There was a learned man who, for several years, longed to be shown the way to God. Everyday, he sat apart from men and prayed that he might be brought into contact with a Sage, a Saint, and a Knower of Truth.

One day, as he sat in prayer, he heard a Voice say, "Go to such and such a place, and you will meet the man who will show you the way to blessedness and bliss!"

Great was his joy when he heard the words. Forthwith he went to the place indicated by the Voice. He was surprised to find a man, humble, simple, poor, with tattered cloths on his body, his feet soiled with mud. The learned man looked all around him, but found no other man seated there. So, to this man, he said, "Good morning to you!"

Quietly, answered the poor man, "I have never had a bad morning!"

"God give you good luck!" said the learned man.

"I have never had ill-luck!" answered the poor man.

The learned man's astonishment grew. "May you be happy!" he said to the poor man.

To which the poor man answered, "I have never been unhappy!"

"I am unable to understand," said the learned man, "Pray explain it all to me."

"Gladly," said the poor man. "You wished me a good morning. I have never had a bad morning. For, if I do not get food to eat, I praise God. If it rains or snows, or if the weather is foul, I still praise God. If I am despised and have no human company, I praise God! So I have never had a bad morning, never an evil day.

"You wished me good luck: but I have never had ill-luck. For I always dwell at the Lotus Feet of the Lord: and I know that whatever God sends to me is the very best that can ever happen to me. I cheerfully accept everything that comes to me – health or sickness, prosperity or adversity, joy or sorrow – as a gift from God. I have never had ill- luck.

"You wished me happiness. I have never been unhappy. For the deepest longing of my heart is to live in union with God's Will, and I have so entirely yielded my will to the Will of God, that what God wills, I will!"

Astonished, the learned man asked, "What if God's Will should cast you into hell?"

"Cast me into hell!" exclaimed the poor man. "God too loves to do that. But even if He sends me to hell, I should have two arms with which to embrace Him. One is the arm of humility, the other of love. With them I should so embrace Him that He would have to go to hell with me. I would rather be in hell and be with God, than be in heaven and remain away from God!"

The poor man taught that in self-surrender, in utter humility, is the simplest, surest, nearest way to God.

When asked who he was, he answered, "I am a king!"

He was the very picture of destitution: and yet he felt he was a king! For he had learnt to walk the way of acceptance. He accepted all that came his way and rejoiced in all that happened. He expected nothing: he hoped for nothing: he needed nothing: he lacked nothing.

Was he not the richest of men on earth?

A pious missionary went out on business. All of a sudden his three sons died of cholera. His wife covered the three dead bodies of her beloved children with a sheet and was awaiting her husband at the gate. When he returned, she detained him at the gate and put him the question, "My dear husband, some one entrusts something to you and in your absence suddenly takes it back. Will you feel sorry?" He replied, "Certainly I would not". Then she took him in, removed the sheet and showed the three corpses. He bore this calmly and buried the bodies. Such is the strength of mind of those who hold firm faith in the existence of an all-merciful God who disposes of everything in the universe.

There is an old story of an astrologer who came to a king and said, 'You are going to die in six months.' The king was frightened out of his wits and was almost about to die then and there from fear. But his minister was a clever man, and this man told the king that these astrologers were fools. The king would not believe him. So the minister saw no other way to make the king see that they were fools but to invite the astrologer to the palace again. There he asked him if his calculations were correct. The astrologer said that there could not be a mistake, but to satisfy him he went through the whole of the calculations again and then said that they were perfectly correct. The king's face became livid. The minister said to the astrologer, 'And when do you think that you will die?' 'In twelve years', was the reply. The minister quickly drew his sword and separated the astrologer's head from the body and said to the king, 'Do you see this liar? He is dead this moment.'

To worship is inherent in every man's nature; only the highest philosophy can rise to pure abstraction. So man will ever personify his God in order to worship Him. This is very good, as long as the symbol, be it what it may, is worshipped as a symbol of the Divinity behind and not in and for itself. Above all, we need to free ourselves from the superstition of believing because 'it is in the books'… There was once a stag, proud and free, and he talked in a lordly fashion to his child, 'Look at me, see my powerful horns! With one thrust I can kill a man; it is a fine thing to be a stag!' Just then the sound of the huntsman's bugle was heard in the distance, and the stag precipitately fled, followed by his wondering child. When they had reached a place of safety, he inquired, 'Why do you fly before man, O my father, when you are so strong and brave?' The stag answered, 'My child, I know I am strong and powerful, but when I hear that sound, something seizes me and makes me fly whether I will or no.' So with us. We hear the 'bugle sound' of the laws laid down in the books, habits and old superstitions lay hold of us; and before we know it, we are fast bound and forget our real nature which is freedom. (CW, 8:33-34)

There is a beautiful story, in one of the old books, about a great king who showed compassion to others. I will tell you that story. There was once a king called Ranti Deva. He was the son of Sankriti. He was known as the good King, for he always gave to the poor both money and food.

Sometimes he gave away all that he had, and he and his family used often to go without food so that they might feed the hungry.

Once he, and those who were with him, had been without food for many days and they were very hungry. Some one brought them some food, some nice fresh milk, and ghi and barley and water. They were just going to sit down and take the food, when a Brahmana guest came in and asked for some, for he also was hungry. Ranti Deva was very pleased to give him food and served him first.

When the Brahmana had eaten he went away, and then Ranti Deva divided what food remained so that all had equal portions. Just as he was going to eat his portion a Shudra came in and asked for some food. Ranti Deva gave him some, although he had not yet had any himself; so the Shudra had some food and he went away.

There was not much left, but before Ranti Deva could take any, a man came in with a pack of dogs, and he also wanted food. The good King gave all that remained of the food to the man and the dogs, and all that was left was one cup of water.

The man and the dogs also went away, and Ranti Deva was just going to take a drink of water, for he was very thirsty, and that was all that remained. Just at that moment a poor beggar came up and cried out " I am so thirsty, so thirsty, I pray you give me water". He was only an outcaste but he was tired and miserable. The kind and loving King took the cup of water that he was going to drink, and gave it to that poor beggar. While he was holding the cup so that the poor man could drink easily, Ranti Deva felt full of love and said: "I no longer feel the pain of hunger and thirst. All I ask of Hari is to let me bear the pain and sorrow of others, so that I may help them and take away their miseries".

Ranti Deva shows us how we may be kind to all, how should help all, whether Brahmanas or Shudras, outcastes or beggars. We cannot give away all our food, as this good King Ranti Deva did, but we may often be able to give some to those who are hungry. Even little children can always do little deeds of love to those who are ill or in trouble. We must feel love for all, no matter whether they are of our own family or strangers, whether they are rich or poor, Brahmanas or outcastes.

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?

That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ... please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."

With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.