Spiritual Inspiration: A Millionaire & Three Beggars

A Millionaire & Three Beggars

There was a good-natured millionaire in the town. Three beggars thought of
approaching him for help. The first man went to the millionaire and said: "O
Lord! I want five rupees. Please give me." The millionaire was taken aback
at this man's impudence. "What! You demand five rupees from me as though I
owe you the money! How dare you? How can I afford to give five rupees to a
single beggar? Here, take these two rupees and get away," he said. The man
went away with the two rupees.

The next beggar went to the millionaire and said: "Oh Lord! I have not taken
a square meal for the past ten days. Please help me."
"How much do you want?" asked the millionaire.

"Whatever you give me, Maharaj," replied the beggar.
"Here, take this ten rupee note. You can have nice food for at least three
days." The beggar walked away with the ten rupee note.

The third beggar came. "Oh Lord, I have heard about your noble qualities.
Therefore, I have come to see you. Men of such charitable disposition are
verily the manifestations of God on earth," he said.

"Please sit down," said the millionaire. "You appear to be tired. Please
take this food," he said, and offered food to the beggar.
"Now please tell me what I can do for you."

"Oh Lord," replied the beggar; "I merely came to meet such a noble personage
that you are. You have given me this rich food already. What more need I get
from you? You have already shown extraordinary kindness towards me. May God
bless you!"

But the millionaire, struck by the beggar's spirit, begged of the beggar to
remain with him, built a decent house for him in his own compound, and
looked after him for the rest of his life.

God is like this good millionaire. Three classes of people approach Him,
with three different desires and prayers. There is the greedy man full of
vanity, full of arrogance, full of desires. He demands the objects of
worldly enjoyment from God. Since this man, whatever be his vile desires,
has had the good sense to approach God, He grants him some part of the
desired objects (even these very soon pass away, just as the two rupees the
first beggar got are spent before nightfall).

The other type of devotee prays to the Lord for relief from the sufferings
of the world, but is better than the first one, in as much as he is ready to
abide by His Will. To him the Lord grants full relief from suffering, and
bestows on him much wealth and property.

The third type he merely prays to the Lord: "O Lord, Thou art
Existence-Absolute, Knowledge-Absolute, Bliss-Absolute, etc., etc." What
does he want? Nothing. But the Lord is highly pleased with his spirit of
renunciation, of desirelessness and of self-surrender. Therefore, He makes
him eat His own food, I.e., He grants this man Supreme Devotion to Himself.
Over and above this, He makes the devotee to live in His own House For ever
afterwards this devotee dwells in the Lord's Abode as a Liberated Sage