This time we have a quiz for you. Read carefully these little tales told by the Master, Sri Ramakrishna and, thinking them over, try to give a good answer to the question at the end of each.
In India in olden days, there were three friends who were going through a dense forest. Suddenly they were aware of a tiger, stalking them at a distance. "Oh, oh! " said one (we'll call him Sharp-eye), now we are in for it! We're lost. There's no escape, for the tiger will outrun us!"
"Why should you say that?" asked the second friend. "You have no faith in God! (His name was Prayerful.) "Come, let us all kneel down and pray to Him who is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and ask Him to save us."
The third friend did not like this. His name was God-love. He said, "No, let us all climb this tree; why should we give trouble to God?"
Question: It was the third traveler whom Ramakrishna praised. Why?
This story too is about friends -- four of them. Out for a walk, they saw along their way a long wall, enclosing -- who knows what -- and became curious. The wall was also very high. One of them went in search of a ladder, and finding one of some length, succeeded in climbing to the top of the wall. He looked inside and whatever he saw made him speechless with wonder. He only cried aloud, "Aha! Aha!" and disappeared over the wall.
Now the others became very eager to see what had amazed their friend. One by one, two more climbed the ladder and when they got to the top, simply dropped over the other side, speechless.
The fourth friend followed to the top of the wall. But when he saw what was on the other side, he said to himself: "Oh, how amazing and how wonderful; I simply must tell the world about this." Instead of jumping into the enclosure he climbed back down the ladder and ran about spreading the news.
Question: Can you figure out what was on the other side of the wall, and why Sri Ramakrishna tells the story?
One woman had a sister-in-law who was a weaver and decided to visit her after quite a long while. The weaver woman had been spinning silk thread. When she saw her sister-in-law she said, "What a surprise! Oh, how glad I am to see you after a long time. Let me get you some refreshments." And she went out of the room. The other woman looked at the silken threads of different colors and was too much tempted. She picked up one bundle of thread and hid it under her arm, beneath her clothing. When her hostess returned, she began to offer the refreshments to her guest with great enthusiasm.
Suddenly, looking at her thread, she realized that a bundle had been taken. So she hit upon a plan to get it back. "Sister," she exclaimed, "this is a day of great joy for me! It has been so long since you came. Let us celebrate the occasion with a dance. I am so happy, I feel like dancing; come join me!"
"I too am very happy," said the other, and got up to join in dancing. The weaver went round and round the room with both her arms up high, dancing and singing.
But her sister-in-law raised only one arm as she danced, pressing the other against her side.
"What is this?" the weaver woman asked, "Why do you dance like that? Raise both arms!"
"Well," said the other, "this is my particular style of dancing; this is all I know of dancing."
Question: Sri Ramakrishna was talking about how attachment to objects keeps us from being really free. How does the story illustrate this?
Once in India a hermit (somebody who lives alone in the forest or mountains, practicing meditation and other disciplines) was disturbed in his meditation by the droppings of a crow on his head. When he glanced up at the bird in great anger, the crow was simply burnt to ashes. The hermit thought to himself, "I have destroyed the bird by a mere glance; I must have made great progress in spiritual life." He went some distance to a house to beg his food. In the house to which he came was a woman serving her sick husband, day and night. She was busy at this and could not open the door as soon as he knocked. The hermit, an impatient man, began to shout at her.
This pious woman humbled him. "Patience, sir," she said; "I am not your crow. I am busy taking care of my husband; when I finish I will see what you need."
Questions: How did the hermit manage to burn up the crow? How did the housewife know that he had done it?
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
