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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