The saint smiled and said, “Sire, you live in a palace and you have hundreds of servants and maidservants to wait on you. You have all kinds of delicious food to eat and magnificent beds to sleep. Your palace is filled with the rarest perfumes. You live in such luxuries, whereas I eat simple food just to fill my belly. I sleep on ashes. I have a torn blanket to cover my body at night. At night, after you have finished dancing and drinking, you sleep on a bed of flowers, whereas I fall asleep meditating and remembering the Holy Name of God. I sleep on the ground beneath the sky with bricks as a pillow. While we are asleep, neither are you conscious of the palace, about your kingship, nor I remember that I am a beggar and earn my livelihood by begging. Now, you decide if your condition during sleep is any different from mine?” The king bowed his head and said, “Yes, it is true that in that state we are the same.” The king then asked, “But tell me, how is your time spent any better than mine?” The saint replied, “In the morning both I and you get up. After getting up I meditate and remember God's Name, whereas you prepare to go to your court. Thereafter, I spend my whole time in satsang and singing the glory of God, whereas you spend your whole time sorting out affairs of the state. Listening to one case after another, you remain disturbed throughout the day. And if you happen to punish an innocent you are responsible for that sin. You probably wonder whether there is any such thing as God's Name. So I have the best of both worlds. I am able to spend my time in this world peacefully and ultimately I will merge in the Divine Light of God while remembering His Name. While you are troubled now and so will you be reborn subsequently in some form or another. So, you tell me if I am better off than you?”
The king bowed and prostrated at the feet of the saint and said in tears, “In reality, I am falling into a dark abyss. Help me and save me from this. I am like a blind man. I have been acting like an animal even though I am a human being.” The purpose of the saint was to awaken the king hence he imparted the Spiritual Knowledge to the king whose life thereafter was full of light.
I am not like others who think ill of people; rather I wish for the salvation of each and every human being. I am a human being and regard each person as a fellow human being. That is why I ask you all to understand the true religion which is the same for all mankind. In ignorance about Manav Dharma (the natural religion of all mankind), the society is engaged in dreadful fights. If you hurt others, so will you also be in pain and trouble. You will be happy only when you make your neighbours happy.
People say they believe in Jesus Christ but they don't tread the spiritual path which He taught. Jesus Christ says that in order to be happy, you will have to ensure your neighbours are happy. But they seem to be making atom bombs to kill their neighbours. Today, the main reason of unrest is that countries are engaging in creating troubles for their neighbours. All citizens in an independent country have equal rights but you see that there are big mansions for rich people whereas poor people spend their nights on the riverbank, at railway stations, or under a bridge and many of them are sleeping under the sky without a roof. They put up with all the miseries of severe cold, heat and rain. Jesus Christ says that if your neighbour is sick, then you should offer help pay for his treatment, otherwise you will also suffer from that disease. I say for your sake that so far you neither have got peace from worldly things nor you can expect to get it in future.
Saint Kabir says,
“Kabir sumiran saar hai, aur sakal janjal.
Adi ant Madhya sodhiya, dooja dekha khyal.”
Simran - Remembrance of Holy Name is the essence of human life. The rest is all a mess which will forever remain unsolved. Worldly pleasures can be enjoyed by most other species also. But you must know the Name and Light of God and take shelter of true saints. Rich and people in high positions today think that they themselves are the creator and destroyer. The whole world is crying out for food, clothes and housing. Our leaders are busy arranging big conferences, meetings and programs so that our countrymen can get food, clothing and shelter, but despite their innumerous efforts, everywhere there are people who are hungry and without adequate clothing. No one except God can fulfill our needs or protect us. The officials do not know the importance of the human body, hence they all are full of arrogance and ego.
Once a potter's son found a ruby while he was digging. He thought it was an ordinary red stone so he tied it around the donkey's neck. He loaded mud on the donkey's back and went to town. He had sold the load and was returning home. On the way, he met a jeweller who saw the jewel hanging from the neck of the donkey. He immediately understood that the potter was ignorant of the value of the stone which is why it was around the donkey's neck.
St. Kabir says,
“Heera parkhe jouhari, shabda parkhe sadh.
Jo jan parkhe sadh ko taka mata agadh.”
A jeweller knows the value of a diamond while it is a saint who knows the Word. And great are those that understand a true saint.
So the jeweller asked the potter, “Will you sell it?” The potter had been carrying mud throughout the day. He thought that it is worth it if he gets a few pennies from selling it, otherwise to him the stone has no value. He replied, “Yes, I am ready to sell it, but how much will you give?” The jeweller replied, “I am ready to give 500,000 rupees for it.” The potter thought that either the jeweller was playing a prank on him or probably the stone is precious one. It is best to know more, so he replied, “No, I will not sell it.” Then the jeweller offered him a million rupees. But again the potter refused. Finally, the jeweller offered several million rupees for the stone. The potter was very happy with the deal to sell the stone. The jeweller paid in cash, whatever he had with him, and for the balance wrote cheques. The potter then handed over the stone to the jeweller. As soon as it came into the jeweller's hands, the stone broke itself into pieces and a voice was heard “You jeweller, you knew that I am priceless and yet you put a price on me. So I have broken into pieces as I can't live with you. It was okay till I was on the donkey's neck as the potter was ignorant, but I can't live with you.” This is just a story, an example. Similarly, this human body is the costliest jewel. No one can purchase it at any price. But we are ignorant like the potter and have tied it to the neck of our mind while we carry like mud loads of illusory worldly pleasures.
After all, everything you do is for the body and what will happen when it is dead and is burnt or buried? You should think about this and do something for enriching and awakening of your soul. After death, these worldly pleasures and powers will not be of any use.
Hence, it is said,
“Arab kharab loun sampada, uday asta lon raj.
Tulsi jo nij maran hai, awey koune kaj.”
After death, none of your millions and billions will be of any use to you. I am of the opinion that remembrance of the Holy Name of God and meditation on the Divine Light only will do you good. So, everyone should take advantage of the opportunity of this human life by acquiring the knowledge of Holy Name and Divine Light. This is the religion for all mankind. This is the Light, which is beyond moon and sun and this is the true and easy method to concentrate the mind. The purpose of human life is to acquire the highest peace, that is, salvation. God is truth, consciousness and bliss and is one and the same for all. So there can be only one religion or one path for all mankind.
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