Tag: Story

The Art of Service

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Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said,

” When you have come to this world, do something good that benefits everybody. Do not stay entangled in thinking only what you will get. There is nothing for you to take away from this world. There is nothing to take away from here. You have come to give. You have come here to do something beneficial for everybody. And you should all get together in doing service.”

As I reflected over this profound wisdom today, I got to thinking whether there were any guidelines for doing service. I went through some books looking for this and found this story that my grandfather had written about service.
Riverside

Maharishi Mandavya was a great scholar in ancient times and had many disciples. One day, two of his disciples went from his ashram to the nearby riverside to gather flowers and fruits. While doing so, they observed a big scorpion slowly crawling along the riverbank.

One of the disciples cautioned the other, “Please keep away from the poisonous creature, as per the advice of our Master, to keep aloof from evil people and things.”

In the meantime, the scorpion slipped from the bank, fell into the river and was struggling for life. Upon seeing this, the second disciple immediately bent down, lifted the struggling creature with his hand and placed it upon the shore. While doing so, he was stung by the scorpion, causing him much pain.

The first disciple, on seeing the suffering of his friend, rebuked him and said, “You have ignored the teachings of our Master, and hence are in pain.”

“No,” said the other fellow, “I was only following the teachings of our Master, and how can they be wrong?”

While debating about the teachings of the Master, and its effects, the unfortunate scorpion again slipped and fell into the water, prompting the second disciple to lift it again from the water. In this process, he was once again stung by the poisonous creature.

Though he was in pain, the second disciple explained, “Our Master has taught us not to forsake our helping nature, but serve everyone, even though others might not appreciate or reciprocate it. While it is the scorpion’s nature to sting, it is my nature to help and save the scorpion.”

“But our Master has also taught us to keep away from evil people and rings, to protect and preserve our own safety. You have violated it and hence you are suffering.”

As they were unable to solve the apparent contradictions in the Master’s teachings, they both went back to him and explained their misgivings.

Maharishi Mandavya heard them with a smile and calmly said, “Both of you are partially right and partially wrong in understanding my words. There is no contradiction in them.”

“When I taught you to keep aloof from bad people and things, it was to save you from pollution through contact with evil. Any sensible person will do the same, unless he is strong and confident of reforming the evil doer.”

“When I taught you not to forsake your helping attitude, it was only to strengthen your basic human nature to serve. You should be like a true doctor who does not distinguish between friend and foe in relieving or reducing pain.”

“In the present case, the second disciple should have combined both the teachings of aloofness and service. It was his duty to save a struggling creature, but he could have used a stick to lift the scorpion and not his bare hands. By such action, he would have saved the poisonous creature’s life, and also saved himself from its sting.”

“But what to do if the bad thing is big and strong?” asked another disciple. “Then,” said the Master, “your first duty is self-preservation, as the instinct of survival is a basic fact of Life. Once safe, you can try to immobilize it, using the powers at your disposal,”

This interesting tale reveals how we could help others, without hurting ourself, using some guidelines for service as enumerated by our ancient Masters. This story was adapted from Tales for the Young and Old, by Acharya Ratnananda.

From the Ramayana: A Secret Meeting

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– By Acharya Ratnananda

 

“Oh! My sweet son Ramachandra, please pardon me for my cruelty in banishing you to the forest,” pleaded Queen Kaikeyi, with tears in her eyes when she met him alone in his hermitage in the forest of Chitrakoota.

Prince Bharata had come to the forest with his entire retinue to persuade Sri Rama to return to Ayodhya and resume Kingship. Bharata’s mother Kaikeyi also followed him to explain to Sri Rama, the real reasons for her seemingly sinful actions.

“Dear Queen mother Kaikeyi”, said Sri Rama, “I know that you love me more than your own son, and so there is no need for you to seek forgiveness from me.”

“Oh my son! I definitely did not want you to go to the forest. But it was the Divine mother Sharada, who appeared before me and appealed to me to grant her the boon to help in sending you to the jungle. To my surprise the Divinity explained the real purpose of your birth and who you are. Then I could not deny her request.”

