Two boyhood friends met after a long time. They studied together during their younger days.
One was a wealthy businessman and the other was about to take up sainthood. They met in a small town and they were proceeding to another town.
On their way, there found a river in floods. Both had the urgency to cross the river to reach the other side.
There was no bridge to cross the river. A boatman was sitting nearby with a boat. The businessman requested him to take them to the other side.
He said since the river was in spate and it was dangerous to live. The saint kept quiet but the businessman asked him how much he charged to cross the river. He said he charged Rs.100/. The businessman then offered him Rs1000/.
Lured by the handsome offer, he agreed and all the three got into the boat. After reaching the other side, the businessman sarcastically told the sanyasi, "See what money could do. Why do you want to renounce and become a saint without money?"
The sanyasi replied, " My dear friend, you could not cross the river until you had the money in your pocket. Only after renouncing the money you were able to cross the river. You could never cross the river by keeping the money in your pocket."
