Whose Inspiration ? (840words)

(An old story I regularly read to shore up my faith in the Supreme lord when it is lagging)

 There is a Perumal Koil (temple) not far from my house housing several deities with Lord Krishna being the principal deity. There were shrines for other gods as well. The temple is serene in the early mornings, with the soft hum of hymns, the rustle of devotees moving, and the faint fragrance of flowers and incense hanging in the air. I visited the temple daily in the early mornings and some days in the evenings too. Usually, I stop at the main shrine to pray and walk around other shrines without much pause.

Let me come to the main character in the story. In the last two months, I have been observing an elderly lady at the portico outside the main shrine away from the inner sanctum where the devotees enter for darshan and theertham (holy water). She posed no hindrance to others as she stood in a corner. A frail old lady with silver hair, good looking and in a traditional nine-yard sari worn in Vaishnavaite tradition, she was always seen devoutly praying to God with tears running down both cheeks. Her lips were always quivering presumably praying for fulfillment of wishes. If there was no crowd, I have seen her murmuring as if she was in conversation with God present before her. She would be staying for about 30 minutes and the priests took kindly to her as she caused no disturbance.

I would feel ashamed that I was not getting as much devotion and fervour as her and feel bad that my visit to the temple was merely a ritual devoid of passion and hunger for God that she displayed. There was a sense of inadequacy in my prayers and greater admiration for her. Gradually I grew acquainted with her and would greet her with a smile when she looked at me. Though we never exchanged words, I could feel a bond between us. If I missed seeing her for two days continuously, I would be concerned whether she had fallen sick. In a way, I felt a slight change in me as I grew more devout seeing her and started praying for greater devotion.

It was then that I missed seeing her continuously for more than a fortnight. I was certain that she must have fallen sick. I didn't know whom to ask or knew where she lived. As I was in the inner sanctum one day with none else present, I asked the priest “Are you aware why the old lady is not seen these days? I used to see her daily without fail and her devout presence was an inspiration for me."

The priest chuckled softly and said "You must be referring to Chellamma patti. I am surprised to hear that instead of the Lord Himself inspiring you towards bhakti, Chellamma patti doing it. Anyway, why don't you meet her yourself? She is in the house adjacent to the Ahobila mutt in the same road hardly a furlong away and the door is painted in green colour."

I was hesitant to meet her at her house but curiosity overtook my discretion. After all, I was just going to enquire about her well-being, I thought. The door was half open. I heard a loud noise from the TV. I called "Patti, patti" twice. There was no response as the volume of TV was high. I pushed the door and craned my neck inside. 

To my utter surprise, I found the old lady in a nightie  sitting on a sofa munching popcorn and watching a popular Hindi serial Bhagya Lakshmi on Zee TV. What a different setting from the tearful lady pleading in the divine ambience of the temple to a carefree lady relaxing on a sofa before a wall TV, I wondered. She did not notice me initially being engrossed with the show on the screen. When I coughed to draw her attention, she saw and welcomed me to sit by her side.

"What a surprise! I am happy to see you here. Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked.

"No, I was concerned when I did not see you for long. I asked the priest. He gave me your address"

“Oh, oh, it is very sweet of you to have worried about me. I am fit and fine. I visited the temple daily to pray for the early marriage of my granddaughter. It was getting delayed and my daughter was worried. Luckily, thanks to Lord Krishna her marriage has been fixed. Since my prayer has been answered, I have stopped coming." she said very casually and laughed loudly.

The taunting yet profound words of the priest about my getting inspired by Chellamma patti instead of the Lord came sharply to my mind. It dawned on me that devotion is not just pleading tearfully before God in the temple alone but it is total faith in Him for him to answer your sincere prayers from wherever you are and doing whatever, even before TV munching popcorn or from a secluded forest.