“I am aware of it mother”, said the smiling prince. “Devi Sharada came to you as per my wish. You had the rare privilege as a human being to grant a boon to a divine being. It has never happened anywhere and at any other time.”

“But why was I chosen for this painful assignment and worse still, why was I prevented from sharing the real reasons behind my demands by Divine mother Sharada,” wept the mother of Bharata.

“My dear mother, you were chosen only because King Dasharatha had granted you two boons and he was bound to honor them. He could not refuse when you asked for the fulfillment of your wishes. He would never have agreed to send me to the forest, if the request had come from any other person. Secondly, your revealing the real reasons, either to my father, or to your son, would have completely messed up the whole plan! Hence, Devi Sharada obtained your consent for silence,” explained Sri Rama.

“By ensuring my silence, the Divine Mother made me a scapegoat and forced me to face the hatred of the entire community. Is this fair and proper?” wept the noble lady.

“I realize your pain. But you are also aware that according to our scriptures, an individual, if necessary, has to sacrifice his or her well-being for the welfare of the community at large. Besides, you have also helped the demon king Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna”, replied Sri Rama.

“But how can it benefit the Demon king, whom you are going to kill anyway. Besides, is it not wrong to help and benefit an evil person?” queried the confused Kaikeyi.

“You are right in a way. But you are not aware that Ravana and his brother are not essentially evil, but are under a curse. In fact, they are my dear devotees, Jaya and Vijaya. I have taken this birth, not only to rid the world of the evildoers, but also to relieve them of their curse and reclaim them to my fold. Hence, please go back to Ayodhya in peace, and think of me. I shall be with you soon”, consoled the man of God who walked the Earth.

This beautiful and rare incident is detailed in “Veda Vyasa Ramayana”, and is not found in any other story of Sri Rama.

In fact, “Veda Vyasa Ramayan” is almost an autobiography of Sri Rama, as it was said to be narrated by Lord Narayana himself, to his beloved sister Devi Parvathi, and later documented by Maharishi Vyasa.

When the Master Laughed

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Maharishi Matanga was an enlightened sage who was respected across many kingdoms. He traveled extensively along with his disciples, and they had the benefit of learning about various cultures. Most of the time, and most of the people came to see the Sage with bundles of woes and worries. The Sage would listen to their concerns, and bless them in silence.

Once, during their stay at a prosperous town, the local chieftain came to see the sage with pomp and fanfare. A large retinue of fawning officials and followers accompanied the chieftain. The proud chieftain began to explain his exploits with much gusto. He claimed that he was so powerful, that he could protect everyone and control everyone in his province.
As he continued gloating about his invincibility, the Sage simply laughed. This greatly upset the fellow. When the chieftain queried as to why the Master laughed, the reply he got was more laughter. Feeling quite insulted, he left in a huff.
Several days later, the Sage and his disciples were passing by another town. The Sage was visited by a well-known Vaidya (physician) with his big retinue of assistants, who began to explain how he cured the illness of a large number of patients and gave them life. Even while they were thus reciting his praises, the master laughed. The physician felt insulted at this and left in a hurry.
Still later, in another town, the local temple priest had come with his devotees. They were singing and praising his enormous spiritual powers, and how he had pardoned their sins and promised deliverance for all those who came under his guidance.
Again, in the middle of their narration the Sage laughed, causing the priest to become flustered and leave in anger.
The disciples, who witnessed these instances, were confused by these unfamiliar responses of the master. “O Master”, they said, “Normally you bless people in silence, but on these occasions you not only did not bless them, but laughed at their achievements and forced them to withdraw in anger. May we please know the reason?”
The master said with a smile “My dear students, the chieftain tried to control other people’s future. He was so sure about it without realizing the uncertainty of his own future. The physician was sure of extending other’s lives unaware of the uncertainty of his own, the priest tried to replace the Divine in pardoning the sins of people, while ignoring his own. These egotistical individuals attempted to control the future, life, and also the faith of people. I laughed because the chieftain had no idea that he going to die early, the physician was going to be afflicted by an incurable disease, and the priest would become mad soon.”
“So”, the master said, “don’t try to take the credit for things much beyond you, but encourage others for self effort, through faith in the Divine and the guidance of an enlightened master.”
This story from the Upanishads reminds us that we cannot grant life, though we may help to maintain health, and we cannot control faith, though we may promote faithfulness.

