The Sadhu blesses the Villagers
Bhagavat-Sangi-Sangasya
Once upon a time, a holy sadhu was on a long pilgrimage with his disciple. Tired of the strenuous journey, they stoped to rest under a banyan tree in the outskirts of a village. The holy sage seated himself in lotus posture to meditate on God. On the way to the village, a poor brahmin happened to see the sadhu. Immediately he offered him obeisance. The sadhu pleased with him, blessed him – “May you die now.” The brahmin, kind of puzzled, bowed down and left.
After sometime, the royal prince, out on a hunting adventure, passed along that road. He and his entourage stoped before the sadhu and paid him obeisance. The sadhu blessed the prince – “May you live forever”. The prince very blissfully returned to the palace. After some time, a poor butcher was passing by. He was returning from the neighboring village with his a plump goat with legs tied up together. He put down the goat to the side of the road and bowed to the sadhu. The sadhu raised his hands and said – “May you neither live nor die”. The naïve butcher couldn’t understand what it meant. Anyways, he picked up the goat and walked off to the village.
Again the sadhu resumed his meditation. Suddenly he was disturbed by his disciple – “Swami, look there goes a sanyasi.” Immediately the sage got up and bowed down to the sanyansi. In turn, he also bowed down to the sage. Then peacefully as he came, he walked away into the jungle. The sage looked up at the sky with a calm smile on his face. Staring into the infinite expanse of the zenith, he spoke to himself – “May he neither live, nor die”.
The sage stretched himself on the cloth to rest for sometime while the disciple sat massaging his feet. As he was reflecting over the day’s events, he was bewildered at the weird blessings the sage gave to his visitors. Curious, he asked the sage – “Swami, you met four people since morning under this tree. And you spoke four different things for each of them. I couldn’t understand what they meant. Please, out of your causeless mercy upon this surrendered soul, explain to me the significance of your statements.”
The wise sage, pleased by his disciple’s desire to know, spoke thus – “We first met the Brahmin. He is living a very austere life in service of God. He is practically a pauper, doesn’t get good food, doesn’t even have a wife and he is suffering the troubles of this world. But if he dies, he will be rewarded for his austerities and will enjoy the pleasures of heaven. So I blessed him saying that he dies now.
“Next we met the prince. His day begins and ends with sense gratification, violence, exploitation and intoxication. He is thoroughly enjoying his life. But if he were to die, for all his sinful activities he will suffer in the darkest regions of the netherworlds. So it is best for him to live on like this forever.
The next visitor was the butcher. He is also struggling to somehow make the two ends meet. Life is not very blissful for him. But he is killing innocent animals every day for his belly. So if he dies, he will also suffer terribly in hell for his sinful activities. Now or later, he is doomed to suffer. So I said – you neither live nor die.
“Our last visitor was the holy sanyasi. He is pure and untouched by the material world around him. He is always absorbed in thinking, speaking, hearing and serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. When he dies, he will go back to the abode of Krishna and there also he will be blissfully engaged in loving service of Krishna. So whether he lives or he dies, his situation does not change. He will continue to be absorbed in love of Krishna. So I said – May he either live or die.”