Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

There are so many Vedantins and self-styled scholars who preach many precepts but do not practise them. There is a story of a pandit who mastered all scriptures and was preaching to people. He used to get milk from a milkmaid who came from a distant village. Because she was not punctual in delivering milk, one day the pandit asked her why she was coming at 8 a.m. one day and at 9 a.m. another day, and not regular, which resulted in his puja (worship) being delayed. She said she had to cross a small river enroute, for which she had to use a boat, and the boatman was giving priority to the more affluent customers, making her to wait for the second trip. She said this was the reason for her delay. The pandit mocked her apparent ignorance, and said, “if only you chant the name of God, Om Namo Narayana, you do not need the boat at all, and the river will part and give way to you. Why do you not adopt this easy method?” Because this upadesh (advice) was given by the learned pandit, she had full faith in his words and rehearsed God’s name as she returned home. Next day, she uttered the name of Narayana and got into the river and crossed without any difficulty, because it gave way. She repeated in the same manner every day, and was able to deliver milk in time to the pandit. After a few days, the pandit questioned as to how she was able to come in time daily. She told him the fact that she was following the pandit’s advice, and was able to cross the river uttering God’s name. The pandit himself had no belief, though he gave the advice to the milkmaid. He wanted to test the veracity of her statement and proceeded to the river bank next day. He chanted the name, but without full faith and got into the river folding up his dhothi (lower garment) lest it might get wet, and was drowned in the river. This is the fate of a person who preaches but lacks faith in his own preaching. The illiterate woman had no doubt at all and had total faith.