PARABLES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

THE PLUNDERERS WHO GO ABOUT AS RELIGIOUS:

Sri Ramakrishna

There  was  a  goldsmith  who  kept  a  jewellery shop. He looked like a great devotee, a true Vaishnava, with beads round his neck, rosary in his hand,   and   the   holy  marks  on   his   forehead. Naturally people trusted him and came to his shop on business. They thought that, being such a pious man,  he  would  never  cheat  them.  Whenever  a party of customers entered the shop, they would hear one of his craftsmen say, 'Kesava! Kesava!' Another would say after a while,   'Gopal!   Gopal!' Then a  third would mutter, 'Hari! Hari!' Finally someone would say, 'Hara! Hara!' Now these are, as you know, different names of God. Hearing so much chanting of God's names the customers naturally thought  thai  this  goldsmith must be  a very superior person. But can you guess the goldsmith's  true  intention?  The  man  who  said 'Kesava! Kesava!' meant to ask, 'Who are these? Who  are  these  customers?'  The  man  who  said 'Gopal! Gopal!' conveyed the idea that the customers were merely a herd of cows. That was the estimate he formed of them after the exchange of a few words. The man who said 'Hari! Hail!' asked, 'Since they are no better than a herd of cows, then may we rob them?" He who said 'Hara! Hara!' gave his assent, meaning by these words, 'Do rob by all means, since they are mere cows!' 

SOURCE: The Parables of Sri Ramakrishna

HITOPADESHA TALES: THE BLIND VULTURE

Once upon a time, there was a hill that sloped down to the banks of a river. At the bottom of the hill, there was a tree which made the shelter for many birds. One day, a blind old Vulture came to live in the hollow of the tree. The birds welcomed the blind vulture and decided to give him a share of their food since he was old. 

When the Blind Vulture saw birds’ concern for him, he was overwhelmed with gratitude. He thought to himself, “As these birds are being so kind to me, it has become my duty to protect their young ones when they are away gathering food”. After this, the Vulture used to get his food from the birds and in return, he took care of their young ones while they were away. So like this, all of them were passing their days happily.

One day, a cat passed by that tree when the birds were away. Hearing the noise of the young ones, she came near the tree with the hope of catching and eating the baby birds. But when the young ones saw her coming, they made a chirrup. The blind Vulture heard them and shouted, “Who is there?” On seeing the Vulture, the Cat got frightened and said to herself, “O God! I am as good as dead. But I need to be brave. I should try to gain his confidence”.

At once, the Cat replied, “O wise one! I just came to pay my homage to you”. The Vulture asked, “Who are you?” The Cat answered, “I am a Cat”. The Vulture shouted, “Go away otherwise I’ll eat you up”. The Cat was clever and she made quick responses to the Vulture. She innocently said to the Vulture, “Sir, Listen to me first then you can decide further. It is not good that you are discarding me as I belong to a particular race”.

The Vulture decided to listen to her. The Cat said, “I live on the other side of the river. I don’t eat meat and take bath everyday in the river. I am doing great penance for my sins. I have heard much about your intelligence from the birds on the banks of the river. They told me that I should learn more about religion from you as you possess all knowledge. So, I came here to become your disciple and seek your blessings”.

She further said, “But, I don’t feel what the birds told me is true, when you got ready to kill a poor cat. You should have treated me well, after all guests are form of God. Even if you don’t have any food to offer me, at least you could say something kind to me”. The Old Vulture replied, “How can I trust you since you are carnivorous and young birds reside here”. The Clever Cat was well-versed in tantrums.

She touched the ground and her ears as a sign of her honesty and replied, “I've read all scriptures and came to know that killing is immoral. The entire forest is full of herbs and vegetables. So why should I commit sin by killing birds?" The Vulture believed her and allowed her to stay with him in the hollow of the tree. With the passing days, the Cat started eating the young birds one by one without the knowledge of the Vulture.

