A RAG-PICKER GAVE ME A SPIRITUAL BATH

One summer evening, a heavy rain left the sky clear, the air fresh and the climate pleasant. But it failed to tidy up the dirt on the roadside. While walking through a dark corner in this roadside, I encountered a rag-picker (rag-pickers are huge in numbers in India, in almost all parts of the country); whence some liquid hit my face, arms and feet and also the non-sensible parts, my hair and clothing, which I later noticed in the light. It was from the shaking of rags, when the rag-picker sorted his wares for anything of resale value. My words that ensued till I left him were harsh, rude and scolding in nature.

In the immediate aftermath, I visualized the whole encounter and found a spiritual value behind the the dirty rags. It made me ponder: How will he think of my scolding? Has he simply ignored and forgotten it? Has he been hurt? Will he share it with his family if he has one? “God forgive me for scolding him, whether he was hurt or not”, I prayed. My thought was, “How will there be peace for the rag-pickers, O God of justice?”