Why truth is important to the devotee

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Once there was a poor and noble man walking along the highway, begging for

whatever boon he could from passers by. His name was Suryananda.

 

Suryananda lived day to day, thinking of little, except his next meal and where

to travel to acquire his next meal.

 

One day, per chance, he met up with a beautiful young maiden. It appeared she

had been thrown by her horse and had fractured her leg and arm in the fall.

 

"Oh kind sir, please help me," she begged the poor and noble man, "I have asked

so many to pick me up and carry me home, but no one has offered to help me. Many

pretend not to see me. Many can't see me. And many more simply look the other

way."

 

"I am but a poor man," replied Suryananda, "but I will do my best."

 

Suryananda carefully picked up the maiden and began carrying her.

 

He carried the maiden for many miles, down many roads. She guided him along many

many paths, assuring him, that he was walking to her home.

 

The paths were long and arduous and frought with many great perils. But at every

fork and every turn the maiden knew which way to go. For a while it seemed as if

they would lose their lives because they were surrounded by nothing but robers

and theives.

 

Suryananda always managed to find food. Sometimes the maiden knew where to find

fruit and nuts. Suryananda fed the maiden what they found together. He only ate

the scraps left by her.

 

Every morning at dawn he would pick her up and ask, "which way today, my lady?"

 

And every morning the maiden would point down a particular road and Suryananda

would carry her, slowly methodically, and patiently.

 

After a while the landscape began to change, and over time the path became

softer, the food more plentiful and before he knew it, the maiden was walking

next to him, restored to full health.

 

One hundred and eight miles passed and Suryananda walked with the maiden up to

the gates of a giant and stunningly beautiful castle.

 

"This is your home," said the maiden.

 

"My home? You mean your home," exclaimed Suryananda.

 

"No," said the maiden, "this is the home you abandoned because you were forced

to leave, but because you offered assistance to me and because you were so stead

fast in your commitment to caring for me and returning me to my home, I have

returned you to yours."

 

Suddenly, the memories flooded Suryananda and he remembered a time when he had

been King, when treachery had ousted him from his own parliament.

 

He fell at the feet of the maiden and said, "but who are you to know all this?"

 

The maiden smiled and said, "I have many names. In this form I am known as

Truth. And because of your deovtion to me I can now change form."

 

The maiden stuck out her tongue and screeched, "I am Chandi! And I am clearing

you a path to your throne. Follow me!"

 

The maiden changed form and became black as night, a wisp of dark wind, and slid

under the locked castle gate. The guards never saw Her coming and didn't wake

the next morning.

 

She opened the gate from the inside and ushered Suryananda into his home.

 

An alarm sounded, and all the lights were lit. Energy weapons were fired from

every where, but the goddess formed a shield around Suryananda and he walked

slowly and gracefully toward his throne room.

 

Demon fire rained down from roof tops, and demons themselves began angrily

clawing their way down the street. They attempted to stop the poor man's

progress, but the pain he felt meant nothing to him, and the armor of Chandi

protected him from being destroyed.

 

Chandi destroyed the worst of the demons, but left many of the demons alive.

 

The poor man walked into the throne room, walked to his throne and sat down. As

soon as he was seated, the demons stopped, transformed, and bowed down.

 

Chandi became the soft and lovely maiden again and bowed to the King.

 

"Oh please, Maiden, Maa, Meaning, Method, Mastery, please don't bow to me, I do

nothing, it is you who do all!"

 

"It is your respect for me, that enables me to fight for you King Surya,"

replied the Goddess.

 

Placing his palms flat against each other, with his fingers pointing to the sun,

Suryananda bowed his head and said, "I bow to the divinity that is you."