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.