Somerset Maugham wrote The Razor's Edge. Larry, one of the main characters, is a seeker of truth, who travels to India in the 1930s. Enlightened through his Indian adventure, Larry decides to return to the USA and live a life, "with calmness, forbearance, compassion, selflessness and continence."

Another character questions Larry, "But can you for a moment imagine that you, one man, can have any effect on such a restless, busy, lawless, intensely individualistic people as the people of America? You might as well try to hold back the waters of the Mississippi with your bare hands."

Larry answers, "I can try. It was one man who invented the wheel. It was one man who discovered the law of gravitation. Nothing happens without effect. If you throw a stone in a pond the universe isn't quite the same as it was before. It's a mistake to think that those holy men of India lead useless lives. They are a shining light in the darkness. The represent an ideal that is a refreshment to their fellows; the common run may never attain it, but they respect it and it affects their lives for good. When a man becomes pure and perfect the influence of his character spreads so that they who seek truth are naturally drawn to him. It may be that if I lead the life I've planned for myself it may affect others; the effect may be no greater than the ripple caused by the stone thrown in the pond, but one ripple causes another, and that one a third; it's just possible that a few people will see that my way of life offers happiness and peace, and that they in their turn will teach what they have learnt to others."

(Snapped this photo yesterday in the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens in southern Bangalore. The gardens were created in 1760 by Hyder Ali.)