Kabir and the Jaggery

Dadi: "Guddu, if someone asked you for advice, would you give it right away?"

Guddu: "Sure, why not?"

Dadi: "Even if you couldn't follow that advice yourself?"

Guddu: "Hmm... I guess that would be a bit hypocritical."

Dadi: "Saint Kabir thought the same way. Let me tell you a short but powerful story about jaggery."

Guddu: "Jaggery? The brown sweet thing?"

Dadi: "Yes! A mother once brought her young son to Kabir. "Sant ji, my boy eats too much jaggery every day! Please tell him to stop this bad habit.""

Guddu: "Simple request. Did Kabir tell him?"

Dadi: "No. Kabir said something strange: "Come back after one week.""

Guddu: "A week? Why wait?"

Dadi: "The mother was confused too. But she trusted Kabir, so she went home. Seven days later, she returned with her son."

Guddu: "And then?"

Dadi: "Kabir simply said to the boy, "Child, you should stop eating so much jaggery. It's not good for you.""

Guddu: "That's it? He could have said that the first day!"

Dadi: "The mother asked the same thing! "Sant ji, you could have told him this last week. Why did you make us wait?""

Guddu: "What was the reason?"

Dadi: "Kabir smiled. "When you first came, I myself was eating jaggery every day. How could I tell your son to give up something I was still doing myself? So for these past seven days, I practiced living without jaggery. Now I can authentically tell him to do the same.""

Guddu: "*(impressed)* He gave up jaggery first, THEN gave advice?"

Dadi: "That's Kabir's principle, beta. Never preach what you don't practice. He wouldn't say "stop eating jaggery" while he himself was still enjoying it."

Guddu: "That's so... honest."

Dadi: "Most people give advice easily but don't follow it themselves. Parents tell children "don't watch too much TV" while spending hours on their phones. Teachers say "be punctual" while arriving late themselves."

Guddu: "I've noticed that!"

Dadi: "Kabir refused to be that kind of teacher. If he was going to guide someone, he had to walk the path first. Even if it meant making a mother wait a week."

Guddu: "What if he couldn't give up jaggery in a week?"

Dadi: "*(laughing)* Then he probably would have said, "I can't help you with this one - I love jaggery too much myself!" That would have been honest too."

Guddu: "I like that. It's simple but powerful."

Dadi: "This is why Kabir is called a sant - a true saint. He didn't just speak wisdom. He lived it. Every word he spoke was backed by his own experience."

Guddu: "Next time I want to give someone advice, I should ask myself: "Am I following this myself?""

Dadi: "That's the test, beta. If the answer is no, either change yourself first or stay quiet. The world has too many hypocrites who talk big but act small. Be different. Be like Kabir."

Guddu: "Practice before you preach."

Dadi: "*(nodding)* The simplest lessons are often the hardest to follow. But remember the jaggery story when you're tempted to say "do as I say, not as I do.""

Guddu: "I will, Dadi. I promise."

Dadi: "Good. Now, want some jaggery? *(winking)*"

Guddu: "*(laughing)* Only if you're having some too!"