Five Lessons from a Pencil - HH Sacinandana Swami
When I was walking today, on the Island Mali Losinj, I felt my mind
reach out over the blue sea to an island shimmering in the distance.
When my mind returned, it brought a story with it, a story of
spiritual instruction. Strange are the ways of inspiration.
Here is the story:
When Mohan returned from his journey to Jagannatha Puri, he was a
changed man. Those who had never met him were impressed with his
character, but those who had known him before were suspicious. Why was
Mohan so clear-minded and suddenly so happy? There seemed to be no
good reason, because while Mohan was on his way to Puri, his spiritual
master, Gurudeva, had left his body.
Mohan had become Gurudeva's disciple while they were both in the
Himalayas near Devaprayag. Mohan was a slow learner, and he had been
too busy with his agricultural fields and his two cows to spend much
time on spiritual practices. Still, he had a deep interest in the
spiritual tradition of his fathers, so he had continued to go from
time to time to learn from Gurudeva.
Then misfortune struck twice. First, Mohan's wife died from
tuberculosis. Second, the cows, who were as good as dependent
children, as the couple had none, were killed by a tiger one day.
Mohan was grief-stricken to have lost so much within one year.
Then Gurudeva asked Mohan to accompany him to Puri. While inviting
Mohan, Gurudeva had looked long into Mohan's eyes and said
mysteriously, "There is an ocean at Puri. I feel that my ship will
come and take me back to the land of my origin."
Mohan could not understand what that meant. He knew that Gurudeva was
from South India, but why would he want to return to South India from
Puri by ship? There were more comfortable ways to travel.
As Gurudeva and Mohan were walking to Puri, Gurudeva continued on
occasion to mention the ship that would take him to the land of his
birth and Mohan continued to think that Gurudeva would probably find
it more convenient to travel by train. But he did not suggest this to
his master; he did not think his guru's travel plans his business and
did not want to be presumptuous.
When they finally reached the town of Puri, the aged guru showed Mohan
many holy sites, but the most impressive among them was the Jagannatha
temple, home of the Lord of the universe. They always entered the
Lord's home through the eastern gate, the lion gate.
Two weeks after their arrival, Gurudeva contracted a fever that
wracked his aged frame. It was then that Mohan finally understood what
Gurudeva had been trying to tell him. The day after Ratha-yatra,
Gurudeva called Mohan to his side. His feverish eyes were filled with
joy as he said in a tremulous voice, "My ship has come, my son. Sing
our Lord's names to create the wind that will carry me to my eternal
home." Then Gurudeva himself lovingly called out "He Gopal!" and rode
the receding wave back to the spiritual world.
Mohan helped carry his spiritual master's body to the Svarga-dvara,
where he was cremated and his ashes were thrown into the sacred ocean.
Then he returned to his home village near Devaprayaga.
People had heard the news of Gurudeva's departure, of course, and
that's why they now suspected Mohan's happiness. Mohan had lost his
wife, his two cows, and now his guru within one year. He had also lost
his home; the land he had been working had not been his own, and he
had only been able to pay the rent on it by selling the milk from his
two cows.
Rumors began to circulate. The worst accused Mohan of poisoning his
guru to take his money. Finally, two of the villagers confronted
Mohan: "There is something you have not told us. The villagers have
sent us to discover how you can be so happy in the face of so much
traumatic loss."
Mohan was grateful to have the opportunity to talk about what was
inspiring him. His life had changed because of a lesson Gurudeva had
given him just a week before his departure. Actually, Gurudeva had
given him more than verbal instruction—he had given him a pencil.
The sun was beginning to set and the temperature was dropping. Mohan
invited the two men into his cottage. With uncertainty, they followed
him into his hut and took the seats he proffered them next to the
fire. Then he began.
"Please listen carefully to what Gurudeva taught me. It has changed my
life. I thank you for allowing me to speak about it. After you have
had the chance to hear and think about what I am about to tell you,
please explain it to the other villagers. The gift of a pencil can
change everyone's life here.
"Gurudeva noticed quite early in our relationship that I was a slow
learner. Although the Lord had taken everything from me, I remained
attached to my material plans. Only when Gurudeva invited me to
accompany him to Puri, where he said a ship awaited him, was I
prepared to leave our village and experience something new. I felt he
needed help on his journey, and since I had nothing left here, I
thought, 'Why shouldn't I carry his bag?'
"But he became ill in Puri. He was preparing for his 'ship journey'
home. Not long before he died he gave me an envelope and said, 'Open
this only after I have boarded my ship.'
