The Bad Man Who Was Preferred by God

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The Bad Man Who Was Preferred by God

The loving Lord of the Universe has always visited ardent devotees. Sometimes before doing so He sends messengers to find out those devotees who are worthy of darshan (a vision or sight of the Lord). In India they tell a story about the time God sent Narada back to earth. In the West, Narada might be described as an archangel.

He was a glorious being, freed from birth and death, and ever close to the Lord. During a former incarnation on earth he had been a great devotee of God and so it seemed that he should be easily able to discover others who were pursuing the Lord with will and ardor.

Narada the archangel now came to earth incognito, garbed as an ascetic. In mountains and valleys and jungles all over India he sought out the hermits and renunciants whose thoughts were centered on God and who performed all actions only for Him.

While ambling through a dark woodland one day, he spied a hoary anchorite practicing different kinds of postures and undergoing penances under the cool shade of huge umbrella-like tamarind tree. As if he were merely a leisurely wanderer, Narada approached and greeted the ascetic, inquiring curiously, “Who are you, and what are you doing?”

“My name is Bhadraka,” the hermit replies. “I am an old anchorite. I have been practicing rigorous physical discipline for eighty years.”

He added disconsolately, “without achieving any marked results.” Narada then introduced himself: ” I am a special messenger sent by the Lord of the Universe to seek out His true devotees.”

Realizing that at last his opportunity had come, the anchorite pompously assured Narada of his worthiness to be honored by the Lord. “Esteemed Emissary,” he said, “surely your eyes are now beholding the greatest devotee of the Lord on this earth. Think of it, for eighty years, rain or shine I have practiced every imaginable technique of torturous mental and physical self-discipline to attain knowledge and to find merit in the Lord’s eyes.”

Narada was impressed, “Even though I am from those higher planes where greater accomplishments are possible, I am very much touched by your persistence,” he assured the old man.

Bhadraka had been brooding on his grievances while talking to Narada, and instead of being comforted by Narada’s words, he spoke angrily. “Well then, since you are so close to the Lord, please find out why He has kept away from me for so long. When next you meet Him, do ask why He has not responded to my disciplinary exercise. Will you promise me that?”

Narada agreed to the old man’s request, and then resumed his search for earnest devotees of God. In one place he paused to watch a most amusing incident taking place at the roadside.

A very handsome and determined young man was trying to build a fence. Unfortunately he was dead drunk, and his senses kept deceiving him. He had dug a series of holes for fence posts, and was trying in vain to fit an unwieldy bamboo pole in one of the elusive holes. He would thump the pole on the ground all around, but he could not get it in the hole. Several times he fumbled forward and almost tripped himself.

At first Narada thought his spectacle was very funny. But the young man began to call upon the Lord to come and help him, and when this brought no results, he became angry and began to threaten God with curses and shouts: “You unfeeling, lazy God, what a fine friend You are! Come here now and help me fix my pole in this hole, or I’ll thrust the bamboo right through Your hard heart.”

Just then the young man’s wandering gaze fastened on Narada, standing shocked and agape at the drunken one’s temerity. His wrath diverted, the young man exclaimed, “You good-for-nothing idler, how dare you just to stand there, staring at me like that?” Taken aback, Narada said meekly: “Shall I help you to set your pole?”

“No,” growled the young man, I will accept no help but that of my Divine Friend, that sly Eluder who has been playing hide-and-seek with me, who is even now hiding behind the clouds, trying to evade working with me.”

“You drunken fool,” said Narada, “aren’t you afraid to curse the omnipresent Lord?”

“Oh no, He understands me better than you do,” was the instant reply. “And who are you anyway?” demanded the swaying your man, trying to keep his eye focused on the visitor.

Narada answered truthful: “I am a messenger from the all-powerful Lord, and I am searching out His true devotees on earth.”

“Oh!” the youn man exclaimed eagerly. “In that case I ask you to please put in a good word for me when you see the Divine Friend. Even though I behave badly now and then, and abuse the powers he gave me, please do remind Him about me. And ask Him why He has been delaying His visit to me, and when He is coming, for I have been waiting and waiting and always expecting Him.”

Narada felt sorry for the fellow, and so half reluctantly, he agreed to the man’s request, although he was privately thinking that his drunkard would have very little chance of meeting the Lord!

After Narada had traveled all over, and noted the names and accomplishments of many devotees, he suddenly felt so lonely for the Lord’s loving smile that he discarded his earthly form and rushed straight to the heavenly abode, as swiftly as thought could carry him. In an instant he was there before the Beloved One, surrounded by a warm glow of divine love.

“Welcome, dear Narada, ” said the Lord gently, and the light from His lotus eye melted the last vestige of earthly tension that clung to His messenger’s aura. “Tell Me abut your earthly excursions.” Narada gave a full report, ending with the descriptions of the two devotees who seemed to exemplify opposite ends of the scale of virtue—the pious old anchorite and the intoxicated young man with the pole.

