Once there was a thief, a notorious robber, who made his living by stealing from businessmen and committing murders. One day, he heard that the king had invited all the sannyasis, sadhus, and ascetics to a big meeting. The thief thought, “Perhaps the king will give them wealth. I should go and see if I can rob someone and get some money.”
Disguised as a saint, the thief hid himself among the sadhus.
The king then came out onto his balcony and addressed the gathering. “O great sadhus, I have a daughter who wishes to marry a saintly person. I am offering half of my kingdom along with her. Will someone please marry my daughter?”
As soon as he said this, fifteen sannyasis in the front row got up and left. They were not interested in worldly riches and left because they thought, “We came here to preach, not to marry.”
The king, not deterred, offered 75% of his kingdom to the next row of sadhus. One of the married sadhus replied, “O king, we are not interested in your kingdom or marrying your daughter. We respect you, but our purpose is to engage our minds on the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. Please excuse us.” They, too, left.
The thief, still disguised as a sadhu, remained seated, pretending to meditate. The king approached him and said, “O great saintly person…”
“You are mistaken,” interrupted the thief. “I am not a saintly person; I am a robber. But I ask you, who wants your kingdom? If it had any value, why did these people leave? I would rather pursue the path of a sadhu. I will no longer rob or marry your daughter. I am sorry, but I am leaving.”
Moral of the Story:
In the above story, we see that the robber, despite his nature, transformed by associating with sadhus for just a short time. As the saying goes, “lava matra sadhu sanga sarva siddhi haya” – just a moment’s association with a saint can bring all perfection.
Saintly people are like holy places themselves. They are equi-poised, friendly to all living entities, merciful, and tolerant. They understand the temporary nature of worldly riches and do not hanker for them. Their lives are dedicated to serving the Supreme Lord with body, mind, and soul.
Akrura, the paternal uncle of Lord Krishna, was one such saintly person. When Krishna visited him, Akrura humbly received Him and prayed, thanking Him for His visit. The Lord glorified Akrura through the following verse in Srimad Bhagavatam (10.48.31):
na hy am-mayaani tirthaani / na devaa mrc-chilaa-mayaah te punanty uru-kaalena / darshanaad eva saadhavah
“No one can deny that there are holy places with sacred rivers, or that the demigods appear in deity forms made of earth and stone. But these purify the soul only after a long time, whereas saintly persons purify just by being seen.”
We also know how Narada Muni transformed the barbaric hunter Mrgari into a sincere devotee through brief association. The association with sadhus purifies the heart immediately.
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 they hear so that everyone can benefit by hearing about Krishna and His dear devotees.
