The transformation

Narayanan’s sister Jalaja had come to his house for a few days. She and his aged mom wished to visit the famous Krishna temple. Though he was an atheist at heart, he agreed to take them to the temple town in his car. He had a great fondness for his sister and always tried to please her.

When they were at the temple gate, he asked them to go inside for the darshan and said that he would be waiting at the tea stall sipping tea.

“Narayana, why don’t you accompany us and come inside? It will make mom very happy” asked Jalaja.

He shook his head and said “Pease do not insist. You take your time and have good darshan.I will enjoy watching the people and the temple elephant tied to the railing here.”

“Jalaja, do not waste your time. He is a nasthikan (atheist) and will lecture like Jabali that there is no god. It is all his past karma. Leave him alone. We should hurry up before crowd starts turning up” said her mom.

When they went inside, Narayanan bought a cup of coffee and sat on a bench outside the tea stall with the day’s morning paper. He looked at his morning emails and kept his iPhone on the bench by his side as he turned his attention to the swaggering elephant. Though he felt sorry for making his mom unhappy, he had always been like this irreligious and without faith. His father was a communist ideologue and may be it was his influence on him.

As he was browsing the headlines, he felt a movement by his side and saw a boy running towards the temple. He found his iPhone missing and ran after the boy. Nimble footed the boy ran fast inside the big temple corridor(Prakaram).The boy ran so fast amidst the crowd of devotees that Narayanan could not keep pace with him. Everyone stood and stared in wonder at this chase.

After one complete round of the outer prakaram (corridor), the boy ran inside towards the sanctum sanctorum with Narayanan closely behind him. Amidst the commotion everyone including his mom and sister turned towards him. Both were surprised to see him and were happy that he had come just in time when the bell rang for the arathi. Narayanan could not see the boy. He mingled with the devotees and suddenly vanished

Just then the priest moving the arathi clockwise around the God illuminating the sanctum was heard telling “Today, the lord is in Shri Bala Krishna alankaram(decorated as a young boy).Tears were flowing on the cheeks of his mom and sister grateful for His grace in bringing Narayanan inside the temple.. As everyone raised their hands, involuntarily Narayanan also raised his hands folded with his eyes towards the god.He had a good darshan of the lord who seemed to smile at him.

When asked by Jalaja “How come you followed us surprisingly?” Narayanan mentioned about the young boy who snatched his iPhone and ran inside the temple.

“What are you talking? I can see your iPhone very much in your shirt pocket” she exclaimed.

As he felt the phone in his pocket he wondered who and where that mysterious boy could be.He was sure that boy had snatched the phone. Confused when he looked again at the God in child’s form amidst the light of sole oil lamp, he felt he knew the answer.