The Golden Bangles

Once upon a time there lived a great Sikh Guru. One day, he sat on the banks of a river which was flowing in great force, reading the holy Guru Granth Sahib.
A rich man approached him. Drunk with pride of wealth, he wanted to show off his affluence to the Guru. With him, he had brought a pair of very expensive bangles made of gold. He placed two beautiful bangles on a plate and offered it to the Saint.
The Guru could not care less. He continued with his parayan and never looked up. When the rich man realized that his gift had failed to grab the Guru’s attention, he politely called him and brought the Guru’s attention to the exquisite gift that he was offering, and said, ‘This is my simple and humble offering. You should accept it.’
The Saint looked at the plate and reached out his hand to fetch one of the bangles. Without taking a second look, he twisted it with his finger. The bangle slipped off his hand and fell into the gushing river. Nonplussed, he continued his parayan. Witnessing the bangle fall into the river, the rich man immediately jumped into it in an attempt to get it back.
Time passed by and the rich man who dived into the river did not return. It was about the time of sunset, when, with a doleful face, he emerged out of the water expressing his inability to find the bangle. Admitting that all his efforts were in vain, he fell at the feet of the Guru asking him to show the exact spot in the river where the bangle had fell, so that he could search again.
The Guru took the second bangle and twisted it with his finger. This one too, like the former, slipped into the river. Then the Guru said, ‘Yes! The first one too might have fallen right there!’

The rich man had learnt his lesson and hung his head in shame.
Those material possessions that the worldly people attach so much value to are but trifling in the eyes of great Mahans.