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 ...
There was a man on horse-back going to distant place. He happened to pass by a Persian wheel in India. When water is pumped out of a well by Persian-wheel, there is a noise. Now this man brought his mare or horse to brink of the water that was coming out of the well by the Persian-wheel, The horse not being accustomed to hear that kind of noise, was startled a little and did not drink that water. The horseman asked the peasants, who were working that Persian-wheel, to stop that noise. The peasants stopped that noise by stopping the Persian-wheel; the noise was stopped, but with the stopping of the noise the coming of the water also stopped. Now the horse had no water to drink; the horse advanced towards the cistern, where the water was to be found; but there was no water at all' Now this horse-man turned to the farmers and complained to them, "O queer farmers! I asked you to stop the noise; I did not ask you to stop the water, strange fellows you are; you will not show kindness to a stranger to allow his horse a drink of water." The farmers said, "Sir we wish from the bottom of our heart to serve you, to treat you and to serve your horse with water, but your request is beyond our power to comply with. We cannot comply with your request. If you want to have water, if you want to water your horse, you ought to coax him to drink when the noise is going on: because when we stop the noise, no water will be supplied; water comes always a long-side of this noise."
If you want to realize Vedanta, realize it even in the midst of ail sorts of noise, even in the heart of all sorts of troubles. In this world you can never get yourself in a state where there will be no noise or no botherations from without. Live on the heights of the Himalayas; there also you will have troubles around. Live as savages, there also you will have botherations around you. Go wherever you please, botherations and troubles will never leave you; they are always with you. If you want to realize Vedanta, realize it when the noise of the Persian wheel is going on all around you. All the great men have been produced despite discouraging environments and circumstances; in fact the harder these circumstances, the more trying the environments, the stronger are the men, who come out of those circumstances. So, welcome all these outside troubles and anxieties. Live Vedanta even in these surroundings; and when you live Vedanta, you will see that the surroundings and circumstances will succumb to you, will yield to you, they will become subservient to you; you will become their master.
MORAL: Vedanta can be realized even in the midst of all sorts of troubles and botherations, for they cannot be avoided, wherever you be.