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Once upon a time in a small village there lived a proud learned man who would boast that he was very much in control of his desires.

One day a wise old man visited him and decided to test his will-power.

The wise old man gave him four candles and said,

"Burn one candle and go in one direction. When the candle goes out, dig the ground at that place. Be contented with whatever you find there: do not go in any other direction."

As he handed the man the candles, the wise old man continued,

"However if you decide to go in another direction, don't go in the third direction. Even if you have to go in the third direction, never go in the fourth direction."

So the learned man went out and burnt one candle.He walked in one direction.

When the candle went out, he dug the ground and found some silver coins.

He was not contented; even though the wise old man had told him not to go in another direction, he decided,

"If I have found silver coins in this place, let me go and see what is there in the next direction."

So he burnt another candle and went in the second direction. When the candle burnt out, he dug at that place and found some gold coins.

He became very happy and desire began growing within him for more treasure.

He thought, "That wise man told me not to come to this place because he knew that there was more valuable treasure here, and that's why he didn't want me to come and get it! Maybe he has kept even more valuable treasures in the third direction, so let me go and get that !"

The roots of desire were taking a strong hold of him.

So obeying his mind, he went in the third direction where he discovered some diamonds and gold nuggets.

He was extremely happy, and feeling prosperous, he thought,

"All right. Let me go and try in the fourth direction and I am sure there will be more valuables and great wealth over there."

By now he had collected silver and gold coins, diamonds and gold nuggets from the three directions. He was rich but not contented.

The roots of desire were getting stronger and stronger.

Desire is such a thing that if we have a hundred dollars, we want a thousand; if we have a thousand, we desire ten thousand. It goes on increasing and increasing.

Finally he decided to burn his fourth and last candle.

However he had forgotten that the wise old man had warned him that ,

"...even if you have to go in the third direction, never go in the fourth direction."

His desires drove him to the fourth direction and when the candle burnt out he dug at the ground there.

He kept digging for some time and finally he found an underground tunnel that led him to a house with only a door ; there were no windows.

When he entered the house he saw a woman standing there holding up the roof with her head. She looked very confused and tired.

The learned man walked up to her and said,

"My dear, please tell me, is there any treasure here in this house ?"

The woman replied, "Yes, there is a lot of wealth here, but i cannot tell you where it is hidden because I have this burden of the roof on my head. If you can help share this burden, that is, if you will come and take my place, then I will become free and I will be able to tell you where the treasure is hidden."

The man was more concerned in satisfying his desire for more wealth and did not realize that he was being fooled.

So he took the place of that woman, who had been standing there for ages.

When she became free, she said,

"Yes, there is a lot of wealth here in this house ; but you will get it only when somebody like you comes and takes this burden of holding the roof."

Desire is such a thing that it never comes to an end, it just goes on increasing and increasing ..... and what are the consequences ?

We end up being caught "holding the roof ".

It is the desires of man which keeps him forever a "pauper".

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In the hands of man.....

If it were in the hands of man, he would have taken everything ; but whatever God wishes, only that happens.
- from The Sukhmani of Guru Arjan Devji

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If it were in the control of any one particular man, then that man would never allow anyone else in this world to have any wealth, or to make use of the resources which are in this world.

That man would want to have all those good blessings only for himself.

Thus the Guru says that it is all in the hands of God - "Whatever He wishes, only that happens."

Here is an interesting anecdote to illustrate this :

Once there was a poor farmer who did steadfast devotion to God.

God became pleased with him and He granted him a boon - ask the Lord for anything and it would be granted.

God gave the farmer a little bell and said, "Whenever you need anything, just ring the bell and whatever you ask for, will be provided to you. However whatever you ask for, your neighbour will get double - double of what you get."

When God gave him that bell, the farmer was very pleased, but when he heard that his neighbour would get double of what he would get, he didn't like the idea.

So he went home and told his wife, "I have got this bell from God but the condition is that whatever we get, our neighbour will get double of it. So that is why I don't want to ring this bell and I don't want to get anything from God."

As the days passed, the farmer's condition became more desperate - his crops were lost to fire and he incurred more loses than before.

Inspite of all this he did not ring the bell as the thought of his neighbour getting prosperous bothered him.

So he didn't ring the bell and he didn't ask God for anything.

Many times his wife said to him, "Why should you bother about the neighbours? If they get, with the grace of God, double what we get, let them have it; they are also human beings. Let us at least have what we need!"

"Why should they get anything? I did the devotion, I pleased God and He has given me this boon! Why should I use this boon and let them take advantage of it? I don't want to do that." the farmer replied stubbornly.

God put him through many tests, and the farmer became very poor. His small plot of land became barren and the family was left with very little food.

Yet the man did not ring the bell because he was jealous that his neighbours would get more.

Finally he was in such dire straits that he had to leave his hometown to find work elsewhere.

When he had left, his wife decided to make use of the bell as she could no longer see herself and her family suffering.

She had a different attitude from her husband and thought, "What's wrong if the neighbours get something? They are also human! They should also have what we have."

So she rang the bell and God gave her whatever she asked for and the neighbours got double of it. Many days passed and she became prosperous, and the neighbours became twice as prosperous.

After a few months the man returned home, and saw that his family was living very happily and they were prosperous.

His friends remarked that it was all the grace of God.

The man knew that his wife had used the bell and became upset when he saw that the neighbours had twice as much as his family had.

So he rang the bell and said to God, " Please my Lord i humbly request for these ..... firstly I want a deep well in front of my house."

