“O my Lord, I have a great curiosity about one thing. Will you kindly tell me the truth if I ask you?” said Narada.
Vishnu looked at him quizzically, That alerted Narada. He said apologetically, “Of course, my Lord, whatever you say is true or it becomes true. It was unwise of me to ask if you would tell me the truth!”
Vishnu smiled, “Tell me, my dear sage, what is your question?”
“I want to know how many true devotees you have on the earth,” said Narada.
“That’s all? Well, there are many!”
Narada looked disappointed. He secretly hoped that the Lord ‘will say something to this effect:
“Narada, you surely head the list of my true devotees!” But His answer sounded quite vague!
“Are you sure, my Lord, that there are many? Don’t I already know them?” he asked sceptically.
“Oh no. You don’t know most of them, I’m afraid.”
“Can you name one of them off-hand?” asked Narada.
“Well, take the case of Gopal Das of Bhalapur on the outskirts of the city of Ujjain, for example.”
Vishnu had hardly finished giving out the devotee’s name and address when Narada took leave of him. Disguised as an ordinary traveller he set out for Ujjain. He enquired about Sage Gopal Das of Bhalapur in Ujjain. Most of the people he met had not heard of Bhalapur, what to speak of Sage Gopal Das! However, Narada found out that Bhalapur was a small village on the river. He went
there and asked the first man he met, “Where is the Ashram of Sage Gopal Das?”
The man looked at him with surprise. “Sage Gopal Das? We have never heard of any such sage!”
Narada continued to put the same question to anybody he met until a farmer told him, “I never knew that there was a sage bearing my name!”
“Is your name Gopal Das?”
“Yes”
“Is there any other Gopal Das in this village?”
“No.”
Narada surveyed the man. Now it was the man’s turn to feel surprised. “What is the matter, gentleman?” he asked.
“I had heard of you from a friend. If you don’t mind, can I take some rest in your house? I have a long way to go.”
Gopal Das happily led Narada to his house. Narada observed that Gopal Das led the life of an ordinary householder. He was found busy attending to a sick relative, disputing his wife on a certain issue, taking his children to task for their negligence of work, and conducting himself like any ordinary man. Narada still did not lose hope. He accompanied Gopal Das when the farmer went to his fields.
After a full day, Narada took leave of him. He remembered that the man had uttered Vishnu’s name only three times during the whole day.
“My Lord, at least once you made an error. You gave me the wrong address!” Narada complained to Vishnu.
“Is that so? We will see. Meanwhile, dear Narada, will you kindly carry this cup of oil to place it on Mount Meru? You must go at the speed of a human being and the other condition is, not a drop of oil should spill out of the cup. If it does, the mission will fail,” said Vishnu.
Narada took the cup full to the brink with oil. He held it most carefully and step by step proceeded towards Mount Meru. It took him a full day to reach his destination. He was happy that he had not spilt a drop of oil. While returning, he took recourse to his godly power and was back before Vishnu
in no time.
“I’ve done it, my Lord,” he said, beaming with satisfaction.
“That’s fine. Now, tell me Narada, during your day-long travel, how many times did you remember me?” asked Vishnu.
Narada stood in silence, ‘trying to remember it. The smile disappeared from his face. “My Lord, all my concentration was on the cup of oil—so that it did not spill!”
“Now, Narada, think of Gopal Das. He carried so many cups of oil—I mean the burden of so many worldly problems. Even then he remembered me thrice during a day—and I alone know with how much intense devotion he did it! Do you really believe that I gave you the wrong address?”
Narada saluted Gopal Das in silence. He bowed to the Lord and said, “I understand, my Lord. You can never speak something which is not true!”