When the birds found that their young ones were missing, they started looking for their kids. As soon as the Cat realized that situation is not in her favor, she quietly slipped away. Unknown about the happening, the blind Vulture lay down near the hollow of the tree where the Cat had thrown the bones of some of the birds eaten by her. When the Birds saw the bones of their young ones, at once they shouted, “The blind Vulture has eaten our innocent kids”.

All of them got enraged by the ingratitude of the Vulture and they pecked him to death. The poor Vulture didn’t even get the chance to defend himself.

Moral: Never treat someone whom you hardly know as a friend.


COURTESY: culturalindia.net

PANCHATANTRA TALES: THE ASS HAS NO BRAINS

Once upon a time, there lived an old lion. The lion, the king of the forest had grown old. He became frail and due to this, he could not hunt for his food. Many a times, he didn’t get even a single animal to eat. With each passing day he became more and more weak. He realized that like this he could not live for long. Somehow, he had to manage for the food, otherwise he would definitely die. He thought that how could he arrange for his food? After much of the thought process, ultimately he decided that he should have an assistant.

The lion thought that a fox would be the best person to handle this position. He summoned the fox and said, “Dear friend, I have always liked you because you are intelligent and clever. I want to appoint you as my minister and advise me on all the affairs of the forest”. The old lion also asked the fox, that he was the king of the forest; so he should not have to hunt for his food. In respect to this, the fox’s first duty as minister was to bring him an animal to eat everyday.

The fox didn’t trust the lion, but he could not even refuse the king. The fox said, “Your Majesty, I am happy, that you have chosen me to serve you. I accept your offer”. The lion was pleased to hear such words. After the conversation, the fox went out to find an animal for the lion. On the way, he met a fat ass. The fox went to the ass, “Friend, where have you been all these days? I have been looking for you for the past many days”.

The ass asked, “Why? What happened? Is everything alright?” The fox replied, “I have got good news for you. You are very lucky. Our king, the lion has chosen you to be his chief minister. He asked me to meet you and inform you about his decision.” Ass was scared of the lion and said, “I am afraid of the lion. He might kill me and eat me up. Why has he chosen me as his chief minister? I don’t even fit enough to be a minister. “

The clever fox laughed and said, “Dear, you don’t know your great qualities. You have a special charm of your own. Our king is dying to meet you. He has chosen you because you are wise, gentle, and hard working. You must not lose your greatest chance in life. Now, come with me and meet our great king. He will be really happy to see you”. So, the poor ass was convinced and got ready to go along with the fox.

As soon as they reached the lion’s den, the ass got scared and refused to move forward. At this, the fox said to the lion, “Your majesty, the chief minister appears to be very shy and hesitates to come near you”. The lion himself came forward and said, “I like such modesty”. He limped towards the ass. The ass got so scared that he ran to save his life. The lion became angry and shouted at the fox, “You have played a trick on me. I was so hungry that I wanted to eat him at once. Go and bring that ass back. If you don’t, I will kill you.”

The fox replied,” Your Majesty, you were in a hurry. You should have left it to me, to bring him near enough. But I will try again”. The fox went back to the ass and said, “You are a funny fellow. Why did you run away like that?” The ass replied, “I was too scared. I thought that the lion was going to kill me”.

The fox said, “What a fool you are? If the king wanted to kill you, he would have done so. You could not have escaped by running away. The thing is, the king wanted to tell you a secret about the kingdom and he did not want me, to hear it. Now, what will he think about you? Doesn’t matter, Come with me and apologize for your mistake. You don’t realize that by serving the king, you will be the second most powerful animal of our forest. Imagine, all the other animals will respect you and seek favors from you.”

In this way, the fox managed to attract the ass to go back to the lion. When the fox and the ass approached, the lion was hungrier than ever. But this time he kept a smiling face and said, “Welcome, my dear friend. It was unkind of you to have run away like that. Come near me. You are my chief minister.” As and when the ass came closer, the lion pounced on him and killed him instantly. The lion thanked the clever fox and was happy to get the food.

