नरेश मेहता की कविताएं
By नरेश मेहता
Summary
The text presents a poetic dialogue centered on a beggar who arrives at a door on the day of Ekadashi, a significant Hindu fasting day. The beggar is addressed as a "monk of time," and the householder questions his origins, lineage, and purpose. The beggar refuses offerings of food, money, and fruit, insisting instead that the householder "give yourself" as a gift. This request perplexes the householder, who observes that the beggar seems great in his renunciation. The beggar departs, and the householder reflects on youth as another beggar that comes like a tithi (lunar day) and asks for one's self. The poem then shifts to a deeper philosophical inquiry, addressing a "lord of penance." The speaker questions whether to ask for the lord or for his suffering, pondering the idea that a person's suffering is greater than the person themselves. The speaker wonders if the lord's creation is greater than the lord, given the multitude of insignificant beings like the speaker. The text questions whether these beings are merely suffering and will remain so, and whether one must therefore ask for suffering itself and perform penance to attain it. The poem concludes by questioning what the lord would have to do in response to this profound dilemma. The text is from Jain Bharati, July 2003, and explores themes of renunciation, suffering, and the nature of self-giving.
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Conclusion
The poem's layered questioning of begging, giving, and spiritual worth suggests that true fulfillment lies not in material exchange but in self-confrontation. The repeated encounters with the "beggar of time" force the speaker to recognize that the ultimate gift is not food or coin, but the courage to offer oneself—flaws, suffering, and all. This implies that outcomes depend on moving beyond transactional charity toward an inner reckoning where one's own pain becomes the offering. The document ultimately challenges the reader to consider whether suffering itself is the only currency worthy of divine attention, and whether the act of begging is actually a mirror reflecting our own reluctance to give of ourselves fully.