 

This story from the Upanishads was compiled by Acharya Ratnananda in “More Light on Less Known: Courage, Compassion, Confidence” Volume 3. 

 

Learning and Love

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Long, long ago and far, far away, there lived a great sage. His name was Maharishi Shounaka. He had many disciples, and would send them to the surrounding villages to spread his message on life and its purpose. Over time, this increased the ego of some of the senior disciples and they began to consider themselves the storehouse of all knowledge.

One day, a few of these disciples came to Maharishi Shounaka and said, “Master, we have been obeying your commands and conveying your message on the purpose of life to the people in the manner we have found good and desirable. But we find that our work serves no purpose! Most of these people are stupid, and they are either unwilling or unable to learn or change their way of life. We feel it is a waste of our valuable time to educate these people and pass on our knowledge to them.”

The sage was amused, but saddened by the rising ego of these disciples. He said, “You all seem to have acquired considerable knowledge about people and life.”

“Certainly Master,” they echoed in unison. “Our learning is approved and appreciated everywhere. We have learnt almost all that is worth learning.”

“I am indeed very happy to learn about the level of your expertise,” said the Master. “But before we can discuss these matters further, I suggest that you form two groups and approach people again. One group will find out all about knowledge without reading books, and the other group will find out all about love without physical contacts. You may return to me later with your findings.”

The egoistic disciples were rather dismayed and surprised at the strange commands of the Master and the queer nature of their assignment. How could anyone acquire knowledge without reading books? And how could anyone learn about love without physical contacts?

However, in obedience to the Master’s wishes, they went around, far and wide, in two groups, seeking the view of the people of the surrounding villages and town on these two matters. But lo! They met with ridicule and laughter, wherever they went. People laughed at them as two groups of idiots, not aware of the facts of life. Their ego got a good beating and they came back to the Master, crestfallen.

“Oh Master! You simply sent us on a fool’s errand. Everyone who respected us before is now laughing at us. Master, it is impossible to acquire knowledge, without reading books, and it is equally impossible to understand love without physical contacts.”

“Is it so?” said the Master with a smile. “Then, what is the knowledge that you have got from me? If real knowledge could be got from libraries and real love could be got from physical contacts, then why have you come to me? After reading volumes of books, and searching for love through physical contacts, why are people still ignorant of true knowledge and true love?”

The disciples were shocked and ashamed at their lack of wisdom and appealed to the Master for guidance. “My dear children,” said the wise sage, “please understand that real knowledge cannot be obtained by just studying books, but by a study of the people, for whom and from whom the books have come. We have to first educate ourselves about the people, before we proceed to educate them. We should avoid ridiculing people, without placing ourselves in their place. A closer study of people leads us to a clearer perception of them, which in turn results in a deeper understanding. From such an understanding flows a sympathetic acceptance.”

“To study, to understand, and to accept creation, as it exists, is real knowledge. All else is just plain information, though you may have given many names to it. In the same way, real love is that which sprouts from us and generates a sense of gratefulness to the Divine, who has blessed us with a body and mind, and provided us with endless wonder in this creation.”

“This boundless gratefulness leads to a total love for the Divine, who is our resource and who is also our refuge. Real love related to giving, and can only be related to the Divine. All else is just plain desire, the desire to possess and enjoy, though you may call it by many other names. In order to receive the benefits of such knowledge and love, one must have faith in the Master, as he represents both the creation and the Creator. Through an enlightened Master, you can learn that the knowledge of creation is real knowledge, and the love of the Divine is real love. It requires humility from you as a basic qualification.”

