Narada Muni and the Greatest Devotee
Once upon a time, Narada Muni, who always greets people by saying “Narayan, Narayan,” visited the heavenly abode of Lord Vishnu. Curious, Narada asked the Lord who He thought was His greatest devotee.
Lord Vishnu pondered for a while and then told Narada that His greatest devotee was a poor farmer who lived in a small village in India.
Narada Muni was surprised and reasoned with the Lord, saying, “No one chants Your name more than I do. I chant ‘Narayan, Narayan’ every second of my life.”
The Lord smiled and told Narada that this might take a while to explain, but before that, He had an errand for him. Narada Muni agreed to run the Lord’s errand, albeit half-heartedly.
Lord Vishnu gave him a bowl full of oil, filled to the brim, and instructed Narada to take the bowl around the whole world, making sure that not a single drop dripped out of the bowl. Narada Muni carefully took the bowl and embarked on his journey around the world.
After a long and careful journey, Narada Muni returned with the bowl, proud of his accomplishment of not having spilled a single drop.
As he handed Lord Vishnu the bowl, the Lord questioned him, “Narada, thank you for running this errand for Me. But tell Me, how many times did you chant My name as you went around the world with this bowl?”
Narada Muni was left speechless. He had been so engrossed in ensuring that not a drop of oil spilled out of the bowl that he had completely forgotten to chant or remember God’s name in any way.
“But Lord,” he argued, “it was Your errand. I was doing the work You wanted me to do. It was Your work.”
Lord Vishnu gently explained, “Narada, that farmer is also doing the work I have picked for him. He is living the life I gave him, dealing with all the circumstances that I provide. And despite all this, he takes time out of his busy routine to remember Me. That is what makes him My greatest devotee.”
Moral of the Story:
We must learn to chant Lord Krishna’s holy name in all situations in our lives. Chanting the holy name helps us remember Krishna and makes us very dear to Him.
Prayer:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Request:
I humbly request all the devotees to please forward and share this moral and instructive story so that everyone can benefit from hearing about Krishna and His dear devotees.
