Today, I am sharing a prose I have written on a famous poetry by James Henry Leigh Hunt. Poetry or prose writing is a wonderful way to express oneself. Its another form of bringing out the “creative you”.
One day in a temple at Benares fell a plate made of gold from Heaven. The plate of gold contained a message: “A gift from Heaven to him who has done good deeds to people”. The priests later made an announcement that everyday at 12.00 noon whoever would like to claim the plate of gold needs to be at the temple for their good deeds to be judged.
The days passed people came and went. Many kinds of philanthropists, holy men, scholars, nobles, hermits and etc who talked and boasted of their good deeds to the fellow humans but none of them deserve the plate of gold from heaven and the colour of the plate changed when it was touched by the people who do not deserve the plate. However, one day there came a rich man who mentioned all his deeds to the poor and the priests decided to give the plate of gold to him but as he touched the plate it turned to lead which showed that Heaven has refused to give the gift.
This went on and on for a year and the priests sat and heard all the claimant’s deeds of charity thinking that they deserved the plate from heaven but eventually none of them did. Meanwhile, many poor people and beggars stood at the gate of temple hoping that they would be given some alms by the many claimants who came for the “gift of heaven” and pilgrims who came to the temple. Though plenty of money was given to the beggars no one had the feeling of neither sympathy nor felt pity for the beggars and the poor.
At last a peasant who was not aware of the plate of gold walked into the temple without any expectation and while entering the temple he saw poor people who were suffering, blind and wretched people and beggars at the temple gate. The peasant’s compassion was genuine not materialistic or looking for being famous and so with his good heart helped the poor at the gate and said words that soothed them.
Later, when he went to temple and heard people boasting of their kind deeds and were arguing with the priests about the plate of gold. In the temple the priest suddenly called up the peasant and gave the plate of gold to him. When the plate was touched by the peasant the plate of gold shone three times more than before and he was told by the priests that he is the one who deserved the gift from Heaven.
The peasant was chosen by God for his true caring and concern for the fellow humans and his empathy for other beings without wanting to gain any name or fame unlike the other claimants’ who made charities of vast amounts of money for show or to gain fame.
By: Astina Devi Naidu
