678. A Transfer to Kolkatta

"Sir! I have only two years to retire from service. You are transferring me to Kolkatta now!" said Ramakrishnan, dismay

"Yes, Mr. Ramakrishnan. Our Kolkatta branch needs the services of a senior person like you" said Managing Director Dayalan. 

"My daughter is studying in the college. My son is in the school final year. I won't be able to take my family to Kolkatta."

"Why don't you enjoy two years of 'bachelor life' in your old age? We will be providing you accommodation free of cost, in the guest room inside the office premises. You will also get an extra allowance. So, the additional expenditure you will be incurring by living in Kolkatta will be compensated."

"Every one will be faced withe question what to do after retirement. But, even several years before my retirement, I had decided what I was going to do after retirement!" Ramakrishnan told his friend Raghavan.  

"What did you decide you were going to do?" asked Raghavan.

"I decided that I would become a spiritual speaker.  

"I know that you have a deep interest in religion and spirituality. I also know that even from your younger age, you have been acquiring knowledge on this field, by reading books on religion and spirituality. But, can you become a spiritual speaker, by using the knowledge you have gained from books?"

"I can't. To become a spiritual speaker, one should undergo intensive training under a scholar in the field. During the period I was employed, I could not find the time to undergo such training. While the whole day was spent in the office, after coming home in the evening, I had domestic affairs to attend to. When I was pondering over how I was going to find the time to acquire the training, I was offered such an opportunity by my company!"

"What was that opportunity?"

"Two years before my retirement, my company transferred me to Kolkatta. Initially, I thought the transfer was a problem, since I could not take my family with me to Kolkatta at that time, due to constraints imposed by my children's education. But, subsequently, I found a way to use the transfer as an opportunity" said Ramakrishnan.

"How?" asked Raghavan.

"I came to know that a renowned spiritual speaker, who was residing in Chennai for long, had moved to Kolkatta and taken up residence there. I found out his address and met him. He agreed to give me training in giving spiritual discourses. He said that I could go to his house, whenever I had time and learn things from him. If I had been transferred to a place near Chennai, I would have come home to Chennai during the weekends, for being with my family. Kolkatta being very far from Chennai, I couldn't come to Chennai often. I made use of the weekends for getting trained by him. Now, after my retirement, I have come back to Chennai. With the training acquired by me, I am ready to give spiritual discourses immediately and start my journey as a spiritual speaker" said Ramakrishnan, feeling excited. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 68
The Method of Executing An Action

Verse 678 (in Tamil):
vinaiyAn vinaiyAkkik kOdal nanaigavuL
yAnaiyAl yAnai Yaththu aRRu.

Meaning:

Making use of one undertaking as the means of accomplishing another is like using one elephant to catch another.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kolkaththAvukkup pO' by the same author.) 

Verse 679
Verse 677