Guiding Light: The costly ring

Guiding Light: The costly ring

Dada J. P. VaswaniUpdated: Tuesday, August 10, 2021, 08:05 AM IST
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A thief broke into the house of a holy man. The thief was a poor man: he and his family had not taken food for some days. When the man of God learnt of it, he said to the thief, “In yonder drawer is a costly ring belonging to my wife. Take it and run before she comes and catches you! And may the peace of God be with you!”

The thief could not believe his ears. He rubbed his eyes, moved towards the drawer, took out the ring and disappeared in no time. Soon, the wife returned and, discovering the loss, raised a hue and cry. To her husband, she said, “Someone has stolen my diamond ring costing fifteen thousand rupees.”

“I did not know it was worth that much!” he exclaimed, and immediately ran after the thief. He overtook the thief and said to him, “Brother, I have come to tell you that the ring you have taken is worth over fifteen thousand rupees. Do not part with it for a lesser amount!”

The eyes of the thief were touched with tears. He found himself face to face with a new experience. He had never seen the semblance of such love. In a single moment, his life was changed: he became a new man. He fell at the feet of the man of God and said to him, “Forgive me, and accept me as your servant!”

The man of God was a true bhakta of the Lord. He was rich in the wealth the only wealth that counts— the wealth of love. He loved God with all the intensity of his being. To love God is to do the Will of God. If there is one thing which God wills for us, it is this that we love our fellowmen as He Himself loves them. To love our fellowmen is to live for them and, if need be, to die for them! Such a life, as it unfolds, from day to day, becomes an unending love story— stranger, indeed than fiction and richer than a romance!

(Dada J.P. Vaswani is humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader.)

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