“You know, Beloved Lord, sometimes I think you are too hard to please, and even cruel,” Narada said seriously. “Think how you treated that anchorite Bhadraka, who has been waiting for eighty years for you, under a tamarind tree. You know whom I mean!” The Lord thought for a moment an even sought a response from His all-recording heart, but He answered, “No, I don’t remember him.”

“Why how an that be possible?” Narada exclaimed. “That devoted man has been practicing all sorts of harsh disciplines these eighty years just to attract Your attention.” But the Lord only shrugged indifferently. “No matter what the anchorite has been practicing, he has not yet touched My heart. What next?”

“Well,” Narada began hesitantly, “by the roadside, I met—”

“Oh, yes,” the Divine One broke in, “you met a drunken young man.”

“Now how do You happen to remember him?” Narada asked complainingly. “Perhaps because the sacrilegious young fool was trying to pole You with a bamboo pole?”

The Lord laughed heartily, and seemed to be thinking about the impudent yung man for some time before he turned His attention to the sulky-faced Narada. “O My Narada,” He said lovingly, “don’t be angry and sarcastic with Me, for I shall prove to you which of these two men you have just told Me about is My true devotee.”

Having captured Narada’s interest in the experiment, the Lord continued: “This is really very simple. Go back to the earth again, and first report to the anchorite Bhadraka under the tamarind tree and say: ‘I have your message to the Lord of the Universe, but He is very busy now passing millions of elephants through the eye of a needle. When He gets through doing this, He will visit you.’ After you get the anchorite’s reaction to that, then go and tell that same thing to the drunken young man and watch his reaction. Then you will understand.”

Although Narada was baffled by the Lord’s instructions, he had long since learned unquestioning faith in the command of the Lord, so he thought himself back to earth and was at once standing under the tamarind tree, fact to face with the long-suffering anchorite.

The ancient one looked up at him expectantly, but after the strange message had been delivered, he flew into a rage and began to shout.

“Get out, you mocking messenger, and your lying Lord, and all the rest of your crazy crowd. Whoever heard of anyone passing elephants through the eye of a needle: What it means is that He’ll never come. Maybe there isn’t any Lord to come anyway.” He was now trembling with fury and brandishing a pilgrim’s staff. “I’ve wasted my life! This eighty years of discipline was nothing but folly! I’m through, do you hear? through trying to please a crazy non-existent God. Now I am sane again. For what little is left of life I am going to resume my long-neglected earthy pursuits.”

Narada was too horrified to say a word, so he just disappeared. But the second part of mission was not yet fulfilled; dubiously he came again to the roadside where he had met the noisy young man. The fellow was still there, and if possible more drunk than ever. The fence was not yet completed and he was laboring to bring the holes and bamboo poles together.

But no sooner had Narada appeared on the scene than the youth’s earthly intoxication seemed to leave him. In its place a premonition of great joy caused a divine intoxication which lighted his features as he came running and crying, “Hey there, Narada, what is my Friend’s reply to my message? What is His answer? When is He coming?”

When he heard the Lord’ strange message he was not at all disconcerted, he began to dance around and around with joy, half speaking, half chanting: “He, who can send worlds through the eye of a needle in an instant if He desires, has already finished passing those elephants though the eye of a needle. Now, any minute, He will be with me, and when He comes He shall touch me but once and I shall change. All my evil actions and bad habits will be drowned in my overwhelming love for Him.”

So the young man danced in heavenly ecstasy, as do many devotees in India when divine joy becomes too great for their bodies.

The feeble flesh cannot hold such immense bliss and—lest the very atoms fly apart and release their energy to the Divine Source which calls them—this bliss spills over into tears or into rhythmic movements of kirtana, into singing and dancing as an expression of this joy.

And now as the young man danced blissfully, Narada joined him, and soon they found the laughing, lotus-eyed Lord was dancing with them.

MORAL

If you ever feel smug about practicing the techniques, I hope you will think of this story and be jolted into seeing things again in their true perspective. Practice of technique is not enough. Intellectual attainments are no enough. Going to church regularly or performing good actions in a mechanical way because “it is the thing to do” will never bring Self-realization.

Students who resemble the anchorite may strive for years, only to turn aside from the path in a moment if reason tells them they have been misled. Like the anchorite who “knew” that elephants cannot pas through the eye of a needle, they try limit God’s powers and manifestations to conform to their own small comprehension.

But devotees who resemble the young man know that even if they have not been able to give up bad habits they can bring God closer and closer by constantly calling upon Him and expecting Him to be present at all times—to take part in their daily lives as well as to respond to them in their moments of prayer.

They know that all things are possible in God, and that most understanding lies beyond the intellect. When the devotee insistently demands the assistance and presence of God, lovingly visualizing Him and believing in His Omnipresence, then the Lord will reveal Himself in some form. With the dawning of the light of His revelation, the darkness of evil habits will automatically be banished to reveal the untainted soul.

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