In this letter we are telling you a story of a cow and her calf.

The calf would say to the cow, “Mother, these days our neighbour ram is being fed on very delicious things – green grass, green leaves, green peas and whatnot. He has become so fat! But our master hesitates to feed me and you even dry grass.”

The cow knew what the matter was. Nevertheless , she would not reveal it to the calf lest he be frightened.

One day when the cow came back in the evening from the pasture-land, she saw that the calf was trembling with fear.

“What is the matter?” she asked.

The calf gave the cow a frightened look and said, “Mother! Do you know what happened today in that temple in front of us? The ram was taken there. He was bathed and decorated with flowers. Then came a man with a big knife in his hand and cut his throat at one stroke. The poor ram could not even cry. Mother, when I remember that incident, I shudder with fear.”

The cow said, “My dear son, the ram has been sacrificed to the idol of goddess in the temple. Listen to me! All worldly pleasures end sooner or later. Didn’t the provision of the delicious food to the ram come to an end?"

This story conveys an important message, i.e. all worldly pleasures are bound to end. This results in grief, anxiety or miseries. Therefore you should enjoy these pleasures very carefully in the way recommended by our elders. What is the way?

Make a habit of sharing your worldly pleasures with others. This will make them happy. You will become happy to see that they are happy.

This habit should be supplemented with that of sharing in others’ miseries. This too will make others happy. Their happiness will surely make you happy.

This is the way to enjoy worldly pleasures.

Dear children, we have revealed a truth to you. Ponder this truth. Tell us if you agree with what we have said. Can you suggest other ways to enjoy the worldly pleasures? We await your reactions to our views.