Result of past actions

Can all our wishes be fulfilled? We sometimes pray for

many things. Some of our wishes are fulfilled, but others

are not despite our prayers, said M.A. Manickavelu in a

discourse. So of what use then are prayers, we might ask.

There is a story about a man who was deeply devoted to

Lord Narayana. He had few wants in life and spent his life

in a small hut at the foot of a hill. The Lord and His Consort

decided to pay him a visit. When They arrived, he was

stitching one of his torn garments. He was glad to see the

Divine Couple and ofered them a glass of buttermilk.

Having welcomed them, he resumed mending the torn

garment.


The Goddess asked him what boon he wanted. He

replied, “I want nothing.”

But when the Goddess insisted that he ask for

something, he replied, “I want the thread to follow the

needle!”


“That will happen, anyway, since you have threaded the

needle. It’s only natural,” said the Goddess.

“In the same way, what must happen will happen. I will

only get what I am destined to get. I have got what I

deserve and I am happy and content. Why should I ask for

anything?” said the man.


The Divine Couple were not surprised by his reply

because they knew the kind of man he was — a man who

believed in karma and therefore believed that God gave to

each according to his karma.


That is the attitude of the true devotee. He does not

blame God for what he does not have. Nor does he accuse

God of being partial. He knows that whatever he faces in

life is a result of his own past actions. He, therefore, spends

his time praying to God for moksha.


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