This story reveals what to seek from an enlightened Master, and the importance of pondering on the purpose of our life.

This story from the Upanishads was compiled by Acharya Ratnananda in “More Light on Less Known: Courage, Compassion, Confidence” Volume 3. 

All One!

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Today, December 8, 2012, is my grandfather, Acharya Ratnananda’s 88th birthday. I fondly recollect my childhood and   growing up with him. His stories enriched our imagination and values. His example continues to inspire us to walk a path of love and service, in a humble yet joyous manner.

Acharya Ratnananda  All One!

–       By Acharya Ratnananda

“Give way! Get away!” shouted a disciple, while another screamed, “The Master is coming, everyone give way!” Most people  on the way complied. However, one rather unclean looking man and his company of dogs declined to budge, and stayed right in the middle of the path. The disciples accompanying the Master were quite upset with the behavior of this man and his barking dogs.

The Master also perceived the obstinacy of the obstacle and said in anguish, “Are you deaf? Did you not hear my disciples? Take yourself away from my path.” The man just laughed, increasing the discomfiture of the Master and the anger of his disciples.

He calmly looked at the Master and asked, “Whom do you want me to take away from your path? The Soul, which is in you and me, and is non-dual, or this body, which according to your teachings is a product of maya (illusion). How can you or I take either of them away from you or me?”

The disciples were shocked and stunned at these words from an unclean and uncouth specimen of humanity. However, they were prepared by now, to forcibly lift the man out of the way of the Master.

Even the Master was surprised. He realized that the concept of Advaita or one reality was thrown back at him in such a simple manner, by such a simple looking person.

He calmed his angry disciples and forbade them from harming the man. He folded his hands in obeisance and said, “My dear sir, you have educated the educator by polishing my knowledge with your experience. I bow to thee as my preceptor. Please could you tell me who you really are?”

“Reality is just one, and all our concepts could ultimately lead us to less than two, though it appears with a multitude of names and forms, qualities and qualifications, virtues and vices.”

“I am teaching this truth to others, but today I also learn this reality from you,” said the Master turned student.

The great Master was none other than Adi Shankaracharya, while the outwardly uncouth and unclean person was none other than the unmanifest Divinity in a manifest form.

This story teaches us to expect wisdom from even unexpected situations, and the true, non-dual nature of existence.

Worry vs. Work!

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–       by Acharya Ratnananda

Long long ago, and far far away, there lived a king who was very wise. However, he was always a worried man. One thing or another made him feel depressed and desolate.

As is normal with many wise people, he could never take things lightly and laugh. His ministers and subjects rarely found him in a pleasant mood and were even hesitant to smile or laugh in his presence.

One day, his well-wishers secretly met and discussed ways to reform the king, and they hit upon a plan. Next time when the court assembled, the king, as usual called upon his minister and said, “My dear Minister, I am worried about a problem.”

The minister promptly replied, “Yes Sir, I have also thought over it.” In turn, the king was puzzled. He said, “How can you be aware of my problem, even before I have expressed it?”

The latter said, “I need not know it, but I know something better. I know the solution.” The king was now really shocked. “How can you know the solution even before knowing the problem?” The minister calmly replied, “You may have not one, but many problems. But I have just one solution for all of them.”

The shock and the surprise of the king increased at these strange words of the minister. How can anyone offer a single solution to many problems even before knowing them?

The king hesitantly asked, “May I know what is your solution?”

“Don’t worry” said the minister, “that is exactly my solution.”

The king slowly understood the import of the words but was still unable to appreciate them. “How can I not worry when there is a problem?” he asked.

“Has your worry solved any problem any time, my good king?” asked the minister. “No,” said the king. The minister said, “When such is the case, why worry and expect it to solve any issue? The secret of success is not to worry, but to work for fulfillment. It is also a fact that it is worry, and not work, which kills. The joy of life is to laugh your worries away!”

“O King,” continued the minister, “you are leading us in your wisdom, why not lead us also to laugh and live by your own example?”

