There was a young boy who lived in a small village. One night he woke up screaming, and when his parents rushed in to see what was wrong, the trembling boy said, “I was in the forest at the edge of the village just as it was starting to get dark. A huge tiger came out of the trees and began stalking me. As he came closer and closer, all I could see were his yellow eyes, so I screamed to frighten him away, and then you woke me up.”
The parents reassured him that it was only a nightmare, and that there was no real tiger. But the next night the boy had the same dream and again woke up screaming. This continued every night for a week. The parents, now at their wits’ end, took the boy to see their guru. The wise guru, hearing the boy’s dream, didn’t belittle him or tell him not to be frightened.
The guru said, “You are remembering a past life when this tiger was real. But in this life he is only a memory.” He told the parents, “Each night fill a lamp with oil and place it in his room.” To the boy he said, “The tiger won’t come as long as the light is burning.” After that, the scary dream stopped and never returned.
Although the nightmares stopped, the boy still had many fears. He was afraid of the dark, afraid of being left alone in the house, and fearful of strangers. He and his parents visited the guru as often as possible and, through his support, the fears gradually faded. But the boy still kept his lamp burning throughout the night, lest the fearful tiger return.
As the boy grew into a man, he was less fearful, but he was very shy. He learned to cope with this by staying alone most of the time and starting his own business, making artistic lamps.
As often as he could, he visited the guru, who became his anchor and support through all the storms of life, and practiced his techniques. Inevitably, as time passed, the wise teacher grew old. Then, during a cold winter night, the dreaded word came that the guru’s end was near. The mature man, still a little boy in front of his guru, knelt at his feet sobbing.
The guru lifted him up and embraced him gently. Very softly he said, “I have loved you as my very own son. We have been together in many past lives and our love will draw us together again.”
“But how can I carry on without you?” the man moaned.
The guru said, “Let me tell you a secret. You have never needed the lamp. I gave it to you as a crutch to help you overcome your fears. The true light is within you.” Then the guru touched him at his spiritual eye, and the blaze of light in his forehead was like the sun.
“You have never truly required my support or counsel, but I gave them freely because you needed to feel my love, so that your own could grow within you.” Then he touched him over the heart and an immeasurable love blossomed within his chest.
“Let me now tell you a final truth. If you want this light and love to continue to burn within you, you must give them away to others. Find those who are frightened and give them light. Find someone who is troubled and surround them with your comfort. The more you give these away, the stronger and purer they will become.”
The next day at the ceremony for the guru’s passing, all were weeping but one. One of them—formerly shy and afraid—moved from person to person, embracing each one in turn and easing their pain. And as they looked into his eyes, it seemed to them that they were seeing only the eyes of their guru, only the rays of Divine Mother’s love.
In light and love,
Nayaswami Jyotish
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46 Comments
A beautiful, and an inspiring story
So very beautiful and moving😇
Thank you for all the love you give and this feeling in my heart of so much love from listening to your words dear Jyotish and Devi💙💙
Beautiful uplifting story 🙏
Beautiful , inspiring and enlightening
A story which inspires us to share exceptional experiences to inspire others around us
Love has no boundaries , the light should be looked for within . Not the outside illusion . And oneness continued even after many rebirths . Love all you meet in this world . You are the one
Thank you for this deeply moving story to remind us how powerful we really are, and in that remembrance, the importance of sharing our Love/Light with all of humanity, most especially at this time when so many are carrying great fear.
Thanks for that encouraging story. I’m so glad Master set me on the path and I hope to visit an Ananda community when travel becomes safe.
Thank you for this beautiful story.
will hold the lamp up in my spiritual eye and send the Light to Afganistan.
In Masters Love and Light, Gyandevi.
Especially love this story, thank you. Deeply moving story.
Wow. One of the most beautiful and inspiring stories ever. Thank you!
