Just as Agathiyar had asked us what we wanted, God had asked a Sufi saint what he wanted through his angels. A reader shared this wonderful story that was forwarded to him. It is a story told from Basanth Rahul's "Choose Peace", a compilation of 20 similar inspiring stories.
This story was originally told by Osho in his "Yoga the Alpha and Omega Vol-9". (https://www.spiritual-short-stories.com/the-holy-shadow-story-by-osho/) Osho elaborates one of Patanjali's sutra "Tad Vairagyatapitosh Bikshaye Kaivalyam", by running through the above story.
By being non attached to even these powers,
The seed of bondage is destroyed.
Then follows Kaivalya, Liberation.
Explaining that,
"There should be an avoidance of any attachment or pride to invitations from the Superphysical Entities in Charge of various planes because this would bring the possibility of the revival of Evil. It is very satisfying, gratifying, to have spiritual powers, and it gives you such a subtle joy of the ego, so pure, that you cannot feel any sting in it. You are trying to find out the whole; and the whole is possible only when all sorts of egoistic trips are dropped and sacrificed. When you are not, God is"
he went on to relate the story.
"There should be an avoidance of any attachment or pride to invitations from the Superphysical Entities in Charge of various planes because this would bring the possibility of the revival of Evil. It is very satisfying, gratifying, to have spiritual powers, and it gives you such a subtle joy of the ego, so pure, that you cannot feel any sting in it. You are trying to find out the whole; and the whole is possible only when all sorts of egoistic trips are dropped and sacrificed. When you are not, God is"
he went on to relate the story.
Let me tell you one very famous Sufi story, “The Holy Shadow.”
There once lived a saint so good that the angels came from heaven to see how a man could be so godly. This saint went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without being aware of it. His day could be summed up by two words — he gave, he forgave — yet these words never passed his lips. They were expressed in his ready smile, his kindness, forbearance, and charity.
The angels said to God, “Lord, grant him the gift of miracles.”
God replied, “Ask what it is that he wishes.”
They said to the saint, “Would you like the touch of your hands to heal the sick?”
“No,” answered the saint. “I would rather God do that.”
“Would you like to convert guilty souls and bring back wandering hearts to the right path?”
“No, that is the angels’ mission. It is not for me to convert.”
“Would you like to become a model of patience, attracting men by the luster of your virtues, and thus glorifying God?”
“No,” replied the saint. “If men should be attracted to me, they would become estranged from God.”
“What is it that you desire, then?” asked the angels.
“What can I wish for?” asked the saint smiling. “That God gives me his grace; with that would I not have everything?”
The angels said, “You must ask for a miracle, or one will be forced upon you.”
“Very well,” said the saint. “That I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it.”
The angels were perplexed. They took counsel and resolved upon the following plan: every time the saint’s shadow fell behind him or to either side, so that he could not see it, it would have the power to cure disease, soothe pain, and comfort sorrow.
When the saint walked along, his shadow, thrown on the ground on either side or behind him, made arid paths green, caused withered plants to bloom, gave clear water to dried-up brooks, fresh color to pale children, and joy to unhappy men and women.
The saint simply went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without being aware of it. The people, respecting his humility, followed him silently, never speaking to him about his miracles. Soon they even forgot his name, and called him “The Holy Shadow.”
This is the ultimate: one has to become the holy shadow, just a shadow of God. This is the greatest revolution that can happen to a human being: the transfer of the center. You are no longer your own center; God becomes your center. You live like his shadow. You are not powerful, because you don’t have any center to be powerful. You are not virtuous; you don’t have any center to be virtuous. You are not even religious; you don’t have any center to be religious. You are simply not, a tremendous emptiness, with no barriers and blocks, so the divine can flow through you unhindered, uninterpreted, untouched — so the divine can flow through you as he is, not as you would like him to be. He does not pass through your center — there is none. The center is lost.
This is the meaning of this sutra: that finally, you have to sacrifice your center so you cannot think in terms of the ego again, you cannot utter “I,” to annihilate yourself utterly, to erase yourself utterly. Nothing belongs to you; on the contrary, you belong to God. You become a holy shadow.
I understand why Agathiyar called me aside and whispered to me about the consequences of my wish to serve him birth after birth. Instead, he made me rethink my wish and later offered to guide me on attaining Gnanam. But he added that it was solely my effort. Ramalinga Adigal came along and stressed the need for effort too, to achieve the goal.