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DISCOURSE 57
123
For a couple of months the young man did not send any money to his father. Then his father wrote to him asking him to send him some money. Every month the young man used to give his entire salary to his wife. He gave her his father's letter. She read it and said, "I will write a letter to father". Later, she wrote a letter to her father-in-law, "Dear father-inlaw! Here we have set up a new family and we are not able to save anything. We may not be able to send any money for about a year. Kindly pardon us etc". She wrote the letter in a very polite and humble manner.
THE FATHER WAS IN DIFFICULTIES SINCE HE HAD NO BANK-BALANCE
The girl's marriage had to be celebrated. He had no money at all with him. His bank-balance was nil. He was greatly worried, "How can I celebrate the marriage of my daughter ? I have not saved even one hundred rupees. My son also would not have saved anything because he has set up a new family. How can celebrate the marriage of the girl? I have to keep up my prestige. I need at least ten thousand rupees. Where can I find so much money?" He was greatly agitated. The worry had its effect on his physical health also. His wife and his daughter were greatly worried. They could not easily discard their habits of extravagance. Even in such a condition they could not reduce their expenditure. The son was not sending any money and the father's health began to worsen.
After twelve months the girl wrote to her brother, "Brother, please go over here. Father's health is not all right". Soon after they received the letter the husband and wife came to Bombay. They found that the gentleman's health was greatly affected. The young man and his wife saluted the feet of the gentleman and said, "Father, why are you so depressed? You are very ill". The daughter-in-law went to her mother-in-law, and sister-in-law and began conversing with them. The daughterin-law was carefully listening to the conversation between the father and son. The father was saying to his son, "Dear son ! Your sister's marriage is to be celebrated within two months.
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