VALUE OF RELIGIOUS BOOKS (AN ANECDOTE)

A GREAT LESSON FROM SRI RAMAKRISHNA

Sri Ramakrihna

Many years ago, I(Swami Vivekananda) visited a great sage (Sri Ramakrishna) of our own country, a very holy man. We talked of our revealed book, the Vedas, of your Bible, of the Koran, and of revealed books in general. At the close of our talk, this good man asked me to go to the table and take up a book; it was a book which, among other things, contained a forecast of the rainfall during the year. The sage said, "Read that." And I read out the quantity of rain that was to fall. He said, "Now take the book and squeeze it." I did so and he said, "Why, my boy, not a drop of water comes out. Until the water comes out, it is all book, book.

So until your religion makes you realise God, it is useless. He who only studies books for religion reminds one of the fable of the ass which carried a heavy load of sugar on its back, but did not know the sweetness of it."


SOURCE: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda,
                   Volume-1 (Lectures & Discourses)