The Hermit and his loincloth

Here is an interesting story of a Hermit and loincloth with a very curious turn of events. What happens if we do not define a problem properly and if the solution is not consistent with the mission and values of the organization? It brings out a unique perspective in problem solving!

In a forest near a village there lived a guru (master) and his disciples who spent all their time in prayer and meditation. The villagers around the forest used to visit the hermitage and respect the guru and disciples. 

One day the guru decided to go on a long pilgrimage. He called all his disciples and announced his decision. He told them, “I am going on a pilgrimage. I’d like all of you to maintain the daily routine of the hermitage and ensure its peaceful environment and sanctity. I’ll be back after a few years. Among his disciples there was one young boy who joined the hermitage a few years back and was sincere and dedicated in prayer and meditation. He chose that disciple to lead the hermitage in his absence and handed over the charge. 

As he bid farewell to his disciples, the guru turned to the in-charge said, my son, remember all that I have taught you and lead a simple life."I will Gurudev!", the disciple replied as he lay himself down before his guru in respect.

The disciples’ possessions were very limited. He had only two loin clothes (kaupin) to wear. Every day he would wear one and wash the other. As was the custom for ascetics, he begged at the village for his food.

One day, when he returned from the village, he saw a rat running off with a piece of his spare loin cloth in its mouth. He quickly checked and sure enough, the spare loin cloth was full of holes!.Oh no! I will have to beg at the village for another loincloth. the disciple thought in dismay.

So when he went begging for alms at the village the next day, he also asked for a loincloth.

"I have a new one", the villager replied. "I will give it to you Oh holy sage."

The disciple gratefully accepted the loincloth and decided that from then on he would dry his loin clothes on top of the hut so that the rats wouldn't get to it. But he was wrong.

When he returned from begging at the village the next day, he once again found that the rats had torn up his loincloth. I must get myself a cat in order to get rid of the rats, the disciple decided.

So the disciple got a cat and the rats disappeared in no time. But the cat was not getting enough food and it was starving. It was becoming leaner and leaner day by day.

Then he began to think, I must keep the cat well fed. She is doing such a good job! I know! I will get a cow.

So he got a cow from the benevolent villagers and took care of her. The cow was happy and so also the cat. Now the cow needed grass and someone who can take it for grazing. I need straw to feed my cow the disciple began to think.

He hired a servant who would take care of the cow. He came to the hermitage and started living with his wife. He and his family need to be taken care of. 

"I should cultivate the land around my hut, and when the grain is harvested I will have all the straw for my cow the paddy will meet the needs of the person who takes care of the cow," he thought.

So he started to cultivate the land around his hut. The land produced a good crop. So now he needed a place to store the grain. He hired laborers to build barns for him. The disciple found that the needs of the hermitage and its possessions kept growing and soon a lavish estate replaced the hermitage where he lived. Living a luxurious life, the disciple decided to get married. The other disciples also followed suit and soon there was a beautiful colony with vibrant atmosphere, children playing, cattle in their sheds, bags of grains in granaries and women busy with family chores

One day his guru returned from his long pilgrimage. Have I come to the wrong place? the guru thought as he looked around at the lavish estate. Then finding that he was in the right place he then worried that a rich man must have driven his poor disciple away and built his estate where the hermitage used to be.

He saw one of the servants as called out to him, my good man, an ascetic used to live here once. Do you know where he is now?

The servant was taken aback. He started stuttering...

Just then, the disciple heard his guru's voice and rushed out and prostrated before him. 

“My son, what is all this?” the guru asked. “I left you leading the simple life of an ascetic. I return to find you surrounded by wealth and possessions. How did this happen?”

“ Oh Gurudev, the disciple said remorsefully. It all started with a single loincloth. To protect the cloth from the rats I needed a cat and then there was no end to my needs." He narrated the sequence of events and said, " Forgive me, Gurudev.”

Then Gurudev said, “You could have used a rat trap…”

The story was narrated by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the legendary Indian mystic and philosopher. 

From managerial perspective, the story is all about about finding a right solution to a small problem. This kind of things happen in modern organizations too. We usually tend to find a solution from a specific perspective which may give rise to another problem. When we identify and define the problem with a limited scope this kind of issues crop up. If we take a birds’s eye view of the same, the alternatives look different.  Problem solving typically involves a systematic approach and passing through five stages. 

The following are the stages of problem solving: 

• Identify and define the problem 
• Generate possible alternatives 
• Choose the best alternative 
• Implement the solution
• Evaluate whether the objective is achieved. 

The solution provided should be consistent with the mission, objectives and values of the organization or the individual. It should not go against them. 

Do you agree? What are your thoughts?