THE SIMPLE SECRET

GOD can be realised through child-like faith
and guilelessness.
A certain person, on coming across a sadhu,
humbly begged him for instruction. The sadhu's
advice was, "Love God with all your heart and
soul." The enquirer replied, "I have never seen
God, nor do I know anything about Him; how is it
possible that I should love Him?" The holy man
enquired whom the other loved most. The answer
was, "I have nobody to care for.
I have a sheep and that is the only creature I love."
The sadhu said: "Then tend the creature and love it
with all your heart and soul, and always remember
that the Lord abides in it." Having given this advice
the sadhu left the place. The enquirer now began
to tend the sheep with loving care, fully believing
that the Lord abode in the creature. After a long
time the sadhu, during his return journey, sought
out the person he had advised and enquired how
he was getting on. The latter saluted the sadhu and
said, "Master, I am all right, thanks to your kind
instructions. Much good has come to me by

following the line of thought prescribed by you.
Time and again I see a beautiful figure with four
hands within my sheep and I find supreme bliss in
that."