In Hindu mythology, Narada Muni was a divine sage, famous as a travelling musician and a story teller, who carried news and wisdom wherever he went. Once, so the story goes, Narada Muni was going to visit the heavenly abode of Lord Vishnu, and as he went he encountered a brahman who requested, “Oh, Narada Muni, if you are going to meet the Lord, will you please ask Him when I’m going to get my salvation?”
Narada Muni agreed. “Yes, all right, I shall ask Him.”
As Narada continued his journey, he met a cobbler sitting under a tree, mending shoes. The cobbler also asked Narada, “Oh, are you going to see God? Will you please inquire of Him when my salvation will come?”
When Narada Muni reached Vaikuntha, the heavenly home of Vishnu, he fulfilled their requests and asked his Lord about the salvation of the brahman and the cobbler. Vishnu replied, “After leaving his body, the cobbler shall come here to me.”
“And what about the brahman?” Narada asked.
“He will have to remain on earth for a number of births. His time has not arrived.”
Narada Muni was astonished, and said, “I can’t understand the mystery of this.”
“So that you will see,” Vishnu said, “do this: when you return, they will ask you what I am doing in My abode. Then, tell them that I am threading the eye of a needle with an elephant.”
Returning to the earth, Narada first approached the brahman. Seeing him, the brahman eagerly asked, “Oh, you have seen the Lord? What was He doing?”
“He was threading an elephant through the eye of a needle,” Narada answered.
“I don’t believe such nonsense,” the brahman replied, and Narada immediately understood that the man had no faith and was simply a reader of books.
Narada then went to the cobbler, who also asked eagerly, “Oh, have you seen the Lord? Tell me, please, what was He doing?”
“He was threading an elephant through the eye of a needle,” Narada replied.
The cobbler began to weep, “Oh, my Lord is so wonderful, He can do anything.”
“Do you really believe that the Lord can push an elephant through the hole of a needle?” Narada asked.
“Why not?” the cobbler said, “Of course, I believe it.”
“How is that?”
“You can see that I am sitting under this banyan tree,” the cobbler answered, “and you can see that so many fruits are falling daily, and in each seed, there is a banyan tree like this one. If within a small seed there can be a big tree like this, is it difficult to accept that the Lord is pushing an elephant through the eye of a needle?”