The Story Of Sri Jagannath and the Woodcutter:

Near the holy Grand Road of Puri, lived a poor woodcutter with his wife. Every day he would go to the forest to collect wood, which he would then sell in the city to support his family. Despite the woodcutter’s hard work all day, it was difficult for him to have a full meal in the evening.
One day, as the woodcutter was passing through the Grand Road, he saw thousands of devotees going for the darshan of Lord Sri Jagannath. He thought to himself, “Why are so many people so eager to see this deity? I am busy cutting wood all day, but God never helps me.”
That day, he was returning from the forest with a heavy heart after cutting wood. On the way, he met a handsome, kind, and smiling young man. The young man said to the woodcutter, “Brother woodcutter, why are you so sad? I know you are in need. Do not worry. From today, I will help you every day. Instead of the wood you bring from the forest, you will receive gold coins.”
Hearing this, the woodcutter was astonished. The young man said, “Give me this bundle of wood today. From tomorrow, wherever you cut wood in the forest, you will find gold coins instead of wood. But there is one condition, you must not tell this to anyone.”
The woodcutter returned home happily. From the next day, he would cut wood at a specific place in the forest every day, and there, near an old tree root, he would find gold coins. The young man never appeared to him again. The woodcutter’s sorrow vanished, and he gradually became wealthy.
But one day, his wife repeatedly asked him where all the wealth was coming from. He could not resist his wife’s insistence and told her everything.
The next day, when the woodcutter reached that specific spot in the forest, there were no gold coins. He searched a lot but found nothing. He broke down in sorrow and, remembering the young man, began to cry.
Suddenly, the handsome young man appeared before him. The woodcutter said, “Forgive me, I could not keep your word. I told my wife everything.”
The young man smiled and said, “O devotee, I am your Lord Sri Jagannath. I had promised to help you, but you broke my secret. The day you told this to another, instead of giving you gold coins, I had to grind sandalwood in the Puri temple. I had to pay the price for your disbelief.”
Saying this, Sri Jagannath disappeared. The woodcutter immediately ran to the Puri temple. There he saw that the body of Lord Jagannath bore the marks of cutting wood and grinding sandalwood.
The woodcutter fell at the feet of the Lord, begged for forgiveness, and from that day on, he lived a life of devotion, only remembering the name of God.
Moral: If you believe in God, He will surely help you, but this faith should be constant and sincere.

Like the woodcutter, keep your faith in Lord Jagannath close to your heart. While his gift was a secret, you can bring His open blessing home.