Parable of Swami Sivananda

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Parable Of The Gardener And The Shep Herd

 

A gardener was proceeding towards his master's house one morning,

with a flower-pot on his head; and in the flower-pot was a beautiful,

green plant, for growing which the gardener had taken immense pains.

On the way he met his friend, the shepherd, who was going to his

house with a sheep slung on his shoulders. The gardener had not met

the shepherd for some time. He greeted the shepherd with a big smile

and the two began to talk. When the exchange of news came to an end,

they went their way. The gardener wanted to take a look at the plant,

before he entered the master's house. He lowered the pot from his

head. To his horror, he discovered that there was not a leaf left in

it, and that it was all but a naked stem. The sheep which his friend

had around his shoulders had eaten away all the leaves while he was

busy talking to him. How could he enter his master's house without

the plant? He, therefore, returned to the garden, sorely

disappointed.

 

A Sadhaka cultivates divine virtues in the garden of his heart. He

has to struggle hard and exert much in order to cultivate even a

single virtue. The virtue is a passport for him to enter his Master's

House, the Kingdom of God. He carries the pot of his virtues, as it

were, while proceeding to the Kingdom of God. But during his journey

of life here, he meets a 'friend', who has with him the eater of

virtue, viz., vice. Contact with this friend seems to be amusing to

the man of virtue. But this is costly friendship. Very soon, the

virtuous man discovers that the company of the 'friend' has denuded

him of his virtues. He has lost the passport to the kingdom of God.

He has to return to this world of pain and death, sorely

disappointed.

 

O man, beware of wrong company. Have Satsanga. You will be

spiritually elevated.