Universal jealousy
Akbar once asked Birbal, “How is it that there is no hair on my palm? There is hair everywhere else on my body. How is it that there is no hair on the palm of my hand?”Birbal said, “Oh, the reason is just because you always give away money. You always have plenty of money in your hands and you give it away in charity. Your palms are being rubbed constantly so the hair there has all been rubbed away.”
“But how is it that you do not have hair in your hand either?”
“Just because I receive from you constantly I am also rubbing, rubbing, rubbing. You are constantly giving away and I am constantly receiving, so that is why my hands also have no hair.”
“But what about those who do not get money from me the way you get it? How is it that they do not have hair on their palms either?”
“Oh, that is very easy. It is because they are very jealous. Jealous people always think of the money that I receive from you and they start rubbing their hands together with anticipation. They are always burning with jealousy and greed, so they just rub and rub their palms together and that is why they do not have any hair on their palms.”
Akbar was highly amused and pleased, but those who were listening to Birbal bowed their heads with shame. They were terribly embarrassed at his indirect accusation.
Spiritual comment
When I give something to a certain disciple my love power increases and when that person receives devotedly his gratitude power increases. We deal with love and gratitude. Whatever I give goes to the disciple in the form of love. And while receiving, what he offers comes to me in the form of gratitude. But if those who do not get something at that time become jealous, they simply delay their own time. If they can become identified with my offering to the other disciple and at that time if they can identify themselves with the receiver, then they become the giver as well as the receiver.
While I am giving to a particular person the others can easily feel that it is they who are giving. While he is receiving they can feel that it is they who are receiving. Identification is not illusion. Identification is not deception. In the spiritual life one must always try to identify oneself with the Truth that is coming from above and trying to manifest here on earth. Identification with the Light and Truth is the only important thing in life, When one is identified with the Master's consciousness one becomes one with the Creator. When one identifies with the disciple one becomes one with the creation. When one is inseparably one with the Creator and the creation one gets the utmost joy.
By being jealous of the giver’s possession, or by being jealous of the receiver’s attainment one can never have joy or peace of mind. In order to be constantly happy one has to identify oneself with Reality’s source and Reality’s course, with Reality’s glow and Reality’s flow. Reality’s source is the Master. Reality’s course is the disciple. Reality’s glow is the Master. Reality’s flow is the disciple.
