Once there lived a rich man. He owned a hotel named Silver Star. The hotel made him earn a handsome amount every day. His business moved smoothly. Suddenly, the customers stopped visiting the hotel. He ran dry of paying huge debts.
One day, he went to a pandit for some guidance. The Pandit was a good and humble man. He asked the man the name of the hotel after listening to the plea. The rich man replied humbly. Pandit Ji asked him to rename the hotel. The man hesitated but agreed to obey. Pandit Ji asked him to hand a hoarding inscribed with the name ‘Six Bells’ but hang five bells near the main entry. The rich man felt peculiar but agreed. Back at the hotel, he did the same.
Passers-by felt curious about the hotel and visited the reception to remind the owner about the mistake. But, they felt satisfied with the service offered at the hotel. People also ordered delicacies and snacks to enjoy the hospitality.
The uniqueness of the hotel turned into word of mouth and, that spread like a wildfire. Numerous people visited the hotel to correct the peculiarity. The rich man’s business resumed in a full-fledged manner. He went to pandit Ji to thank him. Pandit Ji asked him the teaching he received from the incident. The man realized that obedience turned out to be a boon. Pandit Ji asked him to introspect again. The man said that people were ever ready to point out the mistake, thus making them free of errors.
Moral- People may blame us for several known or unknown errors. We should accept them as the cleaners who pluck out the thorns of mistakes and make us pure. We should accept the mistake if we are wrong. And, if we feel that we could not do better at that moment, we should pray to Lord for we do not see the falsehood in others and forgive them.
It may be difficult to ask for forgiveness on the first go. But, we need to practice and surrender again and again at the divine feet of Almighty. Few gestures of humbleness, viz., sorry, thank you, can transform our lives. Remembering Lord 24*7 is the solution.
The man didn’t move to his kins to ask for solutions to make money, but to the true being who could help him closely. Kins and friends may help us, but the words of a generous and humble being can transform lives. It is better to live in the company of the humble.
There is a live parable on mistakes. Max Muller, a philosopher, was a good devotee of Swami Ramakrishna Paramhamsa (called Thakur Ji out of reverence). When the British ruled in India, he often visited Thakur Ji.
Thakur Ji left the physical abode. Swami Vivekananda visited the U.K. for some task. Max Muller went to meet him in person. On that day, Swami Vivekananda was writing something with a pencil. He felt something and reversed the pencil to erase a portion with the tiny eraser attached to its tip. Max Muller commented that that was good as they could erase the mistakes easily while composing a write-up. Swami Vivekananda replied that that was better if the writer realized the mistake and was prompt to rectify it. Though Max Muller was elder to Vivekananda Ji, he bowed before him and touched his feet.
Thus, realizing the mistake is most important.
