Once there lived an old hermit and his disciple in the depths of a forest, isolated from society in a hermitage. The disciple, previously a prince of a faraway kingdom, left home and all in search of truth. After many failed attempts at spiritual seeking, he found the hermit, who helped him in spiritual matters. Thankful, he asked the hermit to become his guru, and the hermit accepted.

“Will I be able to see The Almighty one day?”

“Yes! If you work hard, you can see Him.”

The hermit was old and frail, the disciple helped him in all ways he could. And he studied the scriptures dutifully, as well as did hard penance. Yet, after years of penance, he didn’t find God.

Once, thus he approached his guru and asked, “Oh master, I have followed your teachings earnestly for so long, yet I haven’t found God yet! What have I done wrong? Have I lacked in any way?”

The hermit said, “No! But be not demotivated, for such grand goals take time.”

The disciple nodded. Yet, as years passed by, he became disheartened. And again and again, he agitatedly enquired his guru.

So once, the guru took the disciple to a nearby lake.

“Here, all your doubts will be removed. Dip yourself thrice in these holy waters!”

Abiding, the disciple walked alongside his teacher to where the water was up to his neck, and closing his eyes and hands in praying, he dipped his head in the water.

Not twice or thrice. This was only the first time. And the last.

The guru held him down, resisting him from standing up, his head underwater. Soon he was out of breath and tried his hardest to remove his teacher’s hands.

After struggling for a while, he succeeded in standing up and breathing heavily, asked the hermit in an angry tone, “Oh master, what was that for?”

The hermit laughed. “You struggled for a mere breath of fresh air as if without it, you wouldn’t live!”

“I don't understand! All life needs air to survive. For it is known-”

“The day you struggle as if you can’t live without seeing God, you also shall see Him!”




© iamjusta_storyteller