The Voice of a Tree
'Sarvam
Brahman' is an ancient truth. If that is so, evil too is Brahman. That question remains
unanswered. Answering that question philosophically and expressing that knowledge
successfully in life will be a new phase on earth. It implies that inanimate matter
too is Brahman. The Upanishads speak of Him who is awake in all those who are asleep.
Before discovering Brahman in the stone, we can do so in the plants.
Spiritually realised people know inside what to do next. Some hear the inner voice.
Children have their divine spark unstifled or unconditioned. Realised people see children
speaking out what they hear from inside.
We see a tree as tree, not as Brahman. Is it possible to see the tree as Brahman?
As there is a process of taking the gold out of the oar which we call extraction, there
is a process to discover the Brahman in every animate as well as inanimate object. From
outside we discover the Brahman. From inside the Brahman reveals under certain conditions.
Cashew was a jungle produce and still remains so in many places. Cashew plantations
are raised on wastelands, not on cultivable lands. Cashew gardens are generally neglected
except during the season when the produce is collected. Someone discovered by a sustained
study that there is great profit in cashew if it is well tended. Ploughing, manuring, and
watering cashew was unheard of in the annals of agriculture. To the trees themselves,
it is ATTENTION never dreamt of. In the realm of
psychology one can boldly declare, "Nothing succeeds like attention". Foresters
know this phenomenon. In forest life the life of the forester is intimately intertwined
with that of the trees he has planted. His death will be symoblised by certain trees
closely associated with him.
On top of the Caper Hills cashew gardens received such attention in the sixties.
The manager of the garden heard his name shouted one day while he was walking through the
trees. The voice was distinct. He was startled but walked on ignoring it. The voice
repeated itself. He stopped and walked towards the voice. A particular tree had NOT been manured while all the others were
manured. He understood the call of the tree and arranged to manure it at once.
Attention is spiritual. It evokes a response from the life of plants. Inner
realisation of Brahman and intense relation with objects evoke a response from the Brahman
in the objects.