Earnest Advice

Many, many years ago a father went to a Holy sage and requested him to advise his 10-year-old boy not to have sugar. The boy used to have lots of sugar in a handful of them and the boy felt sick. The doctor said, ‘No’ to sugar but the boy never listened and when his parents were not at home or not looking, he used to have sugar in abundance. Tired, the father took his son to a person famed for wisdom.

He took the Holy Man’s blessings and thereafter told him of the problem he was having regarding his son. The man of wisdom listened carefully and spoke a few words to the boy casually and then directed the father to come three days later.

Accordingly, after three days the father took his son to the Holy Man. This time the man of wisdom made the little boy sit near him and said, ‘Son, do not have sugar as this is affecting your health and later you will have more problems." The boy listened and promised Sage that he would have control over his sugar taking and slowly take the minimum that was required.

The boy’s father was astonished and said, ‘Oh! Holly Sage, three days back you could have advised my son instead of today’. The man of wisdom had a smile on his face and told the father. You see, I used to have lots of sugar and how could I tell the little boy not to take it? So, first I stopped taking sugar and then advised your son’.

Moral: you have to first have control over yourself before advising others and pointing out the wrongs.