A friend shared this story earlier today! Somehow it struck a chord!

Kalidasa is a famous Indian poet who was blessed by Goddess Saraswati.

During one of his travels, Kalidasa felt very thirsty and looked around for water. He saw a woman drawing water from a well.

He went up to her and asked her for water. She agreed to give him water, but asked him, “Who are you? Introduce yourself.”

Now Kalidasa thought that an ordinary village woman was not worthy of knowing who Kalidasa was. So he said, “I am a traveller.”

But his lady replied, “In this world there are only 2 travellers – the Sun and the Moon. Both Rise and Set every day and keep travelling perpetually.”

Then Kalidasa said, “Alright then, I am a guest.” The lady promptly replied, “In this world there are only 2 guests – Youth and Wealth … both are temporary and hence can only be called as guests.”

Intrigued Kalidasa said, “I am a Tolerant person.” Now the lady replied, “In this world only 2 truly know the meaning of Tolerance – Earth and Trees . How much ever you stamp the earth or throw stones at the trees (for the fruits), both continue to nurture us.”

Now Kalidasa was completely perplexed. He said, “Fine. I am a stubborn person.” The lady smiled and said, “There are only 2 truly stubborn personalities – our nails and our hair. We keep cutting them non-stop, but they continue to grow.”

Kalidasa had been patient so far, but now in anger he said, “I am a fool”. Now the lady gave a wide smile and said, “There are only 2 kinds of fools in this world – a King who rules without having any capability or knowledge & a Minister who flatters and lavishes praises on such a useless King.”

Kalidasa realised that he had been outsmarted . He fell at the feet of the lady and when he touched her feet and then got up, whom did he see?

Goddess Saraswati – the Goddess of Learning and Wisdom.

She said, “Kalidasa, you are wise. But only if you know yourself do you become a Manushya (human being).

A person without any awareness of self has not reached the pinnacle of being a Human.

Self-awareness is not easy! It is easier to get feedback from someone to be self-aware, but it is harder to introspect and realize what makes us – us & who we are. Letting go of our ego helps us get there!