The real student

...contd....

The voices faded as they crossed the road .But Vinay had heard enough. For a second it was foolish of him to believe that swamiji, was guiding him towards success. He got up not knowing what else to do. sun had risen .There was light everywhere .He picked up the dead rat and started walking looking at it .He wondered how to put it to use when he heard a voice “Is that rat for sale? Please sell it to me”. He turned around to find an old women standing in front of a hut calling out to him .He was surprised and asked “Do you want this dead rat?” She said “My cat is sick and can’t find a rat on his own. Save his life and I’ll give you a bowl of milk in exchange for this rat”.

Vinay gladly exchanged rat with milk .With the bowl of milk he started to walk thinking on how to go about with the next step when a man came rushing to him and said “Is it milk? Please can you spare it for our village head’s daughter. She hadn’t had milk since night and crying profusely”.

Vinay gave him the cup. The girl drank the milk and slept peacefully the headman thanked Vinay profusely and gave him a gold coin.

Vinay went to the harbour with gold the coin. He found a merchant selling his merchandise. He purchased few with the gold coin he had and started his business. Few years later, he returned to the same city Banaras a rich successful business man and went straight to the swamiji’s ashram and fell on his feet and thanked him for showering him with the blessings because which he was successful. But swamiji did not recognise him and said so.

Vinay narrated the entire story. Srinivas , who was standing beside guruji immediately said “I was with guruji that day”.

“And you still are the same” said swamiji, “You’ve stayed with me almost of your life yet you were what you were when you first met me. But this Vinay has heard just one sentence, lived it. Believed it and has transformed his life and realized that sentence. It’s not the quantity of time spent or the proximity that matters. Tomorrow when I am dead and gone you may even end up taking my place and live quoting and reciting my words and stories. But, that’s what they’ll be .My words which are empty when they are uttered by you. On contrary, they’ll be truths of lives passed on through people like Vinay, Who believed that my word meant. What it meant and they were pure enough to try it, live it and experience it.

Vinay was more than happy when he left the ashram. Now, he knew the secret to be close to swamiji. He need not physically be present with swamiji. He had to live his words and automatically would have his company. He felt complete and satisfied.