Power of Devotion.

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Story illustrating the power of Devotion

 

A man and his wife lived simple, pious life. They were so poor that they

had barely enough food or clothing. The man made both ends meet by

begging and whatever he got the couple offered to God before consuming

it themselves.

 

One morning, while reading the Bhagavad-Gita, the man came across verse

9.22 where Lord Krishna says: " To those who always worship Me with

exclusive devotion, constantly absorbed in thoughts of Me — to them

I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they already have " .

 

Perplexed, he thought " I am a singularly staunch devotee of the Lord

and I have Him in my thoughts constantly. Yet He keeps us in abject

poverty giving us nothing. Moreover, why should He who is the creator

and master of all the universes personally carry a devotee'

necessities? I am sure the Lord could not have said these words someone

has interpreted them incorrectly " . So thinking, he struck off the

words `vahaamy aham' (I carry) with red ink. He now felt

relieved.

 

As the husband set off to seek alms, his wife called out " There is

not a morsel to eat in the house. Get something and come home

quickly " .

 

A while later the wife heard someone at the door. At the threshold stood

a dark, handsome lad of some 12 years with a huge basket on his head.

She could not take her eyes off the young boy, so strikingly attractive

was he.

 

" Here, help me put down the basket, Mother. Your husband has sent

these for you " , he said. She lent a hand and as he bent down to put

the basket on the floor, she noticed three ugly red gashes on his back

raw and bleeding, as if someone had just struck him with a whip " Oh

my God! What wretched man did this to you? " she burst out.

" Mother, it was your husband who whipped me because he doubted my

willingness to deliver this basket to you " . " Wait here " , she

said, " I will clean up your wounds " But when she came back the

boy was gone.

 

Soon the husband returned and was surprised to see his wife busy in the

kitchen. " What are you cooking? " he asked " You had said that

you did not have anything to eat in the house " . " Why, you sent

that huge basket full of fresh vegetables fruits and grains, lentils and

condiments enough to last us six months But why did you beat the

handsome young boy and inflicted three ugly red lash-wounds on his

tender back? "

 

" I did not get any alms today, dear wife, so how could I have sent

any foodstuffs to you? I never saw the young lad you speak of, so how

could I have beaten him? "

 

Thoroughly bewildered by what his wife had said, the husband went into

deep thought He rushed to the Gita he had been reading that morning and

opened it to verse 9.22 His heart missed a beat as his eyes focused on

the verse Gone were the three red lines that he had drawn across the

words `vahaamy aham'. He was dumbfounded. Slowly, tears flowing

down his cheeks, he prostrated himself before the deity, " Hey

Jagannatha! Forgive me. The wretch that I am; how could I have ever

doubted your words? " . Then he turned to his wife: " It was He!

How blessed you are to have had darshan of Bhagvan Himself " .

 

(A collection)