"Please sit down, everybody will get their share of prasadam," I hate to do this but I had to shout at the little kids flocking around the devotees to get the sweets that devotees distribute after offering it to God. And being the priest of the temple, I'm expected to make sure that discipline is maintained in the temple. Everybody sat down in the area marked in the temple for kids to sit and get their share of sweets.
As I was tensely managing the whole situation, someone pulled my kurta and asked anxiously, "Is it all over," her little eyes were waiting to react. I shook my head to convey that it's not over yet and her eyes turned into a smile.
Boondi was a little girl who would come to the Temple on Tuesdays. She would almost always come late but then, she was the last one to leave. I would keep some sweets for her. She would sit down with me, eat a part of the sweets that I give her and I don't know why, she would always have questions for me.
Today was no different. As I finished coordinating the distribution of sweets, Boondi sat down with me, had a piece of prasadam and started talking as usual. "Baba," as she would normally call me, "Why do people give us prasadam?"
Being a priest, I'm normally expected to have answers to the people's questions. But almost always, I’ve found myself struggling to answer this little girl's innocent questions.
"Because people feel that giving something to the one's who're in need is a good deed", I replied almost hesitantly, knowing that she'll not stop just here.
"But Baba, how do they know that we only need prasadam. They never ask, probably we need something else. Chinu doesn't even eat sweets, probably she would love to have a toy instead." Boondi was quick to reply.
I did not marry, and had no family, but whenever I see Boondi, I always feel that if I had a child, she would have been like Boondi. I share a special relationship with her.
"And what do you need, if not sweets?", I asked.
She thought for a minute and said, "Baba, I need a cycle for Abba." I had to ask, "Why do you need a cycle for your father, so that he doesn't get tired walking to work?"
"No Baba, my Abba is stronger than Shaktiman. He doesn't get tired walking to work. You know, once he took me to work. I saw him lift twelve bricks at a time, and carry them two floors. Nobody can do this." She said proudly.
"Then, why do you need a cycle for him?" I was curious.
"So that Abba can come home early and I get to spend time with him. Baba you know, no matter how hard I try to not to sleep before he comes, but I end up sleeping and I do not get to meet Abba. He goes to work early morning." I could sense the sadness in her voice as she said this.
I placed my hand over her head and assured her, "I'll pray to God that he gives a cycle to your Abba."
She raised her eyebrows and asked, "If you pray, God listens?"
"He listens to everyone", I told her.
"But Baba, I've been praying for a cycle from so many days", she looked at me seeking an answer.
"You have to keep faith, there's right time for everything and God gives when the time is right”, This is the best that I could tell this little child. “And sometimes he gives more than what you are expecting”, I added.
Probably my answer helped her keep hope as she said, "Maybe it's taking time because God will give a cycle with a seat in front for me, and a seat at the back for Amma.", she said.
"And maybe even more.", I added.
"Lights in the wheels?", she said with a smile on her face.
Being a priest, I often see people in problem. There are problems in everybody's lives. But what differentiates them is how they handle problems.
Next Tuesday, just when I was wrapping up the things, Boondi came running to me, "Baba look what I found in the prasadam given to me." She opened her fist and had a gold ring in her hand. It might have slipped from somebody's finger while giving her prasadam. "Who was giving you prasadam when this came in your hand?" I asked.
"I don't know baba.", she looked puzzled. I couldn't see anybody outside either.
People normally forget things in temple. So, I keep them safe till somebody comes asking for their lost belongings. So I had to keep this as well. I started walking towards the closet where I normally keep such things. And Boondi started walking with me while she still had the ring in her hand.
"Baba, I don't need this. Should I throw it." She said.
"No, do you know it's a gold ring", I told her, "It's very costly."
"Why so costly Baba?" she asked.
"Because it's made of gold", I replied.
She did not look convinced, as she said, "Because of its color? Prasadam is also same color. Is it Costlier than Prasadam?"
I nodded in acknowledgement.
She was still curious, "How much prasadam will I get if I sell it?" "A lot of prasadam." I continued answering her while we walked towards the little closet kept in one corner of the temple.
Boondi asked further, "A full packet?"
I smiled and said, "Hundreds of packets."
Boondi suddenly stopped and looked at the ring again. Probably she didn't realize the value of that ring until now.
"Is this small ring that precious? Baba you're not joking with me." She asked looking directly into my eyes.
"No, I'm not." I said reassuringly.
We reached the closet and Boondi was quiet. I thought that she realized what she had in her hand and that the discussion had probably ended. As I started opening the closet, I heard Boondi speak slowly, "Can I get a cycle for Abba by selling this."
All these years, I've done my duty with utmost sincerity. People keep money in front of the idols, and I collect it all and put it in the donation boxes. Never ever it occurred to me that I can take this money for myself. I'm given a salary for my service and that's enough for me to sustain.
There's a system to everything. Pradhanji collects that money from the donation box and deposits it in the bank, so that it can be spend for maintenance of the temple.
Although it sometimes occurs to me that this money can be used for the people in need, but that's for the pradhanji to decide, not me.
I looked at Boondi and thought that what if she had not told me at the first place. If she knew the value of the ring, she could've taken it and nobody could've known this.
But then I thought that I've to do my duty and as a priest of the temple I need to take the ring and keep it safe till I give it to the one it belongs to.
Then, as a priest, it also becomes my duty to help people in need. And maybe, this time, God wanted me to help this girl.
Will it be a sin? But she didn't steal it. She found it.
With conflicting thoughts still in my mind, I uttered, "Yes, you'll be able to buy a cycle for Abba by selling this."
"Baba, should I take it then?", She had a big smile on her face.
I was not able to say no to her.
Excited, she turned and started walking towards the door of the temple. But then as she reached the door of the temple, she turned and came back running.
"Baba, will you keep it safe for me till I get it from you the next time I come", she asked.
"But, how can I, I mean where will I keep it", I couldn't think of anything else.
"You can keep it in this closet, we don't have such closet at home. If it's this valuable, where would I keep it", She said.
And before I could resist, she placed the ring in my hand and ran away. I had no other option, but to keep it in the closet.
'What if somebody comes asking for the ring. I can not lie and keep the ring. I'll have to return the ring. And if somebody takes it and then Boondi comes, what will I tell her.' Such thoughts came to my mind the whole week. But nobody came asking for the ring, not even Boondi.
Next Tuesday, Boondi came and as usual pulled my kurta from behind. I was afraid that she'd ask for the ring in front of everybody, but she just asked for prasadam.
When everybody was gone, she sat with me, as usual, eating the prasadam, and I was waiting for her to ask for the ring.
She patiently finished her prasadam and said, "Baba, now I understood. The ring did not slip from someone's finger."
"Then?", I asked.
Boondi replied, "God gave the ring."
I had to ask, "So that you can sell it and buy a cycle?"
"No Baba, God gave it by mistake. See, as I'm asking God for a cycle, someone must have asked for a ring. And I received it by mistake. So, let's return the ring to God and wait for the cycle." she explained.
"But you can still sell it and buy the cycle?" I asked this thinking that her little mind might not have explored all options yet.
"If I sell it, then the one who asked for the ring will not get the ring", she had already thought it all.
"Are you sure you want to return it, you needed a cycle for Abba", I asked.
"Baba, we have to keep faith. There's right time for everything." She finished her sweets and went home happy as always.
