The Parable of the Four Boatmen
Once there were four boatmen living in a small village on the bank of a very wide river in India. It took all four of them to row a few people and their goods from one side of the river to the other. Every day they used to get around 40 persons. They charged 5 Rupees per passenger, so they earned on average 200 Rupees per day which was divided equally among them. At the end of the day they prayed like this:
The first boatman prayed: O God, I am very grateful to you for sending 40 fares today so that I can earn 50 Rupees. Please send more fares tomorrow so that I can earn more money and become rich. Thank you for today’s 50 Rupees.
The second one prayed: O God, I thank you so much because today I could take 40 of my countrymen and their goods from this side to the other side. I am so happy that I can be at the service of my countrymen. Please send more of them tomorrow so that I can serve them too. Thank you for giving me 50 Rupees to maintain my family today.
The third one prayed: O God, I am so happy today because I could take you from this side to the other side so many times. Please come more often tomorrow so that I can serve you even more. Thank you for giving me 50 Rupees today to take care of my family.
The fourth person prayed: O God, please forgive me for making this prayer. I realize that you alone exist. You are in me and you are in the others. It is you who are taking yourself from this side to the other side. The work which I do is not mine, but you who live in me do all the work. I am blessed to have this vision and to be your instrument. Thank you for giving me today 50 Rupees to take care of my family.
All the boatmen did the same work and earned the same amount of money, but their motives were different. The first boatman lived in individual love, the second boatman lived for collective love, the third boatman lived in universal love, and the fourth boatman lived for divine love. Our spiritual journey is to grow from individual love to the love which is divine.
