Short Story - Self Realization

ॐ नमो नारायण ! जय श्री कृष्णा 

While teaching and explaining Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta, Acharya Shri Shivender Nagar Ji tells beautiful and knowledgeable short stories. These short stories are instrumental in explaining a point in the discussion. The following is one such short story.

As I heard it from Acharya Ji, I am not aware of the original title so I named it Self Realization. It depicts the supreme learning of वेद (Veda) through this simplest of all stories.

Once there was a young man named Manish. After some argument with his parents, Manish left his parents home and went out of town. Manish's parents started to look for him, but they were unable to find him. Perhaps the Manish didn't want to be found.

Manish's father focused all his energy on work to overcome the grief of his lost son. Due to his newfound focus, his small business started to thrive and over the years he became very wealthy.

Manish's parents lived a full life and before they died, they asked their friend who was also a lawyer to take care of their wealth after they are gone. And if someday their son returns give all the money to him. Both of them died soon leaving behind immense wealth.

After a few years, Manish returned to his native city, he wasn't young anymore. His time on his own was very harsh on him, due to immense poverty he looked just like another beggar. Starving thin body covered in torn old clothes and rusty old shoes confirmed his deteriorating state of life.

He soon found that his parents were dead, as a last resort he started to search for his father's lawyer friend. After locating him he went to meet. His intention was to get any job even of a peon so that he doesn't starve to death. Manish's father's friend was a kind-hearted and righteous man, he recognized Manish and initiated the process of transferring money to its rightful owner.

The lawyer took Manish to a bank, he asked Manish to wait outside while he went inside an office to meet with the bank manager. Manish thought he must have gone to arrange for some work for him. The lawyer told the manager that the rightful owner of the biggest estate is sitting outside and arrange for the transfer. Soon after which Manish found that his parents have left him a huge sum of money. Manish's life was changed forever.

Acharya Ji concluded the story here.

Learnings from the story:

Just like the son of a Sharma is also Sharma and the son of Gupta is also Gupta. Similarly, if we are children of God then who are we ??

Acharya Ji quotes we all are अमृतस्य पुत्रा (Amritasya Putra) आत्मस्वरूप (Atmswaroop), ब्रह्मस्वरूप (Bhramswaroop) which I believe is from उपनिषद् (Upnishads). Which simply means children of immortality or simply children of God. So, if we are children of God then we are God as well.

Although Manish lived like a beggar for most of his life, he was always quite rich. If we think carefully then we will realize his worth was quite a lot but he just wasn't aware. Once he is aware his life got changed.  

Similarly, we all children of God and part of him, we are not yet aware of the fact. We can if we are self-realized. And the way for self-realization is discussed in ShriMad Bhagwat Geeta Ji.