Once there was a very learned priest.......

Once there was a very learned priest, a pundit, who went to a king and said “King, I will teach you the Bhagavatam.” The king, who, of course, knew about the Bhagavatam, looked at the priest and said “No, I don’t want you to teach me the Bhagavatam, because you yourself have not understood it, so how could you teach it to me? Go back, learn it and, when you understand it, come back to me.” The priest went away very angry, because his ego and pride had been hurt. He closed himself in his room, took all the books and started to read, again, the Bhagavatam. When he finished, he went again to the king and said “King, I have read everything and I am coming to you, again, to teach you the Bhagavatam.” The king replied “No, no, no, go back!” So he was sent back for the second time. This time he thought “If the king is sending me away all the time, for sure there is a meaning. Let me study it really carefully.” Again, he closed himself in his room and this time he really surrendered himself and he really opened his heart and read the Bhagavatam. As he was reading the Bhagavatam, new knowledge arose in his mind, new wisdom came. Things that he didn’t know before arose within him. Then he realised that he had been going to the king for the wrong reasons - for fame and wealth - and that was why the king had been sending him away. When he realised this, he didn’t go to the king anymore. After a few months, the king remembered him and went to see him. He said “Priest, I have come to you, because I didn’t see you coming back, so I was wondering what had happened?” But he saw that the priest was radiating so much light so, without asking him anything more, he fell at his feet and said “Now you can teach me. I surrender to you. I take you as my Guru. Now I see that you have understood the Srimad Bhagavatam.” Humans always do this mistake of wanting things for the wrong reason. They pray to God, they ask for Realisation, but they do this out of selfishness. They ask “God, grant me this, grant me that, give me this.” They don’t really trust; they just ask. Out of pride, out of ego, one asks always to gain things that will make him happy only for a certain time. When you have enjoyed these little things and the happiness is gone, then you are back again in the same misery.