3. The Priest’s Prayer

It was an old temple. It would have a deserted look most of the time. The temple was served by an old priest befitting the antiquity of the temple.

When I visited the temple that day, there was no one in the temple save the priest. I felt like asking him a question.

People who come to a temple pray for myriad things. Their requests may range from early settlement of the marriage of their daughter to a convenient riddance of a business partner.

I was curious to know what  the priest would pray for. Taking advantage of the privacy provided by my being the only devotee present in the temple at that time, I asked the priest “Sir! What will you seek from God?”

For a moment, he cast a strange look on me. Then, probably feeling free to share his prayers with me, he said, “I pray to God asking for a long life for me!”

Floored by the unexpected answer, I asked him, “Sir! Don’t consider me inquisitive or impudent. My understanding is that  people who have a spiritual bent of mind generally pray to God that they reach the lotus feet of the God sooner than later. Perhaps some may desire to go to Heaven. I have heard many people say that this is what the scriptures advise us, I am not well versed in the scriptures, though! How is that your prayer is different?”

“You are right. But I have already attained the feet of God!” said the priest.

I was taken aback by his answer. The priest’s answer momentarily created doubts in me about his mortal status! Being alone with the priest in the dark atmosphere of the sanctum-sanctorum made me feel a little apprehensive. I looked at his feet to confirm that they were touching the floor! So, I have not been talking to a ghost or a spirit, after all!

“What do you mean, sir? You say you have attained the feet of God! Well, is it not something that can happen only after a person leaves this world?” I asked in a feeble voice that betrayed my apprehension.

“The scriptures say that we should aim to attain the feet of God after we depart from this world. But I used the expression in a slightly different sense. I have been standing near the idol of God and looking at the image of God many times a day. Every time, a devotee performs an Archana, I offer flowers at the Lord’s feet 108 times on behalf of the devotee. So, I get a chance to look at His feet hundreds of times every day. Over the years, I would have offered flowers at His feet several million times. I spend most of my day in front of this idol. So, the vision of the feet of God is ingrained in my mind. Even when I am not in the temple, the image of God stays with me. When I sleep, my mind’s eye sees God’s feet. What can be more enchanting, more satisfying and more rewarding than this divine experience? I crave for this experience to continue indefinitely. I pray for a long life so that I can keep experiencing this bliss.”

As if by reflex, I prostrated before him, a person who had attained the rare state of being with God most of the time.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'archchakarin aasai' by the same author)

Virtue

Chapter 1

In Praise of God

Verse 3

Malarmisai Ekinaan maaNadi sErnthaar

Nilamisai needu vaazhvaar

Meaning:

One who seeks refuge at the feet of the Lord residing in one’s heart, will live long in this world. (Parimelazhagar, the leading commentator of ThirukkuRaL has interpreted this verse to mean that those who meditate on the feet of God will reside in the Heaven for a long time.)

Verse 4

Verse 2