sanātan was telling his beads by the ganges when a brahmin in rags came to him and said, “help me, i am poor!”

“my alms-bowl is all that is my own,” said sanātan, “i have given away everything i had.”

“but my lord shiva came to me in my dreams,” said the brahmin, “and counselled me to come to you.”

sanātan suddenly remembered he had picked up a stone without price among the pebbles on the river-bank, and thinking that some one might need it hid it in the sands.

he pointed out the spot to the brahmin, who wondering dug up the stone.

the brahmin sat on the earth and mused alone till the sun went down behind the trees, and cowherds went home with their cattle.

then he rose and came slowly to sanātan and said, “master, give me the least fraction of the wealth that disdains all the wealth of the world.”

and he threw the precious stone into the water.