An
Inspirational Story
(Dr GM Singh)
There
was a king who was a great admirer of art. He encouraged artists from all over
his country and gave them valuable gifts.
One day
an artist came and said to the king, "Oh King! Give me a blank wall in
your palace and let me paint a picture on it. It will be more beautiful than
anything you have ever seen before. I promise you shall not be
disappointed." Now, the king happened to be constructing a big hall at the
rear end of the palace. So he said, "All right you may work on one of the
walls in the new hall."
So the
artist was given the job and he was very pleased indeed. Just then, another
young man said, "Oh King! Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I
too am an artist."
The king
said, "What would you like to make?"
The man
said, "My Lord, I shall make exactly what that man will make on the
opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so, without looking at his work. I would
even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so that
either of us cannot see the other." Now, that was a tall statement.
Everyone in the king's court, including the king and the first artist were
intrigued. But the king loved surprises and he decided to give the young fellow
a chance. The following day a thick curtain was put into place and both the
artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint,
oil, water etc. The second one would come with a cloth and a bucket of water
every day.
After a
month the first artist told the king that his work was complete and he would
like to show it to the king. The king sent for the second artist and asked him,
"Young man, when would your work be ready? I am coming to see the first
wall this evening."
The man
said, "My Lord, my wall is ready too!"
The king
went to see the first artist's wall. He was very, very impressed with the
painting and gave a hefty sum as a reward to the artist. He then asked for the
curtain to be opened up
Lo and
behold! The same painting was to be seen on the opposite wall too!
Amazing! But true! Each line, each minor
detail was exactly as it was on the first wall. But this man had not been
seeing what was going on, on the other side of the curtain. So how had he done
it? The king wanted to know the secret.
He gave a double reward to the fellow. Then he
said, "Young man, I am indeed very happy with your work. But you must tell
me; how did you do it?"
The lad said simply, "It's very easy! I
just polished the wall every day!"
It was a wall made of white marble! The fellow
polished it till it shone like a mirror. The reflection of the painting across
the room, showed up in it!
That is what it means to polish yourself. For
when we polish our hearts and souls, we see God's reflection within.
It is said that the world is a reflection of
you. Whatever you are, the world will seem to be that too. If you are sad,
jealous, dejected, angry, restless ... that is what the world will seem to be!
If you are happy, the world will seem to be paradise.
You decide how you want your world to
look...
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