"Yes" - A Story of Swami Kriyananda by Asha Praver

[Listen to Asha read this story]


Whenever I cooked for Swamiji (Swami Kriyananda), even if others helped me, I kept strict control of the final product. But once when I was cooking dinner for Swamiji and for a dozen guests, a woman helping me asked to take charge of the two main dishes. I didn’t think she had the skill, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I said yes. As I feared, the result was not, in my opinion, up to my usual standard.

We sat down at the table and sang grace. Swamiji had his spoon in hand, but he hadn’t tasted a single bite. He hadn’t even dipped his spoon into the food, when he said, “Asha, over the years you have made many memorable dinners, but this is the best meal you have ever cooked.”

“Sir, we made it together.”

“I know that,” he said. “It is the best meal you have ever cooked.”

I knew the magic ingredient in this meal, which made it better than any of the others, was my sensitivity to the feelings of others.