SECULARISM

Yesterday, an envoy of the people
Met Caesar and asked him:
When you settled the deal that you say
You had with God
It appeared that there were only two parties involved
And we were made to think that
You were to take the responsibility
For the worldly affairs
And God over the celestial
And since we were supposed to get some autonomy
People thought that it was a generous deal
And that the authority of God in worldly affairs
Was checked, giving human beings some free rein.

In the midst, somebody heard laughter in the background
And heard Pilate murmur to himself:
“Now that chapter is closed,
What was due to Jesus,
I gave it to him
And now everything
Is perfectly within control
As clean as advaita could do
With a hatchet or a club
Eliminating the second voice
And demanding the accursed(third) share.
So Power unto Caesar!
Long live the king!”

The people’s envoy looked at him
With slight embarrassment:
“I thought I was also party
To this agreement!”

“Don’t be so naïve as to believe
Some such rubbish!
When Mahabali was killed
Vamana took away the country
And there was nothing left
To the people
Because in the deal, there was no third share.
When earlier you got things
It came from God’s share
And you should know that I have
Very little to spare.
You helped me kill Jesus
And so lost your own share
In the deal,
Because as always,
Since Osiris, the blue jackal
The world had to belong
To the King.
As for the people,
They don’t need much
And it is always good to practice austerity
And as you should be knowing
You were not party to the agreement
And as such have no
Locus standi.
Thank you!”

“And we were told that secularism
Was beneficial for mankind!
Long live the king!”
And he shook his head
And told himself:
“Oh, it is quite useful, no doubt!
As for the third share or God
Though I can’t still make out how!”