Love and Prejudice

Once upon a time there was a small town. A happy town! People were happy with whatever they have with them. Everything was going on smoothly except with one house, where everything was not going smoothly. A forty years old man was very sick. His family tried different types of treatments to cure his illness but in vain. Not a single treatment was effective. Old man was getting weaker and weaker.

On one unfortunate day he passed away. His fourteen years old son was wretched, he felt alone because his main support was no longer in this world. He was his one and only son. He loved his father very much. Death of his beloved father made his condition miserable.

When he was small kid, he heard from someone that far from the town, in a village there lives a divine saint, he has magical powers, and he can make anything possible. The son thought to pay a visit to this saint. So he went to the saint who was living very far from the town. He went there and explained his tragic loss and how he feels now without his father. He then expressed his wish to bring back his father to life. The saint explains him how this is not possible. But the stubborn lad was not in a mood to listen. Saint tried to console him, but it was in vain. Saint then asks him to do one thing if he succeeds in doing that then he will bring his father back to life. The lad agrees to him. Saint asks him to pluck a leaf from the tree. After listening to such a simple task the lad goes plucks the leaf and comes back to saint. Saint then says ‘now go back, and plant that leaf to exact place on a tree from where you plucked the leaf and make sure it comes to life again.’ The lad gets confused and asks how it is possible. The leaf is already plucked now how can I plant it to tree again.

The saint then explains him ‘if you cannot put a simple leaf back to his life how you expect me to bring your father back to life.it is not possible.’ The lad agrees to him. But again since he was a good, loving and caring son he asks the saint, ‘it is said person goes to heaven after his death, or in hell, I don’t want my father to go in hell. I want him to be happy; I want him to rest in heaven. Since you are a divine saint, you know everything, I have heard you make impossible things possible please fulfill my wish. As I loved my father, I don’t want him to suffer in hell.’    

Looking at the lad and his good intentions to keep his father away from the suffering, Saint feels empathetic for him, and thinks how to console him this time, after lot thinking he comes with a solution. He smiles at him and says ‘it is possible but the remedy is very difficult. It is not your cup of tea. The Son said I love my father, howsoever the difficult is the remedy I will complete it.’ Looking at his determination saint became happy. He then asked him to bring pure and clean water, some sugar and some salt.

After bringing them, he asked the son to mix one table spoon sugar into the jar full of water. And asks him to taste the water. The son says water is somewhat sweet. Then he asks to mix one table spoon of salt in it and asks to taste it. It has become salty the lad replies. He then asks him to add one more table spoon of salt. And again asks to taste it. This time water has become too much salty.

The saint then says ‘our life is just like the pure and clear water. Whatever good deeds we do it makes our life sweet and valuable, and whatever bad deeds we do it makes our life salty and useless. Nobody likes the salty water not even you then how do you expect the heaven would like the person with bad deeds. If your father has done enough good deeds then he will eventually be liked and welcomed in the heaven. Otherwise not.’

The Lad gets the point, and says thank you to the saint for enlightening him and leaves the place with satisfaction.

We also sometimes act like the Lad, in the story, don’t we? Asking lord to give us what is practically impossible to happen, and when it doesn’t happen as per the wish we start cursing ourselves or the society.