The Devotee

A parable from ancient India

One day, Vishnu was visiting Narada, the divine sage. After welcoming and seating Vishnu, Narada said to him: "I speak of your name day and night, O' Vishnu, I must be your greatest devotee". Vishnu replied that great as was Narada's devotion to him, he could not call his devotion to be the greatest. Somewhat surprised by that assessment, Narada asked Vishnu as to who was this person who was a greater devotee than him?

Vishnu then pointed Narada to a simple farmer, who at that hour was carrying a jug of water from the river to his home for his family. And even while accomplishing this task, he was chanting Vishnu's name. Narada asked Vishnu: "Why is this devotee greater than I? After all, I chant your name all the time too!" Vishnu then asked Narada to accomplish the same task of carrying water from the river to the farmer's house. Narada immediately entered the earthly realm and went about carrying a jug of water from the river to the farmer's house - but all through the journey he was worried about dropping the jug and spilling the water. But he managed to accomplish the task and returned to his heavenly abode, where Vishnu was waiting for him. Narada said "I have completed what you asked of me. But I am not sure what you were trying to point out?". Vishnu asked Narada: " How many times did you remember me while accomplishing this task?". Narada, taken somewhat aback and a little embarassed, replied "Not once. I was so caught up in the task of taking the jug to the farmer's home without dropping any water from it that I did not remember you even once".

This simple story illustrates the phenomenal principle of awakening and the importance attached to that matter. Repeating Vishnu's name is an act of awakening, a realization of consciousness. This method has been used across multiple parables to convey the connection to totality - but since there are no words to describe the totality - the simple phrase of "repeating Vishnu's name" conveys the meaning adequately.

Narada and Vishnu are conversing in the realm of the One life, where awareness is complete and whole. However, in the world of form, where the farmer lives - his realization of this unity with the One is the act of bringing aware consciousness into the world of form - thus fulfilling his destiny and the purpose of creation itself. Narada's inability to bring this conscious realization into his earthly act is a pointer to the ease with which we get lost in the world of form - worried only about spilling water from the jug - than about awakening from the world of dream.