Sri Sathya Sai Baba Stories and Parables 26 - Cross the river

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26 - Cross the river

 

There was a pundit who led a disciplined life, sticking to a

prearranged time table. He woke up from sleep in the early hours of

the morning, recited pranava and later, after ablutions, drank a cup

of milk at 7 a.m. exactly.

 

Sometimes the milk-maid arrived late, for she lived on the other

side of a river that flowed between the area in which she lived and

the area in which the pundit lived. She had to catch a ferry to

cross over the river with the milk. The ferry boat either started a

little earlier or a little later. So, sometimes by the time she

reached the Pundit's house it used to be very late.

 

One day the Pundit scolded her and said " You are upsetting my

disciplined life. Don't you know that I must have my cup of milk at

7 a.m.? Why do you depend on that boat to take you across? Just

repeat the name of Rama. You will be able to walk across the river.

Rama will see that you do not get drowned. "

 

The maid being very simple and unsophisticated had faith in the

words of the Pundit. Next day, the maid repeated the name of Rama

and she just walked across the river. The Pundit questioned

her: " How could you come on time? " The milk-maid replied: " Sir, I

repeated the name of Rama as you instructed yesterday, and I could

just walk across. " The Pundit was flabbergasted. He did not believe.

He just drank the milk and said: " Let's now go to the bank of the

river. Let me see you walk across the river. " The maid stepped into

the river repeating the name of Rama; she could just walk across.

The maid requested the Pundit to follow her. But the Pundit knew

that he would not be able to walk across the river, because he did

not have faith in what he himself had said - the power of the Name.