Once upon a time two men who were best of friends had been blessed with enough inner vision to see that although they were spiritually evolved, that due to a number of egotistical incidents in their past they were destined to repay and balance the karma of their past mis-deeds by being reborn in their next life in the form of an elephant and a worm.

So the one who was to reincarnate as a worm asked his friend who was to be reborn as an elephant "My dear friend, I don't wish to be a worm any longer than is necessary, so please promise me as my spiritual brother that you will find and then crush me so that my soul can move on to a higher plane faster." His friend solemnly promised that he would fulfill this wish.

Sure enough, in their next life one became an elephant while the other became a worm. Somewhere deep in his subconscious the elephant had the remembrance of his past promise which resulted in him instinctually looking for his friend who was now a worm. After searching for the longest time, one day the elephant turned over a rock and lo and behold there was his worm friend surrounded by a little worm family.

So the elephant lifted his foot to crush his friend when all of a sudden his worm friend looked up at the huge foot ready to stomp him and cried out frantically -

"What are you doing you murderer !! Can't you see I have a wonderful life here with my wife and children, please don't kill me and take it all away !!"

And so his friend the elephant put his foot down - took a deep and sad sigh, turned around and quietly walked away into the sunset.


(Cute story.... and yet often through conditioned behaviour most people firmly believe that the lifestyle and sole reality they are familiar with is supreme above all other modes of living, even though there may be a far better reality in a different environment, country, circle of friends, profession, thought process or plane of consciousness. A little bit of adventurous tourism in any field of enquiry will usually challenge this illusive and limiting belief to oblivion).

The above story was shared by Ammachi amongst some of her devotees in S. India. 

From more info on Ammachi, you can visit her official website at:

www.ammachi.org