Pride goes before a fall

In a discourse delivered on March 4, 1962, Swami narrated a beautiful, humorous story that went on to explain how the Lord does not let his devotees be humiliated by the high and the mighty.

Some scholars and pandits of Puri did not feel happy at the sudden rise to fame of a stranger from Bengal. So, they commanded the Madhavadasa to their midst and challenged him to an intellectual duel. The Madhavadasa was not a pandit of that type. He had learnt the scriptures only as a staff to help him walk the journey of life as a guide to right actions and not as a stick to beat others with. So, he accepted defeat even before the discussions began and signed a statement to that effect. The leading pandit of the opposition group was only too glad to accept the declaration, because the Madhavadasa had a reputation for scholarship that was really frightening.

The pandit hurried to Kasi with that token of victory. He waved it before a gathering of scholars and demanded that they all revere him as superior even to Madhavadhasa.

But the Lord will not allow His devotee to be humiliated.

When the signed statement was opened and read, they were all stunned to find that it was a statement declaring that it was Madhavadhasa who had achieved victory and the pandit had signed underneath acknowledging his own defeat!

The Lord will not be silent when the devotee is insulted or harmed.

Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 2, Chapter 30, 04/03/1962.