The minister's temple

Once Jahangir, the Emperor Akbar’s son, said to his father, “Father, how is it that you have allowed one of your Hindu ministers to erect a temple and spend so much money? The top of the temple is even studded with diamonds. Why did you allow him to spend so much money for the Hindu religion?”

Akbar said to him, “My son, I love my own religion. Is there anything that I will not do for my religion? Will money ever stand in my way? If I wanted to build a beautiful mosque, would I care about the amount of money it costs? This Hindu minister also loves his religion. If he wants to spend money for his religion, what right do I have to prevent him?

“I love something because it is my very own. Does he not have the right to love the thing that is his very own? His religion is his very own, just as my religion is my very own. I cannot ask him not to spend money on his religion, for I know that I would do the same thing for my religion.”

From:Sri Chinmoy,Illumination-experiences on Indian soil, part 2, Agni Press, 1974
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