As the lion sat down to take his meal, the fox said, “Your Majesty, I know you are very hungry and it is time for your dinner, but the king must take a bath before his meal”. The lion thought it was a good idea and said, “You are right. I should go and bathe first. You keep a watch on the carcass of the ass”.

The fox silently sat down to keep a watch of the ass. He was very hungry and thought to himself, “I took all the trouble of getting the ass here. It is I who deserve the best portion of the meal”. Thus, the fox cut open the head of the ass and ate up the whole brain. When the lion returned and looked at the ass, he felt that something was missing. He found that the head of the ass had been cut open. He inquired from the fox, “Who came here? What happened to the head of the ass?”

The fox pretended to be innocent and reminded the lion, “Your Majesty, You have given a powerful blow on the head of the ass when you killed him”. The lion was satisfied with the answer and sat down to take his meal. Suddenly, he shouted,” What happened to the ass’ brain? I wanted to eat the brain first”. The fox smilingly replied, “Your Majesty, Asses have no brains. If this had any, he would not have come here a second time”.

COURTESY: culturalindia.net

THE GOSPEL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

CHAPTER-4; PART-VII: ADVICE TO THE HOUSEHOLDERS

Sunday, October 22, 1882

It was the day of Vijaya, the last day of the celebration of the worship of Durga, when the clay image is immersed in the water of a lake or river. 

About nine o'clock  in the morning M. was seated on the floor of the Master's room at Dakshineswar, near Sri Ramakrishna, who was reclining on the small couch.  Rakhal was then living with the Master, and Narendra and Bhavanath visited him frequently.  Baburam had seen him only once or twice. 

MASTER: "Did you have any holiday during the Durga Puja?"

M: "Yes, sir.  I went to Keshab's house every day for the first three days of the worship."

MASTER: "Is that so?"

M: "I heard there a very interesting interpretation of the Durga Puja."

MASTER: "Please tell me all about it."

M: "Keshab Sen held daily morning prayers in his house, lasting till ten or eleven.  During these prayers he gave the inner meaning of the Durga Puja.  He said that if anyone could realize the Divine Mother, that is to say, could install Mother Durga in the shrine of his heart, then Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Kartika, and Ganesa would come there of themselves.  Lakshmi means wealth, Sarasvati knowledge, Kartika strength, and Ganesa success.  By realizing the Divine Mother within one's heart, one gets all these without any effort whatever."

Sri Ramakrishna listened to the description, questioning M. now and then about the prayers conducted by Keshab.  At last he said to M.: "Don't go hither and thither.  Come here alone.  Those who belong to the inner circle of my devotees will come only here.  Boys like Narendra, Bhavanath, and Rakhal are my very intimate disciples.  They are not to be thought lightly of.  Feed13 them one day.  What do you think of Narendra?"

M: "I think very highly of him, sir."

Narendra's many virtues

MASTER: "Haven't you observed his many virtues? He is not only well versed in music, vocal and instrumental, but he is also very learned.  Besides, he has controlled his passions and declares he will lead a celibate life.  He has been devoted to God since his very boyhood. 

MEDITATION ON GOD WITH FORM

MASTER: "How are you getting along with your meditation nowadays? What aspect of God appeals to your mind - with form or without form?"

M: "Sir, now I can't fix my mind on God with form.  On the other hand, I can't concentrate steadily on God without form."

MASTER: "Now you see that the mind cannot be fixed, all of a sudden, on the formless aspect of God.  It is wise to think of God with form during the primary stages."

M: "Do you mean to suggest that one should meditate on clay images?"

MASTER: "Why clay? These images are the embodiments of Consciousness."

M: "Even so, one must think of hands, feet, and the other parts of body.  But again, I realize that the mind cannot be concentrated unless one meditates, in the beginning, on God with form.  You have told me so.  Well, God can easily assume different forms.  May one meditate on the form of one's own mother?"

MASTER: "Yes, the mother should be adored.  She is indeed an embodiment of Brahman."

