PUJA OF THE LORD SHIVA IDOL !

Here is yet another interesting story about this sadhu seeking spiritual enlightenment, for which he had approached a guru for guidance as to how he should go about it .The guru handed him over an idol of Lord Vishnu along with the requisite advise as to how he should go about with the worship.The sadhu followed the instructions but found that even after some months of meticulous puja, he did not get any spiritual elevation.He therefore reverted back to his guru and told him about the same ,and the guru gave him another idol, this time of Lord Shiva and asked him to give it another try.However, after another six months he was back again to his guru, asking for another idol, since as he told that even Lord Shiva had failed him !

Therefore this he was given a Godess Durga idol, which again went on to install in the shrine at his home, where the previous two idols were standing, dust-ridden and neglected, on the window sill. And then one fine day, while Durga-puja was going on, the sadhu was quite surprised to note that the perfumed smoke from the incense sticks that he had burnt was drifting towards the idol of Lord Shiva on the window sill.

He got quite agitated at this , since he felt that the perfumed smoke was meant only for the latest idol and not for the stone idol of Lord Shiva which had been deaf to all his requests made over a period of time . Therefore, he took things into his hands and ventured to tie a piece of cloth round the face of Shiva, so as to close the nostrils and prevent it from inhaling the perfume.

To his amazement, Lord Shiva appeared at just that moment in all his resplendent Glory before the sadhu ! Wasn't this sadhu quite dumbfounded at the miracle unfolding before his very own eyes ! He was not able to figure out how and why the ill-treatment had induced Lord Shiva to give him darshan. Here is what had really happened !

The sadhu for the first time had come to believe that the Lord Shiva idol was alive, conscious, and full of life and it was this belief of his that had forced him to tie the bandage to the nose of the idol. The moment he realised that the idol was full of consciousness, he got the Realisation he was struggling for.

Therefore, the sadhu should see, not the stone which is the material stuff of the idol, but the Power that is inherent in it, that is symbolised by it, the same Power that is inherent in his own heart and that pervades and transcends all creation. This is the spiritual enlightenment we should each one of us seek, on this, our journey of life !