Post lunch at Nilayam, we drifted into talking of life's little (and great) injustices. I was quite eagerly warming up to this discussion, recalling my store of incidents to regale (and I hate to admit this, but this sort of complaining seems to be a distinctly middle-aged phenomenon), when another guru bandhu saved the day. She showed me a little sufi story in an old newspaper, which had been pointed out by Pujya Ammagaru earlier that afternoon:
Once there lived a devotee. His prime concern of life was to remember his spiritual Master and be one with his love. For survival of body and providence for necessities of life, he sold vegetables.With he love for his master in his heart and mind, and a basketful of vegetables, every day he visited the market. Knowing his guile nature, people used to cheat him. Everyday some people would give him counterfeit coins to buy vegetables. Some would even come the next day for exchange of the false coins they had, saying, "Yesterday you gave us this false coin, please exchange for the real one."The devotee without a complain in heart would accept the counterfeit coins.Time passed thus. His body became old and the end of physical life approached. The devotee sat for his final prayer, "Dear beloved, throughout my life I have accepted counterfeit and bogus coins from one and all, never once rejecting or refusing the same. Oh Beloved! Time has come that this counterfeit coin reaches your divine presence. You too, likewise do not reject the useless coin. Kindly accept the same and give it shelter at Your lotus feet."Needless to say, the Lord accept him under the showering Love.
