Saturday, August 25, 2007

Truth

Increasingly I am attracted to illustrations of the truth in text. This from What the Upanishads Teach Us: Discourse of Sathya Sai Baba during the Summer Course in Spirituality and Indian Culture held for College Students at Brindavan, Whitefield, Bangalore District in May 1972 Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust.

Draupadi, after she had gone through all her troubles and tribulations, was sitting and talking to Krishna on one occasion in a pleasant mood. She addressed Krishna as her dear brother and asked: "What is the matter? I remember having been in great difficulties and having called you with the fullness of my heart and begged you to come and save me. But you came late. You never came in time. Can you explain to me what stood in the way of your coming in proper time?" Krishna then asked Draupadi: "You say you addressed me and called me. May I know in what manner you called me and how you addressed me?" Then she replied, "Yes, I said, Hai Krishna, Hai Dwarakavasa". The Lord replied "You addressed me as Dwarakavasa. Where is Dwaraka and where is Hasthinapura, to which place I had to come? That was a long distance. If only you had addressed me as Hridayavasi or as one who is living in your own heart, I would have appeared immediately. Because of the manner of your addressing I had to travel all the way from Dwaraka to Hasthinapura and how could I have come in time from such a long distance?"