My Grandfather
Dad & I in front of the Arabian Sea, Kerala
Recently, dad and I visited my grandfather in Ponnamaravathy. The anxiety and excitement was so strong as I had not met him for so many years. It was after sunset when we arrived on the land of glory. As I walked in, I saw an old man with a long white beard and long pleated hair sitting with a yellow vesti on his bed. He looked so different. He was indeed old but he had this graceful appearance. He was still my handsome old grandfahter. The sparkling powerful eyes blessed me the moment we met. His charming smile and beautiful words of welcome made me comfortable. As we gve our salutation to our Guru, I ran into his arms as I had missed him so much. And all he did was, "Ah, my granddaughter is back" and welcomed me with so much of love and laughters'.
As always I loved listening while he talked. His voice was so rhytemic and it was musical at all times. We spoke and shared our ideas on various topics. We had all our meals together. Being with him was like being in heaven. Moreover, living away from my grandfather made me want to spend every minute without closing my eyes. While we went for rides, he told us stories of his earlier days. We took pictures of his old school, his student and it was like going back to the olden days. We talked through the farm and he kept educating me about the nature and environment blessed by God. To make a long story short, we had so much fun together. I was 5 year old child again.
Every night, he would talk to me and bless me. He made sure that I took milk before sleeping. He would laugh and wink at me each time. I gave him his milk and pills. As days passed by, I knew the time was near to say goodbye. It was Guru Poornima and it was the day for us to depart. I wanted to do a Padha Pooja but I wasn't sure if he would agree. Then, dad asked him if I could and he just smiled. I was a little sad as I did not hear any positive reply. Then after a while, he called me and gave me some flowers. I followed him to Shri Raja Rajeswari's statue and offered flowers as we were chanting mantras. Then suddenly, he just walked to Shri Raja Rajeswari and sat next to her. He then turned towards me and said, "Meenakshi, now, you can offer your flowers as you wished." I was so excited and I did as told. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I was just so touched to know that my prayers were heard and accepted. It didn't matter if I used milk or flowers to offer. I realized that when I reached out to God with love and no expectations, God accepted my offerings. My grandfather was the messanger for me. He never stopped blessing. When it was time for us to part, I just prayed to be strong and leave my grandfather with smiles instead of tears. I also convinced myself that it did not matter if we were miles apart because HE was always close to my heart. He is such a darling grandfather. He was always there for me during the bright and cloudy days.
"A shoulder on which I could cry softly, a well to pour my troubles down and raise my spirits high. A hand to pull me up from darkness and despair. But most of all, his never ending Love for me. That's my grandpa, Brahma Shri Swami Sivanandha. Today, I'm here successful in life is because I always had my divine Grandfather who is my Guru to guide me through the thorns and roses of life. Trust, have faith and reach out with love to your Guru. In no time, you will be up in the air achieving and receiving your lifetime awards from the Almighty.
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