VEENA RAIKHY

Once a man visited  a saint and said," I have many bad habits.Which one of them should I give up first?" The saint replied, " Give up telling lies first and always speak the truth." The man promised to do so and went home.  The man was a thief and was about to go out to steal at night. Before setting out, he thought for a moment about the promise he made. He started thinking," If tomorrow the saint asks me where have I been , what shall I say? Shall I say that I went out for stealing? No, I can't say that. But not can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone will start hating me and call me a thief. I would be punished for stealing." So the man decided not to steal that night and gave up this bad habit. Next day he felt like drinking wine. When he was about to do so, he said to himself, " What shall I say to the saint if he asks me what did I do during the day? I can't tell a lie, and if I speak the truth, people will start hating me because a religious person is not allowed to drink wine. " So he gave up the idea of drinking wine. 

In this way, whenever the man thought of doing something wrong, he remembered his promise to tell the truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his bad habits and became a divine person. 

(Writer is an educationist and social activist)