Prostitute Story told by Sri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa
An ascetic dwelt by the side of a temple. There was the house of a harlot in front. Seeing the constant concourse of men in the prostitute’s house, the ascetic one day called her and censured her.
The poor prostitute became extremely sorry for her misdeeds, and with genuine inward repentance prayed to God beseeching forgiveness. But as prostitution was her profession, she could not easily adopt any other means of earning her livelihood.
The ascetic saw that his advice produced no effect upon her. He started counting the number of people visiting her by putting a pebble for each visitor and in course of time there arose a big heap of pebbles.
He called her and advised her again showing the heap of pebbles. She prayed more intensely after seeing her heap of sins. She died one day and by the strange will of God the ascetic also died on the same day.
Yamdoots (Messengers of the Lord of Death) came and took the ascetic to Naraklok and handed over the the prostitute to Vishnudoots to take her to Swarga.
Seeing the prostitute going towards heaven the ascetic started questioning the judgement of God.
The messengers of Vishnu said, “The decree of God is always just; as you think, so you reap. You passed your life in external show and vanity. That is why God has given you this.
The prostitute earnestly prayed to god day and night. Look at the treatment which your body and her body receiving. Your ‘body’ never sinned and so it was decorated with flowers and taken in a procession.
The ten foolish men… forded a stream and on reaching the other shore wanted to make sure that all of them had in fact safely crossed the stream. One of the ten began to count, but while counting the others left himself out.
"We are only nine,” they all agreed, “but who is the missing one?” they asked themselves. Every effort they made to discover the “missing” individual failed.