pixabay.com

An old tale from India as told to me by my grandmother ...

There once was a kind and benevolent monarch who graciously bestowed upon two of his most favored servants a pair of priceless and magnificent jewels. These gems were of great brilliance and clarity and were very rare. The servants accepted their gifts with gratitude and awe as the monarch declared, “These are magical stones, use them wisely for they can bring wonderful blessings and joy into your lives.”

The servants took their prized gifts back to their individual quarters and rejoiced with their families. Later in the evening when everyone else was asleep, the two servants privately contemplated the future. One of the servants grew very anxious fearing that he would be robbed of his gift. He was not so much concerned with the value of the jewel but rather what value the jewel could bring him. He coveted the jewel and locked it away in a chest hidden where no one could find it. He waited for the opportunity to take the jewel to a broker where he sold it for a handsome sum of money. The other servant was not anxious about his gift. He believed that if the jewel was truly magical and could bring great joy it should be shared with others. He took the jewel to the temple and entrusted it to the priests. The priests placed it upon the Altar of Life where all who came to pray and meditate could marvel at its beauty.

Very quickly, news of the temple jewel spread around the kingdom and to the lands beyond. Many people came to see the jewel and were so taken by its beauty that they generously left donations to the temple. The priests shared these donations with the servant who grew very wealthy indeed. His life was abundant and joyful. When the kingdom fell upon hard times, he was never in lack. The priests had enough revenue to support those in the kingdom who were in need during those times and the kingdom was able to resist lack as well. The temple jewel grew in magnificence and glory. Every day when the sun light entered the temple, the jewel reflected all the colors of the rainbow upon those in meditation and prayer. This was believed to be a special blessing of the gods.

The servant who sold his jewel to the broker for the large sum of money lost his booty when the kingdom fell upon hard times. The broker who was an unscrupulous man sold the jewel to a warlord of another country who in turn sold the jewel to a dealer of arms in exchange for weapons of destruction. The arms dealer was murdered by a neighboring warlord who took the jewel. He placed the jewel on top of a staff and thought of it as a lucky charm that he would take into battle. When the warlords met each other on the battlefield, they killed each other. During the scuffle, the staff fell to the ground hitting a rock and the jewel shattered into a thousand small unrecognizable pieces covered by the blood of many men as both armies fell with no survivors to tell the tale. The magic and beauty of the jewel was forever lost to mankind.

This is a story about the pitfalls and consequences of greed and the rewards of sharing on the Collective level. Perhaps you have been given a gift by someone who values your friendship and recognizes you as a Jewel of Life teaching the spirit of good values to others by your example. This may have been a material gift or even better, just a loving and thoughtful word about how special you are. Enjoy all your gifts whatever they may be and be blessed with many blessings!

Namasté

Neeta Gupta came to the United States from India when she was ten years old. Some of the stories she tells belong to oral tradition as handed down to her by her beloved grandmother who was nicknamed “Anni” while others come from her fertile imagination. Her stories always embrace a philosophical moral that engages the minds of people of all ages. Neeta has had an extensive education both in the US and abroad holding degrees in physics, astronomy, atmospheric sciences, mathematics and theological studies. She is a retired educator and Vedic astrologer who loves to travel back to India especially when accompanied by her grand nephew Pandit.