提 要

大多數的人都願意幫助他人，有錢出錢、 有力出力；但是非常富有的人，所捐出的1000元，可能是九牛一毛；而三餐不繼的窮苦人卻肯捐獻僅有的100元，那代表的價值就遠遠超越那1000元了。

Mahatma Gandhi, honoured as the father of India, was a very special person. The following story illustrates one of the reasons for him to be called "Mahatma"（Great Soul）.

Once , Gandhi was on an expedition to collect funds from various cities and villages for an organization to help the poor. He went to several places and finally reached Orissa. He organized a meeting in Orissa.

There, he gave a speech to the public, requesting them to give him funds for the organization. At the end of his speech, a very old woman with bent back, tattered clothing, white hair got up. She requested the volunteers to allow her to reach Gandhi. However, the volunteers stopped her. She did not give up. She fought with them and reached Gandhi.

She touched the feet of Gandhi. Then she took out a copper coin kept in the folds of her saree and placed it at his feet. Then the old lady left the stage.

Gandhi very carefully took the coin. The treasurer of the organization for the poor asked Gandhi for the copper coin, but he refused to give it.

"I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees," said the treasurer. “Yet you won't trust me with a copper coin!”

Gandhi said, "This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands. If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much."

Yes, the coin might have been the only thing that the poor old woman possessed. She did not even have proper clothes and could not afford good food. Still she gave everything she had. That is why Gandhi regarded the coin as very precious.

解 說

被尊為「印度之父」的聖雄甘地，是一位非常特別的人。這則故事說明了他被稱為「聖雄」（偉大的靈魂）的原因之一。

有一次，甘地為了幫助窮人組織一個遠征隊，穿梭各個城市和村莊籌募資金。經過了幾個地方，最後到達歐里薩邦，他在當地召開一次會議。

他在那裡向群眾發表演講，要求他們為籌募資金組織捐款。演講結束後，一位佝僂、衣衫襤褸、白髮蒼蒼的老婦站起來。她要求義工們讓她接近甘地。然而，義工阻止了她的去向。她並不放棄據理力爭終於到達甘地面前。

她觸摸甘地的腳。然後拿出一枚保存在她的紗麗褶皺中的銅幣，放在他的腳下，然後這位老太太離開了講台。

甘地非常小心地拿起這枚硬幣。替窮人籌募資金的財務主管向甘地索取銅幣，但甘地拒絕給他。

「我掌管價值數千盧比的支票……」財務主管說：「但是你不放心託付我一枚銅幣。」

甘地說：「這枚銅幣的價值，遠遠超過成千上萬。如果一個男人有幾十萬，給了一兩千，對他來說並不算什麼。」

是的，銅幣應是這可憐的老婦唯一擁有的東西。她連合適的衣服都沒有，也買不起食物。但她仍然捐出她的一切。這就是為什麼甘地認為這枚硬幣非常珍貴。