WEIGHING THE ELEPHANT – STORY
Some labourers were criticizing the minister of the king, claiming that he only sat around and did no work.
The king reminded them that it took intelligence to become a minister.
He said he would give a test for everyone, including the minister.
Whoever could pass the test could become the next minister.
The king said, “Take this big elephant, weigh him and let me know the exact weight.”
The ordinary men were baffled.
Where was there a scale for weighing an elephant?
They could not do anything.
They came back to the king with no information.
Then the king turned to his minister and asked, “Will you kindly weigh this elephant?”
So in six minutes he came back and reported, “It is twenty mounds [1,920].”
The other men were standing open-mouthed in surprise. “How is that?”
They asked. “Within six minutes he came back and he gave the exact weight!”
The king asked, “How did you weigh him? Did you get some very big scale?”
“No sir,” replied the minister. “It is not possible to weigh the elephant on a scale. It is very difficult.”
“Then how did you weigh it?”
“I took it on a boat. When I got him on the boat then I saw the watermark and I marked it. Then, after getting the elephant off the boat, I added weight onto the boat, and when it came to the same watermark, then I understood.”
So the king addressed the labourers and cautioned them, “Now you see the difference?”
They agreed, “Yes.”
MORAL:
Buddhir yasya balang tasya nirbuddhes tu kuto balang / pashya singha madonmatah shashah kena nipatata.
A shasha, a rabbit killed a singha, a big lion by intelligence. One who has got intelligence, he has strength, and one who has no intelligence has no strength.
Foolish people often criticize devotees as do-nothings and weaklings, but such people do not understand the intelligence of a devotee. Therefore, a devotee does not have to heed such people.
(BE ALWAYS A VAISHNAVA – STORY! READ HERE!)