I’d like to share an illustrative little story someone sent us:
A young man who was receiving training from his guru was going about his duties, and the guru noticed he seemed a little depressed. The guru asked, “My boy, why are you so sad?” And the young man replied, “Sir, I love hearing you speak about the Bhagavad Gita. But the problem is I don’t remember much afterwards. It just goes in one ear and out the other. The other boys easily talk about the holy teachings, and yet I know nothing. I really wonder if I’m worthy of being here.”
The guru was thoughtful for a moment. Then he asked the boy to bring the coal basket, and the boy ran quickly to the stove and brought it back. The inside of the basket was completely covered with black coal dust. The master said to him, “Fill that basket with water from the river and bring it back to me.” When the boy looked befuddled, the master said, “Don’t be worried. Just do as I say.”
So the boy dipped the basket into the river, but before he could get back to the guru all the water had leaked out. The guru said, “Do it again.”
Five times the boy went to the river and filled the basket with water. Each time he ran faster and faster in an effort to get back while there was still some water in the basket, but it was always empty by the time he returned.
Finally the boy said, “Teacher, you have given me an impossible task! It’s useless to try to bring you water in this leaky thing.” And the guru said, “You think it is useless? Look inside the basket.” The young man looked and saw that the basket was now completely clean. The water had washed away every trace of coal.
And the master explained to him: “You may not remember or understand everything when we study the Bhagavad Gita and talk about these holy teachings. But just letting the teachings flow through you will gradually change your consciousness until your heart is cleansed of delusion and darkness.”
Then the master put his arm lovingly around the young disciple and said, “Just remember: God is not a scholar, God is a lover. And if you seek Him sincerely, one day you will see how He has changed you utterly.”
In many ways this story illustrates the spiritual transformation that happens through the flow of divine energy. If we get behind the outer-shell appearances to the underlying energy we can move mountains. Here are a few examples:
In meditation: When your mind gets distracted or restless, it is useless to try to think your way out of the predicament. Try, instead, to relax, breathe calmly, and visualize a steady flow of light from the heart to the spiritual eye. As the energy flow becomes calm and focused your mind will follow.
With money: Money is simply a means of exchanging your previous labor for something you want. See it, then, not as something valuable in itself, but as a flow of energy. If you do, you will be much more effective in drawing the resources you need. It will also ease a lot of worry.
Relationships: When talking or working with someone, try to feel that you’re exchanging your energy with them. For effective communication Swami Kriyananda suggested the following: Try to feel the energy in your heart. Then project it through your spiritual eye. Feel their response in your heart. It will make normal conversations much sweeter and difficult ones much easier.
During this age of energy, we will be much more effective in everything we do if we can feel the energy underlying the form or the action. And if we can feel as well that it is always Divine Mother’s energy that flows through us, we will end up shiny clean like that coal basket.
With joy,
Nayaswami Jyotish
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40 Comments
Very well expressed. The key is to be conscious about triggering our energy, it has to move at right time. Rolling stones never gather moss.
Thanks for delivering awesome point here. Keep on Moving, no but no if….
“God is not a scholar. God is a lover.” Brings tears to my eyes. Thank you Jyotish for another jewel of inspiring insight shared.
The story is so good and I can relate myself with this and now got the answer too. Many times I also feel, I read so many spiritual books & listen so many inspirational talks of Self Realization, however my retention is not that good, so I used to feel sad about that. This story has removed my sadness. It is really true that teachings & reading of spiritual books flow through us , change our consciousness & transform us. I noticed the change in myself of these teachings n readings.
Jai Guru.🙏🙏
Very beautifully explained 👏, please keep sending more blogs like this.
Thank you for this beautiful story Jyotish ji :)
Such a calming soothing message in the story. I also feel I am unable to rember react and regret when a testing situation comes. With divine love and grace flowing through me, I am now hopeful. 🙏
I, too, often find testing situations to be a struggle and feel disappointed if/when I react in an uncharitable way.
I was thinking about this recently, while walking and, over some time, the following form of words came to mind:
“Divine Mother. I am grateful for the blessing of your wisdom and love in my thoughts and in my words and in my deeds. Through this blessing, I am empowered to face and meets life’s daily challenges”.
Thank you. Wonderful as always!
Thanks so much
While reading the story I felt as if it’s my own story this again strength me to proceed on this path
Thanks so much
While reading the story I felt as if it’s my own story this again strength me to proceed on this path. Such story / guidance helps me to come out of confusion going in mind These confusion pull be back. Thanks for your guidance
Today, here in St. Louis, my sister Kathleen, who flew in from St. Paul, MN, and I are experiencing this wonderful flow of life energy as we celebrate her 83rd birthday.
Grateful, conscious and open to the flow of grace and love during these elder years.
Thank you for our Ananda experience.
This story touched my Heart and releases Love
Dear Jyotish ji, beautifully written and I will follow your advice on having a conversation. Thanks so much for your writings! They are truly inspiring!
