In Orissa, there lived a devout devotee named Madhav Das. His life was extremely simple—he simply sang hymns to Lord Jagannath, meditated, and visited the Puri temple every day for darshan. He had no attachment to worldly things; he was simply immersed in his devotion.
Madhav Das had one rule: he would never break his daily routine. He believed that his Lord Jagannath would personally care for him, and that he needed no human assistance.
Once, Madhav Das fell seriously ill. His illness worsened to the point where he could no longer get out of bed. He lived alone, and there was no one to care for him. His condition became extremely miserable.
Due to his illness, he was no longer able to visit the temple to see the Lord. One day, his condition worsened, and he began defecating and urinating in bed. He no longer had the strength to clean himself.
Madhav Das Ji was in pain, but he didn't complain. He simply chanted the Lord's name in his mind. He believed that his Lord knew what he was going through.
One night, as Madhav Das Ji lay groaning in pain, a beautiful and serene figure entered his hut. This figure was none other than Lord Jagannath himself, disguised as a servant.
Without a word, Lord Jagannath changed all of Madhav Das Ji's dirty clothes, cleaned the bed, and washed and purified the entire room. He served Madhav Das Ji like a nurse or servant.
Madhav Das Ji opened his eyes and stared intently at the radiant servant. He asked in astonishment, "Who are you, and why are you performing this lowly service for me?"
The servant (Lord Jagannath) smiled and replied, "Madhav, I am your humble servant, and my guru has sent me to serve you. Don't worry, it is my duty to take care of you."
For the next several days, Lord Jagannath came every night, cleaned all the dirt off Madhav Das Ji, bathed him, and helped him recover.
A few days later, when Madhav Das Ji's health improved and he was able to walk, he asked the servant, "Sevak Ji, you have shown me unimaginable kindness. What can I give you? And who is your guru?"
The servant replied, "Madhav, my guru is the king of Puri, and he has sent me to reward you for the duration of your illness." With this, the servant gave Madhav Das Ji a gold coin.
Madhav Das Ji shed tears upon seeing the gold coin. He said, "O Lord! You served me, it is my greatest fortune. But why did you reward me? And if you were doing so much for me, why didn't you cure my illness already?"
Hearing this, Lord Jagannath appeared in his true form—the same radiant idol that Madhav Das Ji had seen daily.
The Lord lovingly said, "Madhav, I am very pleased with your unwavering devotion. As for your illness—your past karma (destiny) dictated that you endure this suffering for a few days. But because you were my ardent devotee and never complained, I alleviated your suffering and bore the consequences of your actions by serving you. Since the consequences of karma were inevitable, I became your servant and rescued you from this suffering."
Madhav Das Ji fell at the Lord's feet. From that day on, the story spread throughout Odisha that Lord Jagannath himself does not shy away from personally serving his devotees.
💐Moral of the story : - God takes upon Himself the suffering of His true devotee. Serving God does not simply mean worshipping in a temple, but maintaining unwavering faith in Him even in times of suffering.
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