A highly placed officer in the docks used to read Gurucharitra (Biography of Bhagawan Dattatreya) every day. On Thursdays, he used to fast, and when he reaached home, he would read Gurucharithra again for about two hours, perform Aarati, (the ceremony of waving around an idol a platter containing a burning lamp,incense sticks,camphor,etc), and offer Naivedya( An offering of some eatable to an idol) before breaking his fast. He did this regularly for fifteen years. He once met Shri Maharaj and said, "in my opinion God is very harsh. Shri Maharaj asked, "why do you say so?" He said, "I have been serving God sincerely for so many years, but I have not experienced any response from Him" Shri Maharaj said, "If you and God were to change places, and if He had behaved like you have done, you would have been ore harsh with him." The man said, I do not understand what you are saying.". Shri Maharaj asked, "What do you do after you leave office on Thursdays?" He said, "I purchase some Pedhas (a sweetmeat made of milk and sugar) for Prasad(Any eatable or non-eatable, offered to God, which is taken by the devotee after the Pooja, with deep respect, as a blessing from God.) from a vendor of sweets, a garland for God from a florist, and then I go home." Shri Maharaj said, "You have forgotten to mention one more thing you buy along with the garland." He then remembered that he also used regularly to buy a chaplet for his wife, and he mentioned it to Shri Maharaj. Shri Maharaj said, "You drop into your bag the garland that the florist gives you,without taking care to examine whether it contains any flowers that are withered. On the other hand, you take every care when buying the chaplet to see that it is of a kind that your wife will like. This shows for whom you have the greater love, God or your wife. In that case, how can you expect anything better from God?
