During his stay in America Swami Vivekananda generally cooked his own meals. When there were other people around in his house during mealtime, Swami Ji first served food to his guests before taking meals. One day when Vivekanand was about to take his meals, a group of boys rang the bell. Welcoming the children in, swami ji enquired whether they had taken their meals? The boys told him that they had not eaten anything and were feeling hungry. Vivekananda asked the boys to take meals at his house.
However, because he had prepared the food for himself only, nothing was left for him after the guests had eaten. Nevertheless, Vivekananda appeared very happy and satisfied. An American lady, present in his house at that time, was surprised at the reaction of Vivekananda. She queried, “When there was not sufficient food, why did you invite the boys to take food to your house?” Vivekananda replied, “The need of the soul is greater than the hunger of the body. If I had taken meals myself, while there were hungry people around me, my soul would never have forgiven me for my selfishness. By feeding these hungry children, I satisfied the hunger of my soul. The memory of satisfaction on the faces of these hungry children after they have taken meals will always make me happy.
Moral
The greatest pleasure of life lies in giving and sharing things with others. The angels are revered because they always give without any expectations for return.
Source: Pragya Tales Part 2
