Editor Aparigraha Jain
Editor Carla Geerdes
During our stay in Ladnun, we had the occasion to talk with Samani Mangal Pragya.
On a sunny afternoon we met her in the room she was sharing with four more Samanijis. When I wondered, how the small room can offer enough space for five people, she said,
"I will use less and less things.
I am very happy to be able to lead a life where such thoughts can be realised without disturbing any family life. I want to be free in the sense that I do not want to be burdened by things. When we concentrate too much on them, they hinder us to realise our mutual dependance opening out in cooperation, which is an integral part of our social nature.
Satishkumar, a scholarly lay follower living in London, says in his declaration on mutual dependance 'You are, therefore I am'. So what is the purpose of life? Bodily concentrated people are too much related, we have to cross the body level."
While we were talking, a lady and a little boy entered the room. The lady was respectfully bowing down to Samani Mangal Pragya, the little boy did the same and salutated us.
He aproached her to touch her feet, when the lady told him some words in her language like, 'Stop please, you should not do' and tenderly pulled him away by his arm.
He then sat down in a very well behaving way and looked at us with big questioning eyes. Samani Mangal Pragya explained him who we are, and then said surprisingly, "In wordly terms one would say that this is my nephew, and the lady on your right is my mother." We would never have guessed this! Samani Mangal Pragya was as detached and open minded as we knew her, no sign of difference in her conduct towards us and her, in worldly terms, mother and nephew. There was so much tenderness, understanding and kindness towards all of us.
This was an impressing lesson on the relativity of relations and how all of us may hopefully be able to configurate relations to each other.
