Purification

When Caṇḍa Ānanda was fourteen, he told his mother and father he needed to go into the forest to meditate and chant alone. He left with only a towel and a staff. Deep in the forest, he sat under a neem tree and chanted for twenty days and twenty nights. On the eleventh night, Jesus appeared before him and spoke to him: “You try too hard but you don’t need to, because you are loved.” Caṇḍa Ānanda replied, “Thank you. I’ll try to relax when I have the time.” On the fourteenth night, Moses appeared before him and shouted at him, “Why are you out here alone in the dark? Don’t you realize your father and mother are worrying about you?” Caṇḍa Ānanda replied, “Yes, you are right. I’ll tell them it wasn’t too bad after I get back.” On the seventeenth night, Lord Krishna appeared before him and spoke: “Fifteen of the divine attributes are strong in you. You are weak in only one— humility.” Caṇḍa Ānanda replied, “I’ll be really proud when I finally achieve humility.” On the twentieth night, Muhammed appeared before him in a long white muslin robe and said, “You’re too hard on yourself. Why not go to heaven now? A hundred prophets there want to talk with you.” Caṇḍa Ānanda replied, “They’re patient; they’ll wait.”