Power
of directive of a saint (I)
A
fascinating display of capabilities of a saint can be seen through
famous story of Sage
Valmiki.
Valya (Earlier name of Valmiki) was a robber. Killing people and
stealing their possession was his business. Once sage Narad was
passing through the forest. Valya stopped him and asked him to be
ready for the death. Sage Narad asked Valya, "Why do you want to
kill me? It is such a grave sin! Do you know the effect of your
action? You will have to go to hell."
Valya
answered, "I am doing it for wife and children. If I do not feed
them, they will die and all of them love me so much."
"Why
don't you go and ask them if they will share your sufferings in the
hell?" asked Narad.
Valya
went to his wife and said, "One person whom I met was telling me
that I will have to go to hell for I am committing sins to feed you
all. Will you go with me to hell to share my suffering?"
Wife
and children flatly refused. They said, " It is your
responsibility to feed us. We are no way interested in how you bring
the food. If you are committing sins, you should suffer. Why should
we?"
This
made Valya to realize the truth of the worldly relationship. He went
back to sage Narad and said, "No one willing to share my grief.
No one loves me. Now what should I do?"
Narad
showed him a tree and said, "Ok. Sit here and go on chanting
Ram, Ram until I come back."
Valya
did not pose even a single question like "How long I'll have to
chant?" "What is the guarantee that you will return?"
He accepted his directives and sat there chanting Ram Ram Ram....
Insects ate his all flesh and he was left with only bones yet he
remained alive through grace of Saint Narad. He continued.
In the end Narad came back to relieve him of the bondage of death and
blessed him with eternal and infinite happiness.