The Brahmana and the Cobbler

There is a story, it is very instructive story, that Nārada Muni was passing to go to Vaikuṇṭha, and on the way one very learned scholar, brāhmaṇa, met him, and he inquired from Narada Muni where he was going. Nārada Muni said that “I am going to see Nārāyaṇa, my Lord.” So the brāhmaṇa asked him, “Oh, you are going to meet Nārāyaṇa. Will you kindly inquire for me when my…, when I shall be liberated.” Nārada Muni said, “Yes, I shall inquire.” Similarly, on the way, he met one cobbler. He also inquired Nārada Muni where he was going, and he said, will you kindly inquire from Lord Nārāyaṇa when he would be liberated? So when Nārada Muni met Nārāyaṇa, so he inquired—because he’s saintly person; he promised—that “Such and such brāhmaṇa inquired like this, and the, and a cobbler also inquired like this.” So Nārāyaṇa said, “The, this cobbler will be liberated in this life, and that brāhmaṇa will take some time, some many births.”

So Nārada Muni became astonished that he, he was a learned scholar and brāhmaṇa, and he would take so much time, and the cobbler would be liberated in this life. “Oh, what is the reason, Sir?” So Nārāyaṇa gave him one needle, and He requested him that “When they inquire what Nārāyaṇa was doing, you can say that Nārāyaṇa was pulling one elephant through the hole of the needle, this side and that side,” in this way. So when he came back, the brāhmaṇa said, “Sir, you are… I offer my respectful obeisances unto you and Nārāyaṇa. We cannot believe this, that through the needle or through the hole of a needle, a elephant is being passed, this side and that side.” And when it was informed to the cobbler, he began to cry. He said, “Oh, my Nārāyaṇa is so powerful that He can do everything.” He believed immediately that “Yes, for Nārāyaṇa it is possible to pull the elephant through the hole of the needle, this side and that.” So Nārada Muni inquired, “How do you believe this? The other person, the brāhmaṇa, he’s learned person. He did not believe. How do you believe it? What is your conviction?” He said, “Sir, I believe in this way, because I am sitting under this tree. This is a banyan tree. And so many,” what is called, “figs are falling down. And each fig there are thousands of small seeds, and in each seed there is a banyan tree. So if Nārāyaṇa can keep thousands of banyan trees within this fig fruit, how it is not possible for Him to pull an elephant through the hole of a needle?”

So this is called faith. The faith is not blind. There is proof. He, the cobbler was not blindly believing that Nārāyaṇa was pulling an elephant through the hole of an needle, but he sees practically the potency, the power of the Lord, bījo ‘haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10), how He keeps all the potencies of the banyan tree within the seed. So otherwise there is no meaning, “all-powerful.” He can do whatever He likes. Inconceivable. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī therefore explains that unless we believe (in the) inconceivable potency of the Lord, then we cannot understand that activities… Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, svābhāvikī-jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). We cannot judge how things are happening, but we have to believe. Therefore Vedic knowledge is so important. We cannot make research. We cannot judge. Simply if we take the Vedic truths…

Prabhupāda: Svarūpa Dāmodara challenged one scientist in California that “If I give you the chemicals, can you manufacture life?” He said, “That I cannot say.” What you have spoken all this nonsense? Mattaḥ kore heṭ. And when there is challenge, mattaḥ kore heṭ. Otherwise, baro baro bagara, baro baro phet, big, big monkey, big, big belly. And when the real question is there, mattaḥ kore het. Ceylon jumping, melancholy. Hanumān jumped over the ocean, so other monkeys, they also become very proud: “I am…, Hanumān is our leader, we can…,” “Can you jump over Ceylon?” Mattaḥ het. (break) …speak all these things, Indian villagers, they will immediately believe. One cobbler…. I think I narrated this story. Nārada Muni was going to Vaikuṇṭha. Did I say that?

Hari-śauri: I think this story’s in Rāja-vidyā, that small book. The one about the brāhmaṇa and the cobbler?

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. Cobbler immediately believed when he was informed by Nārada Muni that “I saw God is pulling one elephant through the hole of a needle, this side and again this side.” The brāhmaṇa did not believe it. And as soon as the cobbler, he was also devotee, oh, he began to pray, “Oh, my Lord can do anything.” Nārada Muni, “You believed it?” “Yes, why not?” “How do you believe it?” “I am daily seeing. I am underneath the tree, and so many figs are dropping, and each fig has got thousands of seeds, and in each seed there is another tree. Why should I not believe it?” He did not believe it blindly. With reason, and he gave immediately reason: “When I see this fig tree, big fig tree, and there are millions of figs dropping, and in each fig there are millions of seeds, and each seed there is…. Why shall I not believe it?” God, nothing is impossible by God, everything.

Satsvarūpa: The brāhmaṇa was supposed to be learned in the Vedas.

Prabhupāda: Ah, yes. And he said, “These are all…,” what is called? Mythology. Why mythology? Why do you think God like you? God is all-powerful; He can do anything. That is real faith. That means you have no faith. “If God can do which tallies with my activities, then I shall believe.” What you are? Nonsense. This is their general argument. How we can believe this? And why not believe this? You are seeing so many wonderful things. I gave this example to another man, that there is a coconut tree. Now find out where is the pipe and pumping so that the water is pushed. Show me. You have no idea that such a high height, how water is going there. And full of water. How the water is transferred there? Show me the pipe and pump. You have got the idea, that with pipe and pump we can raise the water. Where is that pipe and pump? Show me. Every day, every moment, we are seeing so many wonderful things. How you are thinking….

Prabhupāda: So one learned brāhmaṇa, he said, “All right sir, namaskār your Kṛṣṇa. I cannot believe all these things.” And the cobbler, he began to cry, “Ah, Kṛṣṇa is so great, He can do anything.” So he, Nārada Muni asked, he saw the learned brāhmaṇa refused to accept, and this cobbler is so absorbed that he’s crying, “Ah, Kṛṣṇa can do anything.” So he asked him, “Do you believe this?” “Yes, why not?” “So how do you believe it?” “Now I’m sitting under this banyan tree, and so many banyan fruits are falling down, and I can see there are hundreds and thousands of seeds within the fig, and each seed contains a banyan tree. So why can I not believe? If within this seed a big banyan tree can be kept, what is the difficulty for Kṛṣṇa to pull the elephant through the hole of a needle?” He has got reason. He is not blindly believing. How the scientist who does not believe in God, he can explain that within the small seed there is a big banyan tree? Let them do that. By chemical composition make little seed. As I told, make little egg. They cannot do anything. Still they are so proud.