In the neighborhood, Uncle Ramesh was considered a very clever man. People joked that if uncle could gain any benefit while sitting at home, he never missed the chance. Uncle proudly called himself a “comfort specialist.”
One day, there was talk in the neighborhood that a bus was going from the city for a holy bath in the River Ganges. Everyone was excitedly preparing to go. A neighbor said to uncle, “Uncle, you should also go for a Ganges bath; it will bring great spiritual merit.”
Uncle smiled and said, “Doing good deeds is important, but standing in cold water to earn merit is against my health.”
The neighbor laughed after hearing this.
The next day, a saint visited uncle’s house and said, “If you cannot go for a Ganges bath, then just meditate on the Ganges with devotion.” This idea stuck in uncle’s mind.
Uncle found a new way. He filled a bucket with water in the courtyard, placed a small speaker beside it, and played Ganga aarti audio.
Then uncle sat near the bucket with closed eyes and said, “Today I will take a Ganges bath at home.”
Seeing this, his wife asked from a distance, “What new experiment is this?”
Uncle said, “In the modern age, convenience is also a part of religion.”
Then uncle added two drops of rose water into the bucket and said, “Now this has become sacred water.”
The neighborhood child watching this said, “Uncle, if it were this easy, everyone would take a Ganges bath at home.”
Uncle smiled and said, “Knowledge and devotion come from the heart, not from the place.”
In the evening, uncle was very happy because he felt he had saved both time and fulfilled his religious duty.
People in the neighborhood say that uncle is truly an expert in the art of “taking a Ganges bath while sitting at home.” And uncle proudly says, “Where there is will, there flows the Ganges.”
RAJEEV VERMA 