Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa – A story on the power of habit that keeps out truth

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to narrate wonderful stories with a moral or valuable lesson. Here is one such story on the power of influence and habit that keeps out truth.

A group of fisherwoman who were on their way home from a distant market was caught in heavy rain. So they took shelter in the home of a flower seller. The florist opened the room where he used to stock his flowers and asked the fisherwomen to take rest there at night and start their journey early morning.

The room was filled with fragrance of various flowers and this made the fisherwomen uncomfortable. None of them were able to sleep.

Then one fisherwoman came up with an idea that they should sprinkle some water on their fish baskets so that it will generate foul smell which will make them sleep.

All the other women agreed to the idea and they sprinkled water on their fish baskets and kept it near their head and slept peacefully. The fragrance of the flowers did not trouble them.

Such indeed is the power of influence and habit. The worldly soul brought up in and accustomed to materialistic thoughts and surrounding cannot breathe long in an atmosphere of purity and renunciation without feeling restlessness and discomfort.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

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