Karpaga tree - Short story Bhagvan Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Karpaga tree

Earlier posted on 30th June 2011, Thursday in my earlier blog - reposted today - 11th aug 2015

Karpaga tree and God - Story told by Bhagwan Sri Ramakrishna

A gipsy who roams around place to place, on a day of scorching sun and in a forest, feeling exhausted, wanted to rest for some time. He found a tree nearby and sat under it. The cool air under the tree made him feel good and he thought how it will be, if only, he could get a mat or a bed. Even before the thought disappeared from his mind, he could find a good light bed. Quite surprised and not knowing how it came, he wanted to take rest and thus slept on the bed. He does not know that he is resting under a Karpaga tree which gives anything asked for. Now he started thinking how it would be, if two young girls were present to massage his tired legs. Thus immediately appeared two young girls and he saw that they were massaging his legs and he felt the pain in his legs were reducing and he started feeling better. In such a situation, where would he have time to think, how it was all happening? Now he felt hungry and started thinking when bed and the girls appeared when he thought, definitely the best food also would come. Yes, he was right and the best food appeared with items of all the kinds of tastes. Even now, he did not think about what made all these to appear before him? Having eaten well, he rested in the bed and he started to think, whatever he wanted have all come before him.Now he felt a fear in his mind that what would happen, if a tiger appeared before him being a forest? Even as he was thinking, a giant tiger came before him and killed him. Generally, all people behave like the gypsy only with full of desires in their minds and always wanting to have wealth and power. 

Karpaga tree as depicted in Vahana in Sree Rengnathar temple, Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli

God like the Karpaga Tree is always there to give you what you want! Peoples mind always is worried about the arrival of the tiger, that is, ill health, poverty, death and what not. These fears are more dangerous than the giant tiger itself, as they will kill you on every day of your life, days without end and ultimately will wreck your peace of mind.

Hence, every individual will have to follow the code of conducts suggested in the Vedas, do Prayers and japa regularly to purify the mind. This will slowly bring one to a level of going away from desires, which is the basic requirement to lead a fearless life.