A group of working adults got together to visit their old University lecturer. The lecturer was happy to see them. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
The lecturer just smiled and went to the kitchen to get an
assortment of cups – some porcelain, some plastic, some glass, some plain-looking and some which looked rather expensive and exquisite.
The lecturer offered his former students the cups to get drinks for themselves.
When all the students had a cup in hand with water, the lecturer spoke: “If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal that you only want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What you all wanted was water, not the cup, but we unconsciously went for the better cups.”
“Just like in life, if life is water, then the jobs, money and
position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold or maintain life, but the quality of life doesn’t change.”
“If we only concentrate on the cup, we won’t have time to enjoy or taste the water in it.”
This is our problem. We are spirit souls and part and parcel of Krishna. We have received an opportunity in this human life to reawaken for our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord Krishna. To remain alive we have to do something to keep the body and soul together. But if we waste our time in indulging in decorating the body and satisfying the senses then we have lost the real taste of water. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the taste of water!!
Think about it – seriously. Do we need expensive cups or pure, tasty, thirst-quenching water?
Readers Appreciations
Hare Krishna 🙂 Many thanks to teacher for some simple but brilliant stories. They are like living water, which enlivens us over and over again. Thank you a lot for such a service to us. Hoping to serve you somehow in the future.
Giedre, Lithuania
Dhirasanta dasa Goswami