FEBRUARY 2010 - Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publication Trust

Naivedyam offered by him and kept singingthe song daily to please the Lord:“Oh dark-complexioned Lord!Come riding on white GarudaAnd drink this buttermilk.”One day when the cowherd was singing thissong, Lord Vishnu, moved with compassion byhis constant contemplation and unblemisheddevotion, manifested before him in the formof an old Brahmin. On seeing him, there didnot develop in the cowherd the feeling that hewas Lord Vishnu. He therefore asked him, “Sir,who are you and where have you come from?”The old Brahmin replied, “I am Lord Narayanaand I have come in answer to your prayer.” Butthe cowherd did not fi nd any resemblance ofthe old Brahmin with the form of Lord Vishnuwhich the Pauranik had described to him sincehe was neither dark complexioned nor rode onwhite eagle. Every Sadhaka (spiritual seeker)wishes to see the Lord in the form which isdescribed to him. The cowherd therefore sangthis song:“You do not have the formThat has been described to meNor is your form beautiful like that of theLord.”The cowherd then said to the old Brahmin,“Please come here tomorrow at 7 o’clock inthe morning.” Lord Narayana replied that hewould come. The cowherd thought it properto call on the Pauranik and understand fromhim whether the old Brahmin was indeed LordVishnu or not. He at once went to his house,narrated all that had happened and prayed tohim, “Swami! Please come to the bank of theriver tomorrow at 7 o’clock in the morning.”Making fun of the cowherd, the Pauranik said,“I have not yet caught the madness that hasseized you. Get lost, I will not come.” Whenthe poor cowherd pleaded hard before thePauranik with great humility, the Pauranikagreed to go to the river bank at 7 o’clock inthe morning, fi nding no other way to get ridof him. Soon this news spread in the entirevillage. Who was that Brahmin and what wasthis story all about? Out of curiosity, all thevillagers reached the river bank before eventhe break of dawn.As the much-awaited moment approached,everybody eagerly looked for the appearanceof the old Brahmin. Ultimately, the old Brahminappeared. The cowherd said spiritedly to all.“Look! It was he who came yesterday. He isthe same Brahmin.” But except the cowherd,Lord Vishnu did come in the form of an oldBrahmin but he was visible only to the cowherd.the Brahmin was not visible to anyone of thevillagers who had come there. None couldunderstand anything. Everybody thought thatit was all a hoax played by this madcap. Theymade fun of him and even started beatinghim out of anger. Enraged by the beating ofthe villagers, the cowherd gave a hard slap onthe cheek of the Brahmin and shouted loudly,“Have you come to put me into this pitiablecondition? When you are visible to me, whydon’t you reveal yourself to all?” At once, LordFebruary 2010 61