Lord accepts our desire to serve Him – Story!
He was a renowned astrologer. Whenever he analysed a horoscope and made a prediction, it was as if Lord Brahma himself had spoken; such was his mastery and expertise in the field. Consequently, people from far and wide would come to meet him to learn about their future.
A poor daily-wage laborer, deeply worried about his future, came to see the astrologer.
“I am living in abject poverty, and the burden of debt is weighing heavily on me. I also have two daughters; I do not know how I will manage to settle them in life. Please examine my horoscope and tell me if there is any way for me to live a better life,” he said, handing over his horoscope.
The astrologer began to analyze the poor laborer’s horoscope. He cast the cowrie shells and studied the astrological charts. At one point, his expression darkened with concern.
He then said to the laborer, “Sir, I have a very important task to attend today. Your horoscope requires a detailed analysis, so let me keep it with me for now. Please go home and return tomorrow at this same time; I will tell you everything then.”
“Very well, sir, I shall return tomorrow. Do I need to pay anything for what you have done so far?” the laborer asked.
“No, that is not necessary… you can pay when you come tomorrow; that will suffice.”
“Thank you very much, sir… I will come tomorrow.”
The laborer left the place.
Just then, the astrologer’s eldest daughter arrived and asked, “Father… why did you send him away by claiming you had urgent work? You told me you had no other work today and that you would be spending the entire day analyzing horoscopes and giving predictions to visitors.”
The astrologer replied, “My child… his life is destined to end tonight. That is exactly what his horoscope indicates. I even consulted the cowrie shells. He doesn’t even have the time to perform the necessary remedial rituals. I didn’t have the heart to tell him this. That is why I lied and sent him away… Poor soul…” he said.
Meanwhile, the worker was walking towards his village through the open fields.
Suddenly, the sky turned overcast and darkness descended. Soon, a drizzle began, quickly intensifying into a heavy downpour accompanied by thunder.
With no shelter available in the fields, the worker hurried along, alternating between a run and a brisk walk. Spotting a deserted, temple-like structure a short distance away, he ran towards it.
It was a dilapidated Shiva temple. He took shelter there to escape the rain.
Standing in the temple hall, he felt deeply saddened by the ruined state of the structure. “A temple where the Lord resides lies here, neglected and in shambles… If only I were wealthy instead of poor, I would renovate this temple and perform the consecration ceremony,” he mused.
His thoughts continued to flow; in his mind, he visualized himself renovating the Shiva temple. He imagined restoring the *gopuram* (tower), the main entrance tower, the circumambulatory paths, and the halls. He pictured engaging priests, the chanting of Vedic mantras, the ceremonial procession of the sacred water pot, the consecration ritual, and finally, worshipping the deity enshrined in the sanctum sanctorum.
While lost in these thoughts, he glanced up at the ceiling of the hall and was shocked to see a cobra with its hood raised, poised to strike him. Without wasting a single second, he ran out of the hall. No sooner had he stepped out than a massive crash occurred; the very section of the hall where he had been standing was instantly pulverized into rubble. A stone from the debris struck his leg, but he managed to escape with only a minor injury. The worker, who had not yet recovered from the shock of seeing the cobra, was now frozen in sheer disbelief. It was exactly 7:30 PM.
He returned home and recounted the harrowing tale of his narrow escape to his wife and children.
The following evening, he went to visit the astrologer as usual. The astrologer was astonished to see him alive. After welcoming him and offering him a seat, he re-examined the worker’s horoscope, wondering if he had perhaps miscalculated the prediction.
He pored over astrological texts and palm-leaf manuscripts once more. His calculations were correct. How, then, had the man survived? The texts prescribed a specific remedy to avert such a calamity: the person had to earn the merit of building a Shiva temple and performing its consecration ceremony (Kumbabhishek). Yet, the man was destitute; even if the astrologer had suggested this remedy, the worker could never have afforded it. How could he possibly build a temple and conduct a consecration—and that too, within a single night? Pondering this, he asked the worker, “What happened last night?”
The worker explained that it had started to rain while he was out, and he had taken shelter near a dilapidated Shiva temple.
When the astrologer eagerly asked what happened next, the worker said that seeing the ruined temple had saddened him, and he had wished that, if he only had the money, he could have performed the consecration ceremony for it.
In that instant, the astrologer understood everything. The renovation of the Shiva temple and the consecration ceremony—which this worker had merely resolved to undertake in his heart—yielded him complete spiritual rewards through the grace of Lord Shiva.
Our thoughts are equal to actions. What we think, we do.
So, he thought to renovate the temple if he had money; Lord Shiva recognized just that desire as if he did it.
(Why Krishna did not kill Jarasandha but ran away from him? – Story! READ HERE!)