Once, a curious man asked a saint:
“Sir, despite having similar appearance, nature, and build, why do some people rise to great success, while others fall into misery and failure?”
The saint replied,
“Come meet me tomorrow morning by the pond. I’ll answer your question there.”
The next day, the man arrived at the pond early in the morning. He saw the saint standing there, holding a kamandalu (a traditional water pot) in each hand.
As he looked closely, he noticed something: one kamandalu was perfectly fine, but the other had a hole at the bottom.
In front of the man, the saint threw both kamandalus into the pond.
The undamaged one floated easily on the surface.
But the one with the hole began to sink as water filled it—and eventually, it sank completely.
The saint then explained:
“Both kamandalus looked the same, but one had a flaw. Because of that hole, it couldn’t stay afloat and sank.
In the same way, a person’s character is what keeps them afloat in the ocean of life.
Those with flaws (holes) in their character ultimately fall and fail.
But a person with strong, virtuous character continues to rise and succeed in life.”
The curious man now understood the answer to his question.
*👉 *Moral:
Character is the most important quality in life. If your character is flawed, your progress will eventually sink—no matter how good you look on the outside.
So always strive to build a strong, honest, and noble character.**
Always stay cheerful — What you have is enough.
The one whose mind is joyful — has everything.