Based on The Faith Book by Kadamba Kanana Swami
The Devout Scholar and the Sacred Scriptures
In a quiet village, under the shade of a large neem tree, lived a brāhmaṇa who was well-versed in all the Vedas. He was respected and revered, for he had memorized countless ślokas and performed rituals with strict discipline. Every morning, he would sit and recite the scriptures with profound articulation and a sense of pride.
One day, while reading a verse glorifying the Lord’s loving nature, he paused. The line spoke of Kṛṣṇa as the friend of the fallen, the savior of sinners, the Lord who embraces even the unworthy with compassion.
The brāhmaṇa frowned. “Impossible,” he whispered. “Why would the all-pure Lord touch the impure? Why would He embrace sinners? This verse must be mistaken.” And with that, he crossed out the line with his quill.
An Unexpected Visitor
That night, as the brāhmaṇa lay on his bed, he had a vivid dream. The temple Deity of the Lord, who stood adorned with yellow silk and a peacock feather, walked into his room.
But to the brāhmaṇa’s shock, the Lord’s chest was bleeding.
Startled, the brāhmaṇa cried, “My Lord! Who has wounded You like this?”
The Lord looked at him with gentle eyes and replied, “You did.”
“Me? How is that possible?”
“When you doubted the verse that declares My love for the fallen,” the Lord said, “you wounded My heart. That line is dear to Me, for it proclaims My true nature. You cut it out from scripture, but in doing so, you cut Me.”
The Brāhmaṇa’s Awakening
The brāhmaṇa fell to his knees in the dream, sobbing. “Forgive me! I judged You by my pride. I thought myself too pure to accept Your mercy in its fullness. I forgot that it is You who lift us up, not our own purity.”
He awoke, trembling with remorse. From that day on, he no longer read the scriptures to glorify himself or to prove his knowledge. He read to understand the depth of the Lord’s compassion—for even the lowliest soul.
The Lesson of Divine Compassion
This story reminds us that Kṛṣṇa does not belong only to saints and scholars. He is the Lord of the fallen, the refuge of the unworthy. When we try to limit His mercy to the qualified, we hurt the very heart of bhakti.
True devotion begins when we realize that it is not our greatness that brings us close to Him—but His mercy alone.
A Verse to Remember
api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ“Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is rightly situated.”
— Bhagavad-gītā 9.30
