One day as I was strolling by the shore of the Ganga at night I beheld a group of monks practicing some sort of work.They were working out an intricate piece of red thread, and producing a pattern which at once impressed my eye.Curiosity prevailed over me -I desired to get nearer and know what they were about.But there was something like an invisible line drawn by the thread, and I unconsciously restrained myself.My guru had just taken my hand, just as I was going to cross or break through the thread.
My Aghori guru is a former army officer with an outstanding background.He had finished his M.Tech in and PhD in Electronics and Communication before adopting the Aghori tradition in which he infused strong spiritual insight with scientific knowledge.His rigorous attitude is a surprise most of the time and that night was not an exception.
When I took the thread in my hand he gave me a slight shock, not an electric shock, but a solid, grounding one, and he said, Don’t ever pull a fence down before you know the reason why it was put up.Presently a stranger, a neighbouring sadak, who was passing by, caught us talking.He smiled this time at my guru, and the two had a short yet strong moment of eye contact.They not only did not talk but only came to terms with their presence and passed over.I was confused and my mind was still mixed up with questions of the complicated formation and its sense.
When I inquired my guru about it he smiled and said that he would tell me later when the time was right and I would be ready to comprehend.I was interested in that forbearance, and admired it.With time I got to know the importance of that red thread and how wise such boundaries are.What I initially found perplexing and limiting came out later to be something more important to me, that is, about respect, preparedness, and the repercussions of rushing in to anything without understanding what is involved.In hindsight, I understand that most of the things which we are warned not to break or cross are usually the ones that we end up not getting hurt by when we cannot even guess at the moment.
I still remembered the words of my guru: wisdom is in its timing, and you have to wait until the time when you are really ready to understand.