Don't be carried away listening to sweet words
Satyam and the man at the train station
Satyam (Swamiji) and his sister Varalakshmi were staying at his brother Nanjudayya’s house. Varalakshmi had to help with the household chores and was having problems with grandmother Ambamma.
One day a scorpion stung Varalakshmi and she was crying with pain. Ambamma thought that she was pretending to be in pain so she would not have to do any household chores. She punished Varalakshmi. Varalakshmi became quiet and suffered her pain silently.
Exactly at that moment Satyam came to the house. On seeing her brother, Varalakshmi wept loudly. She told him of her suffering. Satyam started trumpeting and roaring in anger. His brother Nanjundayya came and pacified his anger. “You are treating my sister as a servant, as a slave and you are trying to kill her. We won’t stay here a moment longer.” Satyam shouted.
“I will send word for father, let him come and we will discuss the matter.” replied Nanjundayya.
“Alright let father come, I will talk to him. Meanwhile put this in your mouth.” said Satyam. He gave Varalakshmi a packet of medicine and rushed out of the house.
Immediately after taking the medicine with water, Varalakshmi felt, “Oh the pain has gone down so soon.”
When his father came there, Satyam came and complained to his father.
“It is natural for human beings to quarrel with one another, leave it,” his father answered.
“But I won’t stay here,” hissed Satyam.
“All right, go away if you want to.” his father replied.
Satyam went straight to the railway station. He was told the next train was leaving for Bangalore. Satyam moved about on the railway platform. He saw a gentleman and thought, “He seems to be a worldly man but steady.”
The gentleman spoke to him affectionately, “Satyanarayana. I know you. You are related to me.”
“Are we relatives?” asked Satyam.
“Yes, what will Jayalakshmi’s son be if not a relative? Are we not all children of one Mother?”
This gentleman and Satyam talked for a while discussing some spiritual matters. Then fruit juice came for sale. The gentleman bought Satyam a glass of fruit juice and made him drink it and personally cut mango fruit and fed him. “Eat my boy.”
It was a hot summer day and he offered ice cream too. In that hot summer Satyam ate ice cream and was extremely happy at this love.
The gentleman said, “I will tell you a little of my story. By birth I am a multi-millionaire. I am a big businessman in Bombay. Karapatraswamy came to my house one day and taught me worship of Mother Goddess (Sri Vidya). I was married but my wife passed away and I have no children of my own.”
“I prayed to mother Goddess, please show me a noble son to adopt.”
Satyam asked, “What did Mother say?”
“Here she has shown me a lovely child,” said the gentleman, taking Satyam two hands into his hands, pressing them to his eyes and kissing them.
“You have run away from your house. Your father did not care to stop you. Would you not do me this favour, and be my son though I am not mother or father to you? Together we can perform your two sisters’ marriages grandly.”
That was enough to melt Satyam’s heart and he left on the train with that gentleman. After some time, the gentleman fell asleep. Satyam also dozed away. When the train stopped with a jerk, Satyam woke and he saw his mother standing on a hill and looking at him angrily.
“Satya, what principles did I teach you and what are you doing? What about your vow to look after the welfare of the world?” Mother’s voice echoed in Satyam’s ear.
Satyam realized that he had been carried away by the promises of a comfortable and easy life.
Satyam realized his mistake, he got up at once and jumped down from the door of the train as it was about to leave. “Mother you saved me. I will not commit this mistake again. Forgive me.”
With the little money he had in his pocket he bought a ticket to Anantapur and returned home.
MORAL :
Adults may speak to you with harsh words but say things for your welfare or good.
Do not be carried away by the soft and sweet words of people. Think if they are saying things that are for your good and others.