Thanks ! Always inspiring, always so beautiful !
I will remember this story – it is so beautiful and inspiring! Thank you, great soul.
Dear Jyotish ji
Thank you for such a beautiful blog.
Pranam
Universe is in constant love with us. That lord of cosmos knows what we require in a particular moment.
Gratitude for bringing that Universal wisdom to us. 🙏
In humility and gratitude, dear Nayaswami Jyotish
Another jewel. I love this story and your lessons explained.
Namaste, Shanti
This is a beautiful blog. Thank you.
Merci beaucoup, Jyotish. So practical.
Loved the story. It gives me hope.
Beautiful, Jyotish, thanks.
Beautiful, timeless, doable! I find your examples and explanations very clear and motivating. Thank you so much.
Just what I needed to hear at the time I needed it. Thanks you ever so much for sharing your Divine and valuable wisdom.
Thank you
Its a wonderfull story comparing with the journey of live and how important it is to purify again and again… Thank you so much Jyotish!
Exactly one year ago me- Floriana from Germany started a new Therapeutical practise with the name
” Energieflow for Body, Mind and Soul ” It was after a 2-month journey until the end of March 2020 when I was on my own with a purified heart/mind/soul – basket of expectations inbetween Nature . In a state of complete joy, humility, gratitude and awareness I fall into the spirituell Flow ….. and understood the message of the sea, one face of the Divine Mother as she spoke to me…..also the Divine Grandma la Luna…
As a channel I wrote/write healing energy poems…
Receiving a Vision to create with Master and soulfriends a new type of spirituell/shaman/Healing Center where kids, also the inner child, learn how they could speak through Divine Mother Nature and Heaven again! Love&Light from Flow
As I finished reading this beautiful gift I raced over to my altar and shared my
tears with each one there. This beautiful truth you have brought out, Jyotish, is
precious , as the story shows, beyond words…into the depths of being.
Yesterday in a parking lot in Grass Valley I was walking to the bank and suddenly a
large U Haul Truck…backing out…began careening backwards with escalating speed.
I was facing away from the truck and had glimpsed the back of car ( I was between
it and the careening truck with screaming driver who had lost control of the accelerator
which was momentarily locked. Master started running through me as a sprinter (I was a
long distance runner /never a sprinter) as fast as I could go from zero. She crashed the truck
backwards on the back of the parked car I had seen in front of me seconds before. I had NO words
but profound awakening and could help the petrified driver a bit after. Thank you for this beautiful
story which is the ultimate transference into God’s essence.
Beautiful story, the content is filled with purity and strong visuals. I experienced the cleansing of the coal basket as I was reading.
Swami’s explanation of meeting a person with your heart is perfect.
Thank you from my heart
Wow Jyotishji,
Beautiful and inspiring!
“…just letting the teachings flow through you will gradually change your consciousness until your heart is cleansed of delusion and darkness.”
Let it flow, let it flow…Divine Mother wash me clean!
Just so beautiful – thank you!
~~~Peace, Josette
Wonderful story, Thank you so much Jyotish ji, your blog, story always inspires us. I have lost this knowledge and now with your stories, i am again finding myself back….
Dear Nayaswami Jyotish Ji,
Thank you for this inspiring letter. Enjoyed reading it.
‘God is not a scholar, God is a lover‘… Wow! Thank you for this… helps a lot.
Very valuable advice and guidance.
Joy,
Prem
JYOTISHJI
Beautiful story of the boy .I will not feel sad now.With me it happens reading Master’s teachings is easier than retaining them .it is comforting to know that delusions and bandages are gradually washed away like the coal from our consciousness.
Aum Guru
Thank you
Dear Nayaswami Jyotish ji,
Beautiful meaningful story. invaluable ! I needed it.
Thank you for sharing it!
Aum!Aum! Aum!
I heard the same thing about Kriyas yesterday: Just keep doing them. Allow the process.
Thank you for that writing,sir…for a very long time now i have been
listening to swami Kriyanandas talks at bedtime,i lie down and
listen to them before sleep and that story has come as a very good,
uplifting and reassuring reminder that although it may seem at times
that the great teachings,talks may be,like the boy in the story,going
in one ear and out the other,i know that isnt really the case and will
now be better to focus upon,to feel the energy from the talks and
lessons flow into the heart and like the coal basket after repeated
“washings”..will have in time a cleansed consciousness,heart and mind
free from delusion and darkness. Thank you, again
Dear Jyotish ji,
Thank you for the beautiful story. We all are changing, changing for better. Cannot see the change immediately but once we are on the path, we are moving towards our goal. The coal is getting washed away. Om Jai Guru Amen!
AUM GURU🙏🏻🙏🏻..I really related to it..I also think like this that I forget the spiritual readings very fast and why this happens..but now I know that it is somewhere inside me and transforming me..thank uhh Nayaswami Jyotish jii 🙏🏻for sharing this..
Thank you dear soul. Namaste
Thank you. So nicely put across. Easy to assimilate.