Sri Sadguru Mahime
Author: Charana Dasa
Translator:Shri.Ganesh Prasad
Chapter 3 - Sumangali
Puja
A Tamilnadu based couple used to
visit Gurunatha’s house often. They had been blessed by many seers including
seers of Advaitha peetha in Tamilnadu. They were also staunch devotees of
Gurunatha. Once at their residence in Tamilnadu they had arranged 60th year
shanthi. All preparations for Sumangali Puja (a ritual in which married women
are offered respects) were made and just when the married women who had
especially been invited for this ritual were being called into the house after
performing an aarti, a beggar woman wearing torn clothes came to their doorstep
and asked for some clothes to be given as alms.
The lady of the house wanted to give
a saree to that woman; however the seniors who had gathered there objected to
that and said it would be against the practice of the ritual, till the invited
married women are given clothes the woman begging at the doorstep has to wait.
Trying to find a way out of this predicament the lady spoke to the beggar woman
and asked her to return after a few minutes and she can have sumptuous food
along with a saree.
After the puja the beggar woman
never returned and turning away a needy woman on the day of Sumangali Puja kept
lingering in the mind of the couple. Days passed by, the devotee couple visited
many seers across Tamilnadu and Karnataka and came to Gurunatha’s house as
well.
At the moment when they were about
to enter Gurunatha’s house, they found a beggar woman asking for clothes who
had an uncanny resemblance to the woman they had turned away on the day of
Sumangali Puja. Gurunatha invited the beggar woman inside, offered her milk,
fruits and other things and made sure this couple handed over a saree to her
and paid their respects. As soon as they finished, he said “Now, the mistake
has been corrected isn’t it?”
The couple in their minds thanked
Gurunatha’s compassion for correcting their mistake. To the visitors who had
gathered, Gurunatha had a message ...”We invite people who have more than 25 sarees
at their home and give them sarees again and again. However, if a woman in torn
clothes asks for a saree we won’t feel like giving, why is it so?”
The lady who recounted this
experience said... “During this incident he corrected our mistake and made us
aware of the real meaning of Sumangali Puja through his compassion. It is
unfortunate that we cannot offer him anything in return”
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