"After his death I opened the envelope and found a pencil and a
handwritten message. I will read this message to you; Gurudeva wrote
it with his own hand and probably with this pencil: 'My dear disciple,
I feel I can best tell you what you need to know in life by way of an
analogy. You have not been the quickest of my students, but you have a
good heart and I feel you will learn what you need to learn if you
think deeply about this pencil.
"'The pencil teaches you to stop from time to time to sharpen your
tools, meaning your mind, body, and spirit. Just as a pencil needs to
be sharpened, so we need to sharpen ourselves by spiritual practice.
Only then can we become one-pointed enough to give full attention to
the Lord.
"'Second lesson: Don't be afraid to be yourself. Learn to make your
own contribution in life with joy. Each pencil has its particular line
to draw. This line will become words—specific words—and these words
form a unique mission, your own life story. Never be afraid to draw
your specific line, live your life.
"'Third: The pencil teaches you that what is inside is more important
than what is outside—in other words, that the soul is more important
than the body. When we have a pencil we value the graphite at its
center more than the dead wood that surrounds it. Never forget that
you are an eternal soul inhabiting a temporary body, just as the
graphite and the message it can create inhabit the wood.
"'Fourth: Whenever you make a mistake, correct it immediately. Every
good pencil —and this one is no exception—has an eraser at the end.
Whenever one makes a mistake with one end of the pencil, one can
immediately erase it with the other end. Learn from the pencil that it
is not dishonorable to correct mistakes. No, correcting your mistakes
is actually your duty. It should be done as soon as you notice the
mistake. Truthfully, it is not only a duty to correct mistakes but an
honor.
"'Fifth: You may do big things in life, but never forget the hand that
guides you. Just as the pencil is never proud, thinking how it has
written a book, so we should always give credit to God and strive to
become humble and willing instruments by surrendering to His plan.
"'My dear disciple, think daily about my gift to you—the five lessons
of the pencil. As you apply these teachings, you will see their wisdom
unfolding more and more. Ultimately, you will be guided to much
greater teachings than the ones the pencil can give you. At that time
you might like to make a gift of the pencil to another spiritual
learner who is slow but who has a good heart.
"'Always your well-wisher,
Jagannatha-nandana Swami, whom you know as Gurudeva.'"
Mohan looked up from the piece of paper on which Gurudeva had written
his simple message. "Now you know why I am so happy," he said in a
voice trembling with emotion. "I am practicing Gurudeva's teachings
and am making new discoveries every day. If the villagers have
questions, they are welcome to ask me."
From that day on several villagers a day came to Mohan's cottage and
asked for spiritual advice. Somehow, Mohan was able to give them
realized answers. He had made it a point to sharpen his tools of body,
mind, and spirit by regularly chanting God's holy names and reading
holy books. But the simple lessons of the pencil worked wonders for
everyone in the village.
Soon, one of the mountain people wrote down these five lessons, showed
his work to Mohan, and asked him to make any necessary corrections. On
his next visit to Haridwar, this man asked a friend who owned a simple
hand-printing shop to print them.
These five lessons contain nothing less than the profound wisdom of
the ancient Vedic culture, offered in a format that is simple to apply
and that gives immediate benefits. Therefore, these quaint slips of
paper were copied and recopied, and those who applied them saw their
lives miraculously uplifted.
Here are the five lessons of the pencil for you:
· Lesson 1: Regenerate regularly—physically, mentally and spiritually.Live in sattva.
· Lesson 2: Discover and execute your unique mission and purpose. Live your dharma.
· Lesson 3: Always remain connected with your deepest self, the soul.Live in the atma.
· Lesson 4: Listen to your conscience and correct mistakes. Stay with the higher connection, guided by the paramatma.
· Lesson 5: Develop your love for God. Live in bhakti.
Epilogue
My own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, gave me a "pencil"—simple
instructions by which I could change my life. Three years before he
passed away, he called me into his room and gave me the opportunity to
serve him in a menial way. At that time he told me, "You should be a
good disciple, a good teacher, a servant who helps others in their
spiritual development, and you should be autonomous in your spiritual
life—fully dependent on Krsna."
I pray these instructions form my life forever.
Sacinandana Swami
Thanks to SriGurusevanandini mataji (Chennai) for sharing the nice story. Thanks to HH Sacinandan Swami maharaja for this nice story.
PS: I humbly request all the devotees to please forward moral / instructive stories they hear so that everyone can be benefited.
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