ONCE upon a time a wood-cutter went into a forest to chop wood. There suddenly he met a brahmachari. The holy man said to him, “My good man, go forward.” On returning home the woodcutter asked himself, “Why did the brahmachari tell me to go forward?” Some time passed. One day he remembered the brahmachari’s words. He said to himself, “Today I shall go deeper into the forest.” Going deep into the forest, he discovered innumerable sandal-wood trees. He was very happy and returned with cart-loads. of sandal-wood. He sold them in the market and became very rich.
A few days later he again remembered the words of the holy man to go forward. He went deeper into the forest and discovered a silver-mine near a river. This was even beyond his dreams. He dug out silver from the mine and sold it in the market.
He got so much money that he didn’t even know how much he had.
A few days more passed. One day he thought: “The brahmachari didn’t ask me to stop at the silver-mine; he told me to go forward.” This time he went to the other side of the river and found a gold-mine. Then he exclaimed: “Ah, just see! This is why he asked me to go forward!”
Again, a few days afterwards, he went still deeper into the forest and found heaps of diamonds and other precious gems. He took these also and became as rich as the god of wealth himself.
Whatever you may do, you will find better and better things if only you go forward. You may feel a little ecstasy as the result of japa, but don’t conclude from this that you have achieved everything in spiritual life. Work is by no means the goal of life. Go forward and then you will be able to perform unselfish work. (171)
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
- The more you proceed towards God, the more you will see that God Himself has become everything, that it is He who is doing everything. He is the guru and He Himself is the spiritual ideal. It is He Himself who has granted you spiritual knowledge and love for God.
- Go forward! The king sits beyond the seven gates. Only when you’ve passed through all the gates, can you see him.
The Ultimate Vision: Go Forward!
Once upon a time, a deeply devoted king was blessed with a glorious vision of God. Pleased with the king’s piety, the Lord appeared and asked him to choose a boon. Filled with compassion for his subjects, the king requested, “O Lord, please grant this exact same vision to all the people in my kingdom.”
The Lord gently smiled and replied, “That is not possible, for they are not yet ready. Even if I were to reveal Myself, they would not be able to truly see Me.”
But the king pleaded, “Lord, for You, everything is possible. I beg You, please give them at least the opportunity to experience Your grace.”
Conceding to the king’s earnest request, God said, “Very well. Bring your people to the hill five kilometers away, tomorrow morning at 10 AM.”
Overjoyed, the king launched a massive campaign across his kingdom, urging everyone to come and behold the magnificent vision of the Lord. The next morning, a vast sea of people gathered. The entire kingdom, led by the king and the queen, began the great procession toward the hill.
However, after walking just one kilometer, the crowd came across countless bundles of money scattered along the path. Instantly distracted by the sudden wealth, half of the people abandoned the spiritual journey altogether. They eagerly stuffed their sacks with cash and hurried back to their homes.
The remaining group marched forward, but after a little more distance, they stumbled upon towering heaps of silver and gold. The allure of such riches proved too great. Most of the remaining citizens abandoned the quest, filling their bags with the precious metals before turning back. Now, out of the entire kingdom, only a dozen people—along with the king and the queen—were left.
As they neared their final destination, they encountered a breathtaking sight: heaps of dazzling diamonds and the most exquisite precious gems. Overcome by greed and the sheer magnitude of the treasure, the remaining dozen—and even the queen herself—dropped to the ground to gather the jewels. They completely ignored the king’s desperate pleas to leave the gems behind and experience the great vision of God. “Please remember why we started,” the king urged. “Ahead lies the vision of God Himself. Do not exchange the Infinite for these passing treasures!”But no one listened.
The king alone continued toward the hilltop.
When he finally reached the summit, he found God waiting for him, smiling.
“Lord,” said the king, “why did everyone turn back?”
God replied, “My child, this is why I told you that even if I granted them My vision, they would not see Me. Most people seek My gifts, not Me. They desire wealth, pleasure, power, and security, but very few desire God alone.”
The king bowed his head in understanding.
God continued, “The path to Me requires one to keep moving forward, refusing to stop for the countless distractions that appear along the way. Those who seek the treasures of the world will find them. But those who seek Me alone will eventually reach Me.”
The king realized that the greatest obstacle on the spiritual path is not suffering but temptation. Only the one who keeps moving forward, undistracted by the glittering attractions of the world, attains the Supreme Goal.
And so the lesson remains: Do not stop for the gifts. Go forward until you reach the Giver.
