"A rich man had a garden and two gardeners. One of these gardeners was very lazy and did not work; but when the owner came to the garden, the lazy man would get up and fold his arms and say, "How beautiful is the face of my master", and dance before him. The other gardener would not talk much, but would work hard, and produce all sorts of fruits and vegetables which he would carry on his head to his master who lived a long way off. Of these two gardeners, which would be the more beloved of his master? Shiva is that master, and this world is His garden, and there are two sorts of gardeners here; the one who is lazy, hypocritical, and does nothing, only talking about Shiva's beautiful eyes and nose and other features; and the other, who is taking care of Shiva's children, all those that are poor and weak, all animals, and all His creation. Which of these would be the more beloved of Shiva? Certainly he that serves His children. He who wants to serve the father must serve the children first. He who wants to serve Shiva must serve His children — must serve all creatures in this world first. It is said in the Shâstra that those who serve the servants of God are His greatest servants. So you will bear this in mind."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Swami Vivekananda, in "Address at the Rameswaram Temple on Real Worship", in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. 3
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Shiva
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Shiva
45 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Shiva →
Related Quotes
"The introduction of the Shiva as the central deity to the form, a god who incinerates impurity introduced to Bharata …"
"The first and ultimate principle of the Universe is a feminine power, Shakti, whose personified form is Beauty and wh…"
"According to some accounts, the Ganga split into seven streams as she emerged from the hair of Shiva, three flowing t…"
"(Shiva) Thou art pure; thou art the Creator of Brahman; thou art Brahma; thou art a brahmacari; thou art an observer …"
"Shiva might perhaps best be described as a transformer who moves humanity and the universe forward in the evolution o…"
"At the time of Ganesha's 'birth', Shiva was away from the family home. On returning, and finding an unknown young man…"
"The geography of the Himalayas is such that all its passes lead one to the region of Kailash and Manasarovar, Western…"
"Linga Purana, listed eleven in the order of composition, enunciates many rituals in the text with legends and stories…"
"The image of Shiva as Nataraj is indelibly stitched into the Indian imagination. How many various dances of Shiva are…"
"In Silappadikaram, eleven dances are referred to, which were danced by divinities like Shiva, Tirumal (Vishnu), Murug…"