An Indian sage is said to have advised, “Successful
living is neither smart management of situations nor hoarding
of money, power or information; it is being in the awareness of the
Ever-present. It is in pure awareness that one realizes the value of what he is
given.” The importance of realizing the
value of what we are given appeared to me very clear through a simple folk
story which Osho once told us.
In ancient India, there lived a family which inherited a rare
musical instrument - Rudra veena. A long discipline and years of intensive
training were required to play it and nobody in the family knew how to play it.
Slowly it turned out to be a nuisance for the family. Finally they decided,
"It is useless for us; it is better to get rid of it." So they went
out and threw it on the garbage pile by the side of the road. Before they
reached back home, they heard sweet music flowing all around. They turned back
only to see a beggar playing the instrument, which they
had thrown out. The beggar was a musician, who was roaming in search of similar
precious musical instruments. The people of the house came back, and when he
stopped playing they said, "That instrument belongs to us."
The beggar said, "Remember one thing: a
musical instrument belongs to one who knows how to play it, there is no other
kind of ownership. You have thrown it in the garbage. You have insulted an
immensely valuable thing.” There was a whole crowd to shout for the beggar. I
know what Osho meant: ‘life belongs to those who have learned to live it’. I’m
not sure if I myself haven’t insulted this immensely valuable life. I
could not also think of what would have happened if the same life I got was
given to somebody else.
Joseph Mattappally
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