The Only Cow

“Do not try to bring down the Almighty to your limited vision. Rise up, strengthen your detachment and establish yourself in discrimination, then your goal is brought nearer.” (Bhagwan Baba).

In a village there were two farmers. One of them was rich and had hundreds of cows. He would sell milk to many people in the nearby city. The other one was poor and had only one cow. He spent most of his time looking after the cow, collecting fresh hay for it, milking it etc.

One day God and an Angel happened to cross by that village. They noticed that both the farmers were deeply engrossed in meditation and prayer. The Angel said, “Oh Benevolent one! Bless these two pious souls for they are so devoted to you!” God said, “I bless them both.”

The rich farmer suddenly became richer. His cows gave double the milk, they used to and his fortune just multiplied. But the poor farmer’s only cow, died the next day.

The Angel was flabbergasted. He asked God, “Oh Merciful one! The fortune of the rich farmer is increasing by leaps and bounds, but what about this poor man? Do you see how bitterly he is crying? What will he do without his beloved cow? How will he fend for himself ?”

God smiled, “My dearest one! Listen to me. The rich farmer has yet to go through the cycle of birth and death many times. He needs all the wealth he has and more, to live a comfortable life. This poor man is just about ready to merge with me. He has persevered towards Moksha over many births. The only obstacle in his way was his attachment to his cow. So I have taken it away. Now he is ready to be one with me! Don’t be sorry for him, I know what is best for him.”

God always knows what is best for us. How so ever much we think we know; He always knows best.

Baba tells us, “Everyone has to achieve moksha (liberation), whether one is striving for it now or not. It is the inevitable end to the struggle, the goal to which all are proceeding. But, please do not be afraid of reaching the goal of liberation. Well, how do you prepare yourself for the stage? The answer is in that very word Moksha, itself. It is self-explanatory. ‘Mo’ indicates Moha, that is delusion or being deluded by attractive but transitory trash; and ‘ksha’ stands for kshaya, disappearance or decline. In other words, to attain liberation one must keep the flights of your mind away from these deluding attractions, and focus on the straight path towards liberation.”