A person who is devoted to Vishnu is eternally blessed.
Many years ago, a brahmana named Devamali lived in the land of Raivata.
He was learned in the Vedas, pitiful towards other living beings, and devoted to Vishnu.
But unfortunately, he had many sons, friends and a wife to take care of.
Making a living was difficult and Devamali was constrained to trade in objects that no brahmana should touch. He also interacted with outcasts. He thus committed many sins.
After some years, two sons named Yajnamali and Sumali were born to Devamali.
With great care and perseverance, the father taught the sons how to make money.
By then, Devamali himself had made a lot of money and had accumulated a lot wealth.
One day, he sat down to count his wealth and discovered that he had millions and millions of coins.
He thought to himself, "I had made a lot of money; look at the number of coins I have accumulatd. Unfortunately, I have had to do this through evil means, by means of trading in objects that I should not even have touched. But is it not strange that, despite all my riches, my thirst for more wealth remains
unsatiated?
This conclusively proves that it is the craving for riches that is the root of all evil.
One continues to want more wealth even if one’s teeth decay and one’s skin gets wrinkled.
A person who wants peace should give up all hankering after riches. I think that I have had enough. I should now start to think about the life that comes hereafter."
Thinking this, Devamali resolved that he would devote himself to the path of dharma.
He divided his riches into four parts.
He retained two parts for himself and distributed the remaining two parts to his sons Yajnamali and Sumali.
With a view to acquiring punya, Devamali constructed temples and gardens and had ponds constructed.
He went to the banks of the Ganga and donated alms. In this fashion, he exhauted all his wealth.
Eventually, he went off to perform tapasya in the forest known as Badrikashrama.
In the hermitage there lived many sages.
Devamali joined them in their meditations.
The sages gave Devamali plenty of good advice.
One particular sage named Jananti taught Devamali the techniques of yoga.
It was through the practice of yoga that Devamali was freed of all his illusions.
Devamali had two sons named Yajnamali and Sumali. Yajnamali was the elder of the two.
Yajnamali divided whatever riches he had received from his father into two parts and gave one part to Sumali.
But Sumali spent all his wealth on idle and evil pursuits. When his money was exhausted, he resorted to theft and robbery.
Yajnamali tried to restrain his brother. "Please mend your ways," he told Sumali. "What you are doing is evil. Do not bring ill repute to our family."
These words of advice only served to anger Sumali and he took up a sword to kill his borther.
But the city-guards came and arrested Sumali before he could cause his brother any harm.
Yajnamali used his good offices to free Sumali. He divided whatever riches he then possessed into two parts and gave one part to Sumali.
As had happened earlier, Sumali again spent this money on evil and idle pursuits.
Sumali’s friends and associates were evil and outcasts. He was punished by the king and banished to the forest. When this happened, all his co-called friends deserted him.
Yajnamali was righteous. He associated with holy people, donated alms and dug ponds. Soon his wealth was also exhausted, being spent on all these good pursuits. Yajnamali retired to a temple of Vishnu and there spent his time in worshipping Vishnu.
By a curious quirk of fate, Yajnamali and Sumali died at the same time.
A vimana arrived to take Yajnamali to heaven. While travelling in this wonderful vehicle, Yajnamali noticed that his brother was being taken to hell.
Yama’s servants were beating Sumali and the poor fellow was suffering from hunger and thirst.
Yajnamali asked Vishnu’s companions, who had come to take him up to heaven, "How can my brother be freed of his sins?"
"Let us tell you your story," replied the Companions.
"In your earlier life you were born as a vaishya named Vishvambhara. You were evil and committed many sins. You were so evil that you deserted your parents and all your firends, in turn, deserted you.
Once you were hungry and thirsty and sought refuge in a temple of Vishnu. Your feet were dirty and when you tried to clean them, part of the temple also got cleaned.
This was a punya that was credited to your account. Since you had no food, you fasted throughout the night. And in the morning you died of snake-bite.
But the little bit of punya was enough to ensure that you became devoted to Vishnu in your next life, when you were born as Yajnamali.
So far as your brother is concerned, there is indeed a way to free him.
Give him the punya that you had acquired as a result of cleaning part of the temple and your brother shall go free."
Yajnamali did as he had been bidden. Yama’s servants immediately left Sumali and fled.
A wonderful vimana came down to take Sumali as well to Vaikuntha. The two brothers were delighted to see each other.
So great was Yajnamali’s punya that he did not have to be born again.
Such is the wonderful punya that can be acquired from something so trivial as cleaning a tiny part of Vishnu’s temple.
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