Akbar drew a line on a blackboard and asked Birbal to lengthen or shorten it without touching the line.
Birbal immediately drew a longer line above it, and the first one became shorter by comparison.
Similarly, he drew a shorter line beneath it, and the first line became longer in comparision.
Relative to a longer line, it was short, but relative to a shorter line, it was long. By itself, it was neither long nor short!
Similarly, a man, by himself, is neither great nor small, it is only when he begins to compare himself with the rest of the world that he loses his peace of mind.
Far better if he look only at himself and be content. If he can think of everything that he possesses as a gift from God then he shall be content with it.
Shri Nathji would say:
“If I give a cardamom as a prasaad to you, will you exchange it even for an entire cardamom shop? No. You would keep it with yourself because it is a gift from me.”