There are so many Vedantins and self-styled scholars who
preach many precepts but do not practise them.
There is a story
of a pandit who mastered all scriptures and was preaching to
people. He used to get milk from a milkmaid who came from a
distant village. Because she was not punctual in delivering
milk, one day the pandit asked her why she was coming at
8 a.m. one day and at 9 a.m. another day, and not regular,
which resulted in his puja (worship) being delayed. She said
she had to cross a small river enroute, for which she had to use
a boat, and the boatman was giving priority to the more affluent
customers, making her to wait for the second trip. She said
this was the reason for her delay.
The pandit mocked her apparent ignorance, and said, “if
only you chant the name of God, Om Namo Narayana, you do
not need the boat at all, and the river will part and give way to
you. Why do you not adopt this easy method?”
Because this upadesh (advice) was given by the learned
pandit, she had full faith in his words and rehearsed God’s
name as she returned home.
Next day, she uttered the name of
Narayana and got into the river and crossed without any difficulty,
because it gave way. She repeated in the same manner
every day, and was able to deliver milk in time to the pandit.
After a few days, the pandit questioned as to how she was
able to come in time daily. She told him the fact that she was
following the pandit’s advice, and was able to cross the river
uttering God’s name.
The pandit himself had no belief, though he gave the advice
to the milkmaid. He wanted to test the veracity of her
statement and proceeded to the river bank next day. He
chanted the name, but without full faith and got into the river
folding up his dhothi (lower garment) lest it might get wet, and
was drowned in the river.
This is the fate of a person who preaches but lacks faith in his own preaching. The illiterate
woman had no doubt at all and had total faith.
That is why the saying, “You can say a crore of things, but
to practise is difficult.”
(From the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)
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