KNOWLEDGE LIBERATES !!!

KNOWLEDGE LIBERATES !!! Buddha had arrived in a town and a poor cobbler named Sudas was residing in that town. When Sudas got up that morning, he saw a beauiful lotus flower in full bloom, unseasonall, in the lake behind his hut. Sudas thought, "It is an unseasonal flower. If I take this flower to the market, somebody will certainly buy it." He immediately plucked the flower and started off for the market, thinking, "I shall really be blessed if I get one rupee today." While he was on the road he saw the chariot of a rich man passing by. Seeing the lotus, the rich man stopped the chariot and asked Sudas at what price he would sell. Sudas could not quote the price of one rupee but instead said it was unseasonal and that the rich man might pay what he thought right. The rich man said, "I am giving you five hundred gold coins, please give it to me." While the rich man was saying this, the commander-in-chief of the king pulled up on his horse, stopped and said, "I will purchase the flower for ten times the price the rich man is offering." Sudas thought, "Have these people gone mad ...?" While he was saying this the chariot of the king arrived and the king said, "The flower is purchased by me, for ten times the price agreed to by the commander." Now Sudas was totally surprised. He said, "I was not expecting even one rupee for this flower and you people are ready to pay such a high price? What is the reason?" And the king said, "You are not aware? Buddha is arriving in the town and we are going to receive him. I would like to offer this beautiful, unseasonal flower at Buddha's feet ! Who would not want to have such an opportunity to offer a rare flower?" Sudas immediately said, "In that case, there is no question of selling this flower... I myself shall offer the flower to Buddha." The king, the rich man and the commander tried to persuade him to sell the flower, saying, "Sudas, don't be mad! The poverty of your past and future generations will be destroyed by selling this flower." Sudas said, "The poverty of all my lives is now destroyed ..... I myself shall offer the flower." And Sudas started walking towards the end of the town, where Buddha was expected to enter. All three of them informed Buddha of this most astonishing thing that had happened, "Today the poorest cobbler of the town refused to sell his lotus flower for any price. He wanted to offer it himself at your feet." Sudas came and offered the flower at Buddha' feet, and Buddha asked him, "Oh mad Sudas, why didn't you sell the flower? It would have made life comfortable for many of your future generations." Sudas politely replied, "My lord, money is not higher than love. The soul cannot be sold for rupees. As long as it was just a flower, I wanted to sell it. But the moment I thought of your feet, there was no question of selling. I myself could offer it. Poor people too can love, can respect, can trust. Poor people too have a soul. Please accept this flower, my lord!" Moral of the Story... Friends, though Sudas was not literate, he was really learned, educated. He did not know how to read and write, but still he was learned. Whosoever is aware of the higher values in life and who can give up lower values for higher ones, is really learned. Sudas had rejected money for the sake of love. Most of us reject love for money. Can such people be called learned who are educated only to destroy higher values and embrace lower values? Can such people be called educated who are always ready to give up the supreme for the petty, who are ready to sell the soul for the body, who have no higher value than money, for whom there is no other journey in life than reaching a position of power and those in whose life and mind the essential/ meaningful receives less attention than the non-essential/ meaningless? Friends, can such learning liberate? That is not education, that is only a means/ arrangement/ method to earn a livelihood in a better way. Education means a birth of real and higher values in life. The more life moves towards higher values, the more the bondages of lower values go on falling. A journey to the heights, transcending oneself each moment, a journey to loftier heights is real learning. Friends, such a knowledge actually liberates. Live consciously Friends!!! Aseem Kaistha It's your attitude and not your aptitude that determines your altitude. Courtesy: SVS (svsubramaniam@yahoo.com)