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Your rice is
growing cold, she said. And then, so that he would not feel
offended, she added, Please explain more to me. Would not a very
gracious king carry gifts to his subjects himself if he were pleased
with their loyalty? Have there not been rajas who distributed their
own treasure to the poor? And did not the Lord Krishna Himself
bestow a palace upon Vidura?
Before he answered,
Niranjan closed the manuscript, entered the house. and offered his
rice to the Lord with folded hands, then deftly rolling a bit of it
between his fingers, he popped the ball into his mouth.
A king, he
said patiently; presides over the giving of gifts. He does not
personally carry them from door to door. What an idea! As for Sri
Krishna, the word you used was most correct: bestow. He bestowed the
palace, for He was pleased with the devotion of Vidura. Did He carry
the palace on His back? It is not necessary for the Lord to carry
things. His power is so great that He need merely will and all is
accomplished. Indeed, the example you give is a very good case in
point. Niranjan finished his bowl of rice and rinsed his hands
in the water that Prema poured for him. Then he folded his arms. Let
me give you another example. The sun does not come down from the sky
to enliven the earth, tending personally to each individual blade of
grass. But by its light it makes the whole earth flourish. Can you
not understand the difference?
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