tried to imagine the unimaginable.
“How many tigers have you killed?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes. The tiger acted out of instinct not malice. I am sympathetic
to that poor woman but the tiger should not pay the price for their actions.
They were poachers. They shouldn’t have been here. Had those rangers caught
them, they would have shot them on sight. Besides, you’re Hindu. Aren’t you
supposed to respect all life?”
Janesh stopped and for the first time focused his full attention
on Miranda. For an instant she felt like a cobra’s cornered prey. With a
gentle sigh, he assumed the role of patient instructor. “Examining a single
letter, Dr. Logan, grants no knowledge of its alphabet. And an alphabet has no
meaning even when they form words. Not until one steps back to read sentences
and paragraphs can understanding begin.
The principle of ahimsa —non-violence—can be taken to extremes
and prohibit killing a worm or an ant. Mahatma Gandhi, its most famous
advocate, extended it even to plants. But ahimsa is folded within the greater
principle of Dharma that guides the ethical and moral behavior of all. Dharma
is all-encompassing to include the Earth, the ocean, the moon, the stars, and
the sun. The only English word which can approximate it is righteousness. It is
the essence of the universe and the spirit of the soul. To be righteous, Dharma
demands that we act appropriately. But what is appropriate for a Brahmin, a
priest, may not be appropriate for a Kshatriya, a warrior. What is appropriate
for a zoologist may not be appropriate for a hunter. Dharma guides the general
and flexes for the particular.
This
tiger seeks out humans though it is not old and infirm. It has killed seven,
three of whom you might consider innocent. Its next victim may be one of those
rangers trying to protect the tiger’s territory. It would be my great shame if
his wife or children asked me why I did not fulfill my duty, that is, act
appropriately.
Though
I am a hunter, I nonetheless honor the principle of ahimsa and treat all life
with great deference. I will hunt this tiger and it will have a fair chance to
hunt me. In doing so, we will both bow to Dharma.
I
will help you and Professor Akiyama. Go back to your hotel and await me there.
In a few days you can fill me in on this creature of yours.” His eyes twinkled
and a grin grew. “Unless of course, the tiger has other plans.”
Miranda
stood rooted, at a loss for what more to say. His right hand grasped the spear.
“Come.” Blade forward, he walked the dogs to the half-eaten girl. Tails wagging
furiously, the two sniffed torn clothing and surrounding prints. “Hunt.” The
dogs broke to his flanks and raced for the trees. Janesh strode toward the
forest’s edge. Miranda watched the modern-day primitive with a mixture of awe
and wonder. With no conscious forethought, she called out to him. “What are
you, some kind of Tarzan?”
Janesh
took two more steps then stopped, head turned over his shoulder. “Dr. Logan.
Apes did not raise me.” He continued forward. A few strides more and the woods
swallowed the Lord of Men.
CHAPTER
8 Greystoke
A
half-mile into the dense forest, Janesh bent on one knee. He had to gather
himself. Miranda Logan had shaken him to the core. An ethereal beauty combined
with raw sensuality made her difficult to ignore—and he’d tried. From the
moment she’d entered the clearing he’d matched her red hair to the woman his
neighbors said searched for him. He’d busied himself in aimless shuffling to
forestall the emotional tsunami threatening to engulf his being.
Not
since Cambridge had a woman affected him so. That one had ignited an inferno
within a young man unprepared for her casual dismissal. Crushed and discarded,
he’d spent lonely years with a crippled heart he’d learned to ignore. And now
this one had reached into his soul. He had to enter it and cool the embers long
since doused. He needed to focus. Its
“How many tigers have you killed?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes. The tiger acted out of instinct not malice. I am sympathetic
to that poor woman but the tiger should not pay the price for their actions.
They were poachers. They shouldn’t have been here. Had those rangers caught
them, they would have shot them on sight. Besides, you’re Hindu. Aren’t you
supposed to respect all life?”
Janesh stopped and for the first time focused his full attention
on Miranda. For an instant she felt like a cobra’s cornered prey. With a
gentle sigh, he assumed the role of patient instructor. “Examining a single
letter, Dr. Logan, grants no knowledge of its alphabet. And an alphabet has no
meaning even when they form words. Not until one steps back to read sentences
and paragraphs can understanding begin.
The principle of ahimsa —non-violence—can be taken to extremes
and prohibit killing a worm or an ant. Mahatma Gandhi, its most famous
advocate, extended it even to plants. But ahimsa is folded within the greater
principle of Dharma that guides the ethical and moral behavior of all. Dharma
is all-encompassing to include the Earth, the ocean, the moon, the stars, and
the sun. The only English word which can approximate it is righteousness. It is
the essence of the universe and the spirit of the soul. To be righteous, Dharma
demands that we act appropriately. But what is appropriate for a Brahmin, a
priest, may not be appropriate for a Kshatriya, a warrior. What is appropriate
for a zoologist may not be appropriate for a hunter. Dharma guides the general
and flexes for the particular.
This
tiger seeks out humans though it is not old and infirm. It has killed seven,
three of whom you might consider innocent. Its next victim may be one of those
rangers trying to protect the tiger’s territory. It would be my great shame if
his wife or children asked me why I did not fulfill my duty, that is, act
appropriately.
Though
I am a hunter, I nonetheless honor the principle of ahimsa and treat all life
with great deference. I will hunt this tiger and it will have a fair chance to
hunt me. In doing so, we will both bow to Dharma.
I
will help you and Professor Akiyama. Go back to your hotel and await me there.
In a few days you can fill me in on this creature of yours.” His eyes twinkled
and a grin grew. “Unless of course, the tiger has other plans.”
Miranda
stood rooted, at a loss for what more to say. His right hand grasped the spear.
“Come.” Blade forward, he walked the dogs to the half-eaten girl. Tails wagging
furiously, the two sniffed torn clothing and surrounding prints. “Hunt.” The
dogs broke to his flanks and raced for the trees. Janesh strode toward the
forest’s edge. Miranda watched the modern-day primitive with a mixture of awe
and wonder. With no conscious forethought, she called out to him. “What are
you, some kind of Tarzan?”
Janesh
took two more steps then stopped, head turned over his shoulder. “Dr. Logan.
Apes did not raise me.” He continued forward. A few strides more and the woods
swallowed the Lord of Men.
CHAPTER
8 Greystoke
A
half-mile into the dense forest, Janesh bent on one knee. He had to gather
himself. Miranda Logan had shaken him to the core. An ethereal beauty combined
with raw sensuality made her difficult to ignore—and he’d tried. From the
moment she’d entered the clearing he’d matched her red hair to the woman his
neighbors said searched for him. He’d busied himself in aimless shuffling to
forestall the emotional tsunami threatening to engulf his being.
Not
since Cambridge had a woman affected him so. That one had ignited an inferno
within a young man unprepared for her casual dismissal. Crushed and discarded,
he’d spent lonely years with a crippled heart he’d learned to ignore. And now
this one had reached into his soul. He had to enter it and cool the embers long
since doused. He needed to focus. Its
Similar Books
