Who are You?

During one of his travels, Kalidasa felt very thirsty and looked around for water. He saw a woman drawing water from a well.

He went up to her and asked her for water. She agreed to give him water, but asked him, "Who are you? Introduce yourself."

Now Kalidasa thought that an ordinary village woman was not worthy of knowing who Kalidasa was. So he said, "I am a traveller.(मार्गस्थ)"

But his lady replied, "In this world there are only two travellers – the Sun and the Moon. Both rise and set every day and keep travelling perpetually."

Then Kalidasa said, "Alright then, I am a guest(अतिथि)." The lady promptly replied, "In this world, there are only two guests – Youth and Wealth. Both are temporary and hence can only be called as guests."

Intrigued Kalidasa said, "I am a patient person.(सहनशील) " Now the lady replied, "In this world only two who truly know the meaning of patience – भूमि  (Earth) and Tree. How much ever you stamp the earth or throw stones at the tree for the fruits, both continue to nurture us."

Now Kalidasa was completely perplexed. He said, "Fine. I am a stubborn person(हठ)." The lady smiled and said, "There are only two truly stubborn personalities – our nails and our hair. We keep cutting them repeatedly, but they continue to grow."

Kalidasa had been patient so far, but now in anger he said, "I am a fool(मूढ)". Now the lady gave a wide smile and said, "There are only two kinds of fools in this world – a King who rules without having any capability or knowledge and a Minister who is a sycophant to such a King and lavishes praises on such a useless king."

Kalidasa realised that he had been outsmarted. He fell at the feet of the lady and when he touched her feet and then got up, whom did he see?

Maata Saraswati – the Goddess of Learning and Wisdom. She said, "Kalidasa, you are wise. But, only if you know yourself do you become a human being(मनुष्य). A person without any awareness of self has not reached the pinnacle of being a human."