Ramu and Somu were friends. They were strongly built boys aged about 25 years. They stopped long back going to school. For some time they worked in the zamindars fields, but not liking to work they stopped working.
They liked to chat more and roam all over the streets of the village. The only good things in them was they never gambled nor were drunkards. They disliked even smoking.
Ramu's father scolded him, "useless fellow why don't you go begging at least and bring some money to house, I say".
Ramu's mother, the soft nature lady she is, always came to his rescue. "Don't scold him, one day he too will earn handsome money and will look after me."
Ramu went out as usual upset.
It was the same in Somu's house. In Somu's house his mother scolded him.
"Why don't you go to Zamindar's land and work in his farms, you lazy pennyless, today I will not give you any food, don't show your face to me".
His father was a quiet person and so as always he kept quiet.
Somu got disgusted and went out of his house and on the way he met Ramu. We could see smile in both of their faces a relief from tensions and house scoldings.
They went about talking and teasing the passersby and swimming in the big well along with other boys.
Ramu then putting his cloth after swimming told Somu. "Eh, today my father scolded me yaar",
Somu joined him telling, "my mother too scolded me man".
Then they both went and sat near a big banayan tree under its shade and cool breeze. The monkeys started watching these two boys. They were curious to know if these two brought any eatables. There was a sanyasi sitting under the tree looking after a small temple attached to the Banayan tree. The sanyasi had a long beard and a long moustache which ran down and joined his beard, his hairs too were long enough just as a typical sanyasi looks like.
Ramu said to Somu, "See yaar this sanyasi too does not do any work. He does some pooja and sits quietly".
Somu disagreed with him, "Eh, it is only we yaar that are lazy, the sanyasin at least does some pooja works and blesses people visiting him, people say that he also has a small ashram, but he is fond of this God under this tree that is why he comes here often.
The Sanyasi could read the minds of these two boys through telepathy. The Sanyasi laughed with himself, he knows that these boys are going to come to him seeking blessings and guidance.
As expected the duo started coming towards him. Then as they came over and stood near Sanyasi they did not know what to ask. But standing near the Sanyasi something arouse inside them, there was a feeling of peace, love and some electrifying effect, they felt like being in a trance and blissful state, not knowing themselves and feeling nothing about the sorroundings and about their family. Somu just curiously asked him, "swamiji can you take me as your Shisya". Ramu too joined him and asked him, "yes Guruji, can you be as our Guru".
Swamiji, who knows all told them, "If you could bring me some dry leaves for fire to cook food I could take you both as my Shisya". Both the boys thought that this could be the easiest job ever that could be done to become a Shisya of a Sanyasin. "Yes, Guruji, we shall bring it for you".
Swamiji continued, "you should bring that dried leaves which is not useful for anyone."
The two set out for bringing the dry leaves for the swamiji. They found dry leaves under a tree a little far off from the Swamiji's place.
When they were about to take the dried leaves, a crow came flying some nowhere and it took the leaves to build its nest on a tree. They both said to each other, this could not be the leaves that swamiji wanted, it is useful for the crow to build its nest.
The search of dry leaves continued. They found a collection of dry leaves in heaps and were overjoyed. "Ah, we have got it," Ramu said. He pointed towards the heap of leaves. Somu too was happy to find it. They took some leaves, when a person came over there and took some heaps of leaves bundled togther. The two boys asked him, where is he taking these leaves. The man told him that he burns those leaves and puts the ashes in his fields as manure. Frustration took over to both of the boys. They started saying, Eh this too is useful. So these leaves cannot be taken to Guruji.
They again started searching for the leaves, when they found some leaves near the pond and were about to take it, they saw two girls collecting leaves. The two boys asked them, why do you need the leaves. The girls repled, "we stitch the leaves joining together and use it for eating food served on it. So the boys thought, even this is useful to someone and set out in search of dry leaves elsewhere.
Just at that time they saw a dry leaves floating in the pond and was coming towards them. "Ah, we found a leaf which is not useful to anybody," they said and were about to take the leaf from the pond, when they saw an Ant sitting on the leaf not getting drowned in the pond. They realised that this leaf too is useful for saving the life of the ant. So they did not take it.
Thus failed in their search they came over to the Guruji and told him that they could not find dry leaves which is not useful to anybody.
Guruji, pacified them and told them, "see boys when these dry leaves are useful in so many ways, think, we as a human beings, how much we can be useful. You can help people who are in need of it. You can be very helpful to this village by your work. This village still is underdeveloped without good schools and proper hospitals. Think what you can do for it. Think how you can bring prosperous to this village. Think how you can be useful to this village. If you both show your usefulness to this village, then people will start praising you both and the joy and happiness will start filling your lives. For this you should have mind and inclination to do work. You should have a will power to do it. This will power within you will fetch you your goals. Make a concentrated powerful approach to your goal and you will get it. Work for your goal
Swamiji's words brought some electrifying chemical changes within their body. The two boys went in search of...... this time work.
