Once three friends Dabloo, Babloo and Paploo, went for a pilgrimage to Joshimath. They rented a hotel room for a night, at a rent of Rs.30/-. The rent was to be paid in Advance. So they collected Rs. 10/- each and gave the amount to the Hotel’s Manager.

As they were about to sleep, there was a knock on the door. Who can it be?
The door was opened with apprehension. There stood a waiter of the Hotel. “Take this”, he said “Handing over three rupees to them. The manager has asked me to return these to you. You had paid thirty rupees for this room, but the Manager has noticed that the room rent is only twenty seven rupees”.

“Thank you”, said the three friends as they closed the door.

The servant returned, but some tedious calculation was troubling his mind. The room’s rent was actually Rs. 25/- and the Manager had given him Rs.5/- to be returned to the three friends. But the waiter had some mischief in mind he kept Rs.2/- with him and gave Rs.3/- to them, thinking that it will be easier to divided Rs.3/- among three persons than Rs.5/-

But the Rs.2/- in his pocket gave rise to the calculation that was troubling him. The three friends had given Rs.10/- each initially, out of which they got back Rs.1/- each, which means they paid Rs. 9/- each, totaling Rs. 27/-. Adding Rs.2/- (which were in his pocket), the total came too Rs.29/-., but the transaction started with Rs.30/-. So where has Rs.1/- gone. This was the question that was perplexing his mind.

All of us must have faced such perplexity, some time or the other. We are always short of one Rupee. Ages are spent to spot where this One rupee has gone? Where is the mistake?

The mistake lies in our calculation. The puzzle started with the servant’s beginning of the calculation. It becomes easy when we begin the other way, round. The amount with each of the friends is Rs1/- (Total Rs.3/-),Amount with the waiter is Rs.2/-;amount paid to the Hotel is Rs. 25/-. Totaling all these, we arrive at a figure of Rs. 30/- , which is what it should be. No Confusion.

It is our mindset that creates confusion out of clarity.
Once a trader was asked,” how was the season this year?”

“Terrible”, he said, “I lost Fve lac Rupees.”
“But we hear that the business was good this year. Then why the loss.”
“True, but last year I had a profit of Ten lac Rupees, whereas this year it was only Five lac Rupees. That is a loss to me.”

That was his way looking at things. This shows the avarice that ever goes on spreading its tentacles, like the mouth of Sursa. The mindset of a person never lets him feel satisfied. He is ever complaining.

We do not value what we have. We are ever running after what we do not have; full of despair, on the thorny paths of cravings and aversions.

Nothing wrong in running around (Karma), but do it with vigour, happiness, enthusiasm, with a smile –always.

—-()—-