The Fruits Of Desireless Actions - An Amazing Story

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Once upon a time, there was a chakravarti (the universal) king. At one time, on account of a lack of rain in a distant part of his kingdom, there was famine. The news reached the king, and he ordered that a canal must be excavated in that area, so that there would be no fear of a possible famine in future.
The excavation of the canal began, and the progress of the work was duly reported to the king every day. The work proceeded at a good pace. But an unusual thing was noticed.
There was one labourer, who reported for the job every day, worked full time with total zeal, but remained absent at the time of payment of daily wages. Days, months, and even a whole year went by, but he didn’t ever come to receive his wages. The canal approached completion, but he still didn’t come to claim his wages. The issue then was as to what to do with all his wages.
The king decided to have the darshan of such a worker, and he walked to that far off place from his capital in the name of resolving the problem. After reaching there, he sent for the selfless worker and tried to give him his money. But the worker said: "Sir, I don’t want to accept this money. You spent so much from the
royal treasury to excavate this canal, so I also served the cause by way of this physical labour. Please, divide this money among these other workers. I work elsewhere at night and feed myself with whatever I am able to earn." The king was deeply impressed by the reply of this labourer, and he reflected: "What a selfless man! What a DHARMATMA (moral man)! This man deserves to be my minister." And with that view in mind, the king took that man to his capital and made him his minister. The labourer thus became the minister of the state,
but he didn’t change his habits. The salary for the post was one lakh rupees, but he took only a very nominal sum out of this salary to meet his needs and the rest of the portion remained untouched in the royal treasury.
The account-keepers informed the king of this new development & sought his opinion as to what to do with this little less than a lakh of rupees out of the minister’s salary. The king marvelled at the ways of his new minister: "He works so efficiently, yet has no desire for name and fame. How so very much committed to dharma & moral conduct he is! Why should I not put him in charge of all my duties? That way the public shall get a good ruler, and I shall have an opportunity to meditate upon God." The king followed the dictates of his
conscience, placed the minister on the throne, and took himself to a solitary residence. How self-evident is the fruit of a selfless action? You see! The king went to confer with the worker, and in the end gave him his own throne. Similarly, God comes to meet the person engaged in selfless action, & in the end gives that person his
own post.

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