God Rewards a Grain of Love with a Basket of Blessings

One day when little Krishna was playing outside the house, he heard a fruit-seller selling jambu fruits. He ran to the woman and asked her for some. The very sight of the innocent child made the fruit-seller’s heart melt. Yet, she wanted to play with him. So, she said, “Oh dear child, I will give you some fruits, but what will you pay me in return?” The child did not even know what paying was, and he questioned the fruit-seller. She explained that if he wanted fruits, he should give her something in exchange for it. The smart little child seemed to understand.

He went to the grain storehouse, and shoveled a handful of grain with his cupped palms. He walked unsteadily, as he was just a little toddler. By the time he had walked across the garden and reached the fruit-seller, most of the grains had leaked out of the gap between his cupped palms, and only a few were left.

When the child saw this, his face dulled thinking he would not get any jambu fruits in return for the few grains that were left. But, the fruit-seller was delighted. She hugged and kissed the child with joy, and filled his cupped palms with as many fruits as he could hold. Not just any of the fruits, but the best of her ware!

Krishna and the Fruit Seller; Image courtesy: ISKCON

Abundant blessings, unsought

The fruit seller put the few grains that the child gave her into her fruit basket, and headed home, happily recounting her moments with the lovable child. When she reached home, she felt her fruit basket was very heavy. How could it be so when it was almost empty? When she put the basket down and looked into it, it was laden with precious gems and jewels, beyond her wildest imagination.

Little was she aware of the child’s divinity, because Krishna managed to hide it well from the people of Gokula. After all, he reveled in the attention he was getting and enjoyed being the apple of Yashoda and Nanda’s eyes!

The fruit-seller was poor, yet she gave away her best fruits simply for the sake of the love that overflowed from her innocent heart. She did not think about the value of the fruits, but rejoiced in the smile that bloomed on Krishna’s face. Krishna rewarded her unconditional love! He always does. Even a small prayer offered with true devotion and love for God is as effective as a yagna. As our elders always say, if you just spend a few minutes praying in the morning, God will be with you all through the day, guiding every move of yours in the right path.

By Janani Gopalakrishnan Vikram

gjanani@gmail.com 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can The Miser Take A Needle To Heaven With Him?

Image
Many people are unreasonably attached to their material wealth – their money, their clothes, and their family. They try so hard to protect all these, but what is the use? When their life ends, even their body is consumed by agni. They cannot take anything with them. Only the good deeds performed by them will stand by their name, none of their wealth. When life ends, even your body is consumed by fire - only your good deeds will be remembered. That is why, Adi Shankaracharya says in his famous work, Bhaja Govindham… मा कुरु धन जन यौवन गर्वं हरति निमेषात्कालः सर्वम् | मायामयमिदमखिलं हित्वा ब्रह्मपदं त्वं प्रविश विदित्वा | Ma kuru dhana jana youvana garvam harathi nimeshaath kaalah sarvam| Maya mayamidham akhilam hithva brahmapadham tvam pravisha vidhithva|| Do not take pride in your wealth, people and youth. Time will destroy all this in a moment. Understand that all this is maya (an illusion), leave these aside, understand the true nature of brahman and enter into it. Here...
Read more

Satyakama Jabala: Transformation Through Guru’s Grace

Image
There is a lot of information available all around us – from books, the Internet, and so on. However, true knowledge can be attained only through a Guru’s grace. He can help you achieve high goals, beyond what you can imagine. A young boy arrived at the ashrama of Sage Haridrumata Gautama, seeking to stay at his hermitage and learn under his tutelage. When asked who he was, he replied: “Jabala is my mother, and she says she does not know who my father is. So, I go by the name of Satyakama Jabala.” The benevolent  rishi  was pleased. It did not matter to him that the boy did not know his  gotra  or lineage. His truthfulness and quest for knowledge qualified him as a  brahmin  to the  rishi . “Only a true  brahmin  can speak the truth thus,” he said, and initiated the boy into the life of a  brahmacharin .  Satyakama, the young seeker, finds his Guru Image courtesy: Mysticadii.com Fostering patience in the disciple Soon, the sage ga...
Read more

Zero-Waste Hacks – Thogayals and Podis Using Peels and Piths

Image
The concept of “zero waste” is not new to the Indian kitchen. Grandmoms and moms around the country have been practicing it through the generations. While there are many ways in which they implemented it, the exquisite thogayals and podis (chutneys and powders) they made with peels and piths of vegetables and fruits, is one of my favourite ideas! Here are a few thogayals and podis, rasams and teas that I regularly make. Please do try them, and I assure you that you will never think about throwing away these peels and piths ever again… Wood Apple Shell Rasam Wood apple (kapittha phalam, vilam pazham) is a treat that appears in the market for a very limited period of time, specifically in the festive season from August to October. While the inner flesh of the ripe fruit is usually enjoyed as a  pacchadi  sweetened with jaggery, not many people know that the outer shell can be used too. It is hard and cannot be eaten, but it is added as a flavour enhancer to  rasam!...
Read more