The Ascetic and the Fruit Seller
A poor fruit seller approached a king’s court, holding a basket of luscious fruit. A great sage sat nearby. She offered him some fruit in charity. The sage blessed her: “May the dust from your feet be blessed.”
She humbly said, “What dust is mine to bless anyone?” But the sage meant it—the dust touched by the feet of a humble devotee can uplift the world.
Divine Reward for Devotion
Because of her simple act of charity to a saint, the fruit seller was granted unimaginable prosperity and spiritual joy. She remained humble and never stopped offering to others.
Lessons to Be Learned
1. Humility is the Real Ornament of a Devotee
Śrīla Prabhupāda taught that the more spiritually advanced a person becomes, the more humble they are. The fruit seller’s humility attracted divine mercy.
2. Devotional Service, No Matter How Small, Bears Eternal Fruit
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes that even a single grain of bhakti never goes in vain. A few fruits given with love to a saint became the cause of her eternal blessings.
3. The Dust of the Devotee is Sacred
Vaiṣṇava saints declare that touching the dust of a devotee’s feet is more purifying than bathing in sacred rivers. This story reminds us that sincere devotees carry with them the power to transform the hearts of others.
