Baba's Storytime - Who is the Greatest?

During a visit to Ooty in April 1984, Bhagavaan related the following story about Sage Naaradha's encounter with Lord Naaraayana, to the small group of devotees accompanying him: 

On one occasion Naaradha went to the Lord. In the course of their conversation, Naaraayana asked Naaradha: "You are moving around three worlds, what news have you brought for Me from your wanderings? Have you seen anything great in my creation?" 

"What is greater than Yourself in the world," said Naaradha. "I am asking you about my creation and not about myself." said Naaraayana. 

Naaradha said: "I do not understand the question." 

"There are the Panchabhuuthas (five basic elements). Which is the greatest among them?" Naaraayana asked. Naaradha said: "The earth is the biggest." Naaraayana said: "In the earth three-fourths are occupied by water."

Naaradha agreed that water is greater than the earth. But Naaraayana observed: "All the oceans were drunk by the sage Agasthya in one gulp. Therefore, who is greater, water or Agasthya?" 

Naaradha agreed that Agasthya was greater. But Naaraayana observed that "Agasthya is remaining as a star in the sky. In the vast firmament, Agasthya is merely twinkling as a small star; is not the firmament greater than the star?" Naaradha said that the firmament is greater than Agasthya. 

Then Naaraayana said, "In my Avathaar as Vaamana I covered the entire earth and sky with one foot of mine. So is the firmament greater or my foot?" Then Naaradha said: "Your foot." 

"If my foot itself is so great, am I not greater than my foot?" Naaraayana asked. 

Naaradha agreed.  Then Naaraayana said: "Although I am great, I am confined in the hearts of my devotees. So the devotees are greater than myself. And therefore, wherever my devotees sing my name I am there". 

Hence, everyone must cultivate a broad mind, a large-hearted outlook. Broad mindedness is expansion, narrow-mindedness is contraction. Devotees should also cultivate broad mindedness. It is to broaden the heart that the name of the Lord should be chanted. Instead of singing by oneself, when devotees sing in groups, a sense of unity develops. By all people singing in unison and all hands clapping together, all hearts become one. This unity is proclaimed by the Vedhas by describing the different organs of the Lord as the source of the power in the different sense organs of a human being. 

(From Bhagawan's Divine Discourse in Ooty, April 1984)