Fear of God

There lived one holy person on the bank of a river. One day, in the night, he told his wife to carry food to a person, who is hungry on the other side of the river. While carrying food, she asked her husband as to how she could cross the big river, which is on the way. He said, “Go to the river, and tell her that you are the wife of a person, who has not slept with a woman throughout his life-time. Tell her to give you way.” She did accordingly, and the river cleaved, making way for her. She crossed the river through the cleaved path and reached that person and gave him the food she had brought. That holy person ate the food and she was watching. Then, he returned the empty bowls to her and asked her to go back. She asked that holy person the same question which she had asked her husband, regarding how to cross the river. The holy person told her to go to the river, and tell her, “I am coming from the person ,who never ate food in his life-time. Give me way.”  She did accordingly. The river cleaved instantly and gave way for her. She crossed the river, came back home and she was cursing both the fellows for their hypocrisy in her heart, saying, “One hypocrite is sleeping every night with me, and says he never slept with a woman in his life-time, and the other hypocrite has eaten like a glutton all the beautiful food I carried for him, right before my eyes and claims that he ate no food throughout his life time.” Her husband could read her mind because of the power God has conferred on him because of his devotion. One day, he prepared the best food of her choice for her. He served the food for her. He hung from the roof, a sharp and big sword, with the help of a thin thread. It was hung right on top of her head. He then asked her to eat her food to her heart’s fill. She sat to eat her food, and was looking at the sword hung right on top of her head. She finished her food. After that, he asked her, “How was the food? How did you enjoy eating your food?” She replied, “How can I relish the food, when you hung such a sharp sword right on top of my head? I was scared about the sword falling on my head any minute, if the thread broke. Leave alone relishing the food, I do not even know what I ate. Then he told her, “O Foolish Lady! Just because the sword might fall on your head, and kill you, you forgot about the world completely, and do not even remember what you ate. Similar is the case with me and my friend on the other bank of the river.  What you have been thinking in your mind regarding me and my friend is not correct, nor what all your eyes have seen, all correct. My heart is so much of full with the fear of  God, that even though I sleep with you, my heart is still occupied with the fear of  God. It is only a worldly ritual being completed by me when I sleep with you. Nothing more! The same thing is true with the other Holy person for whom you had carried the food, and you saw him with your own eyes eating the food carried by you. Neither he enjoyed the taste of the food carried by you, nor do I enjoy the pleasure of sleeping with you, because our hearts are filled with the fear of  God. Both of us have only been completing the formalities of life by doing the routine things of this mundane world. Just as you did not enjoy the best food served to you, because of fear of death, both me and my friend have so much of fear of  God in our hearts, that nothing in this world gives any satisfaction or joy to us.”