𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 — 𝘼 𝙒𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚

I had the supreme blessing of living with some extraordinary souls during my spiritual journey—souls who were embodiments of wisdom, and more importantly, souls who lived that wisdom. One such soul was Dadi Nirmal Shanta, the daughter of Dada Lekhraj, lovingly known as Brahma Baba. It was during my marketing career, when I was posted in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1985–86.

Dadi once shared a profoundly touching incident with me. She used to drive Brahma Baba. One day, while they were about to leave, Brahma Baba noticed a volunteer standing barefoot—without chappals. He gently asked Dadi to give him a pair. Dadi replied, “I will give to him when we return.” Brahma Baba paused and said, “Will you allow him to remain without chappals until we come back?” In that moment, he helped her realise something timeless: being busy never gives us the right to let another human being wait in discomfort. Compassion cannot wait.

It appears simple. Yet for me, it is an extraordinary expression of sensitivity and limitless compassion. What is the value of great meditations if the heart does not soften? What is the use of spiritual knowledge if it does not translate into care, awareness, and empathy in everyday moments? True spirituality reveals itself in small acts of kindness, lived here and now. That, for me, is the essence of the spiritual path.

And yet, at times, I wonder how easily insensitivity can creep into our lives. When people are made to ask for what is rightfully theirs, it becomes painful and humiliating. What was once taught as “Ask, and it shall be given” slowly turns into “Shout, and it shall be given.”

Let us make spirituality not an activity, but a way of life.