A boy named Jatila used to walk to school through the woods, and the journey frightened him. One day he told his mother of his fear. She replied: "Why should you be afraid? Call Madhusudana." "Mother," asked the boy, "Who is Madhusudana?" The mother said, "He is your Elder Brother." One day after this, when the boy again felt afraid in the woods, he cried out, "O Brother Madhusudana!" But there was no response. He began to weep aloud: "Where are You, Brother, Madhusudana? Come to me. I am afraid." Then God could no longer stay away. He appeared before the boy and said: "Here I am. Why are you frightened?" And so saying He took the boy out of the woods and showed him the way to school. When He took leave of the boy, God said: "I will come whenever you call me. Do not be afraid."
One must have this faith of a child, this yearning.
A brahman used to worship his family Deity with food offerings. One day he had to go away on business. As he was about to leave the house, he said to his son: "Give the offering to the Deity today. See that God is fed." The boy offered food in the shrine, but the image remained silent on the altar. It would neither eat nor talk. The boy waited a long time, but still the image did not move. But the boy firmly believed that God would come down from His throne, sit on the floor, and partake of his food. Again and again he prayed to the Deity, saying: "O Lord, come down and eat the food. It is already very late. I cannot sit here any longer." But the image did not utter a word. The boy burst into tears and cried: "O Lord, my father asked me to feed you. Why won't you come down? Why won't you eat from my hands?" The boy wept for some time with a longing soul. At last the Deity, smiling, came down from the altar and sat before the meal and ate it. After feeding the Deity, the boy came out of the shrine room. His relative said: "The worship is over. Now bring away the offering." "Yes," said the boy, "the worship is over. But God has eaten everything." "How is that?" asked the relatives. The boy replied innocently, "Why, God has eaten the food." They entered the shrine and were speechless with wonder to see that the Deity had really eaten every bit of the offering.
God can be realized through child-like faith and guilelessness.
A certain person, on coming across a sadhu, humbly begged him for instruction. The sadhu's advice was, "Love God with all your heart and soul." The enquirer replied, "I have never seen God, nor do I know anything about Him; how is it possible that I should love Him?" The holy man enquired whom the other loved most. The answer was, "I have nobody to care for. I have a sheep and that is the only creature I love." The sadhu said: "Then tend the creature and love it with all your heart and soul, and always remember that the Lord abides in it." Having given this advice the sadhu left the place. The enquirer now began to tend the sheep with loving care, fully believing that the Lord abode in the creature. After a long time the sadhu, during his return journey, sought out the person he had advised and enquired how he was getting on. The latter saluted the sadhu and said, "Master, I am all right, thanks to your kind instructions. Much good has come to me by following the line of thought prescribed by you. Time and again I see a beautiful figure with four hands within my sheep and I find supreme bliss in that."
You must have heard about the tremendous power of faith. It is said in the Purana that Rama, who was God Himself--the embodiment of Absolute Brahman--had to build a bridge to cross the sea to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). But Hanuman, trusting in Rama's name, cleared the sea in one jump and reached the other side. He had no need of a bridge.
Once the son of a certain man lay at the point of death, and it seemed that none could save his life. A sadhu, however, said to the father of the dying son: "There is but one hope. If you can get in a human skull the venom of a cobra mixed with a few drops of rain-water under the constellation of the Svati star, your son's life can be saved." The father looked up the almanac and found that the constellation of the Svati would be in the ascendant on the morrow. So he prayed, saying, "O Lord, do Thou make possible all these conditions, and the spare the life of my son." With extreme earnestness and longing in his heart, he set out on the following evening and diligently searched in a deserted spot for a human skull. At last he found one under a tree, held it in the hand, and waited for the rain, praying. Suddenly, a shower came, and a few drops of rain were deposited in the upturned skull. the man said to himself, "Now I have the water in the skull under the right constellation." Then he prayed earnestly, "Grant, O Lord, that the rest may also be obtained." In a short time he discovered, not far from there, a toad, and a cobra springing to catch it. In a moment the toad jumped over the skull, followed by the cobra whose venom fell into the skull. With overwhelming gratitude the anxious father cried out: "Lord, by Thy grace even impossible things are made possible. Now I know that my son's life will be saved."
Therefore, I say, if you have true faith and earnest longing, you will get everything by the grace of the Lord.
A Milk-Maid used to supply milk to a brahmana priest living on the other side of a river. Owing to the irregularities of the boat service, she could not supply him milk punctually every day. Once, being rebuked for her going late, the poor woman said, "What can I do? I start early from my house, but have to wait for a long time at the river bank for the boatman and the passengers." The priest said, "Woman! They cross the ocean of life by uttering the name of God, and can't you cross this little river?" The simple-hearted woman became very glad at heart on learning this easy means of crossing the river. From the next day the milk was being supplied early in the morning. One day the priest said to the woman, "How is it that you are no longer late nowadays?" She said, "I cross the river by uttering the name of the Lord as you told me to do, and don't stand now in need of a boatman." The priest could not believe this and said, "Can you show me how you cross the river?" The woman took him with her and began to walk over the water. Looking behind, the woman saw the priest in a sad plight and said, "How is it, sir, that you are uttering the name of God with your mouth, but at the same time with your hands you are trying to keep your cloth untouched by water? You do not fully rely on Him."
Entire resignation and absolute faith in God are at the root of all miraculous deeds.
One must have this faith of a child, this yearning.
A brahman used to worship his family Deity with food offerings. One day he had to go away on business. As he was about to leave the house, he said to his son: "Give the offering to the Deity today. See that God is fed." The boy offered food in the shrine, but the image remained silent on the altar. It would neither eat nor talk. The boy waited a long time, but still the image did not move. But the boy firmly believed that God would come down from His throne, sit on the floor, and partake of his food. Again and again he prayed to the Deity, saying: "O Lord, come down and eat the food. It is already very late. I cannot sit here any longer." But the image did not utter a word. The boy burst into tears and cried: "O Lord, my father asked me to feed you. Why won't you come down? Why won't you eat from my hands?" The boy wept for some time with a longing soul. At last the Deity, smiling, came down from the altar and sat before the meal and ate it. After feeding the Deity, the boy came out of the shrine room. His relative said: "The worship is over. Now bring away the offering." "Yes," said the boy, "the worship is over. But God has eaten everything." "How is that?" asked the relatives. The boy replied innocently, "Why, God has eaten the food." They entered the shrine and were speechless with wonder to see that the Deity had really eaten every bit of the offering.
God can be realized through child-like faith and guilelessness.
A certain person, on coming across a sadhu, humbly begged him for instruction. The sadhu's advice was, "Love God with all your heart and soul." The enquirer replied, "I have never seen God, nor do I know anything about Him; how is it possible that I should love Him?" The holy man enquired whom the other loved most. The answer was, "I have nobody to care for. I have a sheep and that is the only creature I love." The sadhu said: "Then tend the creature and love it with all your heart and soul, and always remember that the Lord abides in it." Having given this advice the sadhu left the place. The enquirer now began to tend the sheep with loving care, fully believing that the Lord abode in the creature. After a long time the sadhu, during his return journey, sought out the person he had advised and enquired how he was getting on. The latter saluted the sadhu and said, "Master, I am all right, thanks to your kind instructions. Much good has come to me by following the line of thought prescribed by you. Time and again I see a beautiful figure with four hands within my sheep and I find supreme bliss in that."
You must have heard about the tremendous power of faith. It is said in the Purana that Rama, who was God Himself--the embodiment of Absolute Brahman--had to build a bridge to cross the sea to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). But Hanuman, trusting in Rama's name, cleared the sea in one jump and reached the other side. He had no need of a bridge.
Once the son of a certain man lay at the point of death, and it seemed that none could save his life. A sadhu, however, said to the father of the dying son: "There is but one hope. If you can get in a human skull the venom of a cobra mixed with a few drops of rain-water under the constellation of the Svati star, your son's life can be saved." The father looked up the almanac and found that the constellation of the Svati would be in the ascendant on the morrow. So he prayed, saying, "O Lord, do Thou make possible all these conditions, and the spare the life of my son." With extreme earnestness and longing in his heart, he set out on the following evening and diligently searched in a deserted spot for a human skull. At last he found one under a tree, held it in the hand, and waited for the rain, praying. Suddenly, a shower came, and a few drops of rain were deposited in the upturned skull. the man said to himself, "Now I have the water in the skull under the right constellation." Then he prayed earnestly, "Grant, O Lord, that the rest may also be obtained." In a short time he discovered, not far from there, a toad, and a cobra springing to catch it. In a moment the toad jumped over the skull, followed by the cobra whose venom fell into the skull. With overwhelming gratitude the anxious father cried out: "Lord, by Thy grace even impossible things are made possible. Now I know that my son's life will be saved."
Therefore, I say, if you have true faith and earnest longing, you will get everything by the grace of the Lord.
A Milk-Maid used to supply milk to a brahmana priest living on the other side of a river. Owing to the irregularities of the boat service, she could not supply him milk punctually every day. Once, being rebuked for her going late, the poor woman said, "What can I do? I start early from my house, but have to wait for a long time at the river bank for the boatman and the passengers." The priest said, "Woman! They cross the ocean of life by uttering the name of God, and can't you cross this little river?" The simple-hearted woman became very glad at heart on learning this easy means of crossing the river. From the next day the milk was being supplied early in the morning. One day the priest said to the woman, "How is it that you are no longer late nowadays?" She said, "I cross the river by uttering the name of the Lord as you told me to do, and don't stand now in need of a boatman." The priest could not believe this and said, "Can you show me how you cross the river?" The woman took him with her and began to walk over the water. Looking behind, the woman saw the priest in a sad plight and said, "How is it, sir, that you are uttering the name of God with your mouth, but at the same time with your hands you are trying to keep your cloth untouched by water? You do not fully rely on Him."
Entire resignation and absolute faith in God are at the root of all miraculous deeds.
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