19 Horses
One rich man owned 19 horses when he died. In his last will and
testament he had written that upon his death, half the horses he owned
should go to his only son; one fourth to the village temple and one
fifth to the faithful servant. The village elders could not stop
scratching their heads. How can they give half of the 19 horses to the
son? You cannot cut up a horse. They puzzled over this dilemma for
more than two weeks and then decided to send for a wise man who was
living in a neighboring village.
The wise man came riding on his horse and asked the villagers if he
can be of any help to them. The village elders told him about the rich
man’s last will and testament which stated that half of the (19)
horses must be given to his only son, one fourth must go to the temple
and one fifth to the faithful servant.
The wise man said he will immediately solve their problem without any
delay whatsoever. He had the 19 horses placed in a row standing next
to one another. Then he added his own horse as the 20th horse. Now he
went about giving half of the 20 horses that is ten horses to the son.
One fourth of 20-that is 5 horses were given to the temple committee.
One fifth of twenty-that is 4 horses were given to the faithful
servant. Ten plus five plus four made 19 horses. The remaining 20th
horse was his own which he promptly mounted, spoke a few inspiring
words, and rode back home.
The villagers were simply dumfounded, full of disbelief and filled
with admiration. And the parting words of the wise man were inscribed
in their hearts and minds which they greatly cherished and passed on
to their succeeding generations till today.
The wise man said: In our daily lives, in our daily affairs, simply
add God’s name and then go about facing the day’s happenings. Ever
come across problems in life that are seemingly insurmountable? (Like
the villagers, do we feel that such problems cannot be solved?).
The wise man continued: Add the God Principle in our daily lives and
the problems will become lighter and eventually will disappear. In the
manner of the ice which, with the addition of the heat principle will
turn into water, and that will eventually evaporate as steam and
disappear. And how do we add God’s name in our daily lives? Through
prayers, filled with true love and devotion with sincerity of purpose
and dedication that only total faith can bring about. Meditation is a
powerful means of directing the mind Godward.
But without true love and devotion entering into it, it remains like a
boat without water. It is not difficult to push a boat that is
floating in water, but extremely hard to drag the same boat on dry
land.
