सौराष्ट्र में थानगढ़ नामक छोटेसे गाँवमें बेचर भक्त नामक एक सरल हृदय परम भक्त रहते थे। इनके घर एक बार एक साधु आये। उन्हें द्वारकाजी जाना था। जाते समय वे कपड़े में लपेटी हुई एक छोटी-सी पुस्तक बेचरजीको यह कहकर दे गये कि, ‘तुम इसको अपने पास रखो, मैं द्वारकासे लौटकर ले लूँगा ।’बहुत दिन हो गये; महात्माजी लौटे नहीं, तब बेचर भक्तने विचार किया कि महात्माजी आये नहीं, देखें इसमें क्या है । भक्तजीने कपड़ा खोलकर पुस्तक देखी तो उसमें एक छोटा-सा साँपका बच्चा दिखलायी दिया। उन्होंने उसे सँडासीसे पकड़कर दूर फेंक दिया पर थोड़ी ही देरमें वह फिर आकर पुस्तकपर बैठ गया ।इसपर भक्तजीके मनमें आया कि इसमें कोई रहस्य अवश्य होना चाहिये। उन्होंने पुस्तकका जिल्द तोड़कर देखा तो उसमें पाँच रुपये थे। भक्तजीने रुपये निकालकर पुस्तकसे अलग रख दिये, तो क्या देखते हैं कि सर्पका बच्चा तुरंत पुस्तकसे हटकर रुपयोंपर आ बैठा। इससे बेचर भक्तके मनमें यह संदेह हुआ कि कदाचित् उन साधुजीका देहान्त हो गया हो और रुपयोंमें वासनारहने के कारण अन्तकालमें रुपयोंमें मन रहा हो तथा इसीसे वे सर्प हो गये हों। तब भक्तजीने हाथमें जल लेकर संकल्प किया कि ‘महाराजजी ! आपकी यदि इन रुपयों में वासना रही हो तो इन पाँच रुपयोंमें सवा रुपया • अपनी ओरसे और मिलाकर मैं साधुओंको भोजन करा दूँगा ।’ यों कहकर उन्होंने जल नीचे छोड़ दिया। सर्पका बच्चा जल छोड़ते ही तुरंत वहीं मर गया।
In a small village called Thangarh in Saurashtra, there lived a simple-hearted devotee named Bechar Bhakta. Once a monk came to his house. He had to go to Dwarkaji. While leaving, he gave a small book wrapped in a cloth to Becharji saying, ‘You keep it with you, I will take it back from Dwarka.’ Many days have passed; Mahatmaji did not return, then the poor devotee thought that Mahatmaji did not come, let’s see what is there in this. When the devotee opened the cloth and saw the book, a small snake baby was seen in it. They threw him away by holding him by the stool, but in a short while he came back and sat on the book. On this, the devotee thought that there must be some secret in this. When he broke the cover of the book, he found five rupees in it. The devotee took out the money and kept it aside from the book, then what do you see that the snake child immediately moved away from the book and sat on the money. Due to this, a doubt arose in the mind of the poor devotee that perhaps that sadhuji had passed away and because of his lust for money, he was thinking of money in his last days and due to this he had become a snake. Then the devotee took water in his hand and resolved that ‘ Maharajji! If you have a desire for these rupees, then I will give food to the saints by adding one and a half rupees to these five rupees.’ Saying this, he left the water down. As soon as the snake child left the water, it died immediately there.
