THE DONKEY DIED

You must take every step in Sadhana or in Samsara, only after deep deliberation and satisfying yourself that it will be for your good. Otherwise, it will be like the story of the weeping city. One day, a close female attendant of the Queen came to the Palace weeping in great sorrow, and so the Queen began to shed tears.

Seeing the Queen in tears, the entire zenana wept and the weeping spread to the male attendants also. The King, finding the queen inconsolably sad, also wept profusely in sympathy, and the sight made the entire city weep loud and non-stop.

At last, one sensible fellow set in motion an inquiry, which passed through person after person until the Queen herself was accosted. She said that her attendant was in sore grief. When she, a washerwoman by caste, was interrogated, she confessed that it was all due to the sudden demise of her favourite ass!

When the news spread the weeping ceased and there was widespread laughter and shame. Reason out, discriminate. Do not rush to conclusions or be led away by mere hearsay.