An episode of a loin cloth

An episode of a loin cloth
P K Routray

At the outset I seek the readers’ pardon,
for a story in a poem form with long dimension
this poem has two agenda behind it
one is significance of detachment and the other is Indian saints’ austerity.
If the length of a poem robs poetic charm,
how does so much appreciations great epics with immeasurable length claim?
Saints in India have the barest things of their own,
as detachment and endurance are their true true reflection
In a monastery there lived two saints,
one master and the other as his disciple with no other acquaintances.
They begged and lived on alms offered to them by the villagers
they had meditation and monastic practices as per the scriptures,
Once the master proceeded for higher penance and austerity,
leaving the hermitage to the disciple alone to pursue the monastic duty
They had the least of the materials for the physical survival as a purpose sole,
two ochre robes two waist clothes two coocking pots and one begging bowl.
In the absence of the master, the disciple continued his spiritual practice,
lived with alms begged from the villages on daily basis
once one of the two waist clothes was eaten up by mice,
on begging he got a piece of cloth and his need it did suffice,
Again on the next day the waist cloth was found eaten by the mice,
to keep a cat to drive away the rats came many an advice.
He kept the cat and drove away the mice,
He had to then beg more to feed the cat with milk and rice,
An advice came to keep a cow for milk,
for the cat and for him to drink.
He also got a cow from a rich and pious as a gift,
as the villagers were sure with such deeds their afterlife would get a heavenly lift.
For cow he has to have a shed to stay,
for looking after both cat and cow he has to shorten his monastic time as there was no other way.
A tempting advice and offer came to him to marry,
So that his wife would attend these jobs, he could pursue his monastic practice without worry.
He found that he had so many to maintain and feed,
hence to his wife’s advice to purchase land and to cultivate he had to heed.
His worldly need multiplied and greed took over,
From the mere need of a waist cloth for his bare body to cover,
he became opulent father and powerful master dear.
He needed status and society for him and them,
he threw his ochre robes and put on suit and boot to hide the shame.
After twelve years the master came back,
and at this change he was taken aback.
A journey from waist cloth to material prosperity,
was enticed by lust and greed and vanity.
The master felt guilty of His failure in his teachings to his disciple,
and was ashamed at his greed, lust and attachment against the scriptural principle.
Need for a bare loin cloth grew to attachment, greed,
It is better to kill each devil inside man from its seed