Question: What is the main difference between a devotee and a philosopher?

Sri Chinmoy: I wish to answer this question by telling you a story. There was once a great philosopher who happened to see a very simple and innocent man in the street. This man was holding a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and he was shedding tears. His tears were dropping on the book.

The philosopher, who was also renowned as a scholar, asked the man, “What is the matter? Are you finding it difficult to understand this sacred book? Is that why you are shedding tears? Do not worry. I feel sorry for you, so I am prepared to spend some time and explain the meaning to you.”

The man said, “I am shedding tears not because I am unable to understand the meaning, but because whichever page I turn to, there I see Lord Krishna and Arjuna. I can see the chariot, I can see how Lord Krishna is advising Arjuna, I can see the battle raging. It is all so vivid for me. These tears are tears of joy.”

Then the great philosopher bowed his head and walked away. He had studied the Bhagavad Gita for years and years, but he had never had the vision of Lord Krishna. Yet this simple man, with his heart of love and devotion, was so close to Krishna’s heart that he was able to see Krishna vividly on every page. The philosopher had wanted to make this man understand the Gita. But the Gita is not something for us to understand; it is something for us to live. This story shows us that for a devotee the road is shorter than the shortest, whereas for philosophers and others it can be longer than the longest.