Can all our wishes be fulfilled? We sometimes pray for many things. Some of our wishes are fulfilled, but others are not despite our prayers, said M.A. Manickavelu in a discourse. So of what use then are prayers, we might ask. There is a story about a man who was deeply devoted to Lord Narayana. He had few wants in life and spent his life in a small hut at the foot of a hill. The Lord and His Consort decided to pay him a visit. When They arrived, he was stitching one of his torn garments. He was glad to see the Divine Couple and offered them a glass of buttermilk. Having welcomed them, he resumed mending the torn garment.
The Goddess asked him what boon he wanted. He replied, “I want nothing.”
But when the Goddess insisted that he ask for something, he replied, “I want the thread to follow the needle!”
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“That will happen, anyway, since you have threaded the needle. It’s only natural,” said the Goddess.
“In the same way, what must happen will happen. I will only get what I am destined to get. I have got what I deserve and I am happy and content. Why should I ask for anything?” said the man.
The Divine Couple were not surprised by his reply because they knew the kind of man he was — a man who believed in karma and therefore believed that God gave to each according to his karma.
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That is the attitude of the true devotee. He does not blame God for what he does not have. Nor does he accuse God of being partial. He knows that whatever he faces in life is a result of his own past actions. He, therefore, spends his time praying to God for moksha.