Gratitude As Virtue

GRATITUDE

The Mother, Pondichery: In 1912 the Mother was conducting a study group in Paris with twelve members, which was named ‘Cosmique’. She distributed among them translations of Indian scriptures such as the Gita, Upanishads, Yoga-Sutras etc. and she introduced her European friends to Eastern spirituality. One of her stories which were read out in the group was the following instructive parable:

The Virtues, who are usually dispersed throughout the worlds, meet in the Hall of Intelligence within the precincts of the palace of Truth. There is Sincerity with a’ cube of the purest crystal through which things could be seen as they are’ and many other guests who have gathered. Notables among them are Humility, Courage, Prudence, Charity, Justice, Compassion, Kindness, Love, Patience, Help, and Love etc. Last comes a guest who seems to be a stranger to the assembled virtues. She was, indeed, very young and frail, dressed in a white robe, very simple, almost poor. She came forward a few steps with a timid, embarrassed air. Then, obviously at a loss in finding herself in the midst of such a crowded and brilliant company, she stopped, not knowing towards whom she should go. At last Prudence turns towards the shy guest and asks her for her credentials to attend the meeting. The unrecognized Virtue answers with a sigh “Alas! I am not astonished that I seem a foreigner in this palace. I am so seldom invited anywhere. My name is GRATITUDE.

Two Close Friends : Two close friends were once walking along a beach to have a dip in the sea. On the way, while talking, some point of discussion arose on which there was a divergence of views. A heated argument followed which ended in one friend slapping the other on the cheek. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything he wrote on the sand:
“Today my best friend slapped me in the face”

They walked further without talking to each other. After a few minutes, they jumped into the sea for a dip. The man who got slapped was about to be drowned, having been caught in a whirlpool. The same friend swam towards him and rescued the drowning man. After he recovered from near drowning, he wrote on a stone

“Today my best friend saved my life”

The friend who had slapped and who had also saved his friend asked him “After I hurt you, you wrote on the sand and now you write on a stone. Why?”

The friend replied:

“When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand, where wind of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone helps us by doing good to us, we must engrave it on stone where no wind can erase it”

B.M.N.Murthy




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Article No. 510----GRATITUDE [ Midweek Special]
Created: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 9:06 PM