Fruits of my action
18 Jan 2009, Bhavani River, Bharata Yatra 2009
About two years ago, when I was living at the San Ramon ashram, I had to drive into San Francisco one day for work. San Francisco is about an hour away and there are many homeless people in the city. I had brought a lunch with me that day and driving home at the end of the day, I still had a nice red apple left uneaten. As I pulled up to a stop light, I spotted a man on the street corner, whom, by his appearance, I could tell was homeless. I thought it would be nice to give him my apple, so I opened the car window and threw it in his direction. I watched as the apple sailed right past him and rolled down the road. He had made no effort at all to catch it. I was a little disappointed that the apple had gone to waste, but I realized the lesson behind the story: not to be attached to the fruits of my actions.
– Yati
(narrated to Amma during the stop at Bhavani River)
Ha Ha…a joke and a lesson all rolled up in one! Another lesson I see is that the universe throws us apples all the time. It is our effort to catch that apple that feeds us. Many opportunites are momentary…catch it quickly! Or it will roll away and go to waste 🙂 We should not watste the gifts that are thrown at us!
Indeed this story contains much food for thought ! Thanks for sharing and let us become more aware of the divine apples that are coming to us by Amma’s Grace !!
Thanks for sharing the profound meanings in the simple things of daily life.
Jai Ma Yati. That’s a wonderful story. I’m glad you got to share it with everyone at the Bhavani River. That must have been wonderful getting to watch Bhavani row the boat in the Bhavani River. I got extremely happy just looking at the pictures.
Well, I’m quite shocked by your post. Would you be pleased if people threw you food ? Like a dog ???
Don’t you prefer to be given food right in your hand ?
Don’t you think he didn’t catch it because he considered he wasn’t an animal?
Perhaps it’s the right teaching of this story…
What if we aren’t looking for an apple but maybe, some biriyani?…hehe…What appears as a tempting offer for, say, the employer, may not be tempting enough for the employee…
Oh well, i think he simply was too tired/indifferent/heart broken to catch the apple. If things ain’t happening in a loooooooong while, you pretty much end up that way.
A lesson behind the story could have been: pay attention to the way of giving. To threw the feed appears contemptuous for the homeless and this is a lack of compassion.
beautiful story! I think it is by Mother’s grace you were so successful!!
I think it is a lesson more to Yati than the homeless guy who missed the catch! Sreekrishna said once..”pathram…pushpam…phalam…thoyam..”.but not by this homeless guy, …please….