WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR ME?

[Guest guest]

WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR ME

Baba said, "Standing in your place look on calmly at the show of all things

passing before you" in Sri Sai Sat Charitra Ch.XVIII & XIX.

A prince was taking a stroll in his beautiful garden, when a sudden doubt

crossed his mind. Of what use was his garden? Did everything in the garden

benefit him, as the owner?

Drawing near a mango tree, the prince put to it a question, "Tell me, what are you doing for me?"

In answer, the mango tree said, "When the hot summer arrives, my branches are

loaded with the most delicious mangoes. Your gardeners gather them, and they

are served to you and your guests."

The prince was very pleased with this answer. "Well done!" he said to the mango tree.

Next, his eye feel on a huge Banyan tree. It bore no fruit. The prince wondered

what is could be doing for him.

"Tell me what you do for me." He demanded of the Banyan tree.

"I bear no fruit like the mango tree," replied the Banyan. "But I have my own

uses. On my branches rest the chirping birds which sing their beautiful songs

to wake you at dawn. And further, my spreading branches give shelter to your

sheep and cattle!"

"Well done!" said the prince.

He now moved on to the vast meadows of grass. The grass gave no fruit; and it could shelter none.

"What are you doing for me?" he asked the grass.

We give our life so that your sheep and cattle may be nourished, the grass replied.

"Well done!" exclaimed the prince, and his eyes fell on a little daisy that grew

amid the lush green grass.

"Little one, what are you doing for me?" he demanded of the tiny flower.

"Nothing! Nothing!" exclaimed the daisy. "I give you no delicious fruits. I

cannot offer nests to your birds, shade for your cattle, or nourishment for

your sheep and cows. All I can do is be little daisy that I can ever be!"

The words went deep down into the heart of the prince. Kneeling down, he kissed the little daisy.

"Well done little flower! There is no one like you, and I shall always wear you

in my buttonhole to remind me of this great truth – that I, too, must be of the

best that I can ever be!"

(J.P.Vaswani)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Where there is pride of class, devotion is difficult, because devotion is

through the self, not through the body. But class belongs to the body, and not

to the self.

(Amrta Bindu, 14)

Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya .............

Question: How man can rise above the world?

Answer: My experience so far is that it is very difficult to rise above the

world. But in the light of the assurance given in Gita by the Lord Himself, it

should not be considered impossible. Once a person surrenders to God, even the

most difficult tasks become easy. Your questions have been answered by the Lord

in the 14th verse in the seventh chapter of Gita.

Question: What is most precious in the world?

Answer: Time in my view is the most precious commodity because even a second

lost cannot be reclaimed at any cost. Someone has said that a person who

respects time can win over death.

(-Swami Premanandaji Saraswati )