While human beings attach the importance to wealth and power and honour the rich and powerful,the Lord is moved only by humility and He welcomes the contributions of the poor rather than the offerings of the rich.
When people earn wealth through illegitimate means and offer money to God as atonement or to undertake a pilgrimage.He does not shower His mercy on them.
Choosing a stone
Once , a king built a temple and when it was nearing completion,the sculptors had to choose a suitable stone to carve its dome.
As they were discussing where to find the stone,Lord Siva appeared in the dream of the King and said,"I will live only in the shadow of a old Lady in the temple".
The king made enquiries about the Old lady and he was told that there was one who offered buttermilk to the sculptors everyday.But the lady was poor and the king did not understand how the linga could be kept in her shadow.It was not as if she owned some property where the idol could be kept.The King could not understand what the dream meant.
That night the Lord appeared again in a dream of the king and said:"Ask the lady what inherited property she has.Therin lies the answer."The Lady was summoned and she said she had no property at all.The only thing that had been in her husband's family was a
stone.
The king then took the stone from her and the sculptors found that it fitted perfectly on top of the temple, and it did not even have to be fashioned to fit the top of the gopura.The king then understood what the lord meant.If this stone was used,the Linga would always be in the lady's shadow, for the stone belonged to her.
Thus the Lord did not honour the king who paid for building the temple,but honoured an old lady who served the workers by giving them buttermilk.
And yet we think we can impress Him with our wealth.The lives of great men show that humility is what the Lord values most.A humble devotee is preferred to one who worships ostentatiously.
When people earn wealth through illegitimate means and offer money to God as atonement or to undertake a pilgrimage.He does not shower His mercy on them.
Choosing a stone
Once , a king built a temple and when it was nearing completion,the sculptors had to choose a suitable stone to carve its dome.
As they were discussing where to find the stone,Lord Siva appeared in the dream of the King and said,"I will live only in the shadow of a old Lady in the temple".
The king made enquiries about the Old lady and he was told that there was one who offered buttermilk to the sculptors everyday.But the lady was poor and the king did not understand how the linga could be kept in her shadow.It was not as if she owned some property where the idol could be kept.The King could not understand what the dream meant.
That night the Lord appeared again in a dream of the king and said:"Ask the lady what inherited property she has.Therin lies the answer."The Lady was summoned and she said she had no property at all.The only thing that had been in her husband's family was a
stone.
The king then took the stone from her and the sculptors found that it fitted perfectly on top of the temple, and it did not even have to be fashioned to fit the top of the gopura.The king then understood what the lord meant.If this stone was used,the Linga would always be in the lady's shadow, for the stone belonged to her.
Thus the Lord did not honour the king who paid for building the temple,but honoured an old lady who served the workers by giving them buttermilk.
And yet we think we can impress Him with our wealth.The lives of great men show that humility is what the Lord values most.A humble devotee is preferred to one who worships ostentatiously.
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