The Strange Case of a Slave Girl
In a certain town lived a blacksmith. People were amazed by a certain miracle he could perform. He would hold a piece of burning coal in his grip, but his palm will suffer no burn. He would even throw his hand into the oven, but the flames would do him no harm. A pious man who heard about the blacksmith's miracle thought that the blacksmith must be more pious than him. He paid a visit to the blacksmith's house. The blacksmith received him coridally. The pious man observed the blacksmith for three days. Even at night, he kept a close watch on him. But he did not see the blacksmith practicing any rite or any special discipline. "How are you able to perform the miracle without practicing any special rite?" the pious man asked the blacksmith on the fourth day.
"My noble guest, I must confess that I have no credit in what I do. I consider myself rather a sinner. It is someone else's boon that has given me the power," said the blacksmith. The pious man grew even more curious. At his request, the blacksmith recounted the following story: Years ago, the blacksmith saw a slave girl working in the household of a rich man. She was charming, but she shied away from everybody. The blacksmith one day proposed to buy her off the rich man. "Why do you want to buy me?" asked the girl. "I desire to marry you," said the proud blacksmith. He was sure that the girl would be happy to hear this. Who would not wish to be elevated to the position of a wife from that of a slave? But, to his surprise, the girl showed no sign of joy. Calmly she said, "I cannot marry anybody. I am a devotee of God. To Him alone, I belong." This wounded the blacksmith's pride. He called her names and ridiculed her claim to being a devotee. The girl made no answer. A year later there was a great famine. The rich man who owned the girl dismissed all his slaves because he could not feed them. "Come to me. I am still willing to marry you," the blacksmith told the girl. "I'm sorry, I cannot marry anyone," replied the girl. This infuriated the blacksmith. He threw nasty words at her. But she did not answer back. Days passed. The famine proved devastating. One afternoon the blacksmith heard a knock on his door.
He opened the door and saw the girl. Starvation had reduced her to a skeleton. "Will you be pleased to give me something to eat if I work for you?" she asked. "I shall give you food only if you agree to marry me," announced the blacksmith. "But that is not possible," said the girl with a sigh and she went away. The blacksmith sat sulking under his humiliation. Two days later she returned. "I'm dying of hunger. Please give me a little food. God will bless you," she muttered. The blacksmith held out a dish before her. The girl's eyes twinkled with hope. She smiled. "Are you ready to fulfill my condition?" just then asked the blacksmith. "No," replied the girl. Her smile disappeared. "Then no food for you," shouted the blacksmith haughtily, taking the dish away. The blacksmith was angry with the girl, but he could not be at peace. The next day he saw the girl lying under a tree, about to die. Suddenly he was moved with great pity. "How wicked I am to refuse food to her because she has wounded my vanity!" he thought. Then he called the girl home and laid several items of delicious food before her. "I have no condition this time. Please eat to your heart's content," said the blacksmith. "God will bless you. Since you work with fire, I pray to God that he makes you immune to fire," said the girl and she sat down for eating. The blacksmith did not take her words as anything more than a formal thanksgiving. But suddenly a strong wind upturned his oven. The burning coal and some melting metal fell all over his body. To his great surprise, he saw that they did him no harm!
He cautiously picked up a lump of burning coal and held it. Nothing happened. He waved his hand through the fire. He did not feel any discomfiture. "O, divine girl! The boon you wished to obtain for me has come! I am immune to fire!" exclaimed the blacksmith. "Is that so?" asked the girl. Next moment a gloom descended on her. She muttered, "O God, never had I asked Thee for anything. I know that of Thine own accord Thou would grant to people whatever is good for them. Why did I break my discipline? This shows that I had grown a weakness for this man. Since I have asked for something once, let me do it once more. This time I ask Thee to take me away from this world". She knelt down for meditation. In a minute her body slumped. She had passed away! The blacksmith concluded, "What a fool I was not to know what a great soul the slave girl was!" The pious man returned absolutely amazed at the girl's divinity.
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