A young man came to a saint and started crying. The saint waited patiently till he cried to his heart’s content. Then he asked the reason for his grief.

He told, I’ve undergone a lot of difficulties in my life. Whatever I touch or do, wherever I go, I face only defeat & insults. My life is full of sorrows. I don’t have anyone for my support. I’ve become so weak. Please show me a way.

The saint gave him a pail of water and a handful of salt. Please mix these and drink he said. . The man couldn’t drink even a single sip.
He told the saint that he can’t drink the salty water.
Then the saint gave him the same amount of salt and asked him to mix it in the nearby well water and then drink it. He did so and drank the water with ease.
The saint told that the amount of salt mixed in the pail and the well were the same. But since the amount of water in the pail was less, you couldn’t drink the water. But in the well water it didn’t make any difference in the taste.

The sufferings and sorrows in our life are like the salt. It will be there through out our life. We cannot escape them. But we can broaden our mind.

Now your mind is small and narrow like the pail. Hence you couldn’t face the difficulties.

Widen your mind with knowledge and experience. Make it strong. All your problems will vanish like the salt mixed in well water.
You will get clarity and new ways to come out of your problems and remain in equanimity. U can reach new heights in your life.

Sharing this very profound story translation from tamil social media post by my mother Anjana.