PRECIOUS TREASURES THAT WERE LOST

[Guest guest]

PRECIOUS TREASURES THAT WERE LOST…

There was a man who dreamt of buying five precious things spoken of in the entire world. He toiled day and night for a long time until his dream finally came true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He put all the things he had bought into a big bag, and carried them along with him. There was an inwrought blanket of the finest wool, balm tea of the best quality ever, a book in delicate golden cover full of assorted wisdom, fine silver scales, and a golden key that could open any door.

Every morning, on his way to work, the man took his bag with him; every evening, he put the bag next to his bed when he went to sleep. The man woke up many a nights to check if the bag was still there. There were days when he even got up in the middle of the night and took all the things out of the bag to make sure they were all still there. He did not use any of these things as they were far too precious for him; he was afraid of damaging them. The bag was the dearest thing to this man.

One day, on his way back from work, the man walked into a park. He sat down on the bench where the warm rays of the Sun caressed him until he fell asleep. Upon waking up, the man discovered that the bag was gone! It was stolen.He was deeply sorrow-stricken; he had lost his precious belongings. The labour of many years disappeared without a trace. The thought of not having his prized possessions for the rest of his life made him massively depressed.

The man had a friend, who started to worry about him. He came to the man in apparent distress and asked, “What was in that bag?†The man explained that the bag contained an exquisite blanket of the finest wool. The friend then asked him: “Was the blanket soft? Did it caress your skin gently?

Did it really give you warmth even in the coldest nights, just as everyone described it?†The man had no answer because he had never used the blanket himself. All he knew was that it was made of the finest wool, daintily embroidered and very expensive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What else was in your bag?†asked the friend. “The bag contained balm tea of the best quality in the world.†His dear friend then asked, “Was the tea tasty?Did it really calm your mind as it was acclaimed to? Did it soothe away your worries and heal your body?†The man was without an answer yet again, as he had never drunk even a sip of it. All he knew about the tea was that it was balm tea of the choicest quality, and was really expensive.

“Was there any other thing in the bag?†the friend continued. The man told him that the bag also had a book of assorted wisdom in delicate golden cover. Was the book interesting? Is there a new lesson in that you would like to share? Did it help you progress in life?†This question remained unanswered as well, because the man had never opened the book. All he knew was that it was a book of wise sayings in an elegant covering of gold, and was classy.

“Was there more in your bag?†the friend persisted. The man continued with his story that the bag held a pair of fine silver scales. “Did these scales really weigh things more accurately than the ordinary ones? Did they help you do your job much quicker and better? Was the silver warm or, perhaps, cold?†the friend asked again. The man seemed to be clueless because all he remembered about the scales was that they were made of diaphanous silver, and looked very elegant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What else had you put in the bag, my friend?†The man remembered the golden key that could open any door. “How many new doors did you open? What new discoveries did await you behind these doors? Were you overwhelmed when the key opened new worlds for you?†Sadly all the man knew was that the key was made of gold; that it could open any door, and it was a privilege to have that object.

When the man failed to answer the last question, the friend put his hand on man’s shoulder and comforting him he said, “Don’t grieve, my dear man, even less, worry, because those things in your bag are of no value to you if you have not used them. If you haven’t used them, how can you know what joy and satisfaction they bring?

If you haven’t experienced the joy by using those things, you haven’t lost anything. Even if you had ever used those precious things and let in the joy, you would have stayed rich even when you lost the bag; because no thief can steal your experience, feelings and joy from your heart. You’ve lost nothing, simply because you had nothing.â€

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba gives us Love (prema) – the inwrought blanket of the finest wool, calmness (shanthi) – the best quality balm tea, peacefulness (ahimsa) – the book in delicate golden cover full of wisdom, justness (dharma) – fine silver scales, and the truth (sathya) – the golden key that opens any door.We are rich and happy only if we have used these precious gifts. For when we have benefited from them, they remain in our hearts forever. They become our indelible property which no thief can ever steal. We become rich and richer. But if we never discover their true potential through real practice and experience, we are poor and poorer every day.

We have the greatest of wealth within us, let us harness it and lead a life of undisturbed love and bliss.

By Ms. Rita Ivanova, Latvia

Illustrations: Ms. Lyn, New Zealand

Ram ChuganiKobe, Japan