The Poor Widow

There was a man from the north who used to go on a pilgrimage to a South Indian temple. In India people go from the south to the north, from the east to the west for pilgrimages. They travel from Kashi to Rameshram, from Pouli to Dwarka. People would make friends on such pilgrimages and every five or ten years they would make a trip together to see some other holy places and saints.

This northern man became friends with someone in the south. He used to stay with him when he was on his pilgrimage. After an interval of ten years he went to the same family to visit. The man’s wife was there but was now a widow, and in a miserable condition. She was working at the grinding mill and washing the dishes of the neighbors. 

The man inquired about his deceased friend. The wife told the man, “He died some seven years ago and now we are in trouble. I bring some grains and make flour out of it. I bring some clothes to wash or go to work in nearby houses all because I have three children who have not completed their education. I have to earn money for their education. Now they are doing well at school, so I will be able to find jobs for them.” This man inquired, “Didn’t my friend speak to you about anything?” “No, no he didn’t speak about anything,” replied the widow. “Why? He simply died.”

The friend who died had told this man that he had some gold which he had hidden so that his children would go to school and not think that their father had enough money to support them. He wanted them to work. In olden times parents would often hide their money so that the children would get a good education. Only after the children were well educated and capable of conducting a business were they given the money. That is when the father would hand over the money and walk away into the forest. This was the tradition that was kept up for many years.

This friend of the family then told the widow that just under the spot where she was grinding the flour there was hidden a pot full of gold. With this word alone she jumped with joy, even though the pot of gold had not yet been uncovered.

Just the word of an authoritative man, a friend of the family, brought great happiness.