MERCY IS TO MEASURE MAN
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.
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.
