A Lesson to Remember

The hot afternoon sun blazed through the canopy of trees and rays of sunlight filtered through the dense vegetation. Even the animals had gone into hiding, away from the blistering sun. Yet, Aurushi and Akash were unwavering in their meditation even though the walnut tree under which they sat, barely provided them a decent shade.

Today is their eleventh day in the forest. They left their monastery in search of inner peace and were promised to be met by their sage. Not a leaf moved as the wind refused to blow its cool breeze. Suddenly, they heard the twigs breaking and the leaves rustling. A frail boy appeared and pleaded for some water.

Akash immediately warned Aurushi, “We don’t know when our sage will arrive. We might not have enough water, so…” he turned towards the boy and tried to shoo him away. Aurushi’s heart sank. She could not bear the sight of the heat-tormented boy and refused to ignore him. Her humanity was stronger than her own survival, so she poured him her share of the water for the day into a wooden cup.

To their surprise, the young boy drank to the last drop and returned the cup to Aurushi. “What?” she exclaimed in shock, looking at the cup filled to the brim.

The young boy smiled and revealed his true form. It turned out that he was the wise sage they had been waiting for. He bestowed blessings and timeless wisdom upon Aurushi and promised her that her cup will never run dry. Before walking away, he told Akash that God is formless and you should see God in everyone and anyone.