A Paramacharya anecdote on wearing rudraksha maalai
He had visited Nepal to have darshan at the holy Pashupathinath temple.
On return, he presented himself before the Paramacharya and respectfully offered the temple prasadam and a rare rudraksha maalai (string of rudraksha beads).
‘Did you have a good darshan?’ the old sage inquired.
‘Yes, Sir, by god’s grace and your blessings.’
The sage lifted the maalai in his frail hands.
‘What’re you going to do with this?’
‘If you may kindly permit, I intend wearing it around my neck…’
There was silence.
‘So, you’ll always speak the truth?’
He was startled. ‘Yes, Sir, I’ll henceforth always speak the truth,’ the words almost rolled off his tongue.
He knew it was not possible at all try as he might. In the presence of the sage he would dare to speak untruth.
Holding himself back, ‘No, Sir, it’s impossible for me to be speaking truth at all times.’
‘Why so?’
‘Sir, I work in a bank. The official records are never unmixed truth. Further, if my manager orders me, I would be compelled to…’
‘Take this, if and when you find someone who never speaks untruth, give it to him.’
The man was mighty happy to receive the maalai back from the sage.
Rushing back he said to his wife: ‘Let’s do as you had suggested. We even have His okay. And imagine we never saw we always had someone with us right here with us in this house who never spoke untruth!’
Since then the maalai adorned the sage’s portrait in the pooja room!
The incident was shared some days later by the sage with another man who had come to have darshan: Your relative…that fellow who works in the bank…he has aspects of Harishchandra in this age. He didn’t lie to me he never lies…’
End
Source: https://mahaperiyavaa.blog/author/mahaperiyavaa/
Sanmargam 