Parables of Rama
by Swami Rama Tirtha | 102,836 words
Stories in English used by Swami Rama to illustrate the highest teaching of Vedanta. The most difficult and intricate problems of philosophy and abstract truths, which may very well tax the brains of the most intellectual, are thus made not only simple and easy to understand but also brought home to us in a concrete form in such an interesting and ...
A man came into the house of a Vedantin one day and occupied the vacant seat of honour in the absence of the master of the house. When the master of the house was coming back into the room, that intruder put this question. "O Vedantin let me know what God is, and what man is." Well, the sage did not directly answer the question. He simply called his servants and began to talk loud and use harsh language, telling them to turn him out of the house. This peculiar language did the really wise man use. When such unexpected language was employed, the intruder got frightened; he became nervous and left the seat of honour. The wise man occupied the same then calmly, serenely told him, "Here (pointing to himself) is God and there (pointing to the intruder) is man. Had you not been frightened, had you kept your place, had you preserved your balance, had you not been put out of countenance, then you were also God. But the very fact of your trembling, quivering, and losing faith in your Godhead makes you a poor vermin."
Think yourself to be Divinity, have a living faith in your Divinity, and nothing can harm you, nobody can injure you.
So long as you go on relying and depending upon outside powers, failure will be the result. Trusting upon the God within, put the body in action and success is assured.
MORAL: You are God when you have a living faith in your Divinity; you are man when you depend upon outside powers.