MEDITATE WHILE YOU WORK (12)

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MEDITATE WHILE YOU WORK : A NEW PATH FOR A NEW AGE (12)

Swami Ashokananda

 

(continued)

 

You have read of one such yogin in Swami Vivekananda's story of

the butcher, which originally occurs in a section of the Mahabharata

called 'Vyadha Gita', that is to say, 'Song of the Butcher' - not

that the butcher sang, but he gave instruction. You remember the

story: a young brahmin left home, lived in the woods and became a

great ascetic. By his austerities, he gained some miraculous

powers, and one morning he looked with annoyance at a crow and

just by his look burnt it to ashes. He felt he had achieved,

and so he returned to the world. That noon he appeared at the

door of a house and expected to be welcomed, to be given dinner

and so on. Nobody responded; so he became very annoyed. After

a time the housewife appeared at the door. 'Sir', she said,

'I am just now attending to my sick husband. After I have finished,

I shall offer hospitality to you. No use looking at me like this.

I am not a crow that you can burn me to ashes.' Of course the

young man was flabbergasted. He had not spoken to anyone about

what had happened in the woods. How could this woman know about

it ? So he waited, and afterwards the woman gave him dinner.

Then he asked, 'How did you know I had burned a crow to ashes ?'

 

(to be continued)