Thursday, June 20, 2024

Meeting God (481 words)

 

When I easily reached the sanctum sanctorum and gazed upon God bathed in sandalwood, a voice from nowhere asked, “Did you grease someone’s palm to enter here?”

 I shuddered in disbelief and confessed in fear, “Yes.”

“It is unethical. When you meet me next Sunday, it will be elsewhere and you don’t have to bribe or wait. It will be instantaneous,” said the voice.

Drenched in sweat and fear, I thought of the many unfinished things like my unwritten will, collecting the huge loans given to trusted friends, the several benami transactions of land and property and legal disputes. I thought of my grieving family with my wife and two young children.

I was hardly able to walk. I pinched myself to ensure I was not dreaming.

Suddenly, the voice softened and continued, “But fear not, for this is your chance to change. Your actions today have brought you to this moment, but you can make amends. Use the time you have to set things right.”

Determined, I decided to address all my unfinished business ethically. I wrote my will, reached out to friends to settle debts amicably, paid the dues and made arrangements to transfer properties honestly.I also set aside liberally for charity.

When Sunday came, I was filled with a mix of apprehension and peace. I decided to live a life of honesty and truth, with no greed but a charitable disposition. I reached the nearby park, expecting a divine encounter. Instead, I found myself at the park with many children playing on the swings and slides and families enjoying the day. I hailed a sugar candy vendor making balls of cotton-like candies in colours and asked him to give one or two to each one of them. I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw the children dancing happily with candies in their hands.

It was then I heard a soft cough from nearby. Confused, I looked around until I saw an old man sitting on a bench, smiling at me. “You’re here,” he said warmly. “Sit with me.”

I sat beside him like an obedient student, and he handed me a small, worn-out book. “This is your new beginning,” he said. “Every good deed, every moment of kindness, will fill these pages starting from today’s candies to the children. Live each day as if you’re writing a story worth telling.”

As I opened the book, I saw the first entry written in elegant script: Today, you chose to live with integrity and compassion.

I looked up, but the old man was gone. The park seemed even brighter, and my heart felt lighter. I realised that meeting God wasn’t about leaving this world but transforming my life within it. Every action, every choice, was a step toward the divine.

I walked away from the park, ready to fill my new book's pages with a life worth living.

31 comments:

  1. A beautiful story with a good teaching for a better spiritual life . Thank you , Periappa. Wonderful message

    Chitra

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  2. What profound thought so simply put . Loved it . Today I met God through this story .

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  3. Morality would not exist if suffering did not exist. We are human because we are sensitive to both, susceptible to both, moved by both. I was deeply moved.
    Janardhan N

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  4. Very nice.. Short and sweet but deep and profound!!

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  5. The essence of spirituality is kindness, sensitivity and honest living. How beautifully your story brings that out!

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  6. Simple and sweet story that packs a punch!

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  7. This story made my day. Profound message which has to be emulated by all. Be a better human being everyday. It's never too late to start, let's all make a beginning.

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  8. Good one! I can relate to this as I am toying with such thoughts myself.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Best wishes and warm regards
    Hemantha Kumar Pamarthy 🙏

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  9. The story reminds everyone to set their life in the right direction.

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  10. Beautiful.
    Unfortunately, very often people resolve to change but are unable to follow through. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

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  11. Service to mankind is service to GOD. It is a change from a state of GOD is NOWHERE to GOD is NOW HERE. Compassion towards others and Awareness about self is the key for GOD REALISATION and it is possible through self-introspection, looking within. Nice story Sir, Regards

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  12. It was not like preaching but just explaining how to live in a straight forward way being kind to people around, which gives peace of mind in the long run. Nice story.

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  13. A beautiful message - we can all reset our lives for the better. Regards - Mahesh

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  14. Lakshmi SrinivasanJune 20, 2024 at 5:22 PM

    " Live each day as if you are writing a story worth telling" . This is Bhagavat Gita and Bhagavatam encapsulated in a short but beautiful statement.
    As usual, a wonderful story with a beautiful message. Thank you mama.🙏

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  15. Bijaylaxmi SarangiJune 20, 2024 at 5:24 PM

    Very beautiful story and with great lesson about how to live life.. Reading the story fills the heart with abundant joy. Thank you GP ..🙏🏼🙏🏼💐💐

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  16. So eloquently written on an issue that most of our inner self grapples with all the time

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  17. The line "live each day like you are writing a story worth telling" really spoke to me

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  18. Sridhar RajagopalanJune 20, 2024 at 5:53 PM

    Good day! Very nice.Short and sweet but deep and profound!!

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  19. A wonderful and profound message thro' a deeply moving story.

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  20. Excellent story. Loved it.

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  21. What an wonderful story! An eternal truth told in a mesmerizing manner.
    Atin Biswas

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  22. Awesome, mama. Life is all about compassion, kindness, empathy, love twds everybody, nature. Act of love , kindness liberates a person.
    Very nice

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  23. KP sir, it is remarkable how made us readers self-introspect on the quality of our lives! We are accountable to God for everything that we do and everything we don't do!

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  24. Profoundly beautiful story written by the most perspicacious storyteller. Thank you for sharing. :)

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  25. Interesting indeed and it was his conscience in the form of God.

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  26. Nice story with a really good message!

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  27. Lovely one!

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  28. The profound message delivers a powerful punch that is thought provoking and leaves the readers to reflect and introspect!

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  29. Loved it. Reading this story changes my perspective about life. Every new day is a new beginning. Need to live through our good deeds. Unity of thought, word and deed, being true to our conscience and all the lovely things that we can do to have the right attitude along with acceptance and surrender to the Almighty can keep us blissful. Keep rocking.

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