a good story

One day, a scriptural scholar came to the edge a river and hired a ferryman to take him across in a boat. The scholar was proud of his intellectual learning and mistook such knowledge as being valuable in itself. The ferryman was simple and humble. While the boat was traveling across the river, the scholar started a conversation with the ferryman:

Scholar: “Well my friend, have you studied the Vedanta philosophy?”
Ferryman: “No sir, I have not.”
Scholar: “Oh, well then have you studied the school of logic?”
Ferryman: “No, I have not.”
Scholar: “Well surely then you must have at least studied the psychology of yoga?”
Ferryman: “No sir, I am an unlettered man.”

In this way the scholar kept on highlighting his own learning. Finally the scholar said:

Scholar: “Well, what can be done? It seems half your life has already been wasted.”

Just then, the waters of the river began to churn and became increasingly turbulent. The ferryman tried to control the boat, but it seemed that soon the boat would be capsized. The scholar began to get worried. Then the ferryman said:

Ferryman: “Learned sir, have you learned how to swim?”
Scholar: “No, I have not.”
Ferryman: “Well then. It seems your whole life is wasted! Good bye!”

With that, the ferryman dove out of the boat, and with all his might, started to swim for the shore.
There once was a sadhu (a monk) who built a small hut on the outskirts of a village. Under the instructions of his Guru (Master), he would live there and practice austerities. Everyday he would beg some food from the villagers. In this way he passed his time happily. His only possession was a piece of loincloth.

One day, he went for a bath and hung up his wet loincloth to dry. After he returned, he found that a rat had chewed holes in it. So he went to the village and begged for another piece of cloth. A few days later, the same thing happened again. Then a few days after that, again a rat chewed holes in his cloth. Not knowing what to do, he again went to the village and told some people of his problem. One villager suggested:

Villager: “Sadhuji, if you would only keep a cat with you, then the rats would stay away and you would not need to beg anymore new cloth.”

The monk thought it was a good idea and obtained a kitten and took it back to live with him. From then on the rats never bothered him again, and everyday he would spend some time feeding the cat with milk that we would beg from the villagers. After some days a villager told him:

Villager: “Sadhuji, it may be difficult for us to supply you with milk year round. But if you had a cow, then you would have no problem producing milk.”

So after a few days, the sadhu found a cow and took it back with him. But he immediately found that everyday he needed to beg some straw from the village to feed the cow. A villager then suggested:

Villager: “Sadhuji, you need not beg straw everyday. There are lots of uncultivated lands surrounding your shed. If you cultivate them, you will no longer need to beg straw.”

So the sadhu started tilling the land. After a while, he needed to engage some laborers to help him with the great work. Then he needed to build a barn to hold all the crops. Then eventually, he needed a wife to help him look after his large household. Now he passed his time like any hardworking householder.

After many days, his Guru decided to come for a visit. Reaching the place, he became puzzled and asked a servant of the household:

Guru: “There used to be an ascetic who lived here in a hut. Do you know where he has gone?”

The servant didn’t know how to reply, so the Guru ventured inside the house. Upon seeing his disciple he said:

Guru: “My son, what is all this?”

Feeling great shame, the disciple fell at his Guru’s feet and said:

Disciple: “My Lord, it is all for the sake of a loincloth!”

the story of ramakrishna

The Magic Dye

“One day there came to a village a traveling dyer, who had only one vat. But you see, it was a magic tub: whatever color you asked for, that was the color the cloth came out. People marveled to see such a thing. The same vat gave blue, red, etc. A clever villager was watching all this at a little distance. Finally he brought his cloth to the dyer and said, "Please make my cloth the color of the dye in your tub." Why is God like the magic dye? Because, though he is One, he gives everyone different things, according to their preference; if you want to know what he is in himself, be like the clever villager.”
The Watchman and the Lantern

“In olden days, the Indian village hired a night-watchman to keep down crime and accidents. He would go around the streets and lanes with a square metal lantern, open only at the front. The watchman could see, wherever the lantern cast its light. No rays of light fell on him, who carried the lantern. If you wanted to see who the watchman was, you had to ask him to turn the lamp back on his own face. We are like that! Our eyes (ears, tongue, etc.) are all facing outward, looking at and feeling the things of the world. God says, "if you want to see me, turn the lamp around; look within and find the Source of all the light.""
God Helps Those Who Do Not Help Themselves

“One day a holy man, a lover of God, coming that way was praying hard and walking with his eyes almost closed. Accidentally he stepped on some of the clean laundry spread there, and the washermen saw it. Angry, they came to give him a beating. Now this holy man became very frightened. He earnestly and loudly called on God to come to his aid and save him from the washermen’s anger. God, who was sitting in conference up in his heaven, heard the saint’s cries and went to intervene. But just then the man himself picked up some bricks to throw at his tormentors; so the Lord singly returned to his heavenly seat. God helps those who do not help themselves!”
How Can God Be Realized?

“You know that story of the man who asked his guru how God could be realized. The guru said to him: ‘Come with me. I shall show you how one can realize God.’ Saying this, he took the disciple to a lake and held his head under the water. After a short time he released the disciple and asked him, ‘How did you feel?’ ‘I was dying for a breath of air!’ said the disciple. When the soul longs and yearns for God like that, then you will know that you do not have long to wait for His vision. The rosy colour on the eastern horizon shows that the sun will soon rise."