No expensive fruits for me !

In the summer of 1947, Gandhiji was moving in Bihar to subside the communal violence. From Bihar he went to Delhi. In those days his food intake was reduced considerably.

One morning, Manuben Gandhi gave a full glass of mango juice at the time of meal to Gandhiji.

Bapu asked, "First check out and tell me. What is the price of these mangoes?"

Manuben thought Bapu is simply joking.

So, she got herself busy with the work of duplicating the papers. But, after sometime she noticed that Bapu did not have it, so she told him to have the mango juice.

Bapu said, "I thought that you would first ask the price of the mangoes on your own. Even though these mangoes have been gifted to us, you should first ask the price before offering these to me. That you did not do. Moreover, even after my telling so, you did not check out the price. I have heard that a single piece of mango costs ten annas. I can survive without eating this fruit. Such costly fruits do not increase blood in my body. On the contrary, it reduces my blood. In such a time of terrible high prices and distress, you have given me a full glass of juice of four mangoes. That costs two rupees and fifty paisa per glass. How can I take that?"

In the meantime, two refugee women came with their children to meet Gandhiji. Bapuji soon gave away that mango juice to these two children to drink, in two different bowls. That gave him immense satisfaction.

He then told Manuben, "God is helping me. This is a graphic example of that fact. God sent these children to me and also they are exactly like the ones I had wished. Just look, how generous is the God!"