RECOGNIZING THE TRUTH
Within or Without
MR. Ram Ratan Kapila has a refrigerator business in Delhi, and Mr. Moti Ram Sarraf is a jeweller of the same city. The two are great friends. They usually go out for a walk together in the morning, and then return home together.
One day the two were walking in an area of Delhi. Mr. Ram Ratan Kapila saw something shining in a spot by the side of the road. He thought it was a piece of glass, and, just for the fun of it, picked it up.
After their walk they returned home. Mr. Ram Ratan Kapila went to the basin to wash his hands, and thoughtlessly put the object to one side.
A lover of truth is one who recognizes truth wherever it is; whether it lies within his own circle, or outside it.
Mr. Moti Ram Sarraf then went to the same wash basin to wash his hands. He caught sight of the object, and as soon as he saw its glitter, he recognized it as a diamond. He picked it up, washed it, and took it to Mr. Ram Ratan Kapila. His friend was astonished to hear that it was a diamond. “I thought it was only a piece of glass,” he said. “It’s just as well that I didn’t throw it away.”
Mr. Ram Ratan Kapila was not ignorant of diamonds. He had a diamond necklace at home, which was kept with great care in a special cupboard. But he was not able to recognize a diamond lying on the road.
Both men were familiar with diamonds. The difference was that Mr. Moti Ram was a jeweller. He could recognize a diamond wherever it was. But Mr. Ram Ratan Kapila only knew the diamond on his own, familiar necklace. He did not know how to recognize a diamond that lay outside the necklace that he was familiar with.
A real jeweller is not just one who recognizes a diamond when it is on his own necklace; a real jeweller is one who recognizes a diamond wherever he sees it. In the same way a lover of truth is one who recognizes truth wherever it is; whether it lies within his own circle, or outside it.