________________
I am the Soul
175
out the order with a feeling of joy, with the firm belief within you that it is but for my benefit. Appreciate the fact, “How fortunate I am, that I have the strength to pass the first step towards devotion.” First comes the devotion to Guru, then the pursuit of the three fold path.
I am reminded of a historical event. There is a special place in the history of the world, for Napoleon Bonaparte. He was a great commander. His leadership was wonderful. He was such an adherent of discipline that no soldier could transgress his orders. Anyone making the smallest of mistakes would be punished to death.
Once he was on a march with the army, bringing up the rear. He was passing orders and the army was marching ahead. It was a very long march. Hundreds of soldiers marching on followed by Napoleon. The file of soldiers came across a deep gorge. There was no road ahead. But the soldiers had their orders to march forth, and to stop for nothing. And lo, Brothers! How surprising! Soldier after soldier started falling into the gorge but nobody uttered a word or said, “But Sir! There is a gorge ahead, no road."
Thus, many soldiers fell into the gorge. Napoleon wondered all of a sudden as to why the lead-marching soldiers were not visible. He ordered them to stop and rushed his horse to the front. When he saw the deep gorge into which the soldiers had dropped, he was overcome with grief.
He spoke to the soldiers, “I did not realise there was this gorge on the way. I kept on ordering you to march ahead, but should you not have told me that there was no way ahead?”
“No, Sir! Ours is to religiously follow your orders. Ours is not to stop, be it in the face of death, valleys, forests or whatever. We know nothing but orders!”
Jain Educationa international
For Personal and Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