God granted his wish and his neighbours received two deep wells.

"Next my Lord i request you to make me one-eyed - to take away one of my eyes."

When that wish was granted the man lost vision in one eye but his neighbours became blind in both eyes.

When the blind neighbours in their pain and agony came out of their houses, they fell into the deep wells and died.

Only then was the farmer contented.....

This story illustrates that if supreme power were in the hands of Man, then whoever was in control would never allow other people to enjoy the blessings of God.

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That Man would always keep everything - all the blessings from God - to himself.

However God has not done that. HE has kept everything with Him and if HE wants, only then HE gives.

Whatever He wants to give to man, He gives at his own discretion.

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There is no one to question His authority.

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He has not given the control of this to man; He has kept it in His hands.

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Man is a Slave.....

Man is a slave to the five senses of touch, smell, sight, taste and hearing which in turn are responsible for the actions of lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego.

In animals and the lower species one sense is dominant that gains control.

A moth, for example, is governed by the sense of sight, to the extent of burning itself to death in the heat of a flame or bright light.

Fish, on the other hand, are governed by the sense of taste; and although happily swimming about in the water, yet they will rise to the angler's bait--only to be caught on the hook and die in agonies of torment, flapping around gasping for air.

The large black bumblebee has a very strong sense of smell, and through this easily loses his life to a certain tropical flower that has the ability to close its petals over any insect entering within it.

The sense of hearing is overpowering in a deer. Hunters play a certain tune on a special drum, hearing which the deer is drawn helplessly towards it in ecstasy of that sound, until it quietly lays its head down upon the drum and, of course, is captured.

In the male elephant the sense of touch is very strong (mating). In order to capture or kill it, hunters prepare a large pit and cover it with leaves and then station a female elephant nearby. When the male scents the female, he loses all caution and rushes toward her and falls into the pit which lies in his path. It then spends its life in captivity or killed for its tusk.

So, it is noted that when even a single sense out of the five is ruling and overpowering, it can bring death or slavery.

Take a pause and contemplate on this :

What then will be the condition of us human beings who are slaves to all of these five senses?
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Thoughts and their Consequences

Here is a poem by Bhagat Trilochan written in the Guru Granth Sahib.

He describes the relationship between the thought pattern in the mind just before a person dies and the consequence of that thought.

At the very last moment, one who thinks of his wealth( Greed ), and dies in such thoughts, will be reincarnated over and over again, in the form of serpents.

O sister, do not forget God's Name.

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At the very last moment, he who thinks of women(Lust),and dies in such thoughts, will be reincarnated over and over again as a prostitute.

At the very last moment, one who thinks of his children( Attachment ), and dies in such thoughts, will be reincarnated over and over again as a pig.

At the very last moment, one who thinks of his houses and mansions( Ego), and dies in such thoughts, will be reincarnated over and over again as a ghost.

At the very last moment one who thinks of God, and dies in such thoughts, says Trilochan, that man will be liberated;

God will abide in his heart.

The Ocean & the Rain Drop

When you are in the ocean, before birth, you are part of the ocean, you have no identity, you are the ocean itself, but then the cosmic wind stirs the waves and you become separated from the ocean as spray, you become absorbed into the clouds and form into a raindrop.

For a brief moment in time you think that you are separate from the ocean, that you have a separate identity and purpose, but then the rain falls and you return to the ocean.

That is the nature of human life.

We are temporarily separated from the Source of our being but we will all return one day to the Source from which we came.

There are four important questions that we all should consider -

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Who am I?

Where did I come from?

How long will I be here?
Whither am I going?

- Sai Baba

Karmas

Karma is responsible for birth, existence, and death.

It holds sway over all stages of life as the very deity of human existence.

It is responsible for joy and sorrow.

Karma (action) is the very life breath of a human. Every human being has to undertake karma keeping in mind the possible result of the karmas.

This is the most important duty of a human being. As the karma, so will be the result. One has to keep good health, not merely physical health but mental health too.

Thoughts and resolutions should also be healthy. Good thoughts result in good karmas. When one undertakes karmas with evil thoughts, the result will also be bad.

Who made the bats to hang from the branches of a tree with their heads downward ? Has anyone tied them upside down out of hatred? No, it is their fate.

Likewise, nobody can escape from the consequences of karma. A human being does bad karmas, entertains bad thoughts, and ultimately encounters bad results.

On the other hand, one who entertains good thoughts and undertakes good karmas enjoys good results. It is not possible to get good results by doing bad deeds.

A small example: when one writes correct answers for the questions in an examination, one will get good marks, and vice verse.

Undertaking bad deeds denotes animal tendency. One has to analyze at every stage whether one is behaving like a human being or an animal. When you indulge in bad deeds, even your neighbours will restrain you, saying, "Being born as a human, why do you behave like an animal?"

Thus, one is ridiculed and punished even by a fellow human being. When one resort to evil deeds, one need not have to wait for long till God decides to mete out the punishment.

By doing a bad deed, a good result cannot be achieved;

By doing a good deed, bad results will not accrue;

Having planted a lime sapling, can you obtain a mango fruit ?

By planting a mango sapling, can you get a lime fruit?

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Truth to Ponder......

Right from the time of getting up till going to bed, we struggle to acquire wealth.

We spend all our mental and physical energy on amassing wealth. We undergo many difficulties in the process.

Our mind is confused, and Divinity is forgotten.
It is an endless struggle.

What kind of peace, pleasure, and comfort can we enjoy in this struggle for wealth?
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