The Brāhmaṇa and the Crow’s Offering

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The Brāhmaṇa’s Daily Worship
In a small holy village nestled by the banks of a sacred river, there lived a brāhmaṇa devoted to the worship of Lord Viṣṇu. Every day, at the same time, he would perform his pūjā with sacred mantras, purified offerings, and loving care.

His food was cooked with devotion. His altar was clean and adorned with fresh flowers. And each day, before partaking in the prasādam, he would offer it to the Lord with folded hands and full concentration.

His heart was simple and pure.

A Sudden Visitor
One morning, as the brāhmaṇa placed the plate of food before the Lord, a crow flew in through the open window, landed on the plate, and began eating.

The brāhmaṇa was horrified. “Oh no!” he cried. “The offering is ruined!”

He felt brokenhearted, for the food had not yet been formally offered. In his anguish, he cried out to the Lord, “Why did You allow this? My worship is destroyed!”

A Divine Revelation
That night, the brāhmaṇa had a dream.

The Spider Who Served the Lord

 A Small Creature with a Great Heart

In ancient times, there was a grand temple of Lord Śrī Rāma, situated on the banks of the sacred river Gaṅgā. Devotees from near and far came to offer flowers, incense, lamps, and foodstuffs to the Lord with deep devotion. The temple was filled with wealth and opulence—its floors were made of polished marble, its dome covered with golden carvings, and its priests dressed in silken robes.

Among the thousands of pilgrims and priests, no one noticed a tiny spider who lived quietly in one corner of the temple hall. While others offered jewels and camphor, this little spider, day after day, would do a peculiar service—it would spin a small web to keep the dust away from the altar.

This was not just instinct. The spider had devotion in its heart. It thought, “Let me do what I can. If I can keep even one speck of dust from touching the Lord, my life will be successful.”

A Powerful Sage Objects

One day, the great sage Śrī Hanumān, in the form of a monkey as he often remained, entered the temple. He bowed deeply before his beloved Lord Rāma, and then began cleaning the temple with his tail, using it like a broom to remove every trace of impurity.

As he moved near the altar, he saw a web spun by the spider. Displeased, Hanumān roared, “What is this filth near the altar of my Lord?” And with one swipe, he broke the web and crushed the spider beneath his tail.

At that very moment, a divine voice echoed from the deity of Lord Rāma:

Brahma visit to Lord Krishna in Dvaraka

 The Arrival of Brahma

Once, when Krsna was ruling Dvaraka, Lord Brahma came to see Him, and the doorman immediately informed Lord Krsna of Brahma’s arrival.

Krsna’s Question

When Krsna was so informed, He immediately asked the doorman, `Which Brahma? What is his name?’

Brahma’s Surprise

The doorman therefore returned and questioned Lord Brahma.

When the doorman asked, Which Brahma?' Lord Brahma was surprised. He told the doorman, Please go inform Lord Krsna that I am the four-headed Brahma who is the father of the four Kumaras.’

Brahma’s Entry

The doorman then informed Lord Krsna of Lord Brahma’s description, and Lord Krsna gave him permission to enter. The doorman escorted Lord Brahma in, and as soon as Brahma saw Lord Krsna, he offered obeisances at His lotus feet.

Brahma’s Question

After being worshiped by Lord Brahma, Lord Krsna also honored him with suitable words. Then Lord Krsna asked him, `Why have you come here?’

Being questioned, Lord Brahma immediately replied, `I shall later tell You why I have come. First of all there is a doubt in my mind which I wish You would kindly dissipate.

The Purpose of the Inquiry

`Why did you inquire which Brahma had come to see You? What is the purpose of such an inquiry? Is there any other Brahma besides me within this universe?’

The Arrival of Multiple Brahmas

Upon hearing this, Sri Krsna smiled and immediately meditated.

Unlimited number of Brahmas arrived instantly.

These Brahmas had different numbers of heads. Some had ten heads, some twenty, some a hundred, some a thousand, some ten thousand, some a hundred thousand, some ten million and others a hundred million. No one can count the number of faces they had.