Try to understand the essence of what I say....

[Gauracandra]

It takes a simple charm to tell a simple story. The following comes from "Sadhu-sanga, the Birthplace of Bhakti" by Srila Gour Govinda Swami under the section called "Try to understand the essence of what I say".

 

Such pseudo guru once went to the house of his disciple, who was also a similar disciple – a great speculator, manodharma. That disciple cooked nice food, palatable dishes for his guru. Guru ate it and after bhojana the disciple brought a haritaki. After eating, the skin of haritaki is very good. It helps for digestion and also prevents bad odor from coming out of the mouth. This is mentioned in the Veda-sastra. It also purifies the blood. Many benefits are there in haritaki. Gurudeva said, “All right. Peal it and bring it to me.” So this speculator disciple, who was a bharavahi, not saragrahi – one who only carries the load, but cannot accept the essence – he thought, “All right. The outside skin is useless, asara, and the inside seed is useful, sara.” Therefore he threw the outside skin and brought the hard nut that was inside. Guru could not eat it because the outside skin is useful whereas the inside seed is useless. Guru says, “Oh. You are so foolish! You don’t know that the outside skin is useful for haritaki? The inside seeds are useless.” “Yes Gurudeva, I understand. I will do like this hence-forward.” Next day guru ate bhojana. After eating, sisya brought a cardamom. He thought, “Oh. Yesterday Gurudeva told me that the outside is useful whereas the inside is useless.” Therefore he took the cardamom, threw the inside seeds and brought the skin. Guru said, “Ore baba! What is this? The outside is useless. The inside is useful.” “Oh. Yesterday he said that the outside is useful and the inside is useless.” He is a speculator. Those who speculate are like that. They cannot accept the essence. They are bharavahis, not saragrahis. So this is what I say. Don’t become a speculator. Don’t become bharavahi; become saragrahi. Try to understand the essence of what I say. Then that will be your real love and affection for me.

Hope you enjoyed that.

 

Gauracandra

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by Gauracandra (edited 05-15-2001).]