16-November-2015 (Monday)
Mother As I Saw Her – Second Part
Swami Saradeshananda
18. Some instructions of the Mother – 1

The Mother would mention the following incident in the Master’s life to teach the boys that one should not give up sympathy for other for the sake of onw’s own selfish ends. The Master was one day returning home from the direction of the Bhuti canal at kamarpukur. It had rained. As a stream of water was pouring into the pond, a Magur fish was washed ashore, and it was now gasping for breath, being deposited on dry land. The Master, who was kindness and sympathy personified, was very much pained to see the suffering of the fish due to lack of water. He at once picked it up and put it back into the pond. Oh, how happy the fish was, getting back into the water! The Master, too, was filled with joy seeing it sporting in the water. Hriday was coming from behind him. When he heard from the Master about this, he was very sorry and said to him, “Uncle, what did you do? How could you put such a fish, so delicious to eat, back into the pond?” The Master simply laughed at this remark. The thoughts of the satisfaction of his own palate never crossed his mind. He was happy in the happiness of the fish. One cannot make another happy, unless one gives up one’s own selfish enjoyments. The worth of a man’s life is to be measured by the extent of joy one has been ablt to give others – this was a teaching which she often imparted.

[Mother As I Saw Her (Being Reminiscences of Holy Mother Sarada Devi) – Swami Saradeshananda. Translated by Prof. J. N. Dey. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore Madras-600004: p 225 – 226]

Location: Bangalore