|
![AYP Public Forum AYP Public Forum](../images/aum2a.jpg) |
|
Author |
Topic ![Next Topic Next Topic](icon_go_right.gif) |
|
maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2011 : 3:12:29 PM
|
You like stories, right?enjoy
Once upon a time there was a sweeper in a well-known temple in India and he was very sincere and devoted.
Every time he saw thousands of devotees coming to worship the Deity, he thought the Deity must have to constantly stand whilst bestowing goodness upon the devotees and He must feel very tired.
So one day very innocently he asked the Deity whether he could take the place of the Deity for a day so that the Deity could have a break. The Deity of the Temple replied, "I do not mind taking a break. I will transform you to look like Me, but you must do one thing. You must just stand here like Me, smiling at everyone and just give benedictions. Do not interfere with anything and do not say anything. Remember you are the deity and you need to just have faith that I have a master plan for everything. The sweeper agreed to this.
The next day the sweeper took the position of the deity and a rich man came and prayed to the Deity. He made a size-able donation and prayed that his business should be prosperous. While going, the rich man inadvertently left his wallet full of money right there. Now the sweeper in the form of deity could not call him and so he decided to control himself and keep quiet.
Just then a poor man came and donated one coin. He said that it was all he could afford and he prayed to the Deity that he should continue to be engaged in the Deity's service. He also said that his family was in dire need of some basic needs but he left it to the good hands of the Deity to provide a solution. When he opened his eyes, he saw the wallet left by the rich man. The poor man thanked the Deity for His kindness and took the wallet very innocently. The sweeper in the form of the Deity could not say anything and he had to just keep smiling.
At that point a sailor walked in. He prayed for his safe journey as he was going on a long trip. Just then the rich man came into the temple with the police and said that somebody had stolen his wallet and seeing the sailor there, he asked the police to arrest him thinking that he must have taken it. Now the sweeper in the form of Deity wanted to say that the sailor was not the thief but he could not say so and started to lose his patience. The sailor looked at the Deity and asked why he, an innocent person, was being punished. The rich man looked at the Deity and thanked Him for finding the thief.
The sweeper in the deity form could no longer tolerate what was going on and he thought that even if the real Deity had been here, he would have definitely intervened and so he started speaking and explained that the sailor was not the thief but it was the poor man who took the wallet. The rich man was very thankful as was the sailor.
In the night, the real Deity came and He asked the sweeper how the day was. The sweeper said, "I thought it would be easy, but now I know that Your days are not easy, but I did one good thing." Then he explained the whole episode to the Deity. The Deity sighed on hearing this and surprised the sweeper who felt the Deity would really appreciate him for a good deed done.
The Deity asked, "Why did you not just stick to the plan? You had no faith in Me. Do you think that I do not understand the hearts of all those who come here? The donation of the rich man was all stolen money and it is only a fraction of what he really has and he expected Me to multiply his fortune. The single coin offered by the poor man was the last coin he had and he gave it to Me out of faith. The sailor might not have done anything wrong, but if the sailor were to sail tonight he would die because of bad weather and instead if he were arrested he would be in jail and be saved from this tragedy. The wallet should have gone to the poor man because he would use it in My service. I was going to reduce the rich man's karma by doing this and also to save the sailor. But you ruined everything because you disregarded the Master Plan and made your own plans."
Moral:
Things are not always what they seem. Being rich can seem good on the surface. Being poor can seem bad on the surface. Being falsely accused can sound unjust on the surface. |
|
|
Topic ![Next Topic Next Topic](icon_go_right.gif) |
|
|
|
AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
![Go To Top Of Page Go To Top Of Page](icon_go_up.gif) |
|
|
|