Be Genuine - That’s Who He’s Waiting For

Once upon a time, there lived a potter in a small village. He earned an honest living by making clay pots. He had two pets at home - a dog and a donkey. Every morning, the dog used to bark to wake up his master. The barking of the dog was like an alarm for the potter who would then wake up, and get ready to go to the field with his two assistants-the dog and the donkey to make clay pots.

During the day, the potter would work hard on his wheel to make pots and keep them in the sun for drying. While the pots were drying, the dog used to keep the animals away. Once the pots had dried, the potter used to bake them in the kiln. In the evening, the potter would load all the pots on the donkey’s back and bring them home. The potter would unload the pots and put them inside.

Then he would tie the donkey to a post and give him some green grass or hay. The potter would then wash his hands and his wife would serve him food. The dog used to sit right next to his master and occasionally used to get some food from the potter’s plate. Later at night the potter’s wife used to give the dog some food. Occasionally when the potter went out anywhere the dog used to go with him while the donkey stayed home tied to the post. If the dog did not go with the potter then upon his return, the dog would lick his master, lie in his lap and show affection. The dog used to run around the house all night and occasionally used to bark.

This way the potter and his two pets spent their life. For six days of the week, the above sequence would go on. On the seventh day, the potter would load all the pots on the donkey and carry them to the market for selling them. While the donkey was carrying the heavy load, the dog would keep circling around the potter and the donkey. He would bark at every passerby. In the market the potter would sell those pots and that is how he earned his livelihood. With the money he earned he would buy some groceries and other utility items from the market, load them on the donkey and return back home in the evening.

The donkey kept watching the dog. It deduced that the dog was his master’s favorite pet. He thought that was so because the dog was very friendly and full of energy. The donkey decided that if he changes his ways and attitude to be like that of the dog, the potter would also love him, pet him and take care of him.Imitate the means, not the actionsSo the next day, the donkey woke up early and started braying to wake up his master. The potter was annoyed upon hearing the donkey bray early in the morning but since it was time to get up he got up and got ready. When he untied the donkey, the donkey started running here and there and braying. This further annoyed the potter. All day the donkey kept trying to break the rope with which he was tied. On the way back, he started running and broke some of the pots. The potter got really upset and took a stick and beat him up. Somehow with half the pots broken they reached home. At dinner time the donkey kept braying.

​In the evening, when the potter sat down for dinner, the donkey broke his rope and started licking the potter and tried to lie down in the potter’s lap. The potter took him away and tied him with a stronger rope this time. At night the donkey started braying just like the dog used to bark at night. Now the potter decided that he needed to teach the donkey a lesson. So he picked up a stick and beat him up hard. Finally the donkey realized that behaving like the dog is not working out for him. 

MORAL
​Do what your Guru instructs you to do. Don’t look at what others are doing or are being told to do. Also, don’t look at the behavior of God and Guru towards you and compare that with His behavior towards others. God and Guru will ask you to do what is right for you and will punish you when you don’t do your job.