The Thirsty Hermit

 


Sam, a mountaineer, reached a mountain cave during one of his climbs. He looked around but the cave looked uninhabited. As he was about to turn around, he saw a hermit walking towards him. The hermit acknowledged Sam and went into the cave. Sam followed him in.

"Hi, I don't mean to intrude, I'm just a traveller", said Sam. 

"So am I", said the hermit.

"Oh! I thought you live here; you are so well acquainted with this cave".

"Oh yes, I do live here", replied the hermit.

"You just said...", Sam had just begun when the hermit interrupted, "I meant this world, this life. I am just a traveller here", smiled the hermit. "So, how may I help you?" 

"I'm thirsty", replied Sam. 

"So am I!" exclaimed the hermit, "there's water in the jar over there. You may drink from it", he added. 

Sam drank till he quenched his thirst. He then turned to offer some water to the hermit. To his surprise, the hermit was already in meditation and did not respond to him.

 

Sam left the cave but couldn't go far. Curiosity got the better of him and he turned back. When he arrived at the cave, the hermit was still in meditation. So, he sat down and waited. After sometime the hermit opened his eyes. 

"Ah, so you couldn't leave. What brings you back?" asked the hermit. 

"You mentioned you were thirsty but did not drink. Why is that?" asked Sam. 

"But I was drinking all this while. You refer to the thirst of the body, what about the thirst of the soul? How do you quench the thirst of the soul?" questioned the hermit. 

"Umm...  Let me think", replied Sam in a pensive tone. 

"Well, it seems you haven't thought about this. I'm sure you know the answer, you just haven't thought about it", said the hermit and sat down. 

 

"So is meditation the only way to quench the thirst of the soul?" asked Sam. 

The hermit smiled. He remained quiet for some time. 

"Tell me friend, how did you get to the top of this mountain?" he asked. 

"Well, I started from the west and climbed up. I came across a vertical cliff so I had to take a detour towards the south and circle around the cliff", replied Sam. 

"I was at the foot of the mountain too", said the hermit, "I climbed from the east side".

"I have heard it's a steep climb from that side". 

"Yes, it is, it takes more effort. You could have climbed from the North or South face too. You see there are more than a couple of ways to get to the top". 

"I'm sure there are", said Sam. "But what's your point?" he curiously asked. 

"Just as there are multiple ways to reach the top of this mountain and you choose the path which suits you best, so must you choose the path which quenches the thirst of your soul. This path is unique to each one, you must find your own!" explained the hermit. 

"Climbing mountains is what brings peace to my soul", said Sam. 

"Aha, you have answered the question you were unable to answer a few minutes ago", said the hermit and smiled. 

Sam acknowledged the hermit's wisdom, paid his respect and left from there a little wiser than before. 


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