»» Thought for the Week (Updated on 01 May, 2006)

Debt to God, Parents and Nature

We must have peace of mind, it cannot be bought in a market. It is found in one's heart. We can acquire this by cultivating contentment. For acquiring contentment, one should be nurtured spiritually. And we should not encourage differences, but feel the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God. Only then can we be happy.

I am reminded of a story of two ants who were very friendly. The always lived together. One day, by a quirk of fate, one went into a salt bag, another into a sugar and became fat. One that went into salt bag became weak. So the fat ant asked the lean one, "How are you? why are you so emaciated?" It replied "I eat salt" and it wanted to ate sugar and became fat and offered to take it to the sugar bar. The fat one led the weak one to sugar but to him sugar tasted saltish, so it abused its fat friend. The fat ant did not know how to solve the problem. It took the weak ant to the doctor who examined its tongue on which layers of salt were found. The doctor operated on its tongue and removed the layers of salt. It started taking sugar and it enjoyed the taste of sugar. The moral is that if we are ignorant of spiritual duties we will not understand the truth.

As long as we are indifferent, we will obtain spiritual happiness. A man may be worried, he may travel to America and other places to escape from worries. But this does not help him. It will be like the ant which ate the salt and he must undergo the operation with the assistance of Guru, cultivate duty and dedication which will fill him with happiness. We should think of the Creator and believe in the law Divine which will make our passage smooth in today's world.

- Sri Balagangadharanatha Swamiji
Excerpted from "Shree Kshetra Adichunchanagiri" Monthly
Vilume 2    Issue 9    March 2006