The Arrow in the Quiver… and the Word on the Tongue

An arrow in the quiver, once released, always finds its mark.

But words… ah, words are different.

They too can pierce,

but they can also heal.

An arrow never returns to the bow.

A word, once uttered, never returns to the lips.

It strikes the heart —

sometimes like a wound,

sometimes like a balm.

Spoken with thought, words become bridges,

holding relationships together.

Spoken in haste, in anger, or in prejudice,

they leave scars that time struggles to mend.

*Why does this happen?*

Because we live in an age of hurry.

Life runs fast, breathless,competitive

We do not pause, we do not listen.

A message arrives — reply at once.

Someone speaks — react instantly.

A headline flashes — rush to declare an opinion.

And so, quick reactions become second nature.

But an opinion given without understanding,

a reaction without reflection —

is not only wrong,

it is dangerous.

Dangerous to trust, to bonds, to love itself.

*A Story that Speaks Without Preaching*

A boy meets with an accident.

His father rushes him to the hospital.

No doctors. Few staff.

Fear and anger mingle in his chest.

He shouts:

“Doctors are careless! Such a big hospital and not a single responsible soul!”

The nurse makes a call.

Soon a doctor arrives.

Not a word, no explanations —

only steady hands working.

The surgery succeeds. The boy lives.

The doctor slips away, silent as he came.

Still fuming, the father mutters:

“What arrogance! No time even for courtesy.”

Tears well up in the nurse’s eyes.

Her voice trembles:

“Sir… yesterday’s blast took the doctor’s only son.

When you arrived, he had gone to lay his boy to rest.

Leaving the funeral unfinished, he came here to save your son.

Now he has gone back… to complete what no parent should ever face.”

Silence falls heavy.

The father lowers his head, ashamed.

But what use now?

The words had flown.

And words, like arrows, never return.

*Opinions and Prejudices*

Differences of opinion are natural.

Each heart has its own rhythm,

each mind its own lens of experience.

So differing opinions are not the problem.

The danger begins when prejudice paints those opinions.

Prejudice makes them poisonous.

Then words are no longer thoughts,

but judgments thrust upon others.

And slowly, differences of opinion

harden into divisions of heart.

A division of hearts is distance —

distance carved by words.

For arrows once loosed, and words once spoken,

never return.

*When Silence Boils Over*

Sometimes we wonder,

why does a small spark set off such a storm in someone?

Why so much fury for such a trivial matter?

But often it is not the anger of the moment.

It is the eruption of emotions long suppressed.

What should have been said remained unsaid.

What conversations should have happened never came.

Feelings sat, waiting, simmering.

Until one day, at the tiniest trigger,

they burst forth —

like boiling water spilling when the lid is lifted.

If spoken in time, words need not wound.

They can mend, they can heal.

But buried silence often leaves deeper scars than speech.

*Right and Worthiness*

Yes, each of us has the right to opinion.

The Constitution itself guarantees it.

But along with rights comes responsibility.

And so a question arises:

We may have the right to opinion,

but are we truly worthy of it?

Worthiness comes when:

• we understand before we speak,

• we set aside prejudice,

• we grasp reality as it is,

• and we sense the weight our words may carry.

A right is power.

Worthiness is purity.

When power and purity meet,

opinion becomes wisdom.

An old saying goes:

*A body wounded by an arrow may heal again.*

*But a man wounded by words may never recover.*

The Mahabharata’s Shanti Parva whispers the same:

*Speak the truth — but not in a hurtful way*

*Speak the truth — but speak it gently.*

In short: use words with restraint.

*The Careful One Lives Happily*

Sadguru Shri Wamanrao Pai would often remind us:

*The careful one is the happy one.*

*Carefulness is true wisdom.*

If we are mindful at the moment of utterance,

words will not wound.

Instead, they will join hearts,

heal hurts,

and strengthen bonds.

*A Mirror for Ourselves*

So let each of us ask —

* Do I understand reality before I react?

* Do my differences remain differences of opinion,

* or do they grow into divisions of heart?

* Do I use my right with responsibility?

* And above all —

am I worthy of the opinion I so quickly express?

Words are arrows — they can pierce.

But words are also medicine — they can mend.

An arrow always wounds…

But words —

they wound, or they heal.

Therefore:

He who is careful at the moment of utterance,

is the one who walks in happiness.

A reflection in the search for happiness:

*Jayant Joshi*