The Bad Man Who Was Preferred by God

God sent his archangel Narada on a heavenly errand to find His true devotees on earth. Garbed as a saintly human being, Narada had just started on his earthly journey when he came upon a hoary anchorite practicing several different postures and penances under a tamarind tree. Saint Narada approached the old man and said, “Hello, who are you, and what are you doing?” 

The man replied, “Honored Sir, my name is Bhadraka. I am an anchorite who has been practicing rigorous physical discipline for eighty years.”

Narada replied, “Well, I came from Heaven to find a true devotee of God.”

The anchorite laughingly remarked, “Honored one, your eyes are now beholding the greatest devotee of God on earth. Rain or shine, for eighty years I have practiced every imaginable¹ technique of mental and physical self-torturing discipline for attaining knowledge.”

Narada said, “Revered anchorite, I am very touched by your devotion.”

“Well, then,” hoarsely bellowed the anchorite Bhadraka, “when next you meet God, please ask him why He has kept away from me for so long.”

Saint Narada happily agreed and continued on his journey. At one point he paused to watch an amusing incident by the roadside. There stood a young man, totally drunk, trying to build a fence, and vainly attempting to put a bamboo fence post into a small hole. In utter frustration, he was loudly cursing and shouting, “You naughty God, if You don’t come help me get this pole into the hole, I’m going to thrust the bamboo into Your heart.”

The young man, in his intoxicated fog, suddenly noticed the staring Saint Narada and shouted, “Hey, you good-for-nothing idler, how dare you look at me like that?”

Saint Narada, taken aback, replied, “May I help you to set your bamboo pole?”

To this the drunken young man promptly replied, “No sir, I will accept help from no one but that Sly Eluder, God, who has been playing hide-and-seek with me, trying to get out of helping me.”

Narada, with mild derision said, “You drunken fool, aren’t you afraid to curse God?”

“Not at all, He understands me better than you do,” was the instantaneous reply. “Who are you?” the young man demanded.

“I am an angel from Heaven, and I’ve come to find the true devotees of God on earth.”

“Oh, is that what you are here for? Well, please put in a good word for me to God, even though I have been somewhat bad, and ask Him when He is coming to visit me?”

Reluctantly, Narada agreed to the request, but inwardly thought, “You have a fat chance of seeing God!” Disgusted with this scene, Narada left for Heaven. With great enthusiasm he knelt before his Heavenly Majesty. The Heavenly King gently demanded, “Dear Narada, tell me all about your earthly excursions.”

“Well, my King,” said Narada, “sometimes I wonder if You are too hard to please. Do You know about that anchorite Bhadraka, under the tamarind tree?”

God scratched His hoary head and replied, “No, I don’t remember him.”

“Beloved God, how is that possible? That man has been practicing all sorts of discipline for eighty years to please You,” replied Narada.

But God insisted, “No matter what the anchorite has been doing, he has never touched My heart. Anyone else?” God asked.

With reluctance, Narada said, “I met—” but before he could finish, God interrupted him and finished the sentence by saying: “You met a drunken young man.”

“I am totally surprised that you remember this man, your Heavenly Majesty. Perhaps because he has been poking You with bamboo poles.”

God laughed heartily and lovingly said: “O my Narada, don’t get angry with me, nor be sarcastic, for I will prove to you which of the two men you saw on earth is a true devotee. Narada, visit earth again and go to the anchorite Bhadraka and say, ‘I gave your message to God, but He is very busy now passing a million elephants through the eye of a needle. When He finishes, He will visit you.’ After you hear the anchorite’s response, tell the same thing to the drunken young man and watch his reaction. Then you will understand.”

When Narada brought God’s message to the old anchorite, Bhadraka flew into a rage and shouted, “Get out, you and God and all your crazy crowd! Who ever heard of anyone passing elephants through the eye of a needle? These eighty years of discipline are nothing but folly. I am through trying to please a crazy, nonexistent God. I am going to become sane and enjoy what fun I can in my remaining years.”

Taken aback by these astonishing remarks, Narada quickly left to visit the young man, whom he found drunker than ever, cursing more than ever, and trying to fix another bamboo pole for the fence. But no sooner had Narada appeared on the scene than the young man’s intoxication seemed to leave him; in its place was the intoxication of joy. He came running, and cried, “Saint Narada, what did God say in answer to my question?”

When the young man heard God’s message, he began to dance round and round with joy, saying, “He who can send worlds through the eye of a needle in an instant if He desires, has already finished passing elephants through the eye of a needle. Any moment now He will be with me. When He comes, my love for Him will make me forget my drinking habit and all my evil actions.”

As the young man danced in heavenly ecstasy, Narada joined² him, and soon they found that God was dancing in their midst.

This story illustrates that no matter how many years you have been going to church or doing good works, unless you love God, He will never reveal Himself to you.³ And, even if you have not been able to give up bad habits despite your efforts, if you have supremely intoxicated yourself with the love of God, He will reveal Himself to you. With the dawning of His presence, the darkness of evil habits will vanish from your soul.  

-Paramhansa Yogananda from The Man Who Refused Heaven