Truth behind the apparent

“Appearances are a glimpse of the unseen” is a quote that is closely linked to a story by saint Sivananda, which I am going to narrate.

Once, a Brahmin pundit who was strolling along the river bed came across a young man and a woman who seemed to him, were acting in an immoral way.

The young man had a bottle with him and he seemed to drink its contents with great relish. He carried the woman on his back and at regular intervals, made her sit beside him and shampooed her legs at regular intervals.

This sight proved to be sore to the Pundit’s eyes and he wanted to teach them a lesson.

He immediately reported about the couple to the headman of the village who was immediately persuaded to take strict action against the couple. The headman and his men along with the pundit rushed to the spot where the so-called crime was being committed.

First, they chose to watch the young man’s activities from a distance to confirm whether the pundit’s words were true. To their utter shock, they found that the young man behaved in the exact way the brahmin had described to them.The young man was stopped and questioned about his immoral acts.

The young man politely bowed down before them and started explaining his conduct. He told them that he had already walked a long distance until then and had yet to cover a lot more.

Since he was tired and thirsty he greatly relished drinking the pure Ganges water stored in his bottle. He further explained that the woman who accompanied him was none other than his mother. As she was suffering from rheumatism and heart disease he had to carry her on his back and
had to wash her legs as she was in unbearable pain.

The headman and the others hung their heads in shame and profusely sought the young man’s forgiveness. They immediately arranged a bullock cart for him to travel and gave him the necessary food items that he might require on his way.

For better truth one has to be careful not jumping to false conclusions. As the saying goes, “Appearances are shallow, but those who seek depth will discover the ocean.” How true!