Rantideva's Compassion

Dadi: "Beta, would you like to hear about a king whose prayer was so unusual that it surprised even the gods?"

Guddu: "Yes! What did he pray for?"

Dadi: "Let me tell you the story of King Rantideva first, and at the end, you'll understand why his prayer was so special."

Guddu: "Okay, Dadi!"

Dadi: "Rantideva was a king, but a very strange one. He never tried to earn wealth or hoard possessions. Whatever came to him by God's arrangement, he accepted. And when guests came - which was often - he gave them everything."

Guddu: "Everything?"

Dadi: "Everything! Because of this, he and his family often went hungry. They shivered for want of food and water. But Rantideva never complained. He remained calm and peaceful through it all."

Guddu: "That sounds so hard!"

Dadi: "It was. But here's what made him different - he didn't just give to people he liked or respected. He saw the presence of God in every single being."

Guddu: "Even strangers?"

Dadi: "Even strangers, even animals, even people everyone else looked down upon. The Bhagavatam says he practiced "sama-darshinah" - equal vision. A Brahmin scholar and a poor laborer were the same to him."

Guddu: "What happened to test this?"

Dadi: "One morning, after fasting for forty-eight days, Rantideva received some food - rice with ghee and milk, and some water. Just as he and his family were about to eat, a Brahmin guest arrived."

Guddu: "Oh no, not again!"

Dadi: "Rantideva didn't hesitate. He saw God in the guest and happily shared his food. The Brahmin left satisfied. Then a laborer came - someone lower in society - and Rantideva shared again. Then a man with hungry dogs came, and Rantideva gave the last of his food to feed those animals!"

Guddu: "He gave to dogs?"

Dadi: "He bowed to the dogs and their master with the same respect he had shown the Brahmin! Now only water remained - and the king was dying of thirst."

Guddu: "Let me guess - someone came for the water too?"

Dadi: "Yes! A chandala - an outcast whom society treated as polluted, someone people wouldn't even look at. This man was so thirsty he said, "Even if you throw the water on the ground, I will lick it from the dust.""

Guddu: "That's so sad..."

Dadi: "And here is where Rantideva's true heart showed. He placed the water directly in the man's hands. And then he spoke this prayer - this is the unusual prayer I mentioned, Guddu. Listen carefully."

Guddu: "I'm listening!"

Dadi: "Rantideva prayed: "I do not ask for the eight perfections of yoga. I do not ask for liberation from birth and death. I want only to stay among all living beings and suffer on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering.""

Guddu: "He wanted to suffer FOR others?"

Dadi: "Yes! Most people pray to escape suffering. Rantideva prayed to take it on! He said, "I accept all hardship so that others may be freed from unhappiness.""

Guddu: "That's... that's amazing, Dadi!"

Dadi: "The gods thought so too. Brahma, Shiva, and the demigods revealed themselves. It had all been a divine test! They offered Rantideva any blessing he wanted."

Guddu: "Did he change his prayer then?"

Dadi: "No! He had no interest in material rewards, not even from the gods themselves. He simply fixed his mind on Lord Vishnu and remained devoted to Him. The gods' offers of blessings couldn't distract him."

Guddu: "So he passed the test?"

Dadi: "Beautifully. And here's the legacy - everyone who followed Rantideva's example, who lived with his kind of compassion, became great devotees themselves. His life showed that the highest yoga isn't about special powers or escaping the world. It's about caring for others so much that you'd rather suffer yourself than see them in pain."

Guddu: "Dadi, sometimes I get upset when I have to share..."

Dadi: "That's natural, beta. But think about how you feel AFTER you share with someone who really needed it. Doesn't it feel good?"

Guddu: "Actually... yes, it does!"

Dadi: "That's a glimpse of what Rantideva discovered. The joy of giving is greater than the joy of receiving. And the greatest joy of all is caring for others without expecting anything in return."

Guddu: "Even caring for dogs and outcasts?"

Dadi: "Especially them, beta. Anyone can be kind to important people. The real test of our heart is how we treat those the world forgets. Rantideva saw God in all of them - and that's why God revealed Himself in return."