Disguised Deities
Lord Siva and his consort Parvati once passed through a town disguised as ordinary village people. As they wandered through the streets, a beggar approached them and asked for a donation.
Lord Siva initially told the beggar he didn’t have anything to give. Parvati, feeling compassion for the beggar, urged Lord Siva to help him.
“Even if I give him something, he will not be able to enjoy it. He is so unfortunate,” Lord Siva responded.
Despite this, Parvati persisted, so Lord Siva finally consented. He handed the beggar a watermelon, which contained a great treasure of gold and jewels.
The Beggar’s Mistake
The beggar, however, was not very satisfied because he didn’t like watermelon. He thought, “What shall I do with this?” but he took it anyway, thinking he could get something for it in the village.
He found someone willing to give him a few paise for the watermelon and went on his way, not realizing the treasure hidden inside.
When the person who bought the watermelon cut it open, they were surprised to find it filled with priceless jewels.
The beggar had no idea of the great value he had been given and practically just gave it away for nothing.
Moral of the Story
We are as unfortunate as this beggar. Krsna gives us so many great treasures, such as His holy names, the Srimad Bhagavatam, the association of devotees, and many other gifts in life. However, because we do not recognize the priceless value of these gifts, we often fail to use them properly for our spiritual advancement.
(Story narrated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the book Raja Vidya)
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
PS: I humbly request all the devotees to please forward and share this moral/instructive story so that everyone can benefit by hearing about Krishna and His dear devotees
