One Saint had a very devoted disciple who was a rich man. He traveled with one hundred camels loaded with valuable goods and stayed at an inn. At the same time, another disciple of the same Master also stopped there. He visited his Master and told him that his daughter was going to get married, but he did not have a penny.
In India there is a custom that those people whose sons get married do not have to spend much, but those whose daughters get married have to spend a lot of money. So his daughter was getting ready to get married, and he was worried that he had nothing.
Then he turned to the Master with a request to help fulfill his parental duty. The master suggested:
- Okay, take my shoes, I give them to you with pleasure. Keep doing your work and everything will be fine, don't worry about anything.
These shoes were worn and would have no value if they decided to sell them. Therefore, the student was very upset and felt doomed. He was unable to say anything in the presence of the Master and remained confused. He thought that instead of helping him, the Master was playing a joke on him and simply getting rid of him. In a dejected mood, he reached the hotel.
At the same time, the rich student removed the goods from a hundred camels and, walking around the hotel, in one place he smelled the characteristic smell of the Master. “Someone from the Master must be here,” he thought. He stopped near one door. The smell of the Master's incense came from the room where the man with the worn shoes was. The camel owner knocked, the door opened, and he asked:
-Where did you come from?
The man replied that he was with his Master and said his name. The owner of the camels was very happy that he turned out to be a brother in faith, and lovingly hugged him. The poor man told him that he went to the Master for help, but the Master did not give him anything.
“He just fooled me, and now I don’t know what to do,” he said.
And the owner of the camels was very happy that the Master awarded the student with something magnificent that could help his brother in faith. Then he asked:
- Could you sell me what the Master awarded you? I'm here to buy it.
The poor man asked:
- How will you pay me? This is a very insignificant little thing.
Now it became clear to the owner of the camels that his interlocutor did not understand the real value of the gift that the Master awarded him, for he could only think about the material value of the shoes since he needed the money. The camel owner knew that he could buy the shoes for half a dollar or perhaps a dollar. But he also knew that this was unfair, since he knew their true value. Therefore, he must do what is fair and pay the true price for them. He said:
- Well, okay, I don’t have enough money with me to pay the real price for it, but I’ll try to give everything I have to you.
The poor man asked:
- What do you have and what can you offer me?
He explained that he had a hundred camels loaded with goods and suggested:
“So, I can give you all 100 camels and all the goods in addition, and in return you will give me, if you wish, the Master’s blessings.” And then I will be satisfied.
The poor man had never counted on anything like this and asked:
-Are you out of your mind? What are you saying? I only have these old shoes and I have nothing else to give you.
The camel owner replied with understanding:
“I’m in my right mind, and I’ll do what I said.”
The poor man agreed, and was very happy to give those shoes to the rich man, and himself become the owner of a hundred camels with goods. Early in the morning he went home and was very pleased that although the Master did not provide help, at least some crazy person helped him out. It's great that his problem was finally resolved and he got even more than he needed.
At the same time, the man who sold all his goods and all his camels was also very happy that he also earned a lot. He took those shoes, placed them on his head and headed towards the Master. Offering him shoes, he said:
- Please take them back. I have no worthy place to place these noblest and most holy things. There is no such pure and worthy place in this world to store these holy things.
The master asked him:
- How much did they cost you?
He replied:
“They cost me a hundred camels with goods.”
“That means everything is in order,” answered the Master.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru