PRECIOUS TREASURES THAT WERE LOST

[Guest guest]

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 mans

shoulder and comforting him he said, Dont 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 havent used them, how can you know what joy and satisfaction they

bring?

 

If you havent experienced the joy by using those things, you havent 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. Youve lost nothing,

simply because you had nothing.

 

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

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan