In plain words
‘All right! Give me at least that much; I will have the temple built myself,’ she said. Before this, that rich man used to lend money at interest. He lent 400 rupees to a poor old woman. As she could not repay that debt of 400 rupees, he took over the 2 acres of land she had. It was land of great value. Land of so much value he had taken in pledge for 400 rupees. That old woman wept and wept: ‘How will my life go on? All my life I have lived depending on that land alone. He has taken it!’ she grieved bitterly. Now, being his wife, she could do nothing to this rich man, poor thing! But anger she could not hold back rose against her husband. What use is getting angry? The poor man's anger only hurts his own lip! When anger comes we bite our lips; the lips alone are hurt. Just so, she could do nothing. But harm done always meets with harm in return. No one can escape it! One night a great wind and rain came. Their house fell in, and the rich man and his wife both died. At the same time the poor old woman too died when her hut fell down. In the next birth he was born as Vīrabhadra. She was born as Cennabasappa. The rich man's wife was born as the daughter of the temple priest. At that time they knew nothing of all this. After some time this girl grew up. The priest tried to arrange this girl's marriage. One night Īśvara appeared to the priest in a dream and said, ‘Give your daughter in marriage to Vīrabhadrappa.’ So the priest gave his daughter in marriage to Vīrabhadrappa. Fittingly, the poor old woman was born as Cennabasappa, from the womb of the temple owner's wife. While things stood so, Vīrabhadrappa, then too, carried on this land business. As he carried on his business, one day his wife said, ‘I want to build a temple to God.’ That resolve had still not left her. Though births change, resolves remain, it seems! Though the body wastes away, the resolves remain all the same, it seems! Resolves as firm as diamond keep moving through however many yugas.