M. sat in silence.  After a few minutes he asked the Master: "What does one feel while thinking of God without form? Isn't it possible to describe it?" After some reflection, the Master said, "Do you know what it is like?" He remained silent a moment and then said a few words to M. about one's experiences at the time of the vision of God with and without form. 

MASTER: "You see, one must practise spiritual discipline to understand this correctly.  Suppose, there are treasures in a room.  If you want to see them and lay hold of them, you must take the trouble to get the key and unlock the door.  After that you must take the treasures out.  But suppose the room is locked, and standing outside the door you say to yourself: 'Here I have opened the door.  Now I have broken the lock of the chest.  Now I have taken out the treasure.' Such brooding near the door will not enable you to achieve anything.  You must practise discipline. 

BRAHMAN AND DIVINE INCARNATIONS

MASTER: "The jnanis think of God without form.  They don't accept the Divine Incarnation.  Praising Sri Krishna, Arjuna said, 'Thou art Brahman Absolute.' Sri Krishna replied, 'Follow Me, and you will know whether or not I am Brahman Absolute.' So saying, Sri Krishna led Arjuna to a certain place and asked him what he saw there.  'I see a huge tree,' said Arjuna, 'and on it I notice fruits hanging like clusters of blackberries.' Then Krishna said to Arjuna, 'Come nearer and you will find that these are not clusters of blackberries, but clusters of innumerable Krishnas like Me, hanging from the tree.' In other words, Divine Incarnations without number appear and disappear on the tree of the Absolute Brahman. 

"Kavirdas was strongly inclined to the formless God.  At the mention of Krishna's name he would say: 'Why should I worship Him? The gopis would clap their hands while He performed a monkey dance.' (With a smile) But I accept God with form when I am in the company of people who believe in that ideal, and I also agree with those who believe in the formless God."

M. (smiling): "You are as infinite as He of whom we have been talking.  Truly, no one can fathom your depth."

MASTER (smiling): "Ah! I see you have found it out.  Let me tell you one thing.  One should follow various paths.  One should practise each creed for a time.  In a game of satrancha a piece can't reach the centre square until it completes the circle; but once in the square it can't be overtaken by any other piece."

M: "That is true, sir."

MASTER: "There are two classes of.  yogis: the bahudakas and the kutichakas.  The bahudakas roam about visiting various holy places and have not yet found peace of mind.  But the kutichakas, having visited all the sacred places, have quieted their minds.  Feeling serene and peaceful, they settle down in one place and no longer move about.  In that one place they are happy; they don't feel the need of going to any sacred place.  If one of them ever visits a place of pilgrimage, it is only for the purpose of new inspiration. 

"I had to practise each religion for a time - Hinduism, Islam, Christianity.  Furthermore, I followed the paths of the Saktas, Vaishnavas, and Vedantists.  I realized that there is only one God toward whom all are travelling; but the paths are different. 

"While visiting the holy places, I would sometimes suffer great agony.  Once I went with Mathur to Raja Babu's drawing-room in Benares.  I found that they talked there only of worldly matters - money, real estate, and the like.  At this I burst into tears.  I said to the Divine Mother, weeping: 'Mother! Where hast Thou brought me? I was much better off at Dakshineswar.' In Allahabad I noticed the same things that I saw elsewhere - the same ponds, the same grass, the same trees, the same tamarind-leaves. 

MASTER'S ECSTASY AT VRINDĀVAN

MASTER: "But one undoubtedly finds inspiration in a holy place.  I accompanied Mathur Babu to Vrindāvan.  Hriday and the ladies of Mathur's family were in our party.  No sooner did I see the Kaliyadaman Ghat than a divine emotion surged up within me.  I was completely overwhelmed.  Hriday used to bathe me there as if I were a small child. 

"In the dusk I would walk on the bank of the Jamuna when the cattle returned along the sandy banks from their pastures.  At the very sight of those cows the thought of Krishna would flash in my mind.  I would run along like a madman, crying: 'Oh, where is Krishna? Where is my Krishna?'

