The pilgrim was caught by night on his way to the forest monastery, and he, not seeing the road, slipped into an old well and almost fell to the bottom. Fortunately, as he fell, he managed to grab onto a tree root sticking out of the wall.
Early in the morning, a sadhu (ascetic) passed near the well, singing songs in praise of the Lord. The pilgrim called him for help, and he, looking down and seeing the desperate situation of the poor man, lowered a strong rope into the well to pull him out. And the pilgrim was overcome with gloom: he could not decide to let go of the root in order to grab the rope.
A person should hold on to the root only until a rope appears from above. When God is realized, all karma will be dropped.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru