A fisherwoman and Gardenerette(female gardener) were best friends. They would share all their ups and downs with each other. They would go to funfairs and dramas together. There was no day when they did not meet and talk. They couldn’t eat without meeting.
After some time, they both got married and went to their inlaws. Even after being far, their love remained intact.
Once the fisherwoman went to Gardenerette’s house to meet her. She had bought a basket of fishes and net along with her. The Gardenerette became very happy on seeing her best friend. She cooked a variety of food like halwa, deep-fat fried bread(puri), sweets, etc. They talked the whole day about their lives.
The night came. Gardenerette saged bed with flowers for her friend to sleep. But the fisherwoman could not sleep and started crying. She shouted for her friend to come.
She said, “O sister! come fast. I can not sleep. I am unable to bear the stench of your flowers. My head is hurting and I feel uneasy due to these flowers. Throw away these flowers.”.
The Gardenerette said, “Don’t worry! I will call the doctor soon for you.”.
“There is no need of calling a doctor. Come here and keep my fish basket beside me. I will be able to sleep with the fragrance of fishes and my head will stop paining too.”, told the fisherwoman.
So the Gardenerette kept the fish basket and net beside the fisherwoman after which she slept quickly.
. . .
You must be thinking that the fisherwoman is crazy to call foul odor of fishes as fragrance and throwing away flowers.
But we are just like that fisherwoman. How?
We have been so engrossed in worldly pleasures that the false pleasure seems pleasant to us. While the words of Jinvani or Saints which are like flowers, sound unpleasant to us.
We could watch 3 hours movie without blinking but fall asleep in spiritual lectures(shastra sabha) within half an hour.
Fisherwoman had been so long in the contact of fishes that the smell of flowers irritated her. Similarly, we have been so long in the proximity of bad influencers like false god(kudev), dissipated people that we don’t like the company of true saints.
Those who are stuck in collecting money, fulfilling desires, attachment, will not be able to restraint, pray to god or do penance.
It is on us to decide whether we want to remain crazy like the fisherwoman and keep smelling fishes or leave those fishes and smell the fragrance of flowers.
Source & Reference: Bhavya Pramod