A monk (Sadhu) shared a humorous and insightful anecdote about a pilgrimage to Dwarka.
He explained that he was traveling to Dwarka for the first time with five other monks. At an ashram, a helper boy named “Ramji Lal” was given the money for the trip and instructed to escort the monks to their destination.
When the bus arrived, it was incredibly crowded. The monks managed to squeeze inside, but in the chaos, the boy Ramji Lal—who held all the money—could not get inside and was left behind as the bus started moving. The monks began to panic, wondering how they would pay. One monk reassured the others, saying not to worry; he would sit on the roof and handle the ticket situation himself.
Eventually, the bus conductor approached the monks inside and asked for their tickets. The monk replied confidently, “The ticket will be taken by Ramji”. Confused, the conductor asked, “Who is Ramji?” The monk simply pointed his finger upwards (referring to the boy on the roof).
The conductor, seeing the holy robes and the gesture pointing to the heavens, misunderstood. He thought the monk was referring to Lord Ram (God). Out of respect for their faith, he didn’t ask for money and let them ride for free.
When the bus finally arrived at Dwarka, the boy Ramji Lal climbed down from the roof and offered the money to the monk, saying, “Bapu, here is the money for the tickets.” The monk laughed and replied, “We never even bought tickets!”.
The boy was shocked and said, “That is amazing! I didn’t buy a ticket either!” When the monk asked why, the boy explained, “The conductor never came up to the roof!”.
The monk realized the incredible irony. He had told the truth—that “Ramji” (the boy) would pay—and pointed up (to the roof). The conductor assumed he meant God.
Moved by this realization, the monk touched the servant boy’s feet. When the embarrassed boy asked why, the monk delivered the moral of the story: “If the name of a ‘fake’ Ram (you) can get us all the way to Dwarka safely, just imagine how far the name of the real Ram (God) can take us!”.