The Moral of the Story:
As Sri Ramakrishna taught in the Go Forward! parable, whatever you do in life, you will find better and better things if only you refuse to stop. People are easily satisfied with the passing wealth of the world—money, gold, and diamonds—and lose sight of the ultimate goal. But true spiritual seekers must remember: “Go forward! The king sits beyond the seven gates. Only when you’ve passed through all the gates, can you see him.” Keep moving forward past all distractions until you reach the ultimate vision.
—
Sri Ramakrishna frequently used the profound yet simple analogy of a mother, a child, and toys to illustrate the spiritual journey, the nature of worldly attachments, and the supreme necessity of yearning for God.
Here are his key teachings using this analogy:
The World as a Distracting Toy
Sri Ramakrishna compared worldly desires, possessions, and enjoyments (which he often referred to as “woman and gold”) to the toys that captivate a child’s attention. He explained that “so long as the child remains engrossed with its toys, the mother looks after her cooking and other household duties”. In the same way, as long as human beings are fully satisfied with the distractions of the material world, the Divine Mother stays hidden and allows them to continue their pla. He noted that a person will not feel a genuine restlessness for God until their share of worldly enjoyment is completed, just as a child absorbed in play does not actively seek his mother until the play is over.
The Awakening of True Yearning
The Master taught that the turning point in spiritual life comes when the world loses its charm. “When the child no longer relishes the toys, it throws them aside and yells for its mother. Then the mother takes the rice-pot down from the hearth, runs in haste, and takes the child in her arms”. He emphasized that God, like the earthly mother, immediately responds when a devotee sincerely casts aside worldly attachments and cries out for Her.
The Single-Minded Focus of a Child
To see God, Sri Ramakrishna taught that one must cultivate the intense, unyielding yearning of a child who is separated from its mother. He illustrated this by saying that when a child truly wants its mother, nothing else can pacify it: “You may try to cajole him by putting a sweetmeat in his hand; but he will not be fooled. He only says, ‘No, I want to go to my mother'”. Similarly, when a devotee finds all worldly comforts, wealth, and fame to be “tasteless” and becomes sincerely grief-stricken for the vision of God, the Divine Mother leaves all Her other duties and comes running to them.
The “Red Toys”
The Master frequently referred to these worldly distractions specifically as “red toys”. He was deeply moved by a devotional song that beautifully captured this entire philosophy: “O Mother, You have cajoled us with red toys. You will certainly come running to us when we throw them away and cry ourselves hoarse for You”.
The King’s Treasury and the Wise Courtier
This story perfectly mirrors the dynamic of your story, where people are given a choice between the creator and the creation.
A powerful emperor decided to test the love and loyalty of his courtiers. He threw open the doors of his grandest treasure chamber, which was filled to the ceiling with gold, silver, pearls, and rare artifacts from across the world.
The emperor announced, “For the next hour, anyone may enter the treasury and lay their hand on one item. Whatever your hand touches, it becomes yours forever.”
A mad rush ensued. Courtiers, ministers, and even the king’s trusted generals ran into the room. Some touched massive chests of gold, others laid their hands on jewel-encrusted swords, and others claimed priceless diamond necklaces. They were completely consumed by the wealth in front of them.
One quiet minister, however, ignored the gold and diamonds. He walked straight past the frantic crowd, stepped up to the emperor, and gently placed his hand on the emperor’s shoulder.
The emperor smiled and asked, “Why didn’t you choose any of the treasures?”
The minister replied, “They chose your wealth, but I chose you. Because I have you, everything that belongs to you is already mine.”
The Parallel: Just as the people in the above story settled for the silver and diamonds, the courtiers settled for objects. The true seeker realizes that attaining God (the King) is greater than any earthly treasure.
—
Sri Ramakrishna uses the analogy of a garden and its owner to emphasize that the ultimate goal of human life is to realize God, rather than becoming distracted by the intricacies of the world.
He frequently points out that most people are entirely captivated by the beauty and splendour of the garden, but very few care to seek out its owner. He poses the rhetorical question of who is greater: the garden or the owner of the garden. When people focus solely on the world’s details and glories, it is like describing a garden without ever speaking to the Master of the garden. Sri Ramakrishna stresses that our primary duty is to seek the Master of the garden and speak to Him directly. Once you know God, He will reveal everything else to you, just as the owner of a garden will willingly tell you all about his properties and wealth once you become acquainted with him.
To further illustrate this, Sri Ramakrishna uses the example of eating mangoes in an orchard. He advises that when you enter a mango orchard, your purpose is to eat the mangoes and be happy; it is a waste of time to calculate the exact number of trees, branches, and millions of leaves. In the same way, man is born into this world to love and realize God, and it is unwise to forget this purpose by diverting the mind to irrelevant details, worldly matters, or endless reasoning about the creation.
