There was a good-natured millionaire in the town. Three 
beggars thought of approaching him for help. The first man went to the 
millionaire and said: "O Lord! I want five rupees. Please give me." The 
millionaire was taken aback at this man's impudence. "What! You demand 
five rupees from me as though I owe you the money! How dare you? How can
 I afford to give five rupees to a single beggar? Here, take these two 
rupees and get away," he said. The man went away with the two rupees. 
The
 next beggar went to the millionaire and said: "Oh Lord! I have not 
taken a square meal for the past ten days. Please help me."
 "How much do you want?" asked the millionaire. 
"Whatever you give me, Maharaj," replied the beggar.
 "Here, take this ten rupee note. You can have nice food for at least 
three days." The beggar walked away with the ten rupee note. 
 The third beggar came. "Oh Lord, I have heard about your noble 
qualities. Therefore, I have come to see you. Men of such charitable 
disposition are verily the manifestations of God on earth," he said. 
"Please
 sit down," said the millionaire. "You appear to be tired. Please take 
this food," he said, and offered food to the beggar.
 "Now please tell me what I can do for you." 
 "Oh Lord," replied the beggar; "I merely came to meet such a  noble 
personage that you are. You have given me this rich food already. What 
more need I get from you? You have already shown extraordinary kindness 
towards me. May God bless you!" 
 But the
 millionaire, struck by the beggar's spirit, begged of the beggar to 
remain with him, built a decent house for him in his own compound, and 
looked after him for the rest of his life. 
 God is like this good millionaire. Three classes of people approach 
Him, with three different desires and prayers. There is the greedy man 
full of vanity, full of arrogance, full of desires. He demands the 
objects of worldly enjoyment from God. Since this man, whatever be his 
vile desires, has had the good sense to approach God, He grants him some
 part of the desired objects (even these very soon pass away, just as 
the two rupees the first beggar got are spent before nightfall). 
 The other type of devotee prays to the Lord for relief from the 
sufferings of the world, but is better than the first one, in as much as
 he is ready to abide by His Will. To him the Lord grants full relief 
from suffering, and bestows on him much wealth and property. 
 The third type  he merely prays to the Lord: "O Lord, Thou art 
Existence-Absolute, Knowledge-Absolute, Bliss-Absolute, etc., etc." What
 does he want? Nothing. But the Lord is highly pleased with his spirit 
ofrenunciation, of desirelessness and of self-surrender. Therefore, He 
makes him eat His own food, i.e., He grants this man Supreme Devotion to
 Himself. Over and above this, He makes the devotee to live in His own 
House For ever afterwards this devotee dwells in the Lord's Abode as a 
Liberated Sage
Pramod Bhalerao
Pramod Bhalerao
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