A Hindu saint who was visiting River Ganges to take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting at each other in anger. He turned to his disciples, smiled and asked, “Why do people in anger shout at each other?”
The disciples thought for a while, and one of them said, “Because we lose our calm, we shout.”
“But why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him or her what you have to say in a soft manner,” asked the saint.
Some more disciples too gave answers but none of them satisfied the group.
Finally, the saint explained, “When two people are angry at each other, their hearts grow apart. To cover that distance, they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.
“What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small…”
The saint continued, “When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally, they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.”
He looked at his disciples and said, “So, when you argue, do not let your hearts get distant. Do not say words that distance each other more, or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.”
Image above: In 1952, India honoured six of its its renowned poets and saints by issuing postage stamps. They are Kabir, Tulisdas, Mirabai, Surdas, Ghalib and Rabindranath Tagore.
Above: India postage stamps issued over the years featuring notable saints and sages of India. Courtesy: https://www.hinduismtoday.com/