Promises Must Be Honoured

[Arvind Sivaraman]

Om Shirdi Sai Ram.
Namaste.

Sringeri Jagadguru Speaks :
Generally,many people make tall promises - that they would give so much for this cause,so much for that cause-but fail to honour their word.To give one's word and not to keep it up is a sin.Especially so,when a promise made to a Brahmin is not kept.
There is a story in the Mahabharata.
A fox and a monkey were living as friends.The fox used to feed on the corpses in the burial ground.The monkey asked the fox
"The corpse give out a foul smell.But you are eating them.What great sin did you commit in your previous birth?"
The fox replied:
"Yes.In my previous birth I committed the sin of not honouring a promise to a Brahmin.That has reduced me to this fate in this birth".
Narrating this tale to Yudishtira,Bhisma gives the advice:
He says: One who aspirees for a noble birth must honour his words and give suitabe donations.
Let everyone realise this truth and attain grace by behaving accordingly.

[atanu]

The Man Who Walked Backwards

from The Parables of Kierkegaard

by Soren Kierkegaard, edited by Thomas Oden.

When a man turns his back upon someone and walks away, it is so easy to see that he walks away, but when a man hits upon a method of turning his face towards the one he is walking away from, hits upon a method of walking backwards while with appearance and glance and salutations he greets the person, giving assurances again and again that he is coming immediately, or incessantly saying, "Here I am" - although he gets farther and farther away by walking backwards - then it is not so easy to become aware. And so it is with the one who, rich in good intentions and quick to promise, retreats backwards farther and farther from the good. With the help of intentions and promises he maintains an orientation towards the good, he is turned towards the good, and with this orientation towards the good he moves backwards farther and farther away from it. With ever renewed intention and promise it seems as if he takes a step forward, and yet he not only remains standing still but really takes a step backward. The intention taken in vain, the unfulfilled promise leaves a residue of despondency, dejection, which perhaps soon again leave behind only greater languor. As a drunkard constantly requires stronger and stronger stimulation - in order to become intoxicated, likewise the one who has fallen into intentions and promises constantly requires more and more stimulation - in order to walk backward.


Om
---------------------------

Its difficult. I am trying to give up smoking this way. The intention is always good.