WORTHLESS KNOWLEDGE – STORY
When Parasara was five years old, he lived in Srirangam, the largest temple in India. One day Digvijay Pandit, a great champion of logic, grammar and philosophy, traveled across India challenging scholars to debate.
It happened 900 years ago and debating was India’s sport those days. Nobody cares about cricket. Because people had a different sense in those days.
If you are good at debating, you were treated with honours better than a bollywood star, better than a great politician, better than a cricket star.
And so this man, who had acquired great wealth and fame, was carried by four strong men in a decorated palanquin to every city and tirtha place, before whom brahmins chanted chanting mantras, slokas and stotras, and the great challenge was declared.
There is no doubt that there is no question Panditji cannot answer.
So, when he came through the town all the scholars fled in fear of the challenge. A five-year-old boy Parasara ran to him and said, “Sir, I have a question for you.” He looked down at the altar. He said “I am the champion scholar of the world. you are a child Get out of here.
But Parasara said “I have a question for you”.
He said, “Your mother’s milk is still on your lips. Get out of here, the discussion is serious.”
The boy said, “If you are enlightened, why do you attach so much importance to the size of my body? I am not the body. Answer my question.”
He asked, “What is your question?” said.
The boy took a handful of sand and held it up to the Pandit’s face and said, “Tell me sir, how much sand is in my hand?” He said.
He had never been asked such a question. He was speechless. He didn’t know how much sand he would have in his hand.
He was so speechless, crowds gathered, even his own supporters had never seen him like this.
Then Parasara spoke. “Sir, a person of true wisdom sees God in everyone’s heart. Such a person is like a tree bearing good fruit. If a tree has too many good fruits, the tree bends down. If a tree bears no fruit, it bows down to no one.
If you do not have respect for others, if you do not humble yourself before the majesty of God, I consider all your knowledge as worthless as this handful of sand.”
Saying that, he put the sand down.
This word, coming from a little five-year-old child, struck his heart.
He got down from his palanquin and fell at the feet of this little child, and with tears in his eyes and humbly said:
“I want to be your disciple.”
Then he became his disciple.
(CLEVER PEOPLE – STORY! READ HERE!)