The Grass Garland

Today is Sangadahara Chathurthi. My Lord Vinayagar's special day. An auspicious day, when people fast and devote their heart to Vinayagar. When I went to temple yesterday, there was a mother who I see everyday in the temple whenever I go, but she comes every single day and prays to Vinayagar, she stands near him and closes her eyes and prays endlessly.

Yesterday, when she was about to leave the place she asked the priest to give her a grass garland, the priest gave a grass garland from Vinayagar's shoulders which has absorbed divine energy and blessings.

She gracefully received that garland and carried that with her. The priest asked her "why she is asking for this garland every Sunday?", she said she takes the divine blessings from Vinayagar and gives it to her son who goes to college on Sunday evening and stays in Hostel for the next 5 days.

I just kept standing their admiring this lady who held such a great faith in my Lord, she devotes herself to my Lord to protect her son.

On this day, every Sangadahara Chathurthi day, She comes to the temple preparing prasadam and gives that to priests, they place the prasadam in my Lord's feet and then hand it over to her, which she distributes to all devotees.

I respectfully, take the prasadam from her, the taste of that prasadam is so divine. I can feel the devotion she has put in the preparation of that prasadam. She catches my Lord's Vinayagar's feet with such devotion and faith. I just admire her faith, I am sure her faith will move mountains.

For many days, I just visit my Lord and I like him a lot, I used to carry his photo with me always since my 9th grade. I believe that he is the one guiding me in everything that I do. Anything, good happens to me is by my Lord's grace, I truly believe this.

I do have faith in him, but until recently my devotion to him was not a match to the extent of this mother's devotion who I see every time when I visit the temple.

Earlier, every now and then when I visit my Lord, I always used to wonder "What drives her so much?", only to realize from her own words to the priest this time, that it was her son's best interests was the one that was driving her.

I could resonate it immediately, the faith and devotion in my Lord has grown on me so immensely recently because of his grace to me, he gave me my daughter. I don't have words to thank him for this.

I can feel that mother's intention and will to protect her son, she catches Lord's feet so firmly - though not literally, I have watched her how she clutches her both the hands together and closes her eyes before my Lord. That's something I can resonate very well now, I know what drives her to this extent of faith and devotion in my Lord. Now, I know what makes her do this. I can resonate it and smile at her, because I now know it is so natural to any parent and there is no wonder there, because I can feel it myself.

And, this has deepened my relationship with my Lord Vinayagar as well, earlier I used to visit him every now and then but now I visit him every day, If I miss one day without seeing him, it feels like as if I am suffocating without being able to breathe. Now I know what drives that mother to come to the temple every single day.

What I really wonder now is this, How people feel so proud and more confident when they have so much money, power and material belongings?, I am seeing people who feel so proud about their material belongings and they walk tall in such pride, I am not against all these people but to the blessing that I have got, these material belongings are just so meaningless.

Because my Lord's blessing to me in the form of my daughter is much more than all these things, but that has made me so humble, it made me realize that the Lord who gave me this child has to help me take care of my child.

I just go begging to him every time, I am no confident at all because I know he needs to help me serve my child. I can resonate this humility with that of the mother who clutches her hands together before my Lord and closes her eyes. This I can very well understand, but not these people who walk tall in pride for just travelling in a high end Mercedes Benz or BMW with multiple executives handling their schedules all through the day wearing Louise Philippe Suits.

These people all feel superior and more confident just for material belongings, money and power? but what my Lord gave me is an unmatchable super power which has only made me more humble. I could resonate this humbleness with the mother I saw in the temple but I could not understand the so called rich people, I feel I am far more richer than those people but only gone humble enough to seek my Lord's guidance and help to nurture this little kid. My little kid has triggered the human in me, I see other humans with compassion and kindness that is a reflection I got from my daughter. I see that as God's shine through my child reflecting on me.

Few days ago, there was this construction activity that was happening near my home. My mother took my little kid outside for making her watch scenery and moving vehicles and walking people, she just placed my child near a place where there was some spilled over red sand, my little kid started to play with that sand, making her hands dirty.

My mother brought her inside home and tried to wipe her tiny little hands using a dirty towel, my little kid pulled her hands away, my mother did not know why she did that, later after sometime she took a very clean white towel and started wiping my kid's hands now she allowed it. We were just admiring how smart she is and laughing among ourselves.

With my little kid showing so much smartness, I thought I will collect some books for her to read and grow more smarter so I bought this book on Thinking. I bought this book for my little kid and placed it in my Lord's feet for blessings. That moment when that book was blessed and handed over to me, I could easily feel how that mother received that Grass Garland for his son from the priest, such devotion and care, she bent down to her knees and received it.

She does not need any words to express her intention to my Lord at all. She was asking for divine protection for her son.

I too received the book from the priest with the same intention, the divine grace for my child to become very rich in her thinking skills with confidence, but not becoming one of these over confident people though, my daughter's specialty is her kindness and compassion, I don't want her to lose that, that is the divine quality in her but at the same time I don't want others to take advantage of that quality.

I want her to be so very brilliant and manage things so profoundly and elegantly that every one else would fumble.

I want her to walk like a Lion on stage demanding respect and set an example for all other so called leaders, on how a leader should be and how to be skillful and talented and lead the way with poise and dignity and without any sign of "Big-headedness", which I know is not my kids cup of tea.

However, the Ego, can play tricks, I want my God to protect her from that ego. My daughter's kindness and compassion should not make her vulnerable. God, please protect those qualities in her and protect her from exploitations. I want her good health, happiness, knowledge, I want her to be blessed with all the goodness of this world and bless her with all the material belongings yet she needs to be the one who creates a difference in this world but not the one who just appears different.

I am more content because God has showered me Abundance, which is my little daughter. That's more than enough for me. However, I need his help to raise my standards so that I can serve her better, all I receive I just want to give to my daughter, help me God to be of some valuable service to my little kid. With or Without me, my child will shine I know that but if I add some value I would have served my purpose as well.

Bless my child like how you bless that mother's Son with your Grass Garland which protects him, I want you to be always around my little kid and protect her!!