Honoured slippers and the dishonoured body

Honoured  slippers  and  the  dishonoured  body

By

P.R.Ramachander

(This is based on    the tamil write up posted by Seshadriinadhan Ramasubramanian  in the face book..My acknowledgements to him.)

There was a very rich well known man in a village ,

And one day while  he was  walking one of his slippers.

Got damaged   and he   left it near  the home of a poor man,

And told him, :”I shall leave my   slippers here  and tomorrow my servant  will collect it.

The  poor man told him,  :”having your slippers    in front of my home ,

Is a  great  luck for me , for you are  a very great man.”

After some days the rich man died and while his  dead body,

Was being   carried for cremation , it rained heavily near  the poor man’s home.

One of the   rich man’s  relation  approached   the poor man   and asked him,

It is raining heavily  and so can we  keep the dead body   of the deceased  here ,

Till the rain stops” and the poor man shouted   at him  and said ,” What do you  ,

Think of yourself  ,  I do not  want  his evil  smelling body here  and trouble us .”

Please understand   that the   honour   and respect that all of    you get today,

Is  for you with the soul and once  the soul leaves   the body,

The body  would not get  any respect and so  , as long as   you are alive,

Live a life   of honesty , truth and love , so that you are  respected till you die,