"I went to Syamakunda and Radhakunda in a palanquin and got out to visit the holy Mount Govardhan.  At the very sight of the mount I was overpowered with divine emotion and ran to the top.  I lost all consciousness of the world around me.  The residents of the place helped me to come down.  On my way to the sacred pools of Syamakunda and Radhakunda, when I saw the meadows, the trees, the shrubs, the birds, and the deer, I was overcome with ecstasy.  My clothes became wet with tears.  I said: 'O Krishna! Everything here is as it was in the olden days.  You alone are absent.' Seated inside the palanquin I lost all power of speech.  Hriday followed the palanquin.  He had warned the bearers to be careful about me. 

"Gangamayi became very fond of me in Vrindāvan.  She was an old woman who lived all alone in a hut near the Nidhuvan.  Referring to my spiritual condition and ecstasy, she said, 'He is the very embodiment of Radha.' She addressed me as 'Dulali'.  When with her, I used to forget my food and drink, my bath, and all thought of going home.  On some days Hriday used to bring food from home and feed me.  Gangamayi also would serve me with food prepared by her own hands. 

"Gangamayi used to experience trances.  At such times a great crowd would come to see her.  One day, in a state of ecstasy, she climbed on Hriday's shoulders. 

"I didn't want to leave her and return to Calcutta.  Everything was arranged for me to stay with her.  I was to eat double-boiled rice, and we were to have our beds on either side of the cottage.  All the arrangements had been made, when Hriday said: 'You have such a weak stomach.  Who will look after you?' 'Why,' said Gangamayi, 'I shall look after him.  I'll nurse him.' As Hriday dragged me by one hand and she by the other, I remembered my mother, who was then living alone here in the nahabat of temple garden.  I found it impossible to stay away from her, and said to Gangamayi, 'No, I must go.' I loved the atmosphere of Vrindāvan."

About eleven o'clock the Master took his meal, the offerings from temple of Kāli.  After taking his noonday rest he resumed his conversation with the devotees.  Every now and then he uttered the holy word "Om" or repeated the sacred names of the deities. 

After sunset the evening worship was performed in the temples.  Since it was the day of Vijaya, the devotees first saluted the Divine Mother and then took the dust of the Master's feet. 

SOURCE: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

PARABLES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA: IN THE FOREST OF THE WORLD

Sri Ramakrishna

Once, a man was going through a forest, when three robbers fell upon him and robbed him of all his possessions. One of the robbers said, "What's the use of keeping this man alive?" So saying, he was about to kill him with his sword, when the second robber interrupted him, saying: 'Oh, no! What is the use of killing him? Tie his hand and foot and leave him here." The robbers bound his hands and feet and went away. After a while the third robber returned and said to the man: "Ah, I am sorry. Are you hurt? I will release you from your bonds." After setting the man free, the thief said: "Come with me. I will take you to the public high way."     After a long time they reached the road. At this the man said: "Sir, you have been very good to me. Come with me to my house." "Oh, no!"  the  robber  replied.  "I  can't  go  there.  The police will know it."

This world itself is the forest. The three robbers prowling here are Satva, rajas, and lamas. It is they that rob a man of the Knowledge of Truth. Tamas wants to  destroy him. „Rajas‟  binds  him  to  the world.But Satva rescues him from the clutches of rajas and tamas. Under the protection of Satva, man is rescued from anger, passion and other evil effects of tamas. Further, Satva loosens the bonds of the world. But Satva also is a robber. It cannot give man the ultimate Knowledge of Truth, though it shows him the road leading to the Supreme Abode of God. Setting him on the path, Satva tells him: "Look yonder. There is your home." Even Satva is far away from the knowledge  of Brahman.

SOURCE: THE PARABLES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

FILM ON RAMANA MAHARISHI

Sri Ramana Maharshi, an Indian sage who lived at the holy mountain Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai, South India during the 20th century. He vouchsafed for mankind a straight and direct path that permanently eliminates the sorrows of human existence and leads one into the bright, everlasting light of all-blissful awareness. The quintessence of his teachings can be found in his prose work ‘who am I’. Sri Ramana recommended the technique of self-enquiry to realize this truth. He assured that anyone is eligible to pursue this path, regardless of race, religion, or creed. Here is a rare collection of all films taken in between 1935 to 1950. It is a great privilege to witness this film who could not see him in person.

COURTESY: youtube & sriramanamaharshi.org

GURU PURNIMA - 2012

Tomorrow is Guru Purnima. May the Lord, the Guru of all gurus bless us.

SALUTATIONS TO THE LORD AS GURU:

Gurur brahmaa gurur vishnuh gururdevo Maheswarah |

Veda Vyasa

Guruh-saakshaat parambrahma tasmai shri gurave namah ||

Meaning:

Guru is Brahma (the Creator); Guru is Vishnu (the Preserver); Guru is also Lord Mahesvara (the Destroyer) and Guru is the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute. To Him, the Supreme Guru my salutations.                    [Read More]

GLORY OF THE GURU AND HIS NECESSITY:

In the Tantric scriptures the guru is said to be none other than God Himself. As it is said in the ‘Hymn to the Guru’, ‘Guru is Brahma, guru is Vishnu, guru is Shiva, guru himself is the supreme Brahman; salutations to the guru.’ The guru is supposed to be none other than the supreme Brahman. Sri Ramakrishna used to say the Satchidananda, the Ultimate Reality, Brahman alone is the guru. This is in conformity with the teachings of the Vedas and other scriptures.

The Upanisads declare: “Knowledge gained from a teacher alone becomes fruitful [Chandogya Upanisad 4.9.3].” If a bit knowledge is to be made really effective in our lives, it must be heard from a guru. The idea behind it is that the guru not only gives the mantra but along with it he transmits some of the spiritual power that he possesses, to the disciple. When one reads  the mantras in printed books, this kind of transmission of power does not take place.

Let us try to understand this in a more intelligible and rational sense. If we reas certain ethical codes in a book, they may have some effect on us. But when we hear those ethical teachings from a person whom we love and revere, the effect will be naturally very different. Similarly, though we may not understand the actual process of transmission of spiritual power through spiritual initiation, we can understand at aleast this much that it is only from a lamp that another lamp is lighted. It is necessary that to kindle a soul there must be some soul that must have already been kindled. That is what is meant by transmission from the guru to the disciple. Without that sort of living link, transmission of spiritual power is not possible.

-Srimat Swami Bhuteshanandaji, the 12^th President of Ramakrishna Order.

 Source: ‘Spiritual Initiation-what it is’ by Ramakrishna Math, Chennai-4

SRI RAMAKRISHNA'S PARABLES ABOUT GURU: 

1. THE PHYSICIAN WITH HIS JARS OF MOLASSES:

A  PHYSICIAN prescribed medicine for a patient and said to him, "Come another day and I'll give you directions about diet," The physician had several jars of molasses in his room that day.   The patient lived very  far  away. He visited the physician later and the physician said to him, "Be careful about your food.   It is not good for you to eat molasses."     After the patient left, another person who was there said to the physician, "Why did you give him all the trouble of coming here again?    You could very well have given him the instructions the first day."    The physician replied with a smile: "There is a reason.   I had several jars of molasses in my room that day.   If I had asked the patient then to give up molasses, he would not have had faith  in  my words.     He would have thought;   'He has so many jars of molasses in his room, he must eat some of it. Then molasses can't be so bad.' Today I have hidden the jars.   Now he will have faith in my words."


2. THE AVADHUTA AND HIS UPA-GURUS:

THE Guru is only one, but Upa-gurus (secondary gurus)  may  be  many.  He  is  an  Upa-guru  from whom anything whatsoever is learned.     It is mentioned   in   the   Bhagavata   that   the   great Avadhuta (a great yogi) had twenty four such Upa- Gurus.

