The Correct Perspective

This is an incident in the life of a disciple of Akkalkot Swami Samarth. The disciple was about to retire from an office where he was employed for 35 years when a new boss was hired. The new boss set up a new system of work that was quite different from the existing system. As the disciple had put in so many years working with the old system, he found it difficult to change to the new system. One day, the new boss called the disciple to his office and lectured him on how he must mend his ways. He treated the disciple quite insultingly. A colleague, who just then happened to pass by the new boss’ office, heard everything and was shocked at the rude language the boss was using to address his employee.

Later when the colleague met the disciple, he said, "The way the new boss is treating you is absolutely incorrect. You can count on my support to take any action against him." But, much to his surprise, he found that the disciple was quite unperturbed. Unable to understand the disciple’s calmness, the colleague asked, "Here I am indignant at the way your boss treated you, and you are so calm! Aren’t you hurt about the way the boss treated you?"

The disciple replied, "My real boss, my Guru, is in Akkalkot (a town in India). What He says matters to me, the rest simply doesn’t! I feel that through this incident He is trying to teach me to be more like Him, as He, too, had to bear a lot of insults and criticism from the society. This incident pales in comparison to the troubles that He has had to undergo at the hands of His fellow men."

Moral: This incident teaches us about the correct perspective while dealing with various situations in life. When facing tough situations in life, we should focus on what God or the Guru thinks and not what others think of us.