Each Should have his Due

Rammay used to go to Jayrambati from Badanganj every Saturday. Hence if any good food came to the Mother’s house, she kept apart a share of it for him. One day somebody prepared some delicious khichudi with plenty of ghee and other costly ingredients. When Rammay came, she gave him a great quantity of it. As he could not do full justice to it, he ate as much as he could and then wanted to throw away the rest. 

But the Mother said, 'My boy, don't throw away such good stuff', and directed him to call in a girl of the Sadagopa caste from a neighbouring house, who came and carried away the remaining food with great delight. 

Then the Mother said, ‘Each should have his due. What men can eat shouldn't be wasted on cattle; what cattle can eat shouldn't be thrown away to dogs; what cattle and dogs can't eat can be thrown into ponds for the fish - nothing should be wasted.’ As for herself, she kept even such useless stuff as waste vegetables and fruit peels for cattle.   

                   - ‘Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi’ by Swami Gambhirananda, P483-84