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A woman brought her child to see a saintly person and said, "The doctor has told me that my child is a diabetic and must stop eating sugar and sweets, but in spite of what I tell him, he won't stop. Since you are a saintly person, I am sure that if you tell him to stop eating sugar and sweets he will listen and his life can be saved. Surprisingly, the saintly person replied that he could not tell that to the child was brought back the next day he would see what he could do. Disappointed and confused, the mother took the child away and returned the next day. Upon seeing that they had returned, the saintly person looked sternly at the young boy and said, "Stop eating sweets!" The boy was so startled that from that day he never again ate sweets and sugar. When the curious mother inquired from the sadhu why he had not told that to the child the day before, the sadhu replied, "Because yesterday I was still eating sugar." MORAL: Example is better than precept. A leader cannot tell the public to stop smoking if he himself smokes. He should practice himself first, and then he becomes acarya.
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