Be Careful What You Pray For

We should be very, very careful with our prayers. You know that famous story about someone who sat at the foot of the desire-fulfilling tree that would give you anything that you wished for. Finally, a desire-tiger came and devoured him.

This is a story about the fulfilment of our prayers. A very great Indian political leader had developed properties in another country, and his son was taking care of his properties. The time came for his son to get married. This political leader had an assistant who was extremely dear to the leader and the leader also was very fond of him. This assistant had a daughter who was quite beautiful, but unfortunately, she was stone deaf. Nobody wanted to marry a deaf girl, so her father was miserable. This political leader said to his assistant, “Do not worry, I’ll definitely take care of your daughter.”

He wrote a letter to his son: “Son, the time has come for you to get married. I have seen many, many girls who could be your wife, but one particular girl is so beautiful, with so many divine qualities. I would like you to marry her.” The son said he would definitely marry her. In those days parents or the relatives made the match. It was not like it is in the modern culture where they live together for years and then decide.

Then the political leader said, “She has only one slight defect. She is a little bit hard of hearing, but she has so many good qualities.” The son said, “Who cares if she is a little bit hard of hearing? Whomever you choose, I have such faith in you, father.”

O God, the son came back home to marry the girl. To his widest shock his wife was totally deaf. But he had promised his father, and he wanted to please his father. The wife was deaf, but her eyes were in good condition. For years and years, she was seeing that family members were quarreling and fighting, but she could not hear anything that was going on. She could only see their gestures: one is going to beat up the other, that kind of thing. They were screaming, but she did not hear anything.

Then after about ten years she prayed to God, “O God, I am now quite old. Please bless me with hearing. I have very few more years that I shall live on earth. Please give me my hearing back.” God was very kind, and God gave back her hearing. Alas, the moment she got back her hearing, she could hear everything, how her family members were quarreling, fighting and ready to kill each other. Then she said, “O my God, I have to hear all this!” Then she started praying to God to turn her deaf again, but God was not listening to her prayer. She lived seven or eight years longer, suffering like anything. She did not want to hear quarreling and fighting.

So you have to be careful. When she prayed the first time, God listened to her prayer. The second time, unfortunately, God did not listen to her prayer, so she suffered for seven or eight years. She had to hear everything that was going on – the fighting, quarreling, everything. This is one hundred per cent an authentic story.

This kind of thing happens quite often. Sometimes the parents’ friends beg and beg the parents, but their daughter is illiterate or has other problems. Out of compassion one party agrees, and the husband suffers, or vice versa. Boys also can be a problem. Indian families are very clever. They want to add good qualities for the daughter. They bring tutors to teach their daughters how to sing a few songs. Some girls are not at all talented, but the tutors drill and drill them. They learn two songs.

After being tutored for months, they know two songs. The parents say, “Oh, my daughter can sing so well. She knows so many songs.” Then from the bridegroom’s side the parents and the groom come and see. They hear one song, and they are so satisfied. After they get married, alas, that is the only song the bride can sing.

11 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand