Thiruvalluvar, the saint from Tamil Nadu and author of Thirukkural, once placed a shallow plate on his wife's head with water and asked her to go along with a procession of music and dance, without spilling even a drop of water. He warned that if even a drop of water spilled, her head would be cut off.

The lady took part in the procession that headed from the Srirangam temple of Trichy. She moved along with the procession with the plate on her head amidst the music, dance and various other aspects of the festivity. The procession passed through the four streets thrice and culminated at the place of commencement. The lady then emerged out of the crowd, successful in her venture.

The lady then confronted her husband. The saint enquired as to whether she paid heed to the festive activities that surrounded her. The lady replied that she was not attentive to anything that went around her as her concentration was only on the plate on her head. The saint then said that, such should be one's state of mind which is one-pointedness even during meditation.

One-pointed meditation in due course leads one to the ultimate goal of self realization.