(a) One day, as the Avadhuta was walking across a meadow, he saw a bridal procession coming toward him with loud beating of drums and great pomp. Hard by he saw a hunter deeply absorbed in aiming at his game and perfectly inattentive to the noise  and  pomp  of  the  procession,  casting  not even a passing look at it. The Avadhuta, saluting the hunter, said, "Sir, thou art my Guru. When I sit in meditation let my mind be concentrated upon the object of meditation, as yours was on your game."

(b)    An  angler  was  fishing  in  a  pond.  The Avadhuta approaching him asked, "Brother which way leads to such and such a place?" The float of the rod at that time was indicating that the fish was nibbling at the bait; so the man did not give any reply  but  was  all  attention  to  his  fishing  rod. Having first hooked the fish, he turned round and said, "What is it you have been saying sir?"    The Avadhuta saluted him and said, "Sir, thou art my Guru. When I sit in contemplation of the Deity of my choice (Ishta), let me follow thy example and before finishing my devotions let me not attend to anything else."

(c)    A kite with a fish in its beak was followed by a  host  of  crows  and  other  kites,  which  were pecking at it and trying to snatch the fish away. In whatever direction it went, its tormentors followed it cawing, till at last they made it let go the fish in vexation. Another kite instantly caught the fish and was in its turn followed by the whole lot. The first kite  was  left  unmolested and  sat  calmly on  the branch of a tree. Seeing this quiet and tranquil state of the bird the Avadhuta saluting him, said, "Thou art my Guru, for thou hast taught me that peace of mind is possible in this world, only when one has given up one's adjuncts (upadhis); otherwise there is danger at every step."

(d)    A heron was slowly walking on a marsh to catch a fish. Behind, there was a fowler aiming an arrow at the heron, but the bird was totally unmindful of this fact. The Avadhuta saluting the heron,  said,  "When  I  sit  in  meditation,  let  me follow thy example and never turn back to see who is behind me."

(e) The Avadhuta found another Guru in a bee. The bee had been storing up honey with long and great labour. A man came from somewhere, broke the hive and drank up the honey. The bee was not destined to enjoy the fruit of its long labour. On seeing this, the Avadhuta saluted the bee saying, "Lord! Thou art my Guru; from Thee I learn what the sure fate of accumulated riches is."   

3. GREATER EVEN THAN THE GURU:

A POOR brahmana had a rich cloth merchant as his disciple. The merchant was very miserly by nature. One day the brahmana was in need of a small piece of cloth for covering his sacred book. He went to his disciple and asked for the required piece of cloth; but the merchant replied: "I am very sorry, sir. Had you told me of this a few hours earlier, I would have given you the thing wanted. Unfortunately, now I have no small piece of cloth which will answer your purpose. However, I shall remember your requirement, but please remind me of it now and then."    The brahmana had to go away disappointed. This conversation between the guru and his worthy disciple was overheard by the wife of the latter from behind a screen. She at once sent a man after the brahmana, and calling him inside the house, said, "Revered Father, what is it that you  were  asking  from  the  master  of  the house?" The brahmana related all what had happened. The wife said: "Please go home sir; you will get the cloth tomorrow morning." When that merchant returned home at night the wife asked him, "Have you closed your shop?" The merchant said, "Yes, what is the matter?" She said, "Go at once and bring two cloths of the best quality in the shop." He said, "Why this hurry? I shall give you the best cloth tomorrow morning." The wife, however, insisted,  "No,  T  must  have  them  just now or not at all." What could the poor merchant do? The person whom he had now to deal with was not the spiritual guru whom he could send away with vague and indefinite promises, but the 'curtain guru' whose behests must be instantaneously obeyed, or else there would be no peace for him at home. At last the merchant, willingly enough, opened the shop, at that late hour of the night, and brought the cloths for her. Early next morning, the good lady sent the article to the guru with the message, "If in future you want anything "If in future you want anything from us, ask me, and you will get it."

SOURCE: The Parables of Sri Ramakrishna, Published by Ramakrishna Math, Chennai-4