Life itself is a Miracle

Once someone approached a disciple of the Muslim mystic Bahauddin Naqshband and said, " Tell me why your Master conceals his miracles. I've personally collected data that shows beyond any doubt that he's been present in more than one place at a time; that he healed people by the power of his prayers but tells them it was the work of nature; that he played people in their troubles and then attributes it to their good luck. Why does he do this? " I know exactly what you are talking about," said the disciple, " for I've observed these things myself. And I think I can give you the answer to your question.

 First, the Master recoils from being the centre of attention. And secondly, he is convinced that once people develop an interest in the miraculous, they've no desire to learn anything of true spiritual value. " Faith, I mean true faith, is never miracle-based. That one requires miracles to believe, shows the fundamental weakness of belief and dilapidation of faith. Miracle is sorcery. It's a sleight of hand and exploitation of collective gullibility. Once Vivekananda saw a hath yogi walk on water as if he was walking on a surface, he asked him where did he learn this 'great art', ' a never before miracle.' That man proudly replied that he spent 24 years of austerity and learnt how to walk on water from a sanyasi in the Himalayas. ' Sad, very sad', said Vivekananda.' ' You and your guru wasted two decades for imparting and learning a mere magical trick. You could have utilised these years to uplift the lives of poor. That would have been the greatest miracle, because untiring service of mankind is no less a miracle. Moreover, by learning how to walk on water, you just inflated your ego and wasted your life on earth and this has helped no one.' Those who are firm in faith, never believe in miracles. And those who are truly enlightened, never resort to miracles to attract their followers. Human life itself is the greatest miracle. No other so-called miracles can eclipse it. And every golden morning is nature's own way to mesmerise us with a miracle. Seeing an infant's guileless and angelic face is a miracle.

Hearing someone's unaffected and hearty laughter is a miracle because in this age of universal gloominess and deep-rooted sorrows, a consummate laughter is an unexpected phenomenon. It's a miracle. To quote poet Idris Lakhnavi, 'Is daur mein tere chehre pe hansi/Hansne waale tu kahin farishta toh nahin?' (There's a streak of smile on your lips in such difficult times/Man tell me, are you an angel?' Despite so much bloodshed, so many wars, conflicts, skirmishes and so much violence, man has not lost his inherent goodness and faith in mankind and our audacious optimism that a day will come when there will be no differences, no distinctions and no discrimination among men and no boundaries among nations.

However Utopian all this may sound and seem, is it not a great miracle? To have an unwavering faith in anything and in any idea is a faith of the most sublime form. Motivation Guru Shiv Khera always says, 'Vishwas khud ek chamtakaar hai' (Faith itself is a miracle). What else is required to be qualified as a miracle when miracles are scattered around aplenty? We require miracles, when we lose faith in ourselves and in our universal goodness. Remember the words of the modern American sage Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'Look deeper. The whole world and your own life will appear as the greatest miracles.'  

                                                                    ----Sumit Paul