Once upon a time there lived a rich man who never thought about God. He was always busy with his worldly business - collecting money. He made his living by lending money, and took such great interest in it that he became very rich without doing anything.
One day he went with his account books to a neighboring village to visit his debtors. After finishing his business, he discovered that it was dark and he had to walk 3-4 miles to get home. He asked if there was a person here who could escort him home safely and carry the bundle of ledgers with which he had come. The man standing next to him suggested:
- I'll go with you.
The rich man asked:
- How much will you charge for the job?
“I’ll take two cents,” he replied.
The rich man was surprised that he was charging so cheaply - only two cents for walking 4 miles with bundles of books and returning back, walking this distance again at night. The man said:
“I know it is a long journey, but my payment is certain.” I'll only take two cents, but on one condition. If I go with you, you will have to talk about God or you will have to listen to me talk about God, and you will not talk about anything worldly all the way. If you accept my condition, then I am ready to go with you.
The rich man replied:
- I have never heard anything about God, I don’t know anything about Him, so I can’t talk about God. This condition is very mild. If you talk about God, I will be silent and listen. It's easy for me.
They set off and the man began to lead Satsang, talking about Masters and saints. The journey took more than an hour, and when they arrived at the rich man's house, he paid the worker two cents. He left the house and paused a little behind the gate, then returned back. The rich man thought that he must have returned to get more money, so he asked:
- We're even. Do you want more?
The man replied:
- No, no. I didn't come back to get more from you. We were together with you for more than an hour, and we developed a sympathy for each other. If possible, I would like to help you.
This surprised the rich man even more, and he thought: “How can this poor man help me?” Worldly people always think according to the world. They reason: “Help comes only in the form of food, clothing or money.” So the rich man was surprised and thought: “How can he help me?” The poor man said:
- Listen to what I have to tell you. This is for your benefit. You will die in eight days, you only have eight days to live. You will appear before the judge, and he will rule that you have lived your entire life for material things, and after your physical death you will only receive the hell that you have earned throughout your life. Only this one hour spent with me, when you listened to the story about God, will count in your favor. This time, more than an hour, was Satsang. The judge will ask you, “Do you want to enjoy Satsang first or will you suffer in hell first?” Then you must tell him: “I want to enjoy Satsang, and then I will suffer in hell.”
The man said so and left. Eight days later the rich man died and appeared before the judge. After reviewing all of his accounts, the judge offered him a double choice, as the employee had predicted. Then the rich man said:
“First I want to benefit from Satsang.
The judge replied:
“Okay, you will go to heaven and enjoy yourself there for ten hours.” This is the reward for one hour of Satsang.
When he came to heaven, he saw the same worker there. Saints have many bodies and work in all areas. When they are designed to work for God, they work on every level, in all heavens, in all planes, in all divisions. The same Luminous Form of the Master equally occupies a place in every initiate, and therefore His manifestations are numerous. And when true Masters make a promise, they always keep it. They come from the Truth and adhere to the Truth.
So the Master was sitting there in the guise of a worker. He said:
“Come and sit next to me, and we will talk about God again.”
The Satsang continued for ten hours and when the time came to return to the powerful judge, the worker again told the rich man to benefit from the ten hours of Satsang before he was made to suffer in hell.
— You were at Satsang again, and this time lasted 10 hours. Now what do you want to experience first? - asked the judge.
The man replied:
— I want to enjoy the benefits of Satsang.
Then the judge began to understand what was happening. He thought, “Now I have to give him one hundred hours in heaven for the last ten-hour Satsang. For the 100 hours they spend in Satsang, I will have to give one thousand hours in heaven as a reward. Then they will again do Satsang for one thousand hours, and this game will never end. The benefits of Satsangs will increase and there will be no end to it.” The judge concluded:
- Okay, all your time in hell is canceled. You can go and enjoy in heaven forever. You came out from under my control because you were guided by the Holy One.
Such is the power of the Holy One: even His little help or guidance greatly purifies us. It's like putting all the oceans and mountains into a tiny hole. The Master's grace can cancel all terms in hell and replace them with heaven. Such are the graces and blessings that we can enjoy.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru