Just a Few Days to Go

Sant Tukaram had a very serene nature – he was never provoked and always spoke softly. Sadashiv was one of his disciples who was just the opposite.

Sadashiv came to the sant and asked, “Guru ji, How do you manage to stay calm all the time? You never get angry and raise your voice, treat everyone with equal respect and we have never seen you criticizing anyone. I find myself getting angry so often that it is hard to control. What is the secret of your serene attitude? 

The sant said, “Son, I do not know my secret, but I have a bad news for you!”

“What’s the bad news about me guru ji?” Sadashiv asked, obviously surprised.

“Unfortunately you have just seven days to live. You are going to die next week”, Tukaram said with a serious expression on his face.

Sadashiv was shocked. He could afford to ignore if the remark was made by anyone else, but this was a forecast from Sant Tukaram, it was sure to be true. He became very sad and did not say anything.

From that very moment, Sadashiv was a changed man. He started spending most of his time on meditation and prayer. He began greeting everyone with respect, avoided arguments, and stopped being angry on anyone. He even went and apologized to the people with whom he had misbehaved in the past.

After spending the whole week in this manner, he thought of seeking final blessings from his guru before his death. Sadashiv met the sant and said,”Guruji, my time is over. Please give me your blessings.”

“My blessings are always with you, son. How did last seven days go for you? Did you notice any change in you or was it as usual?” the sant asked.

“Lots of changes guruji, I am surprised to see the recent improvements in me. No more conflicts for me. I had only seven days to live, how could I waste my precious time on fruitless things?” Sadashiv said.

The sant smiled and said,”Son, you just found the secret of my calm attitude. I know that I can die any moment. That’s why I behave well with everyone and do not get angry.”

Sadashiv realized that the great sant had shown him the fear of death so that he can get this vital lesson, he heaved a sigh of relief, and took a resolve to continue with the peaceful attitude.

Come to think of it, all of us have just seven days – Monday to Sunday. We have little time to spend on earth. Let us take a lesson from this story and realize the futility of anger and fights. Let us resolve to stay calm and behave well with others.