The Mango Tree

Rampur was a village en route between two major temples in the state of Maharashtra. Saints and learned men often crossed the village while walking from one temple to another. The rich pilgrims would undertake this journey in horse drawn carriages or cars, whichever they could afford. The residents of this village would look forward to the revered saints walking through their village. Villagers would offer them food and water and seek their blessings in return. One such saint was Maharaj Vriksheshwar, he was renowned for a gift he had, to be able to communicate with trees once he sat in meditation.

A farmer in Rampur was eagerly waiting for Maharaj Vriksheshwar to come to their village. The farmer had planted a mango plant in one corner of his lemon farm. What bothered the farmer was that after growing to about three feet tall, the mango plant stopped growing, it drooped and looked pale in spite of the farmer giving it the best of resources and taking the best of care. The farmer wanted the Maharaj to help him understand the problem with the mango plant. Eventually, one day Maharaj came to the village. The farmer invited Maharaj in and offered food and water. After the sage was done with his meal the farmer spoke and explained his worry to him.

"Take me to the plant", said the Maharaj. The farmer led him to a corner of his farm. There stood the little mango plant facing scores of lemon trees. "Leave us alone. I will call you once I have answers", said the sage. "Sure, if there's anything you need, please call me. I will take your leave now", said the farmer and he walked away. Maharaj Vriksheshwar sat down in meditative posture, on the ground between the lemon trees and the mango plant. Soon he could hear voices in his head, voices of the trees talking to each other.

"You don't belong here. Look at your different couloured, big, drooping and odd shaped leaves. You look so funny, you small little plant", some lemon trees said to the mango plant, making fun and laughing at it. Some other lemon tree sympathised with the mango plant. "You poor little thing, this is hard on you, you should not go through all this, you don't belong here", they said. All this added up in making the mango plant doubt itself. It felt, that when so many others feel it's not good enough, then definitely they are right. It's spirit was dampened and it's growth stalled. Maharaj waited for the cacophony of the lemon trees to settle before he started talking to the mango plant.

"They demean you because you are different. They belittle you, because all they have seen in their lives, are lemon trees. When they see something that they don't understand, they quickly become judgemental. They know not your true potential and how would they know, they have never seen a mango tree before. Here you are unique, so some are bound to be jealous too, because they know and see there's something different and refreshing about you. Your task is to ignore what they say. Let yourself be guided by your inner voice and not the external banter. You know your true potential, God has gifted you with that, let yourself grow. Rise above self doubt, which the world has created in your mind. Embrace your uniqueness and use it in favour of yourself", said the sage to the mango plant. The plant already looked upright and refreshed.

Maharaj called the farmer and asked him to personally water the mango plant everyday and talk to it everyday. "You might feel it's just a plant, it cannot hear, but still speak to it everyday. A few kind words and a few words of appreciation and you will see the difference very soon. I will return in a few months to check on the mango plant again", said the sage as he left to continue on his journey. After the sage left, things were back to how they were. The lemon trees once again started mocking the mango plant, though something was different this time. It is said that the stimulus is not in your control, but the response most definitely is. You can not control what others say or do, but you can choose how to react to it. That was the difference, the reaction of the mango plant was different. It ignored all it heard and focused it's attention on growth.

The farmer did exactly as he was told. Every few months the sage would visit the farmer and everytime he would be impressed with the growth of the Mango tree, well, it had grown into a tree now. It bore delicious mangoes which the farmer and his family enjoyed, a share of which, they always kept aside for the sages who walked through the village. "Here is a lesson for all of us my friend. Let not others impression of us affect us, for it is only God and yourself who knows your true worth. Have faith, do the best you can and when you do achieve great heights those who once doubted you will, either look up to you or look down in shame", said Maharaj with a smile on his face, pointing towards the drooping, pale looking lemon trees, in the shadow of the big the mango tree.