Based on The Faith Book by Kadamba Kanana Swami
A Temple Rising from Dust
In a village glowing with bhakti, the devotees had begun building a temple for Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Bricks were laid with songs, mortar mixed with tears of devotion. Yet the funds were few, and progress was slow. The villagers, though poor, gave what they could—grain, cloth, even their labor.
Then came a rich merchant, riding in a fine cart, his chest broad, and his voice louder than the temple bells. Seeing the humble efforts, he declared, “I will donate one lakh of gold coins. This temple shall rise in no time!”
An Offering with Ego
He summoned a scribe, summoned the villagers, and announced his donation with great fanfare. “Write my name on the main pillar,” he said. “Engrave it where all can see who made this happen.”
The devotees nodded respectfully but said, “Let us see how Kṛṣṇa accepts offerings—not from wealth, but from the heart.”
The Widow’s Two Coins
That same day, an elderly widow approached with trembling hands. She offered just two copper coins—her entire savings, stored over months by eating half her meals and sleeping on the floor. She placed them quietly in the donation box, whispering, “O Rādhā, O Kṛṣṇa, please accept my love.”
No one heard her words. No one saw her tears. But Someone did.
The Dream of the Deity
That night, the head pujārī had a dream. The Deity of Kṛṣṇa smiled and said, “When you inscribe the temple donors, carve that widow’s name at the top. Her offering carries more weight in My heart than the merchant’s fortune.”
The pujārī awoke in awe and shared the vision. The merchant bowed his head in shame. “Indeed,” he said, “my coins were heavy with pride. Her coins were weightless, yet filled with love.”
Love Is the True Currency
This story reveals a precious truth: the Lord is not impressed by gold, but by devotion. One who gives with love—no matter how little—pleases the Lord more than those who give with pomp and pride.
What we give matters less than how we give it. Bhakti is not measured in coins but in the softness of the heart.
A Verse to Remember
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I accept it.”
— Bhagavad-gītā 9.26
