Small Story 148.

Small Story 148. The Manthralaya Blessing After finishing his shift at the restaurant, Cook Madhava Rao stepped outside, his mind heavy with thoughts of Manthralaya. For over eleven years, he had journeyed there with his wife Padma, offering his devotion to the great saint, Gururaja. However, his limited salary and Padma’s medical expenses made it difficult to save even the minimum amount needed for the trip, which was 5,000 rupees annually. Madhava Rao’s monthly income of 22,000 rupees just covered rent and necessary expenses. His wife Padma, a devoted partner, supported him through it all. Their daughter, Soumya, had married and moved to Tirupati with her husband, who worked as a school teacher. Soumya often sent money to her father, admiring his simplicity and the sacrifices he had made, including helping her graduate with great difficulty. One day, Padma received a phone call from Soumya. “Amma, how are you?” Soumya asked. “Appa has come back, and I have good news! Vivek has been promoted with a 750-rupee raise starting next month.” Padma was overjoyed at the news, feeling the blessing of Gururaja in her heart. “Tell Appa,” she said, excitedly. When Madhava Rao heard the news, his heart swelled with gratitude. “Guru Raja, I was thinking of visiting you in the morning, and now you’ve given me this blessing,” he said, wiping away a tear. His happiness was immeasurable. The next day, as Madhava Rao was preparing to leave for the restaurant, a knock came at the door. He opened it to find a young man standing there. “Namaskara, Uncle,” the young man said. “I’m Guru. Do you remember me? Six years ago, you cooked for us in our house in Jayanagar, T Block. After we moved to the US, we lost touch. I’m on holiday now and got your address from my friend Ramu. He visits your restaurant every day and is a big fan of your dosai. He told me about you, and I immediately thought of visiting you. He also asked me to invite you to his house for the Gururaja Aradhanai next month.” Madhava Rao smiled as he remembered the young boy, who had now grown into a handsome young man. Padma brought coffee, and Guru accepted it warmly. Before leaving, Guru handed Madhava Rao a large pocket with his contact details. When Padma opened the pocket, she was astonished to find six apples, a large sweet box from Anand Sweets, and a cover with an envelope inside. Madhava Rao opened the envelope in front of Gururaja’s picture and was stunned to find 10,000 rupees. “Guru Raja,” he whispered, “this morning I was thinking of coming to you at Manthralaya, and now you’ve given me two blessings.” Overcome with emotion, he decided to visit Manthralaya on Thursday, staying for a day. Both he and Padma were overjoyed, knowing that faith in any form is always rewarded by the divine. On Wednesday morning, they left for Manthralaya by train, grateful for the unexpected blessings and their deepened faith in Gururaja. K.Ragavan 5- K.Ragavan 6-2-25