Nachiketa and the Ultimate Test (Katha Upanishad)
This is one of the oldest and most famous stories in ancient Indian philosophy about rejecting immense wealth in pursuit of ultimate truth.
A young boy named Nachiketa was sent to the underworld to meet Yama, the Lord of Death. Because Yama made the boy wait three days without food or water, Yama offered Nachiketa three boons (wishes) to make amends.
For his first two boons, Nachiketa asked for peace for his father and the knowledge of a sacred fire ritual. For his third and final boon, Nachiketa asked the ultimate question: “What happens to a soul after death? What is the ultimate truth of existence?”
Yama did not want to reveal this deep secret. To test the boy, Yama offered him a different wish instead. He offered Nachiketa immeasurable wealth: “Ask for sons and grandsons who will live a hundred years! Ask for vast kingdoms, herds of cattle, horses, and beautiful maidens with chariots and musical instruments. I will give you wealth beyond human imagination, and a life as long as you desire. Just do not ask me about the ultimate truth!”
Nachiketa looked at the God of Death and calmly replied, “All these things—wealth, pleasure, and long life—are temporary. They wear out the senses and eventually end in death. Keep your chariots, your gold, and your maidens. I want nothing but the ultimate truth.”
Seeing that Nachiketa could not be bought or distracted by worldly riches, Yama smiled, knowing he had found a worthy student, and granted him the ultimate vision of the Self.The Parallel: Nachiketa is like the King in your story. When presented with every material distraction imaginable, he refused to stop until he received the ultimate spiritual vision.
The Guru and the Breath of Air
*This story, often told by Sri Ramakrishna, explains exactly *why* the people in your story abandoned the journey when they saw the money.*
A disciple approached his guru and said, “Master, I want to see God. I have read the scriptures, I have meditated, but I still have not seen God. Please show Him to me.”
The guru told the disciple to follow him to the river for a bath. As they walked into the deep water, the guru suddenly grabbed the disciple by the neck and pushed his head forcefully under the water. The disciple struggled, panicked, and thrashed around, but the guru was strong and held him down.
Just as the disciple felt he was going to drown, the guru let him up. Gasping violently for air, the disciple coughed and choked.
The guru asked, “When your head was underwater, what did you want more than anything else in the world?”
“Air!” the disciple gasped. “Just a breath of air!”
“Did you think about your wealth, your family, your house, or your pride?”
“No! I only wanted air!”
The guru smiled. “When you long for God exactly the way you longed for that breath of air—when you want Him so badly that no amount of gold or distraction matters—then you will see Him. Right now, your desire for God is weak, which is why the smallest worldly distraction pulls you away.”The Parallel: The thousands of citizens who followed the king thought they wanted to see God. But because their desire wasn’t as desperate as a drowning man’s need for air, they easily traded the vision of God for sacks of silver and gold.
Dhruva and the Broken Glass (From the Vishnu Purana)
This ancient Indian story highlights the exact moment a seeker realizes that immense worldly wealth is utterly worthless compared to the Divine.
A young prince named Dhruva was deeply insulted by his stepmother, who barred him from sitting on his father’s lap or inheriting the throne. Heartbroken and angry, the little boy went deep into the forest to meditate, determined to win the favor of God so he could ask for a kingdom grander than anything on earth.
For months, Dhruva engaged in intense, unwavering meditation. He ignored hunger, thirst, wild animals, and terrible storms. His focus was so absolute that finally, Lord Vishnu appeared before him in all His radiant glory.
Smiling, the Lord said, “Dhruva, I am pleased with your devotion. Ask for your boon. I will give you the magnificent kingdom and the endless wealth you desire.”
But Dhruva, staring at the breathtaking vision of the Lord, fell to his knees and wept. “O Lord,” he said. “I came into this forest looking for pieces of broken glass, and instead, I have found a flawless, priceless diamond. I no longer want a kingdom. I want nothing but You.”
The Parallel: Dhruva is the opposite of the citizens in your story. The citizens went looking for God but settled for diamonds. Dhruva went looking for a kingdom, but once he saw God, he realized that gold, diamonds, and thrones are just “broken glass” compared to the Creator.
Maitreyi and Yajnavalkya — Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
When the sage Yajnavalkya decided to leave household life for sannyasa, he offered to divide his property between his two wives. His wife Maitreyi — a seeker of truth — immediately asked him: “Sir, if indeed this whole earth full of wealth be mine, shall I be immortal through that?” Yajnavalkya replied: “No — your life will be just like that of people who have plenty of things, but there is no hope of immortality through wealth.” Maitreyi then refused all the property and asked only to be taught the path to immortality — the knowledge of the Self. Like the woodcutter in the “Go Forward!” story, she refused to stop at the silver when gold lay ahead.