The Sincere Devotee
Introduction
Once there lived a poor brahmana in the city of Pratishthanapura in South India. He was a very sincere devotee of Lord Krishna and was satisfied with whatever the Lord had given him. He regularly heard the glories of the Lord from realized souls.
The Power of Meditation
At one such meeting, he learned that Vaishnava activities could be performed through meditation. So daily, he would take a bath in the river Godavari and then start meditating on the Lord.
Imagined Worship
When he had fixed the form of the Lord in his mind, he began to imagine in his meditations that he was dressing the Lord very nicely in costly clothing, with ornaments, helmets, and other paraphernalia. Then he offered his respectful obeisances by bowing down before the Lord. After finishing the dressing, he imagined that he was cleaning the temple very nicely.
After cleansing the temple, he imagined that he had many water jugs made of gold and silver. He took all those jugs to the river and filled them with holy water from the Godavari, the Ganges, Yamuna, Narmada, and Kaveri. He also imagined collecting all the required paraphernalia and offering them to the Lord mentally, performing arati.
A Test of Faith
He had been doing this for years, and one day he decided to offer sweet rice to the Lord. He prepared it in his imagination but found it too hot. To ensure it was cool enough, he touched the pot, burning his finger. His meditation broke, and he was surprised to find that his finger was actually burnt.
The Lord’s Grace
While he was thinking about this, Lord Narayana in Vaikuntha began to smile. He immediately sent an airplane that brought the brahmana to the Lord’s abode.
Moral of the Story
Although the Lord was present in Vaikuntha, He was also present in the heart of the brahmana when he was meditating on the worshiping process. Thus, we can understand that things offered by devotees, even in meditation, are accepted by the Lord and help one achieve the desired result. The Lord is so merciful that even if one cannot afford to get the prescribed paraphernalia, the Lord accepts the offerings made mentally.
The Simplicity of Devotional Service
Each form of devotional service—shravanam (hearing), kirtanam (chanting), smaranam (remembering), vandanam (praying), archanam (worshiping), paada-sevanam (serving the Lord’s feet), daasyam (acting as a servant), saakhyam (befriending the Lord), aatma-nivedanam (surrendering everything)—is equally potent and will bring us closer to the Lord if we sincerely engage in them with love.
Scriptural Confirmation
While giving the mantra “om namo bhagavate vasudevaya” and instructing Dhruva Maharaj on how to worship the Supreme Lord, Narada Muni says in Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4, Chapter 8, Verse 58:
paricaryaa bhagavato yaavatyah purva-sevitaah
taa mantra-hrdayenaiva prayunjyaan mantra-murtaye
“One should follow in the footsteps of previous devotees regarding how to worship the Supreme Lord with the prescribed paraphernalia, or one should offer worship within the heart by reciting the mantra to the Personality of Godhead, who is nondifferent from the mantra.”
This verse shows how simple the process of devotional service is.
Conclusion
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 from hearing about Krishna and His dear devotees.
