Kab Tak

Kab Tak.

This is just a story that I recalled yesterday when I was talking to Reyan about how life should be seen, and I was told not to fill his thoughts with these views. The story goes like this-

There was an Ascetic who took a pilgrimage every year, and as no transportation was available, it was always on foot. There were several villages where he used to halt at night, and then he visited a village. There he usually used to stay with this one person and when this year he visited, he found that his regular host had left the village and moved to another place. With no place to live, he was wondering who he could ask to be his host when he was told the name of Zibran.

Zibran was a person who was not that well off but was spiritual. He was unmarried and there was not much at his disposal but the love, care, and respect he had was something unusual. When this Ascetic met him, Zibran paid his respect and took him to his hut.

The night passed on OK, and in the morning, when it was time for the Ascetic to leave, Zibran fed him and also packed some to for the trip. While the Ascetic was going, he told Zibran, may God give you all that you want to which Zibran replied,” Kab tak, ye bhi kab tak.” And the Ascetic was out of words.

The year passed, and the Ascetic again reached the village on his way to a pilgrimage, and to stay with Zibran, who was now married and was tilling his land. The Ascetic told him, “See, God gave you life, wife, and ground to work on.” At night they had a lot of spiritual discussions, and in the morning, the wife packed him food and fed the Ascetic to his heart’s content. Again the Ascetic praised the lord and told Zibran that he would be more successful, to which Zibran said,” Woh bhi kab tak.”

Next year when the Ascetic came to the village and enquired about Zibran, people told him that he stuck a fortune in his land and found gold; today, he is the wealthiest person in the village and lives in the most significant home with his family. When the Ascetic reached his new home, he found that Zibran had all the luxuries of life and enjoyed his life to the fullest. He paid the due respect to the ascetic as always and fed him, had discussion at night, and when he was leaving, he said, “See, Zibran God has given you all that you need. You must be content, to which Zibran again said “Ye bhi kab tak.”

Years later, when the Ascetic visited Zibran, he found that thieves killed him and his family, and all his wealth was stolen. The Ascetic was wonder stuck and went to Zibran and his family’s grave. He wept for the loss of a dear friend, and to his surprise, he found something written of the grace of Zibran, “Yahan bhi Kab tak.” He was mad at the line and tried to understand but could not. He followed his routine, and after a few years, a massive earthquake hit Zibran’s village and all was ransacked. On his visit to the Pilgrimage, the Ascetic was surprised to know that the whole village has vanished and a new setup was coming up to which he remembered the words on his friend’s grave, “yahan bhi Kab tak.”

The moral of the story is that we can’t take anything with us that can be our wealth, family, or friends and we don’t know what will hamper us; we fight and cry for all these things in life.

To cut short, nothing is permanent, and life will not be the same as we can’t wash hands twice in the same running water. The water we washed once has moved on. In the same way life is not going to stop for you, so enjoy the moment and live in the present.