Allow the Sunlight to enter Your Room

Somewhere on Great Ocean Road -Photo by VinodT

Here is another instructive story by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura.

A boy from a wealthy family was spoilt through over -indulgence. His parents used to fulfil all his fanciful desires and thus they did great harm to the boy. When the boy grew up as a young man he became more and more unruly. He concluded that the sun and moon must carry out his orders. One day the young man was sleeping in a room with all the doors closed. By late afternoon the parents of the boy thought their son was still sleeping because he might have worked very hard the night before. When midday was arriving, the parents became deeply anxious and started knocking at the door. Still in bed, the boy kept on telling, why are you knocking at my door in the dead of night? I am not going to open it now. You must have come with some bad motive. Everyone outside was urging, the sun has been up for a long time, now it is almost midday. Please open the door.

The young man replied, the midday sun must be very strong and if it is so, let him come into my room and show his strength. After all, I am not going to get up from my cosy comfortable bed. Then everyone appealed, Will you open the door so that the sunlight will get into the room?

What does this story tell us?

Some people think that it is nothing but flattery to say that the Lord is all merciful. If the Lord was really merciful, how is it that there is so much suffering in the world? Some people even think that if Godhead was omnipotent, He should have changed our motives without out effort. There argument is similar to such a spoilt child. They have, in fact, encaged themselves in their own apparently cosy comfortable bedroom under illusionary energy.

The sun distributes his light everywhere indiscriminately, for rich and poor, palace and cottage alike. Anyone who takes the trouble of opening his doors and windows will surely get sunlight. The Lord has also bestowed his mercy everywhere and every living entity, using his freewill, can enjoy it.