The Gardener And The Shep Herd
A gardener was proceeding towards his master’s house one morning, with a beautiful flower-pot with a rare plant with nice flowers on his head. Gardener had taken immense pains to grow that plant. On the way he met his old friend, the shepherd, who was going to his house with a sheep slung on his shoulders. The gardener had not met the shepherd for some time. He greeted the shepherd with a big smile and the two began to talk. When the exchange of news came to an end, they went their way. The gardener wanted to take a look at the plant, before he entered the master’s house. He lowered the pot from his head. To his horror, he discovered that there was no a leaf or flower left in and it was only a naked stem. The sheep which his friend had around his shoulders had eaten away all the leaves and flower while he was busy in talking to him. Now hHow could he enter his master.s house without the plant? He, therefore, returned sorely disappointed.
A Sadhaka cultivates divine virtues in the garden of his heart. He has to struggle hard and exert much in order to cultivate even a single virtue. The virtue is a passport for him to enter his Master.s House, the Kingdom of God. He carries the pot of his virtues, as it were, while proceeding to the Kingdom of God.
But during his journey of life here, he meets a .friend. Who has with him the eater of virtue, viz., vice. Contact with this friend seems to be amusing to the man of virtue. Butthis is costly friendship. Very soon, the virtuous man discovers that the company of the friend.has denuded him of his virtues. He has lost the passport to the kingdom of God. He has to return to this world of pain and death, sorely disappointed.
Beware of wrong company - physical or mental. You will be spiritually elevated.
Jai Gurudev
No comments:
Post a Comment