It is a matter of ancient times. There was a small town in the foothills of the Himalayas, where a simple but hard-working man named Satyapal lived. He was extremely pious, but he had a weakness in his mind. He used to be filled with jealousy from within after seeing the progress of others. Although he did not harm anyone directly, his thoughts were always negative. One day Satyapal was passing through the forest path. On the way he saw an old Brahmin suffering from thirst.
Without asking anything, he took out water from his kamandal and gave it to her to drink. As soon as he drank the water, the old man’s appearance became divine. He himself was Kaaldev – the presiding deity of time and action. Kaldev said, “Vatsa, being pleased with your selfless act, I give you a wonderful boon. You are given a time of one hour, in which whatever work you do, you will get immediate results. But remember – this time will never come back again.”
Saying this, Kaldev disappeared. Satyapal’s heart was filled with excitement. He thought- Now I will change my destiny. He returned to the city and first went to his rich neighbor’s house. It came to my mind that if his wealth was destroyed, my respect would increase. As soon as he thought this, the neighbor’s wealth turned into loss. Seeing this, Satyapal felt a strange satisfaction. He then went to his opponent and wished for his downfall. That too was completed. One after another, he kept on making plans to harm others and time passed. He felt as if power was in his hands and he was everything.
Suddenly the sun started setting. Satyapal was shocked. He remembered that he did not ask for anything for himself. He ran to his home and started wishing for long life, happiness and peace in his mind. Just then Kaldev’s voice echoed in the sky – “Vatsa, time has ended. The power you had gained, you used it to bring down others. The person who wastes time in hatred, time takes him away.”
Satyapal’s body became weak within a moment. He realized his mistake, but it was too late. This story teaches that the time and energy given by God is priceless and one who uses it for the welfare of others is truly blessed. Every action done out of hatred and jealousy ultimately leads to one’s own downfall.
