Purity and Truth
Swami says, “Nowadays, service has become more talk and less deed. But the Lord cannot be deceived. He is vigilant and all‑knowing.” Swami illustrates His point with the following story.
Once on a Sivarathri day, Parameshwara and Parvathi were traveling through the sky over Varanasi. Millions of pilgrims crowded the ghats and narrow lanes of the Holy City. The precincts of the Visweswara Temple were filled with devoted men and women singing praises of Siva.
Parvathi turned to her Lord and said, “Look at these millions of human beings. They are all certain to gain heaven, for they are full of devotion and are here on this sacred day. I wonder if heaven can accommodate all of them.” Siva laughed at her innocence. He said, “If everyone who comes to Varanasi on Sivarathri Day can secure heaven, then Varanasi will be heaven. No. We are both in heaven because we have no egoistic desire, no selfish attachments. These people are all so saturated with selfish desire that not one of them can hope to have access to heaven. Can a thief who steals money and then uses the money to buy a ticket to Varanasi climb to heaven? Purity, love, and truth alone can open the gates of bliss. Come, I will prove my thesis—that very few of these people can enter heaven. Let us go into the city as a pair of old, decrepit beggars.”
Hundreds of people were walking along carrying the holy Ganga water in their hands, ready to pour it ceremoniously on the lingam [symbol of creation] in the Visweswara Temple. In full view of them, the bony old man lay on the lap of his aged wife, lolling his tongue in the agony of extreme thirst. The woman appealed piteously for water for her dying husband. “Water, water. Give this man a mouthful and save him for me,” she cried. Not one of the devout came near to relieve his distress. Many cursed her for her shrill cry. Some asked her to stay off the road. A few said they would give him water after they had worshipped in the temple. Many said that begging was a crime and the police should clear the lanes of this nuisance. One or two people laughed and said that the woman was putting on a good show to attract attention. Not one heart melted at the woes of the helpless pair.
At last, one man, moved by sympathy, came near them. He was a pickpocket who had come to the Varanasi ghats to ply his wicked trade. He knelt by the side of the old man and pulled out a gourd, which served as his water bottle. But Parvathi wanted to test whether he had other virtues too. She said, “Thank you, dear brother. But, my husband will drink the water you give only if you describe a good deed you have done while you are pouring the water into his mouth. He is about to die, so tell him of some good deed you have done in your life, and offer its merit to him when you give him the water.” But the hardened thief replied, “No. I have never before done a good deed. This is the first time my heart has melted at a person’s misery. Let the Lord of Varanasi, Visweswara, in the temple yonder, be my witness,” he said as he poured the precious water into the old man’s mouth. At that moment, the Lord appeared in His real form and Parvathi rose as the goddess. They blessed him as the only person entitled to Heaven out of the throng of millions with empty hearts. Truth and love won for him the grace of God.
Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V
