The Debt Owed to the Mother

Once a youth asked Swami Vivekananda, “It is said that to repay a mother’s debt is difficult. Why is that so?”

In his reply, Swami Vivekananda asked a counter question, “Do you want a practical answer to your query?”

“Yes, Your Holiness!”

“Fine! Take some courage. Pick up that stone lying there, tie it onto your belly and go to your office. Meet me in the evening after you return.”

Imagine the plight of one who has to work with a 2 to 3 kg stone attached to his stomach.

He returned in the evening, exhausted, and reported to Vivekananda, “I have gone through a veritable ordeal in order to get the answer. Now please enlighten me about the debt owed to the mother.”

“When did you tie the stone?”

“Early in the morning.”

“So, it has not been more than a day, right?”

“Yes!”

“You became tired in just one day while your mother carried you for months together. Just imagine, how difficult it must have been for her? But she never complained. Do you need any further practical answer?“