WASTE OF TIME AND ENERGY !

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is among the most revered sages of India. Once he was camping in an ashram by the banks of a river. Every day, in the morning he used to conduct intense spiritual discussions with his disciples.

One day, an ascetic arrived at the ashram. He was a local resident and spoke against Ramakrishna at every given opportunity.

Ramakrishna, however remained unperturbed by his behaviour and maintained a stoical silence. When the ascetic stormed into the ashram,

Ramakrishna looked at him calmly, expecting him to spew venom once again. 

But this time, the ascetic appeared to be in a different mood. For the past several years, he had been secretly learning the art of walking on water. And now, he had mastered the skill and was adept at it. 

He had meticulously planned his visit and course of action before arriving at the ashram, to flaunt his skill and denigrate Ramakrishna. Assuming an air of arrogance, he addressed Ramakrishna and asked him, “you pretend to be a knowledgeable saint, but do you know how to walk on water?” 

In all humility, Ramakrishna replied, “No, brother. I do not know how to walk on water, but this inability is not a hindrance to me at all. Yes, I certainly know how to walk on land though, and it proves very useful in my daily routine.”

At this, the ascetic puffed his chest out a little more and spoke disdainfully, “Do not try to hide your weakness behind a veil of great words. Now, listen to me! I know the art of walking on water!”

Hearing this, Ramakrishna’s disciples present in the ashram looked at him in amazement. The look on Ramakrishna’s face was clearly evident of what he thought of the ascetic’s boastful talk, but, in a calm tone he addressed the ascetic, “if you really know how to walk on water, please do give us a demonstration, for even we would like to enjoy watching this feat.”

The ascetic smiled victoriously and walking arrogantly, took Ramakrishna and his disciples to the river bank. Everyone stood in anticipation, with their mouth wide open, gaping in utter surprise as the ascetic stepped on water and effortlessly began walking on it, even as Ramakrishna’s disciples rubbed their eyes in disbelief. 

Meanwhile, the ascetic walked on water to the opposite bank of the river and returned. The disciples standing there, watched the ascetic’s feat in awe. However, Ramakrishna, stood absolutely calm and unaffected by the ascetic’s antics. He merely smiled, looked deep into the ascetic’s eyes and remained silent. 

The ascetic was puzzled at such a tepid reaction from the great sage. Contrary to expectation, there was not a word of praise from Ramakrishna, nor was

there any sign of surprise or admiration in his expression. “Why are you smiling like this?” the ascetic asked in an irritated tone. 

Ramakrishna did not reply. Instead, he beckoned a boatman and asked him, “brother, will you take me on a boat ride to the other side of the river and back?”

The boatman was only too happy to comply. So, he helped Ramakrishna board his boat, and after settling him down comfortably, set off with the sage on a leisurely ride to the other side of the river. 

The ascetic and the disciples were mute spectators, wondering what Ramakrishna intended doing, too stunned to even utter a word. They had absolutely no clue why the sage had suddenly decided to take a boat-ride. All they could do was curiously watch as Ramakrishna enjoyed the ride and return to the riverbank where they were standing. The disciples now waited eagerly to see what their guru had up his sleeve.

Once they reached the bank, Ramakrishna alighted from the boat and asked the boatman the price of the ride. “Two paise,” the boatman replied.  Paying the money to the boatman, Ramakrishna turned around, placed his hand on the ascetic’s shoulder and calmly asked him, “Tell me, my brother, how many years did it take you to learn this art?” The ascetic instantly replied, “Twenty years.” Ramakrishna laughed and said, “You mean you spent twenty years of your life learning an art that is worth only two paise!” At a loss of words, the ascetic fumbled for a response, but could not find his voice. 

Embarrassed at his own stupidity, the ascetic, without looking back, beat a hasty retreat and fled from the spot.

Moral

Human life revolves entirely around Time and Energy. Every person should bear in mind that in a life span of 80 years, he spends 25 years sleeping, and the rest is spent in attaining education and attending to routine activities and responsibilities. Now, if he spends the remainder of his Time and Energy in futile pursuits or activities, when will the person work towards achieving happiness and success? So, bear in mind that everything you attain here is by expending your precious Time and Energy.

Therefore, before endeavouring to achieve anything, you must carefully calculate the amount of Time and Energy you will be investing in it. And venture into it only if the ‘deal’ seems favourable to you. Believe me, this is the best, foolproof method to achieve happiness and success.