A walk to my birthplace - Day 20 (85 Km covered so far)

I heard this story just yesterday and loved it …. This is story of two monks – one old and another younger one. One day both the monks were walking through a forest. While walking through forest, they came across a flowing river. The river was not very deep but the current was quite strong. While they were searching for an appropriate spot to cross the river, they saw a very beautiful young girl standing on the river bank. She looked worried. As the monks approached her, she bowed to the older monk and said, “O wise one, I need to cross the river but I am scared of the current. I cannot walk through the river”. The old monk quietly held out his hand but she said, “I am so scared, I really cannot walk even holding your hand”. The old monk looked at her and without a word picked he up in his arms and walked across the river. Once they crossed the river, the old monk put her down and she walked away after thanking him.

Both monks crossed the forest. The young monk was deep in his thoughts. Monks had taken oath of celibacy and were not supposed to touch a woman. What old monk just did seem so inappropriate! He kept quiet for a long time but finally could not bear the burden of his thoughts.

He asked the old monk, “Why did you carry that girl across the river?” The old monk turned around and said in a calm voice, “Young man, I left her on the banks of the river long back, why are you still carrying her in your mind?”

It happens to us many a times. We are so bound by rules of the society that we forget the purpose behind those rules. Rules soon become rituals to be blindly followed! There are times when temporarily moving away from rules is necessary as long as it does not hurt anyone! Carrying guilt at those times is purely irrelevant and unnecessary!!!!