"The excellence of a gift lies 
in its appropriateness 
rather than in its value."

~Charles Dudley Warner




A Gift of Pearls









The guru sat in meditation 
on the riverbank when a disciple 
bent down to place 
two enormous pearls at his feet, 
a token of reverence and devotion.




The guru opened his eyes, 
lifted one of the pearls, 
and held it so carelessly 
that it slipped out of his hand 
and rolled down the bank into the river.


The horrified disciple 
plunged in after it, 
but though he dived in 
again and again 
till late evening, 
he had no luck.


Finally, all wet and exhausted, 
he roused the guru from his meditation: 
"You saw where it fell. 
Show me the spot 
so I can get it back for you."


The guru lifted the other pearl, 
threw it into the river, and said, 
"Right there!"


~Anthony de Mello






P.S:
Amazing story !!!!!!
What was valuable to the disciple....
was obviously not precious 
to the guru...and vice versa.
The best gifts are ones that give 
as much joy to the receiver 
as to the giver.
Ralph Waldo Emerson summed it up
beautifully when he said,
"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself."
Let's choose to be the gifts .......
we were created to be :)
Namaste,
Bhagya