Prayers And God

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> There was a good-natured millionaire in the town. Three beggars

> thought of approaching him for help. The first man went to the

> millionaire and said: " O Lord! I want five rupees. Please give me. "

> The millionaire was taken aback at this man's impudence. " What! You

> demand five rupees from me as though I owe you the money! How dare

> you? How can I afford to give five rupees to a single beggar? Here,

> take these two rupees and get away, " he said. The man went away with

> the two rupees.

>

> The next beggar went to the millionaire and said: " Oh Lord! I have

> not taken a square meal for the past ten days. Please help me. "

> " How much do you want? " asked the millionaire.

>

> " Whatever you give me, Maharaj, " replied the beggar.

> " Here, take this ten rupee note. You can have nice food for at least

> three days. " The beggar walked away with the ten rupee note.

>

> The third beggar came. " Oh Lord, I have heard about your noble

> qualities. Therefore, I have come to see you. Men of such charitable

> disposition are verily the manifestations of God on earth, " he said.

>

> " Please sit down, " said the millionaire. " You appear to be tired.

> Please take this food, " he said, and offered food to the beggar.

> " Now please tell me what I can do for you. "

>

> " Oh Lord, " replied the beggar; " I merely came to meet such a noble

> personage that you are. You have given me this rich food already.

> What more need I get from you? You have already shown extraordinary

> kindness towards me. May God bless you! "

>

> But the millionaire, struck by the beggar's spirit, begged of the

> beggar to remain with him, built a decent house for him in his own

> compound, and looked after him for the rest of his life.

>

> God is like this good millionaire. Three classes of people approach

> Him, with three different desires and prayers. There is the greedy

> man full of vanity, full of arrogance, full of desires. He demands

> the objects of worldly enjoyment from God. Since this man, whatever

> be his vile desires, has had the good sense to approach God, He

> grants him some part of the desired objects (even these very soon

> pass away, just as the two rupees the first beggar got are spent

> before nightfall).

>

> The other type of devotee prays to the Lord for relief from the

> sufferings of the world, but is better than the first one, in as

> much as he is ready to abide by His Will. To him the Lord grants

> full relief from suffering, and bestows on him much wealth and

> property.

>

> The third type he merely prays to the Lord: " O Lord, Thou art

> Existence-Absolute, Knowledge-Absolute, Bliss-Absolute, etc., etc. "

> What does he want? Nothing. But the Lord is highly pleased with his

> spirit of renunciation, of desirelessness and of self-surrender.

> Therefore, He makes him eat His own food, I.e., He grants this man

> Supreme Devotion to Himself. Over and above this, He makes the

> devotee to live in His own House For ever afterwards this devotee

> dwells in the Lord's Abode as a Liberated Sage

>

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