Impact of sage at Rameshwaram

Rameshwaram is one of the prime places of pilgrimage. It is believed that the lingam in temple at Rameshwaram was installed by the hands of Lord Rama himself. No wonders it attracts hundreds of pilgrims every year.

I am not a pilgrim. But I am a traveller for sure. I visited Rameshwaram as a traveller. But I did not know that it would have such great impact upon me.

I reached Rameshwaram in the early morning by train. No sooner I got out of the station I got a bus to go to the temple. I thanked God for my luck. The bus dropped me at the car street. The streets were full of hotels and lodges. I checked in one of those lodges.

I had a bath and went to the main temple.

The temple was grand. The columns with intricate designs had stood the test of the time. There are many small wells in the temple complex. They are believed to contain the waters of the holy rivers. You have to buy a ticket. A person fetches water from each of the wells and pours on you. I had come as a traveller and not as a pilgrim. Needless to say that I was not interested in such things. I went to the sanctum. Fortunately there were not many people at that point of time. The lingam was decorated with fragrant flowers and sandal paste.

I came out of the sanctum and sat on the parapet. That was when an old Sadhu approached me. I though that he would ask for alms. He sprinkled some water from his kamandalu upon me. He told me that he collected holy waters from all the wells. He also told me now that he had sprinkled the water upon me, I had attained the merit of bathing in all those waters. I thought that now he would ask for money. But he did not ask for any money. He just disappeared. I searched for him everywhere. But he was no where to be seen.

This incident had a great impact upon me. I learnt that not everybody acts with an intention of getting something in return. There are some people who act selflessly. I do not know for sure whether the kamandalu indeed contained waters from all the wells. I also do not know whether that Sadhu was indeed a great Master or just a mendicant. But for me that hardly matters. He had opened my eyes to a reality that not everyone works for something in return.

That incident at Rameshwaram had a great impact upon me. It made me selfless. I was doing my duties without expecting anything in return. That sage had imparted me a great moral lesson through his deed. Such is the impact of that incident that it has made me generous.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.