In plain words
If they are good, only one becomes good. All must become good. All must grow like brothers in the Sai organisations. Grow unity. Develop the principle of Prema as well. Grow brotherhood. All of you, join together in action and do the work. There are 5 fingers. Only when these 5 fingers join together can one piece of work be done. What work can each finger do separately? Each one, they say, thinks, ‘I am great.’ Why do I need someone else to tell me? ‘I myself am the president; I will see to it’: so they go on, in Ajñāna. That is why so many quarrels, troubles and losses keep happening in the organisation. In our Sai organisation there are no such feelings of difference; I know. But I am giving you a warning. There are 5 fingers. Once upon a time, they say, all five quarrelled. Then the little finger said, ‘I am the great one.’ The four asked, ‘How are you great?’ Then the little finger said, they say, ‘If anyone has to be taught sense, I go first, as the commander of the army. When someone says, “You have no sense, fellow,” I am the one in front. So though I am small, in teaching sense to others I stand in front as the commander of the army.’ The second said, ‘I myself am very great.’ The others laughed: Why do you say you are great? This finger said: ‘I am the king. All the diamonds, cat's-eyes, gomedhikas and topazes are put first on my finger alone, not on you; so I am the great one,’ it said, they say. It proclaimed its own greatness itself. The third said, they say, ‘No, I am great.’ ‘You mad ones! When the Governor goes, the bodyguards go on this side and that. So I am the eldest of all. I am the Governor. You two are the bodyguards on this side and that. So I am the great officer,’ it said, they say. The pointing finger said, ‘I am the great one.’ These four fingers asked, they say: ‘How are you great?’ Then the pointing finger said: ‘“This fellow is good, this fellow is bad, this fellow has caused harm, this fellow has given joy”: so I tell, pointing the finger. If I did not point, no one could know,’ it said. ‘Since I am the one who points, I am great,’ it said. Then the thumb said, they say, ‘I myself am the great one.’ When these four asked how it was great, it said, ‘Without me you cannot do any work, so I myself am the great one.’