October 17, 2013
"PARABLE OF THE HOLY MAN AND THE KING"
There was a Holy Man who passed underneath the palace of a King. The King happened to be standing in the upper storey balcony of his palace.
The Holy Man called out to him:
"Is there a place in your tavern for me for the night?"
"Tavern?" said the King angrily : "Don't you see that this is my palace and I am the King of the city? Are you trying to insult me!"
The Holy man said: "No, Sire! I am not trying to insult you. But what I see before me is a Tavern!"
"Explain yourself!" said the King still angry and came downstairs to talk to the Holy Man face to face.
"O King!" said the Holy man, "tell me who is on the throne right now?"
"I am on the throne!" said the King.
"Will you remain on the throne always?"
"No!" said the King.
"Who will come on the throne after you are gone?"
"My son!" said the King.
"And will your son remain on the throne always?"
"No! Of course not!" said the King.
" And who will come on the throne after he is gone?" said the Holy man.
"My grandson and then my great grandson and my great great grandson, and so on!" said the Kind finding his temper rising at these questions.
"Who was on the throne before you? "said the Holy man,
"My father! And before him my grandfather and earlier my great grandfather and my great great grandfather and ancestors!" said the irate king.
And the Holy man said with a glow on his face:
"O KING! WHO SAYS THIS IS NOT A TAVERN WHERE SO MANY HAVE COME AND GONE, AND SO MANY MUST COME AND GO!"
This indeed is the picture of the world today. Little do we realise that this world is a place of temporary sojourn, like a tavern, where people come, stay for a while, and then go away.
When we acquire properties and wealth in life, we almost always say: "We know we cannot take it with us. It is meant for our children!"
But sad to say even the children and descendants are not going to stay there, no one is.
The sooner one realises this fact that this world is a place of temporary residence the more content and happy he will become in life and not labour senselessly after material possessions and wealth, all of which he and his descendants must leave behind one day.
This is a stark truth facing us in life and yet we choose to ignore it.
"PARABLE OF THE HOLY MAN AND THE KING"
There was a Holy Man who passed underneath the palace of a King. The King happened to be standing in the upper storey balcony of his palace.
The Holy Man called out to him:
"Is there a place in your tavern for me for the night?"
"Tavern?" said the King angrily : "Don't you see that this is my palace and I am the King of the city? Are you trying to insult me!"
The Holy man said: "No, Sire! I am not trying to insult you. But what I see before me is a Tavern!"
"Explain yourself!" said the King still angry and came downstairs to talk to the Holy Man face to face.
"O King!" said the Holy man, "tell me who is on the throne right now?"
"I am on the throne!" said the King.
"Will you remain on the throne always?"
"No!" said the King.
"Who will come on the throne after you are gone?"
"My son!" said the King.
"And will your son remain on the throne always?"
"No! Of course not!" said the King.
" And who will come on the throne after he is gone?" said the Holy man.
"My grandson and then my great grandson and my great great grandson, and so on!" said the Kind finding his temper rising at these questions.
"Who was on the throne before you? "said the Holy man,
"My father! And before him my grandfather and earlier my great grandfather and my great great grandfather and ancestors!" said the irate king.
And the Holy man said with a glow on his face:
"O KING! WHO SAYS THIS IS NOT A TAVERN WHERE SO MANY HAVE COME AND GONE, AND SO MANY MUST COME AND GO!"
This indeed is the picture of the world today. Little do we realise that this world is a place of temporary sojourn, like a tavern, where people come, stay for a while, and then go away.
When we acquire properties and wealth in life, we almost always say: "We know we cannot take it with us. It is meant for our children!"
But sad to say even the children and descendants are not going to stay there, no one is.
The sooner one realises this fact that this world is a place of temporary residence the more content and happy he will become in life and not labour senselessly after material possessions and wealth, all of which he and his descendants must leave behind one day.
This is a stark truth facing us in life and yet we choose to ignore it.
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