| Description |
There lived a boatman near a river. He was very poor and used to earn by ferring people in the river. A preacher used to live in the nearby village. He used to preach his religion and converted people into his fold. They didn't know each other though the preacher crossed the river several times in the past using his boat. One day he dared to ask him about his job. He replied that he was a preacher and that he helped people who wanted to see God. At this the boatman insisted that he gave him his religion becasue he wanted to see and talk to God. Then the preacher didn't pay attention to his requests and tried to avoid the matter every time. The boatman felt ashamed and wanted to teach him a lesson. One day he took him to the middle of the river and threw away the oar to scare him. He then told him to either swim acroos or drown in the river. At this the preacher got really frightened and pleaded for his life in return for his religion. Then the boatman swam and brought back the oar to steer the boat. When he demanded of the religion from the preacher he asked him to measure the length of the oar first by the hand. He obeyed and found that it equalled ten hands. The preacher tactfully told him that 'Ten Hand' was his God and he was happy to befool him. He advised him to pray God by that name. When he prayed incessantly, a Goddess with ten hands really appeared before him one day. He was blessed and became rich. One day he saw the preacher from far and ran towards him to tell the truth. On seeing him running towards his direction with the long oar, the preacher thought that his intention was to beat him up. So he ran for his life. The boatman shouted at him not to run but he ran with more force. But then he fell on the ground. The boatman nursed, took care of him and brought to his house. He was surprised to see his beautiful houses and buildings. He felt ashamed of himself thinking that though he had been preaching throughout his life, he didn't get to see Him or gain his blessings. Duration 00.16.15. Speaker name Prafulla Mochahari. Location Bishmuri, Kokrajhar |
