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 ...
Story 234 - The forgetful barber
In the Punjab the barbers also work as domestic servants. It is an old story that once a village Patwari ordered his barber to go to his Samdhi's (a close relative) village at a distance of about seven miles with an important message.
The poor barber did all haste to comply with the orders of the village Patwari. He first went to his own house, took a piece of bread and tied it to his towel, so that he may eat it somewhere in the way, and hurried towards the Samdhi's village.
The poor barber, however, forgot to take the message from his master, the village Patwari, to be delivered to his Samdhi. He forgot to do so in haste. On reaching his destination, he met the person concerned but could not deliver any message. The Samdhi was very much surprised. He threatened and scolded the barber but he could not extract any message from him. An idea struck him and he said to the barber *I have understood your message. Well done. Now you take my reply back to yout master. But please see that you go back with the same haste with which you came here.'
The barber was very happy. The Samdhi showed him a heavy log of wood and said to the barber, 'Take this small log and tell you master that this is my reply to his message.' The poor barber performed all his duties very faithfully with hard labour. But since he initially committed a mistake, he was punished to carry a heavy load on his shoulder which made him breathless due to tiredness.
So, too, scientists are making rapid progress. On, on, on, go on, go on. Well done. Bravo. Go on, go on. But unfortunately, they do not know what for they are progressing. They should have met Him whose message they are supposed to be carrying. O you scientists, you have mistakenly taken the scientific research, the Railway, Telegraph, Telephones, balloons etc., as your destination of life, the Samdhi of Atman, the source of existence, knowledge and bliss. You are running post haste. But please listen attentively. 'You will not get peace and happiness in these worldly achievements. Sooner or later you will have to come back with the heavy log of the so-called civilization to your original Self, Atman.'