MERCY IS TO MEASURE MAN

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MERCY IS TO MEASURE MAN

Baba said, "Poverty is better than Kingship, far better than Lordship. The Lord

is always brother (befriender) of the poor" in Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. V.

Once upon a time Lord Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi had an argument as to who

were genuine devotees – the rich or the poor. Lakshmi said, "The rich are good

bhaktas."

Vishnu said, "The poor are good bhaktas."

Lakshmi said, "The rich have got such magnificent temples constructed for us.

They provide colourful raiments for our icons and things for worship. But the

poor? They have nothing to offer, except folding their empty hands."

Lord Vishnu said, "Let’s agree on a criterion to measure their devotion to us.

Let us see who is more sensitive to pain and needs of others, who is more

compassionate and giving."

They agreed and left their abode, and moved down to the world of men in the

guise of an old man and an old woman and caused heavy rain by their

supernatural powers. With staffs in their hands, they knocked at a rich man’s

door. A man came to the door, shouting at the top of his voice and opening the

door, said, "What’s it?" The old couple said, "It’s very cold today with rain

racking our bones and night about to fall. We have no place to go to. Kindly

permit us to spend the night under the roof of this mansion. We’ll squeeze

ourselves in a corner."

The man flared up and shouted at them, "Your couldn’t find some inn or somebody

else’s house to die in, that you had to come to this house? Look at yourselves.

Are you fit enough to set foot in houses like this? Get out of this place."

Saying this he shut the door in their face.

Lord Vishnu said to Lakshmi, "You’ve seen the attitude of the rich and their

feelings and concern for others. Now let’s go to some poor man’s house."

Wending their way through rain, they came to the thatched hut of a very poor

man. Its roof had been partially blown off by strong winds and whatever

remained of its ceiling, dripped, leaving little space inside dry.

When they tapped the door of the hut it was already dark. An old woman came with

an earthen lamp in her hand and opened the door. She saw this old couple

shivering with cold. Seeing them shivering with cold, she was overcome with

concern for them. She said, "Come in, please come in." She spread her cot for

them and made them to sit on it with all respect and gave them her and her

husband’s clothes to wear and asked them to give her their wet clothes so that

she could put them to dry.

They changed. In the meantime she put on a plate whatever she had cooked for the

evening meal and placed it before them. They enjoyed the simple frugal meal and

lay down on the bed to sleep.

Just then the old woman’s husband also came and asked "Who are these people?"

The old woman whispered softly in his ear, "Some poor old couple came shivering

with cold and I gave them our clothes to change. I also gave them to eat

whatever had been cooked. Now there is nothing for us to eat."

The old man heard her and quietly spread an old tattered soiled sheet on the

floor and they both lay down to sleep on hungry stomach.

When they got up in the morning, the old couple had already left. In place of

the hut they found themselves in a comfortable house and there was enough food

in the house.

Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya....

Hatred ever kills, love never dies such is the vast difference between the two.

What is obtained by love is retained for all time. What is obtained by hatred

proves a burden in reality for it increases hatred.

Fear of death makes us devoid both of valour and religion. For want of valour is

want of religious faith.

There are times when you have to obey a call which is the highest of all, i.e.

the voice of conscience even though such obedience may cost many a bitter tear,

and even more, separation from friends, from family, from the state to which you

may belong, from all that you have held as dear as life itself. For this

obedience is the law of our being.

Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacities. She has the

right to participate in the minutest details in the activities of man, and she

has an equal right of freedom and liberty with him.

Insistence on truth can come into play when one party practises untruth or

injustice. Only then can love be tested. True friendship is put to the test

only when one party disregards the obligation of friendship.

(Quotes from Mahatma Gandhiji)

 

 

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