The king at last realized the folly of his worries and the subtle manner in which it was brought home to him. He began to laugh and was amused to find that everybody joined in the merriment.

This ancient story reveals that worrying never solved anything. Worrying has often weakened one’s resolve and also reduced the stamina to succeed. To overcome worry by laughter and wisdom, is half the battle won!

Observe and Serve

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–       By Acharya Ratnananda

Sage Kautilya (also known as Chanakya) was a great scholar and exponent of the laws of human relationships. He had many disciples, one of whom later became the emperor of India.

Gurudev, as he was reverentially called, would often say, “Observe before you serve. Only then service becomes more fulfilling. Avoid serving unworthy causes, for it becomes “Apatra Dhaana” i.e. charity misplaced.”

Many of his disciples were unable to understand the depth of his wisdom for they had learnt from tradition that charity should pour like rain upon all, and should not be selective for a few.

One day, a crafty fellow from a neighboring town came to the Master and said, “Sir, I have heard that you are a great exponent of wit and wisdom. I seek your help in making me wealthy beyond compare!” When the other disciples heard this, they were startled and angry at the man’s insolence and wanted to throw him out.

The Master just smiled and said, “Young man, wealth is of two types, spiritual and material. I will teach you the variety you deserve. Before that I will give you a small test. From the sand mass in front of you, pick up two pebbles, one white and one black and put them in your bag. I will then ask one of my disciples to pick up one of the pebbles from your bag. If he picks up a white pebble, I will teach you spiritual wealth. If he picks up a black pebble, then I will teach you how to become materially wealthy.”

The crafty fellow agreed, and smiled mischievously. Without anybody’s notice, he picked up and bagged two black pebbles only, feeling sure that he outwitted the great sage. He wanted only material wealth, and now he had ensured that whichever pebble the disciple took out, it would only be black. The Master would be forced to teach him how to become materially rich.

What he did not know, however, was the fact that the Master and another observant disciple had seen his trick. After he signaled that he was ready, the Master turned to the observant disciple and said, “Please pick up one of the pebbles and we will fulfill his wish.” The other disciples smiled in faith, and the crafty chap smiled in mischief.

The disciple put his hand into the bag, took out a pebble and before anyone could see, he dropped it on the sand mass, as if by mistake. He then profusely apologized to the Master for his clumsiness.

The others watched with curiosity and the craft fellow with confusion. But the Master just smiled and said, “It does not matter if you have dropped one pebble. As the seeker had collected one black and one white pebble, per my instructions, the one that is left in the bag will reveal your initial choice. So, take out the other pebble in the bag.”

“So,” the Master said, “my disciple has taken out the while pebble, though he dropped it later. Hence, I take it that you require spiritual wealth and will give it to you.”

Upon observing that his evil action was punished without public exposure, the crafty fellow was shocked and stricken with remorse and regret. He fell at the Master’s feet, and revealed his crooked scheme and requested for forgiveness. He sought the Master’s guidance to reform himself and pleaded Sage Kautilya to accept him as a disciple.

To the amazed disciples, the Master smilingly said, “When this fellow came for help, I utilized the opportunity and gave him and also all of you a test to observe his action and expected that you would do it. But none of you except Chandragupta, the observant one, were able to see through the fellow’s trickery. We wanted to help this man, and hence we remained silent and later taught him what he really needed – honesty, integrity, and sobriety in life – more than money.”

“This incident gives you a clear observation that you have to observe before you serve anyone, so that you render to the person, the best of services that he deserves, though he may not desire it.”

This story was adapted from Acharya Ratnananda’s More Light on Less Known, Volume III

The Untold Story

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The Untold Story of the Arishadvargas (the Six Passions)

~ By Acharya Ratnananda

Among the millions of devotees of Lord Krishna, there are many who are confused and pained at some of His actions during His birth and early life.

One of them is the fact as to why did He cause the destruction of His six elder brothers. No explanation is given anywhere about these painful incidents except short hints in the Devi Bhagavatam.

