ONCE the son of a certain man lay at the point of death, and it seemed that none could save his life. A sadhu, however, said to the father of the dying son: “There is but one hope. If you can get in a human skull the venom of a cobra mixed with a few drops of rain-water under the constellation of the Svati star, your son’s life, can be saved.” The father looked up the almanac and found that the constellation of the Svati would be in the ascendant on the morrow. So he prayed, saying, “O Lord, do Thou make possible all these conditions, and spare the life of my son.” With extreme earnestness and longing in his heart, he set out on the following evening and diligently searched in a deserted spot for a human skull. At last he found one under a tree, held it in the hand, and waited for the rain, praying. Suddenly a shower came, and a few drops of rain were deposited in the upturned skull. The man said to himself, “Now I have the water in the skull under the right constellation.” Then he prayed earnestly, “Grant, O Lord, that the rest may also be obtained.” In a short time he discovered, not far from there, a toad, and a cobra springing to catch it. In a moment the toad jumped over the skull, followed by the cobra whose venom fell into the skull. With overwhelming gratitude the anxious father cried out: “Lord, by Thy grace even impossible things are made possible. Now, I know that my son’s life will be saved.”
Therefore, I say, if you have true faith and earnest longing, you will get everything by the grace of the Lord. (72)