Those days the washerman used to raise a donkey for the convenience of his work. He used to go door to door and collect a lot of clothes and clean it in a distant reservoir and dry the wet clothes in a field. For all this work, raising donkey was more beneficial than other animal breeding.
Thus a washerman had a donkey, but it was difficult that the donkey used to keep his neck crooked. The incident happened that the rope with which a donkey used to be tied once became smaller. That washerman could not buy a new rope due to lack of money. As a result of this washerman used to tie the donkey in a small rope. At this time, when the donkey used to eat in the sound, he had to eat by pulling the rope and crushing his neck! A few days after this, the washerman’s employment increased, he bought a new long rope and tied the donkey in it so that there would be no difficulty between eating time and donkey. But what a surprise! The next day, when the washerman went to open the donkey in the morning, he saw that the donkey is standing with his neck crooked like before! Not only this, and even more, the way the rope used to eat by pulling a small rope at the time of eating _ even then he was eating with pain! Seeing this, the washerman tried to straighten the neck for many days (through, here and there) but no benefit. The donkey always used to torture his neck, drag it due to inconvenience and eats in the sound! After spending a few days like this, the washerman got practiced watching this. Fruit he does nothing else, but when any other person came to his house, he would be surprised or pity the donkey standing there. One day a kind man came to that washerman’s house. He also asked the washerman the reason for the donkey’s neck crooked. After knowing everything, the man tried to ease the pain of the donkey and went to him and unlocked the donkey by throat_so that the donkey could be free and straighten his neck or eat! But will this ever happen !! The donkey kept his neck crooked and at that time also he started pulling and eating! This was so used to him! That donkey became a slave of that habit, he will not be able to get out of here anymore! The story ended here. Now Guru Maharaj should say to all of us See, the ordinary man is also covered by the sacrament of births, tied! Tied in it and suffering! Thus, the ordinary man becomes habitual of suffering (habit)! Thakur Shri Ramakrishna tried to explain this by giving some examples, he used to say, “Camel eats thorns in the desert, when camel’s mouth bleeds then he thinks and will not eat thorns! But then he eats !!
Thakur also used to say ” It is seen in the world that many have more children – out of them maybe two – one of them dies, then many mourning, crying, but after a few days they give birth to children! This subject is like keeping a donkey’s neck crooked! And that person with a heart became great man who try to free man from illusion, to relieve him from misery, perhaps he frees him _ but man does not leave his old culture. He dies in the bonding cycle of illusion and fascination!
So what will happen _ everyone will suffer the same way? No, not like that ! This cycle can be overcome_ and it needs ‘hindrance’ to do it!
This is the ‘heroic’ spirit! And there is a ‘patience’ ! Dropping tears from the eyes, Pinking on every thing is not all ‘patience’! ‘Patience’ is the justice of a pregnant baby! Whose food, ritual, breathing, nourishment everything depends on the mother_ thus surrender to God is the real patience! And ‘bravery’ won’t mean ‘spiritual progress’? Will happen today, will happen now _ this kind of thinking!
There is no proof that real ‘hero’ or real patience has not gained God or soul achievements!
Thakur Shri Ramakrishna’s proverb is that_ lazy and soft minded devotion does not benefit God! Tools – It has to be earned by fighting the summer! Otherwise, a person has to spend his life with a crooked neck like that donkey.
Finished
[Story Swami Paramanand ji. Collector Sridhar Banerjee ‘Story Context’. Translated by Sudhir Sharma, a former student of Bangaram Paramananda Mission l]
Crooked neck donkey
