The Ascetic and the Angler

A traveler saw a man angling near a lake. Approaching him, he asked, “Gentleman, will you kindly tell me which is the way to Bhimpur?” The angler, far from replying, did not even look at the traveler.

“Gentleman, did you hear me? My question is, which is the way to Bhimpur? I am a stranger in this land,” the traveler asked again after a full minute of silence. Yet, the angler made no reply. Disgusted, the traveler moved away, cursing the man. However, fatigue led him to sit on a stone a few yards away.

After five minutes, he saw a young ascetic approaching the angler. “Sir, which is the way to Bhimpur?” the ascetic asked the angler. The traveler perked up, eager to hear the angler’s response so he could benefit from the answer.

But the angler said nothing. The ascetic repeated his question, but to no avail. The traveler expected the ascetic to become angry and curse the rude angler. However, to his great surprise, the ascetic prostrated himself before the angler and then quietly continued on his journey.

Once the astonishment wore off, the traveler hurried after the ascetic and asked, “Holy man, will you please tell me why you showed such respect to that fellow? Wasn’t he extremely discourteous?”

“Please don’t speak ill of him. He is one of my gurus!” replied the ascetic. The traveler looked at him in utter confusion. “That angler is your guru?” he asked.

“Yes, he taught me the value of concentration. Didn’t you see how he remained totally undisturbed by my question? His gaze and his mind were solely focused on his goal. I wish I could concentrate on God in the same manner!” explained the ascetic.

With that, the ascetic departed, leaving the traveler to ponder the significance of his lesson. He was an Avadhut, who knew how to learn from every object or situation, and he had many gurus.