The Best Harvest

As she went about her housework, there was a call from someone outside the door.

“Swamin, we are Srivaishnavas traveling to the next village. Can we get some water to quench our thirst?”

The lady hurried out, welcomed the tired travellers, seated them comfortably and offered them water, noting their fatigue.

“My husband has gone out somewhere, but you are welcome to rest here. Please wait for a while, and partake of some food in our humble abode.”

The weary travellers gladly agreed to the offer.

She rushed inside, got the wood fire going, and pulled out the pots and pans to start cooking. Peering into the grain bin, she was dismayed. The rice in it was too less to suffice for the entire group of people she had promised to feed!

She rushed to the store room. No rice there either!

Panic-stricken, she fell back on her first resort in such situations.

She began praying to her Acharyar and chanting the names of the Lord, as her gaze darted here and there in the store room.

In a few minutes, she walked back into the kitchen, carrying a small bundle in her hand, and began cooking in earnest.

Pic courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1W151ASJJX/ 

One hour later, the Srivaishnavas had been served, and they left, thanking and blessing the woman for her kind hospitality.

The next morning, the woman’s husband returned home. He had brought along someone to help with the work of sowing their fields. Rummaging amongst the sacks in the store room, he called out to his wife.

“Have you seen the bundle of paddy I had saved up to sow our next crop? I’m sure I had kept it here, but it seems to have disappeared!”

She walked up to him with a tremulous smile.

“The sowing has been completed.”

“What?! How? When? By whom? Don’t tell me the crop is ready to be harvested, too!” the farmer chided.

“Yesterday, I did the sowing. And we will harvest the crop in Srivaikuntham, although I don’t know when exactly that will happen!”

In the Bhagavad Geeta, Sri Krishna says:

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्र: करुण एव च | 

निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: समदु:खसुख: क्षमी || 13||

सन्तुष्ट: सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चय: | 

मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्त: स मे प्रिय: || 14||

adveṣhṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva cha
nirmamo nirahankāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣhamī

santuṣhṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛiḍha-niśhchayaḥ
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ

Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 12, verses 13-14

"Those devotees are very dear to Me who are free from malice toward all living beings, who are friendly, and compassionate. They are free from attachment to possessions and egotism, equipoised in happiness and distress, and ever-forgiving. They are ever-content, steadily united with Me in devotion, self-controlled, of firm resolve, and dedicated to Me in mind and intellect."



मत्कर्मकृन्मत्परमो मद्भक्त: सङ्गवर्जित: | 

निर्वैर: सर्वभूतेषु य: स मामेति पाण्डव || 55||

mat-karma-kṛin mat-paramo mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣhu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava

Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 11, verse 55

Those who perform all their duties for My sake, who depend upon Me and are devoted to Me, who are free from attachment, and are without malice toward all beings, such devotees certainly come to Me.

On today's auspicious occasion of Pongal and Makara Sankranti, let us pray that the Lord guides us to strive for the right harvest!