ALL FOR A SINGLE PIECE OF LOINCLOTH

One story that always makes my heart smile is told by my favorite story-teller, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. I need not tell you what a great soul he was… and, yet, how simple and rustic he and his teachings were…

His philosophy was soaked in the day-to-day reality of life… He, unfailingly, weaved his stories around what was happening around him, in his immediate world… not what was happening ‘out there’ in the ‘faraway heavens'… He was least concerned about the world his simple followers would not understand.

So, here is that story…  You and I will, definitely, understand it.

There was, once, a rich householder in a town. He was fed-up of running after wealth and managing all that it brought to his life… He was tired, tensed and frustrated. Finally, he went to a Guru to seek help. The Holy man advised him to abandon his household - his wealth and family - and lead the life of an ascetic, a Sadhu. As per his Guru's advise, the man chucked everything that he had possessed, went to a secluded village at the foothill of a remote mountain, raised a small hut there… and proceeded to live a Sadhu’s life.

Everyday, early in the morning, the Sadhu would perform his prayers wearing a wet loincloth. After the prayers, he would hang his loincloth on a tree next to his hut to dry up… and, then, he would go the nearby village to beg for the day’s food.

One day, when the Sadhu returned to his hut, he noticed that some rats had caused a big hole in the loincloth which was hung on the tree. The next day, he explained his plight to the villagers and begged for a new loincloth, which they obliged.

The Sadhu was relived and began to use the new wet-loincloth for his morning prayers.  This time, he spread it on the roof of his hut to dry up before he proceeded to the village to beg for food.

To his horror, one day, on returning from the village, the Sadhu found his new loincloth all in tatters… The rats had done it, again!

What was to be done, now? How would the Sadhu explain this to the villagers? There was no option but to tell the villagers what had happened and beg for a new piece of cloth.

This time around, the villagers said to him, “Sir, this may go on and on; for how long can we provide you with new cloth? Please do one thing: you keep a cat in your hut!”

So, that day, on his way home, the Sadhu picked a kitten from the village and began to raise it in his hut. From that day onwards, the menace of the rats was over… and the loincloth was safe and dry! It made the Sadhu very happy…

However, there was a new problem, now… The cat wanted milk everyday. So, the Sadhu had to beg for it with the villagers. Initially, they helped him; but, after some days, they told him, “Sir, how long can it go on like this? Please do one thing: keep a cow in your hut!”

So, a cow came to the Sadhu’s hut and, with that, came milk… enough not only for the cat but for himself, too! It made him extremely happy…

But, the Sadhu was worrying about a different problem, now… The cow needed straw to survive!

Thus, the Sadhu approached the villagers for straw… Just a couple of days later, the annoyed villagers let him know what they felt: “There is a vast uncultivated-land outside your hut,” they told him straight, “Why can’t you till it?”

It was a practical suggestion, the Sadhu thought, and he went about tilling the land. Soon, he had laborers to help him… and large barns to store the harvest… He felt he needed a wife to take care of his needs… So, he married a pretty young-lady from the village… had a couple of lovely children…

And, before he knew it, the Sadhu’s life had had become so frantic… that he was running around as any busy householder would do. Not just that, he was rich, once again…

He was tired, tensed and frustrated, too!

Then, some years later, the Guru who had advised, wanted to see how his prodigy was doing. But, when he reached the mountainside, where once stood the rustic hut, the Guru was left puzzled… What he saw there was a typically-frantic household… with people running around with breathless speed…

“I am looking for a Sadhu who lived in a small hut, here, some years ago,” the Guru asked a servant, “Do you know where I can find him?”

The servant was clueless. Hence, the Guru walked into the house where he found his prodigy in an unbelievable avatar!

“What is all this, my son?” a shocked Holy man yelled at his disciple, “Whatever happened to my advice?”

“All for a single piece of loincloth, my Master,”

 the distraught soul fell on the feet of his Guru…

Yes, all over again!

GERALD D’CUNHA

 Pics.: Abhishek Iyer

Story courtesy (retold here):  'Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna' (Published by Ramakrishna Math)