The following is a transliteration by Sri Ramen Basu of a story narrated by Sri Sri Babathakur (appearing in Swajnaugrahasudha Vol. 2, pages 2 - 4).

This is a story concerning the qualifications needed to attain the mercy/grace of Guru. Once, two poor villagers came to a Guru for dikkha (i.e. initiation). The two individuals hailed from separate villages but were acquainted with each other. The economic condition of one of them was more or less passable, while that of the other was one of extreme poverty. Paying obeisance to Gurudeva, they conveyed to Him their minds’ desire. Saying that He had to go somewhere on a special errand within a few days, Gurdeva asked them to come back and see Him at a later time. He would arrange for their dikkha at that time. However, both the fellows kept imploring to the Gurudeva, stating – ‘Please initiate us before you leave. Our minds have become restless to attain dikkha.’ 

Listening to their pleas, the Gurudeva made an arrangement to test how qualified they were to receive dikkha. Giving each of them one whole grain, He told them – ‘Keep the grain with you. I am leaving for some place on a special errand. On my return, please return this grain to me. Then I will initiate both of you. But if this grain rots or gets destroyed, I won’t initiate you.'

Having received the grain, the two friends paid obeisance to Gurudeva and returned home. Of the two, the one who was economically a little better off began to wonder if the grain might get lost, or if the bird or the worms may eat it. Then I will be in trouble because I have to return the grain to Gurudeva; else He won’t initiate me. He thus placed the grain carefully within a piece of cloth, and having wrapping the cloth nicely, put it inside a tiny box. 

The second fellow was very poor. He thought of the difficulty of storing the grain, and it bothered him. Gurudeva has given me the grain, but how should I store it? If it spoils for some reason, I won’t be initiated. Where to keep it? If I put it in a tiny box, the worms will eat it. After a lot of contemplation, he planted the grain seed inside a earthen tub filled with soil. He observed the tub daily so as to ensure that the birds or worms do not eat it. Each day he watered the plant a little. 

After a few days, he found that a wheat plant had sprouted from the seed. Thinking that the plant may be destroyed, he carefully transferred it to a bigger tub, and added more soil to the tub. He regularly took care and watered the plant. In time, more wheat plants had grown in the tub. Gurudeva had still not returned. Thinking the new wheat-crop may be spoilt, he arranged for a much bigger tub and planted all the wheat seeds in it. After some days, even more plants sprouted from those seeds. Gradually the amount of wheat grown had burgeoned to such an extent that instead of a bigger tub, he planted all of the wheat grains in a small plot of land next to his home. More wheat plants grew in this plot of land. He repeatedly kept harvesting the wheat and planting the wheat grains back in the ground. Gradually he began cultivating so much wheat, that he started selling some of it. In this way, his food problem was solved, and he began cultivating wheat right from his home. That small piece of land however was not quite sufficient to grow more wheat plants; more land was needed. So he bought a bigger plot of land and started to cultivate wheat in a big way. The fellow would not store the wheat-grain, but rather resow it and cultivate the wheat-crop continuously. In this manner, a lot of wheat-crop began to be generated. 

A lot of time had elapsed, yet Gurudeva had still not returned. The fellow had become rich by selling the wheat-crop he grew, and had even bought a house. His economic condition had improved much, and had completely transformed his living condition. 

After four/five years, Gurudeva returned. He summoned the two villagers. The first fellow opened the tiny box and found that the grain seed which had been stored in it had been completely destroyed. The second fellow said to Gurudeva - ‘ To take proper care of the grain-seed given to me, I had to work hard throughout these days. I did not have any respite to look after other things’. Then the fellow showed how much wealth he had amassed by cultivating the wheat-crop. He also showed how he has stored the wheat-crop in rattan baskets. Gurudeva said – ‘I have understood that you are capaable of protecting the seed-mantra. Come I will initiate you right away’. Gurudeva said right here was the test for both of you. He said to the first fellow – ‘ Look! you spoiled even this ordinary task, but see how your friend has transformed his condition from that little grain-seed’.  

Really how many of you become prepared to use the seed given to you by the Guru? A few songs were sung on this topic as follows:

a.  ‘O the mind – tiller your body-field is the tillage-ground 

     You didn’t learn how to cultivate, didn’t learn to cultivate.’ 

               (song 10, Karma O Sadhan Tattva, 

                Swanubhvasudha Vol. 2)

b.  ‘The human-body, a fertile ground why do you leave it aside

     Cultivate harvest, Cultivate harvest, now Cultivate harvest’.

              (song 21, Karma O Sadhan Tattva, 

                Swanubhvasudha Vol. 2) 

Sadhaka Ramprasad also had a song on this very topic:

    ‘O mind you do not know how to cultivate 

    This human life remains fallow

    If harvested the field would yield gold.’ 

Human being can do everything - but when it comes to reciting the name of the Lord, so many excuses crop up. The Lord is hiding in the heart of all. You have to bring Him out by chanting His name with lots of devotion and care.

 

Transliteration submitted at the holy lotus feet of Sadguru Sri Sri Babathakur by Sri Ramen Basu . The translator acknowledges the help of Sri Debasish Kundu and Smt. Swapna Banerjee in this work.