EARNESTNESS OR FAITH (SRADDHA)

January 25, 2007

Source: Spiritual Stories told by Sri Ramana

A devotee obtained a copy of Sri Bhagavan's work Ulladu Narpadu (Forty Verses on

Reality) and began to write out the entire work for himself. Seeing him doing

this writing with earnestness, though with a certain amount of difficulty and

strain, since the devotee was not accustomed to squatting and doing continuous

writing work, Bhagavan

told the story of a sannyasi and his disciples to illustrate what is called

sraddha – earnestness of purpose.

THERE WAS ONCE a guru who had eight disciples. One day he instructed them all to

make a copy of his teachings from a notebook he had kept. One of them, who had

lived an easy-going life before renouncing the world, could not make a copy for

himself. He, therefore paid a couple of rupees to a fellow disciple and

requested him to make a copy for him also. The guru examined the copy books one

day and, noticing two books in the same handwriting, asked the disciples for an

explanation. Both the writer and the one on whose behalf it was written told the

truth about it.

The Master commented that, though speaking the truth was an

essential quality of a spiritual aspirant, it alone would not carry

one to one's goal, but that sraddha (earnestness of purpose) was also

necessary. Since this had not been exhibited by the disciple who

had entrusted his own labour to another, he was disqualified from

discipleship. Referring to his making payment for the work, the

guru sarcastically remarked that " Salvation " costs more than that

and he was at liberty to purchase it rather than undergo training

under him. So saying he dismissed that disciple.

gokulmuthu narayanaswamy <gokulmuthu

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