The Man Who Invited Death

 

There was a man carrying a heavy weight upon his

shoulders; he was old, weak, and feverish, and lived

in a hot country, India. He sat down under the shade

of a tree and threw off his burden from his

shoulders and rested a while, and cried, "Oh Death!

Death!! Death!!! come, Oh Death! Relieve me, relive

me." The story says that there appeared the God of

Death unto him on the spot, when he looked at

Him, he was astonished, he was surprised. He

trembled, what is that hideous figure, that

monstrous something? He asked the God of Death,

"Who are you"? The God of Death said, "I am he

whom you called; you have called me just now and I

have come to satisfy your wish." Then the old man

began to v tremble and said, "I did not call you to

put me to death, I called you simply to help, me to

lift this burden and put it on my shoulders."

That is what the people do. All your,, difficulties, all

your troubles and sorrows, what are called sorrows,

are brought about by your own self; you are the

master of your own destiny, but when the thing

comes, you begin to cry and weep; you invite Death,

and when Death comes, you begin to cry. But that

cannot be. When once you bid the highest price in

an auction, you will have to take the thing. When

you make the horse run, the carriage follows the

horse. So when once you desire, you will have to

take the consequences.

MORAL: Troubles and sorrows are the inevitable

consequences of your desires.