Never speak ill of others

[Guest guest]

Never speak ill of others

 

Whenever we heard that someone had died, we would make a point of

going to sit before Sri Bhagavan because we were all keen to hear Sri

Bhagavan compliment the departed person. Even when he talked about

people who were, to the rest of us, inveterate scoundrels, he would

always find something good to say about them.

 

There was a rich man called Kandaswami who lived in town. Although

he occasionally used to come to the ashram for Sri Bhagavan's darshan,

the local people detested him because of his bad behavior. During his

last days, which he spent in the mantapam opposite the ashram, he

suffered from both poverty and disease. While he was lying in this

mantapam, he sent word through a messenger that he would like some

gruel prepared in the Malayalam way. Immediately Sri Bhagavan arranged

for this gruel to be prepared and sent to him. On the following day

Kandaswami's condition became serious, so serious in fact that we were

speaking among ourselves, wondering which of his good qualities Sri

Bhagavan would speak about when he passed away. A day later,

Kandaswami died.

 

We immediately went and informed Sri Bhagavan and sat before him,

thinking that even Sri Bhagavan would not be able to think of anything

good to say about this man. What a disappointment!

 

Sri Bhagavan told us, 'No one could keep his body and clothes as

clean as Kandaswami. He used neither oil nor soap. He would come at 8

a.m. in the morning and start washing his dhoti. Then he would hang it

up to dry. By the time he had completed his bath it would be twelve

noon. His hair and beard were always extremely clean.'

 

We hung our heads in shame. Who could equal Sri Bhagavan in seeing

only the good qualities in all people?