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Gift of a True Friend

There is a little story, very interesting. So one poor boy, he was student in a school, and the teacher's annual ceremony of father's death would be held. So he requested all his student, "What you will give me, contribution?" Somebody said, "I will contribute this cloth," somebody said, "I'll give rice," somebody said something, something, something. There was one poor student, he had no means. He was very poor. So when he was asked, so he replied that, "I cannot say anything without asking my mother." "All right, you ask your mother and tell me tomorrow.

So he asked, "My dear mother, all my class friend have promised the teacher to contribute this, that, this, that. So my turn is there. What shall I promise?" The mother said, "My dear son, we are so poor, we cannot give anything. But if Krishna gives, He is dina-bandhu, the friend of the poor. So if He gives something to you, you can promise." "Oh, where is Krishna? What is His name?" "Now, His name is Dinabandhu, friend of the poor." "Where He is?" "I understand that He is in the forest."

So he went to the forest and called, "Dinabandhu brother, Dinabandhu brother, where are You?" He began to cry. So Krishna came. When a devotee is very much eager to see Him, Krishna comes. He is very kind. "Why you are asking?" "You are Dinabandhu?" "Yes." "So this is my condition, sir. What can I promise?" So He said that, "You promise that you will supply yogurt, dahi. You will supply dahi." So he was very much satisfied. And he came to the teacher that, "My Dinabandhu brother, dada, He will supply dahi, or yogurt, for whatever you require." "Oh, that's nice. Very good.

So on the day of ceremony, so he went to the forest again and called Dinabandhu dada, and He gave him a small pot of dahi, yogurt, a small pot. Oh, he was a child. He did not know. And he brought it to the teacher, "Now, this is my contribution. My Dinabandhu brother has given. So you take." "The hundreds and thousands of people will be given foodstuff and this much dahi?" He became very angry. He became angry, he did not care, and the pot fell down, and the yogurt also fell down. But after some time, when he came, he saw that although the yogurt has fallen down, the pot is full. Then he again dropped it; again it is full. He dropped it; again it is full. Then he could understand it is spiritual. Purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasishyate [Iso Invocation]. You take the whole thing; still, the whole thing is there. That is Krishna.



Reference: Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.38 - Bombay, December 7, 1974