When the heavenly bodies came to know of Lord Krishna’s intention to be born in the World, six demigods prayed to Him to allow their birth along with Him. The other heavenly beings who desired to get rid of these egotistical demigods, also supported their prayers.

The Lord in His infinite mercy decided to help both the appeals and allowed the birth of these six demigods before Him. They were the Arishadvargas or the six passions: Kama (lust), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha (delusory emotional attachment), Madha (pride), and Matsarya (jealousy).

Knowing the immense suffering these demigods would cause to humankind, the Lord quietly arranged for the disappearance of their physical forms. To their shock, these demigods found themselves formless after birth and their capacities greatly diminished. Even so, they were capable of causing much suffering for people.

Here, the Lord intervened again, on behalf of humanity. He modified the ill-effects of these formless entities by transforming them as follows:

Lust for Power into Love for Service

Anger against People into Anger against Poverty

Avarice for Possessions into Acceptance of Simplicity

Arrogance of Attitude into Pride of being Human

Hatred of Things into Hatred of Injustice

 The Lord also allowed a person’s past Karma to influence the positive or negative effects in their present lives. Such a fascinating modification of negative values into positive ones by Lord Krishna brought immense joy to the people.

Our great Masters, past and present, have also adopted these positive perceptions to guide men and women, and to lift them up from the material to the spiritual levels of existence.

Another aspect that confuses many devotees of Lord Krishna is his choice of being the youngest of Devaki and Vasudeva’s children. Here too, the Devi Bhagavatam gives us a clue. As Sri Rama, the Lord was the eldest and as Sri Krishna, He was the youngest, proving that the youngest in the World as equally capable and deserve the same status and stature as the eldest.

Again, in a World where most of the religions gave prominence and priority to the male, the Father as the Prime Divinity, Lord Krishna gave preference to the female, the Mother, as the foremost Divinity, a daring concept in a male dominated society.

Lord Krishna’s life is a surprisingly sweet and fascinating wonder for all people and for all times!

Action and Non-Action

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Once upon a time, there lived a young man who desired to achieve quick progress in life. He went to a wise sage and expressed his wish. The sage smiled, and gave him two coins and advised him to drop them one after another to achieve his goal.

The youth was overjoyed at the prospect of achieving success so easily, and ran away before the sage could give him any more advise. He dropped the first coin at a particular place, and Lo! A beautiful chariot appeared. The word “Action” was etched onto the chariot. The young man jumped onto the chariot and immediately, it began to shoot into space at a terrific pace. It was then that he realized that it did not have a steering wheel!

For a while the youth like the speed and the travel, but gradually, he became a bit nervous. Where was he going? When would he reach the destination? The young man could not find the answers to these questions, and began to panic.

While he was frantically searching for a escape from this predicament, he found a small button with the word “Stop” on it. He pressed it, hoping to stop the chariot. Immediately the vehicle stopped, and dropped to the ground. The young man jumped out of it and heaved a sigh of relief.

The young man was exhausted by the trip and rested for a while. After he had regained his hope and energy, he dropped the second coin to the ground, to see what it would do. Like before, a chariot appeared in front of him. This chariot had the word “Inaction” etched onto it. Less apprehensive now, the young man jumped onto the chariot.

The youth was totally surprised by what happened next. The chariot stood still, but everything around him was revolving at a great speed and nothing was clear to him. The moving panorama around him was making him dazed and quite restless.

When he could stand it no longer, he again began looking for a way to escape. To his relief, he found the “Stop” button, and he pressed it with great hope. The revolving panorama stopped suddenly and he immediately jumped out of the chariot. He ran to the sage who had given him the coins and began complaining that he could not achieve any progress in his life with those coins.

“My dear fellow,” said the sage, “most young people suffer like you. Everyone wants progress and thinks that by unceasing activity, they can achieve it. Some others think the opposite. But action alone does not result in progress, nor does inaction.”

“All actions or non-actions,” said the sage, “should be inspired by a purpose, follow a procedure, and strive with perseverance. The should find support in reason and sustenance in reasonableness. When these guidelines coupled with discretion, promote action or non-action, they lead to worldly success as well as spiritual progress.”

This story helps one understand that either action or non-action without purpose and perseverance, is just like a rudderless ship.

In the coming year, let our actions and non-actions be inspired by a sense of service and let us persevere with our commitment to create a better world for all!

Adapted from Tales for the Young and Old by Acharya Ratnananda

The Master’s Favorite

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The Master’s Favorite -By Acharya Ratnananda

Once upon a time, there lived a great sage named Angirasa. He had many disciples and all of them were considerably benefitted by his wisdom. There were, however, some pious souls, who learned everything faster than the others, and followed his words more closely. They also received respect from other disciples for their pious nature.

Some disciples, however, were dull-witted, and developed jealousy towards those pious ones. They forgot the fact that they alone were at fault for their slow rate of absorption of the Master’s teachings. Instead, they began doubting the Master’s impartiality. They felt that the Master was imparting special knowledge to the pious ones secretly.

So, one day, when the master was alone, they went to him and said, “Oh Master! We feel that you are being unfair to us. We think that you are giving the full benefit of your wisdom to a few chosen ones. Why can’t you extend similar special privileges to us also?”

The Master was slightly taken aback by these words, but calmly replied, “I have treated all of you alike and have never shown any special favors to anyone. If some of you progress fast, it is only due to your own feelings of closeness to my words. Who prevented you from taking more initiative?”

But the disciples were not convinced. Hence after some thought, the master said: “ All right! I will give those of you who complain the special attention you want. But I do have one condition! I will give you a small and simple test – and you must pass it. The test is that you should go to the nearby village, which you often visit, and bring me one good fellow. That’s all!”

The grumbling ones were overjoyed at the fact that the test was so simple, while its reward would be so immense. They selected one among them, who immediately started their search with much enthusiasm, feeling very sure of catching a good fellow. But to his misfortune, wherever he went, and whomever he met, everyone seemed to have some sin or crime to their credit.

After a long and fruitless search, and being completely disappointed, they returned to the Master. Out of frustration, he returned to the group and said, “Oh Master, We are sorry to inform you that there is not a single good person in the whole village. Everyone has committed a bad deed, crime, or sin. The village is full of bad people.”

“Oh, is it so?” said the Master, with mock sorrow. “Now let me see. We will send one of those people that you hold a grouse against.” He then called for one of the pious ones, and said, “Can you go to the village nearby, and find me a bad fellow? Be sure to go to the same village that the others have already visited.”

“I will try with your blessings, Oh Master!” said the pious one, and away he went.

The grumbling disciples were again taken by surprise and said, “Oh Master! This time also you have been unfair to us. The other fellow will surely bring dozens of bad people as the village overflows with them!”

The Master counseled patience. In due course, the pious one returned empty-handed, much to the delight of the grumbling ones. He made obeisance to the Master and said, “Oh Master! I am sorry to disappoint you but I was unable to find a single bad fellow in the entire village.”

The grumbling ones roared in laughter at this statement. The pious one continued, “Everyone seemed to have done one good deed or another. I could not get even a single person who had not done any good deed. Pardon me for my failure.” Saying so, he left the place with permission of the Master.

The Master turned to the shocked and surprised grumbling disciples and said, “My dear disciples! This is where discretion moves between good and evil, right and wrong, positive and negative. Your wisdom blossoms when you find a spark of virtue in everything. The world is a mixture of joy and grief, and your wisdom depends on what you choose to take out of it. People who adopt a positive attitude in life progress fast. But those who adopt a negative attitude can only proceed slowly, if at all.”

“For the Master, everyone is dear and near. It is only the disciple’s fault if he feels distant from him. The closer you feel to an enlightened Master, the greater is your evolution. Let all your actions conform to this basic understanding.”

This story reveals how one should face life and its problems. It also shows, how total surrender to an enlightened spiritual Master helps an individual overcome life’s problems more easily.

— Adapted from More Light on Less Known by Acharya Ratnananda, Volume II, 2000.