Once a man met a Guru and asked him-
“Do heaven and hell exist? If so, where are they?”
The Guru asked the man-
“What is your profession?”
The man said that he was a soldier and his work is to fight wars.
The Guru said-
“You do not look like a soldier, you look like a beggar.”
The soldier was extremely upset with the words of the Guru. His face turned red in anger, his whole body shook and he lifted his sword to kill the Guru.
The Guru spoke to him with a smile-
“This is hell. You are treading the path of hell.”
The soldier realised his mistake and thought-
“Oh God, what a blunder I would have committed.”
He regretted his rash behaviour, put the sword back into the sheath and with folded palms saluted the Guru.
If we love the people around us and make them happy through whatever help we can render, that is heaven. On the other hand, if we look down upon others and cause physical and emotional pain to them, that is hell.
Let us make our lives heavenly and not hellish.
Translated by : Dr. Sharada Jayagovind
