ELIXIR OF LIFEI heard a portion of this story in a morning prayer; people say, it is a true old Indian story. I am reproducing this story with a fact “It is really immaterial, either this story is true or false, but the message given through this story is absolutely TRUE”. I have done some changes in this story to make it more meaningful, believe me this story shows us the reality (Naked truth) of life.

A young priest used to organize morning prayers in an old temple, every day. Once he noticed that a very young boy of 8-9 years of age started coming in the prayer from the last few days and enchanted the sermons with full enthusiasm. This situation was quite strange for him because all the participants of his morning prayer were of the old age group except this boy. He closely observed the activities of this boy for couple of weeks and one fine morning he asked that boy to meet him after the prayer. The boy stayed back and asked the purpose of meeting.

The priest asked the boy “Son, this is the age of playing and eating, but you are coming to the prayers everyday, why?” The boy replied calmly, “I got this inspiration from my mother’s actions, one day my mother asked me to lit the fire in fireplace, I filled the entire space with big logs of wood and tried my level best to start the fire but all went in vain. I was quite depressed to see this. Suddenly my mother came and saw me doing all this futile exercise. She padded with love at my back and told me, son this is not the right way to ignite the fire, the right way is to first put the small and thin pieces of wood and ignite them then put the logs. She did it within minutes”. Believe me Priest, on that day itself I took a lesson that if I want to learn something good, I should start it at this age only otherwise when I become an adult I can’t learn much.

Priest was literally shocked after hearing this story, because the boy gave him a lesson of life. From that day, that priest started concentrating on that little boy. He taught him morel education, meditation and other secret teachings. The boy also responded up to the maximum expectations of his teacher. With the passage of time, that boy converted into a beautiful handsome man. The priest also

developed some attachment with that boy, because that boy used to follow the teachings given by the priest in total.

Suddenly that boy stopped coming to prayers. Priest was bit upset; he tried his best to search that boy but couldn’t trace him. With the passage of time, as the people forget their wounds, he also forgot the boy.

Now the priest became old and wasn’t very active. Once the priest went to a city far from his place and started delivering sermons to the people coming to the temple. After few days he went to the city market to buy daily needs, when he reached to one shop, he was once again shocked to see that boy (now converted into a pale man) sitting on the shop. That man was busy in customers and didn’t give any heed to him. Suddenly when the man saw the priest standing at his shop, he became a statue. After few minutes when he became normal, he touched the feet of the priest and offered a seat to him with a glass of cold water.

Priest was very happy to see his old disciple, after asking the wellbeing of that man, he asked the question, which he wanted to ask him from the last so many years, Son, what happened, you left that place without telling anybody? That man replied in well measured words “Priest, my parents wanted to marry me at that time and they knew it, if I stayed at that place, perhaps I would not marry, so they brought me to this place”

Priest once again asked him, why didn’t he contact him since long, was it out of some compulsion or he did it intentionally?” The man replied, no priest, believe me I was so busy with my business, wife, kids and old age parents that I didn’t get the time to contact you.

Priest asked once again out of curiosity, “Son, you must be doing prayers etc. as I taught you at the time of your childhood” The man again replied, no priest, now a days I am so busy in work and my family that neither I attend any prayer nor I do it at home.

Priest was expecting the same answer from him, so first he made himself stable and reminded him about those old days when he used to come to the temple in morning prayers and learnt some hidden teachings. But everything went in vain

because that man was not ready to listen anything and repeating only one crammed answer that he was very busy in his sons, daughters, wife and old age parents and he couldn’t find time for him what to talk about prayers.

Priest wanted to correct his old disciple, so he gave the reference of his old association and asked the man, could he be able to spare one hour tomorrow to visit that temple in which he was staying now a day? The man agreed unwillingly.

Next day that man reached the temple in late evening, and found the priest was waiting for him only. He touched the feet of the priest and sat on the floor.

Priest asked him, son have you taken your dinner? The man replied, no priest, I had not taken my lunch even because I was so busy at shop that I didn’t find time to go home and have it. Priest once again asked, son do you do some fitness exercises daily? The man again replied, no priest, I didn’t get the time due to busyness.

Priest was literally feeling very sad on the present situation of his disciple, but he was quite determined to drag his disciple out of this situation. So he told him, “Son, I have taught you many things, but didn’t tell you anything about ‘Elixir of Life’, it is that magic Elixir which can cure every disease and make the man once again young and fit”. Son, I wanted to handover it to you, when you used to come to me in prayers but unfortunately you left the place without telling it to anyone. On hearing this he couldn’t stop his anxiety and immediately requested the priest to give that Elixir to him, because he wanted to cure his ailing parents, one of his son and himself to live long.

The priest was very happy to know, that still this man had the zeal to live.

He asked the man, “before handing over the bottle of that Elixir to him, he has to test the requirements, that somebody is really in need of it or not”. The man didn’t understand much out of this so once again asked politely, Priest I am ready for every test; please hand over that bottle of Elixir to me, I am in real need of it.

Priest told the man, son I taught you many secret teachings, now you shall had to perform one trick using those teachings, so I could judge the need of Elixir. The man agreed to it happily and asked for the trick.

Priest took a long cold sigh and started saying, “Son tomorrow when you go for lunch at your home, I shall come with you. Once I taught you, how to hold the breath for hours together, so you shall have to hold breath for some time, and whenever you get my signal, you should start breathing again”. After telling this, priest asked the man to go to home and wait till tomorrow.

Priest reached at the shop of the man at lunch time and found that the man is eagerly waiting for him. Both reached home, and the man introduced the priest to all the members of his family. After meeting every family member of the man, priest signaled the man to hold the breath.

Priest smartly played the trick and said to everybody, “He is dead as there is no sign of breath”. Everybody started crying after hearing the news of his sudden death; neighbors started visiting his house for paying their condolences. Priest watched this drama for sometime and then showed one bottle of glass filled with red color liquid to everybody present in the room. Priest said, “listen everybody, this is the bottle of Elixir of life and this can bring back the life of this man, but as he is dead and can’t drink the Elixir so somebody else has to drink it on his behalf”. After hearing this almost everybody shouted at once, that I can drink this. Priest stopped everybody and said, it is not so simple, please listen calmly, “Anybody who drinks this Elixir of Life will die immediately and this dead man shall get his life back, so anybody who can sacrifice his life for this poor man, who is literally dyeing everyday to fulfill the needs of each and every family member and at times is not getting the time to even have the food?”

There was a pin drop silence in the room, Priest once again repeated “Yes, is there somebody to sacrifice his life for him” The man, who stopped his breath started enjoying this situation and was pretty sure that each and every member of his family loves him so deeply that everybody will come forward to drink this Elixir. He started remembering the situations when his son was sick and he was praying to God, “Please take my life but save his life”, so surely he will come

forward to drink the Elixir, but he didn’t utter a single word, now he started thinking about his wife, that she will come forward because she always used to say “I want to die before you”, but she also didn’t come forward, now he started thinking about his old parents that both of them will certainly come forward to drink Elixir because he has spent many sleepless nights in anxiety and agony when they were seriously sick, and after becoming alright they used to bless him, son if some day you require our life, we will be happy to sacrifice it for you, but they also didn’t come forward.

Till now more than an hour had passed, the priest knew he was left with very little time to give the final lesson of life to this man otherwise this man would really die. So he started asking question with every family member.

First he asked his parents, “Both of you have almost lived your life, why one of you doesn’t exchange your life for his life?”

His parents replied, “Although we love him by heart of heart, but we have three more children, we shall have to think about them also, we can’t sacrifice our life for this dead man”

Now, the priest turned towards his wife and asked, “This poor man has left almost everything (either it is prayer or friend), he has spoiled his health also by working day and night for fulfilling your and your kids needs, I am sure you shall exchange your life with his life”

His wife replied, “Yes, I love this man, but I never demanded anything from him, he himself wanted to enjoy all the luxuries in his life so he was doing hard work, moreover I have four kids, I shall have to look after them, no-no, I can’t exchange my life”

At last he turned towards his kids and asked, “Kids I am pretty sure you love your father very much, he used to give your school fees, pocket money and gifts also, so who will drink this Elixir”?

All of his kids gave almost similar answer, “We love our father very much, there is no doubt about it but we are quite young, we have to see the world, our father

has almost seen all the things in his life, so sorry we can’t drink it. The elder son was slightly sly he asked the Priest, why don’t you drink it, because there is nobody behind you and nobody will weep for you after your death”

By the time this conversation was going on, almost everybody left the room and the Priest was alone standing in the room.

Now the priest asked the man, please get up, you must have understood the reality now.

The man stood up and broke into the tears, and asked the Priest, please tell me how should I spend my rest of life, you have opened my eyes wide open.

Priest kept his hand on the head of the man and gave him few lessons.

Son, you pass through this way only once, there is no retake of life, so don’t spoil it by attaching yourself unnecessarily with worldly things.

If you really think that the work you want to do is ethically right, do it as early as possible, because life is like a tossing stone on water which may sink next moment.

Never forget Almighty God, do constant prayers, to get rid of unwanted sadness away from your life.

Love the whole eternity, but with a detachment, because love with attachment always brings sadness.

Don’t spoil your health for others; it doesn’t make any sense, because it is your life, so live for yourself also.

Finally the Priest said, son I came here to remove your illusions, when I saw your pale face, I was literally shocked that how a boy with such a good understanding of life can live in so much of pain. Pain given by our nears and dears really makes our life miserable, so think with positive attitude, how you can make this life more meaningful.