What a beautiful and inspirational story! This inspires me so to keep up with Master’s teachings. Love is the answer. 💙
What a beautiful and inspirational story! This inspires me so to keep up with Master’s teachings. Love is the answer. 💙
Thank you Jyotish ji 🙏🏼
I am currently going through a lot of fear and anxiety, an experience that is so well known to me from my early childhood, my 20’s, and especially early 40’s when I struggled with cancer.
I thought that I grew up, but I feel like a scared child. I again suffer from insomnia. I can relate to the story and would be really happy to share my love and inner light one day with others.
Hi Visnja, will keep you in my prayers, and im sure everyone here will be doing the same :) Be happy
This is the most inspiring letter yet! It gives me a clear direction to help others and in the process grow spiritually.
Thank You
H
Thank you Jyotish ji ✨🙏
Aditya
What a beautiful story !!
Thank you so much for sharing it .Jyotishji 🙏
lovely
thanks
Oh, these words are so inspiring Jyotish ji, thank you so much for sharing. Aum
Wonderful story! It touched my heart!
Beautiful and touching story. Brought tears of recognition to my eyes.
Be the Light, Share the Light, and We can all LIGHT UP this world and each other!
Thank You Jyotishji.
~~~Peace, Josette
So filled with wisdom but especially heart opening beyond words
🙏🕉
Thank you 🙏
To use a contemporary expression, that was pretty heavy duty.
I so loved this simple and sweet story. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Jyotish! Just WOW on so many levels.
I was meditating the other night, and was trying to direct my energy to the spiritual eye, telling my will to do this and do that. Then, the familiar saying “stay in your lane,” came to me. Here I was, trying to tell Divine Mother how to guide my energy, with the egoic mind, when all I should have done was let go, and let spirit carry me to the light.
Listen to the deep wisdom that has been quietly guiding us for so many lifetimes. Let the universal energy be, for it sustains our beating hearts, turns food into bodily energy, filters out that which is food for life, and sends the waste matter to be eliminated. Who/what runs this continuous cycle day after day. Life? What is life? Life is God, our sustenance is made possible by the “field” of which we are. The great cosmic sea surrounds us, permeates us, and is what powers us on our journey towards the all pervading light. We just have to stay in our lane, and let the driver of the vehicle steer us home.
Aum Aum Aum Guru!
Dear Jyotishji
Thank you so much for this very wonderful blog, its so moving, very inspiring.
Love
Ilango
Beautiful story to highlight the Oneness of wonderful Creation. I admire the Creator than Creation.
The Creator of all being and the Oceans of Compassion.
Love
Grace
Beautiful story to highlight the Oneness of wonderful Creation. I admire the Creator than Creation.
The Creator of all being and the Oceans of Compassion. Thank you!
Love
Grace
Dear Nayaswami Jyotish Ji,
Thank you for this inspiring blog. Very beautiful.
It was very endearing to read these lines on Guru’s love “We have been together in many past lives and our love will draw us together again.”
Joy,
Prem
Beautiful…thank you. ❤️
Wow, what a beautiful and remarkable story. Thank you for sharing this, Jyotish.
beautiful sharing 💐🙏🏼💐
An inspiring story, making us aware of the divinity within, our inherent power. The love, peace joy, health, happiness, harmony, abundance and goodwill that we enjoy has to be radiated to all living beings in our vicinity and further, that is family, friends, neighbours, animals, birds, insects and plants.
This story brought me hope, I could see my own life in it in a way, and I wanted to cry from this story cause it was beautiful.
This story brought me hope, I could see my own life in it in a way, and I wanted to cry from this story cause it was beautiful.
It’s truly inspiring. Yes unknowingly we do it. But this is true and works wonders. It comforts others and later uplifts them. Later some also start this by spreading love and compassion for all.
Thanks for sharing.
Divine love and Joy to all.
Such A beautiful story, and so simple to apply the message. Spread the Light of God and the Guru everywhere. Thank you.
Thank you for this beautiful story.
Lovely story and inspiring!
Thank you!
Tears of recognition of beautiful truth
Deeply touching, and a wonderful reminder in the form of a memorable story. Sending divine energy and joy for all you both do and share,, tracy
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you. Such a divine and deeply meaningful story.