Based on The Faith Book by Kadamba Kanana Swami
The Scheming Thief
In a town rich with temples and golden domes, there lived a thief whose heart had long turned to stone. While others bowed with folded palms, he only saw jewels, crowns, and treasure. The Deities, to him, were not the Supreme Lord, but adorned idols ripe for theft.
One day, as he wandered past a temple, his eyes fixed upon the beautiful form of the Deity. Dressed in fine silk, crowned with gold, and ornamented with shining gems, the Lord stood in divine stillness. The thief’s heart stirred—but not with devotion.
“That crown must be worth a fortune,” he thought. “And those bangles… perhaps enough to last me a lifetime.”
A Night of Sinful Intent
That night, cloaked in darkness, the thief returned. He scaled the temple walls, crept across the courtyard, and stepped before the Lord’s altar. A single lamp flickered, casting shadows across the Lord’s smiling face.
The thief raised his hand toward the crown—but something stopped him. Not fear. Not doubt. But a presence. A warmth. A gentle force that seemed to say, “I see you. I know you.”
Still, he reached again—but before he could touch the Deity, he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
The Lord’s Intervention
In a vision more real than waking life, the thief saw the Deity approach him—not as a statue, but as a radiant person, glowing with compassion.
“Why have you come, My child?” the Lord asked, not with anger, but with love.
The thief stammered, “I… I came for Your jewels. I thought You would be helpless.”
The Lord smiled. “You came with the desire to take from Me. But now I will give you something far greater—Myself.”
Transformation by Grace
When the thief awoke, it was dawn. Birds chirped, and the sun rose gently behind the temple towers. He found himself lying at the altar’s foot—his heart transformed.
He didn’t flee. Instead, he bowed. For the first time in his life, he felt tears—not of fear or failure, but of repentance.
He offered his life to the Lord. That very day, he began to serve in the temple—not to steal, but to clean, to offer flowers, to sing.
The Lord Accepts All
The thief had approached the Lord with sin, but was embraced with grace. Because the Lord does not demand perfection—He only desires a heart willing to turn toward Him.
This story reminds us that even the most fallen can be lifted. No one is too far gone. The moment we step into the Lord’s presence—even with the wrong intentions—He begins the work of transformation.
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 will accept it.”
— Bhagavad-gītā 9.26
Even a thief’s broken heart, when offered with a hint of sincerity, becomes a gift the Lord joyfully accepts.
