Once upon a time, a saint was sitting on the bank of the river Ganga and preaching about the oneness of creatures with God.
“A creature is just a small part of God Himself!”, said the saint.
“All the magnificent qualities of God are present in every creature”, he added.
Hearing this, one of the listeners raised his doubt and asked, Sir, God has perfect knowledge and is Almighty, while the creatures have imperfect knowledge and are weak.
Then how do you claim that both are the same?
Turning to the questioner the saint said, “Will you please fill my jug with the water from the river Ganga?”. So, he went down and fetched the water in the jug. Now, the saint asked him, “Is the water in this jug, and that flowing in Ganga the same?”.
Yes, indeed, was the reply. Then the saint smiled and said, “There are several boats sailing on the river, why don’t you try to sail one boat in the jug too?” To this the man replied, “Sir, the jug is so small, it contains only a little water, how can a real boat sail in this jug?” Now the saint said grimly, “My dear friend, creature is confined within a small limit, and hence, like the Ganga water in the jug it is limited. If you go and pour the water in the jug back in the river, then boats can sail on it too. Similarly, if we break our bonds of meanness and attain greatness, each one of us can easily acquire the strength and knowledge equal to God.”
Pragya Puran Stories
