A haunting mini-opera where a lost wanderer encounters Green Tara (Buddhist goddess of compassion, tear drop of Avalokiteshvara) in a cold desert and receives devastating truths instead of comfort.
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The man was tired of walking for long in the cold desert. The sand was almost silver and stung his feet with the chill from last night. An equally tired, grey sun failed to warm the grains of sand. And then, when he had almost lost hope, Green Tara suddenly appeared out of thin air.
The man fell to his knees, joined his hands in supplication, and addressed the goddess:
‘O Green Tara, the tear drop of Avalokiteshvara,
have mercy on me, for I have sought you for long
You are the goddess of all those who are lost,
and I have lost myself, correct me if I am wrong’
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The Goddess watched the man with pity. She knew him well. He was the child of sorrow and had been miserable all through his pathetic life. In fact, why the man was still alive, was what worried Green Tara.
She contemplated the wretched creature huddled at her feet for some time, and then decided to tell him the truth:
‘Yes, you are lost indeed, that I can see,
lost forever, a child of sorrow and pain
You have been cursed by the gods,
cursed when you were born in the times of rain’
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The man turned his teary eyes to the goddess and asked:
‘But why me? Why was I cursed by the gods?
Isn’t it unfair? To be gifted with all the odds?’
Green Tara thought some more and then answered:
‘Whom do you belong to,
and whom do you possess?
Whom do you beg and cry to,
when you are in a dire mess?
You are a man from nowhere,
with no principles or morals
No good deeds in your bag,
and to your name, no laurels
Whom do you seek for solace,
and from whom do you beg forgiveness?
Whom do you choose to walk along,
when you are grieving and in distress?
You are a man with no certain future,
with no notable past or a worthy present
No real and lofty victories to boast of,
and a million regrets to resent
Whom do you love without conditions,
and whom do you serve selfless?
Whom do you hate with a vengeance,
when you feel the drive to aggress?
You are a man with no attachments,
with no relief and comfort in sight
No real gains to be happy about,
and what awaits you is only plight
Whom do you see as your companion,
and whom do you look for love?
Whom do you expect not to judge you,
when you are low in sin and not above?
You are a man who cannot be loved,
with no pure virtues or real talents
No sincere affections to be proud of,
and when mistreated, no one repents
You are just an anomaly in the system,
something to be removed and corrected
You are the broken gear in the machine,
something to be trashed and rejected
You are the one true monstrosity,
and carry the heaviest burden of guilt
You are the grandest absurdity,
cheap wine, to be mocked and spilt
What makes you happy and what makes you sad?
These are questions you know the answers to
Happiness will come and sadness will go,
you know these two will never come true
You are the one who is eternally lost,
between what should be and what can be
You are the one who is forever damned,
for wanting something that can never be’
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The man was dejected. He kept on crying for a while, and then, when his tears dried up, he raised his head and asked Green Tara:
‘What will become of me O Green Tara?
May I expect a salvation or perhaps a respite?
Or is it my destiny to be a lost wanderer,
a man without soul, or maybe a dark knight?’
Green Tara looked at him with pity in her lovely eyes.
Shehryar khawar 