From Ruk Merani - Adding the God Principle in our lives

[Guest guest]

Found this story on the web sometime back. Don't remember the site.

 

 

One rich man owned 19 horses when he died. In his last will and

testament he had written that upon his death, half the horses he

owned should go to his only son; one fourth to the village temple

and one fifth to the faithful servant.

 

The village elders could not stop scratching their heads. How can

they give half of the 19 horses to the son? You cannot cup up a

horse. They puzzled over this dilemma for more than two weeks and

then decided to send for a wise man who was living in a neighbouring

village.

 

The wise man came riding on his horse and asked the villagers if he

can be of any help to them. The village elders told him about the

rich man's last will and testament which stated that half of the

(19) horses must be given to his only son, one fourth must go to the

temple and one fifth to the faithful servant.The wise man said he

will immediately solve their problem without any delay whatsoever.

He had the 19 horses placed in a row standing next to one another.

Then he added his own horse as the 20th horse. Now he went about

giving half of the 20 horses – that is ten horses to the son. One

fourth of 20- that is 5 horses were given to the temple committee.

One fifth of twenty- that is 4 horses were given to the faithful

servant. Ten plus five plus four made 19 horses. The remaining 20th

horse was his own which he promptly mounted, spoke a few inspiring

words, and rode back home.

 

The villagers were simply dumbfounded, full of disbelief and filled

with admiration. And the parting words of the wise man were

inscribed in their hearts and minds which they greatly cherished and

passed on to their succeeding generations till today.

 

The wise man said: In our daily lives, in our daily affairs, simply

add God's name and then go about facing the day's happenings. Ever

come across problems in life that are seemingly insurmountable?

(Like the villagers, do we feel that such problems cannot be

solved?).

 

The wise man continued: Add the God Principle in our daily lives and

the problems will become lighter and eventually will disappear. In

the manner of the ice which, with the addition of the heat principle

ice will turn into water, and that will eventually evaporate as

steam and disappear. And how do we add God's name (God principle) in

our daily lives? Through prayers, filled with true love and devotion

with sincerity of purpose and dedication that only total faith can

bring about. Meditation is a powerful means of directing the mind

Godward.

 

But without true love and devotion entering into it, it remains like

a boat without water. It is not difficult to push a boat that is

floating in water, but extremely hard to drag the same boat on dry

land. In the same way, if our life's boat floats on the waters of

true love and devotion, we can sail easily in it. The principle of

love of God and devotion with total faith, (like water) makes easy

the voyage of our lives. When the mind is pure and the heart full of

simplicity and holiness, such a devotee becomes an instrument in the

service of the Lord.