"...nahi sir, main Vishnu bhakt hun, Lakshmi bhakt toh sab hote hai..."

"...nahi sir, main Vishnu bhakt hun, Lakshmi bhakt toh sab hote hai..."

["No Sir, I am a disciple of Lord Vishnu, though most people follow Goddess Lakshmi"]

...said the vendor at the beach. You'll spot many stalls selling healthy juices, snacks & soups at the Juhu beach in the morning. Today I thought of trying out a soup. While I was sipping on it, one of the customers (might be a regular) told him "You'll raise your prices & forget us as you grow your business". That's when he said what I quoted above.

"Sir, let me tell you a story." he then added, in Hindi. I'll narrate it in English.

"There was once a king. He had a servant who was always happy. The king observed that the servant would sing & dance daily evening as he'd go back home. He envied the servant's state as he himself was always stressed. He shared this with his minister. The minister was shrewd. "Your Majesty, give me a few days and you will see the servant will stop his singing & dancing" he said.

Next day, the minister hid Rs. 99 under the king's pillow. The servant found it and kept it. At first, he & his wife got worried about where to safely store the money. Then the servant thought it'll be great to find another rupee to take the figure to 100. So from next day, he started looking out in the castle to find another rupee. Days passed, he tried a lot but couldn't find it. So he started saving, staying hungry in order to save enough to push the figure to 100. He eventually managed to do it. But now he felt he should have Rs.101 & again started worrying. That's when his wife lost it & reminded him of how he had stopped singing & dancing daily evening & how he had stopped enjoying his life altogether since he found Rs. 99.

So you see sir, the servant first lost his peace of mind due to the fear of losing Rs.99 & then he lost it further trying to take the figure higher. I am happy with my earnings & pace of growth." he concluded.

While my logical mind questioned a few things in the story, I loved the point he was trying to make. While we may have heard the same or similar stories often in our lives, it's always nice to hear these time & again. Reinforcement helps.

And the soup made up of methi (fenugreek), ajwain, ginger, amba haldi (mango ginger) and few other things was superb too. Try it the next time you visit the morning beach at Mumbai.

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