When I sit to write how my spiritual journey had began with Bhagavan, I remember one story that Bhagavan had told me when He came to visit our house. I was studying in school at that time. Bhagavan came with my father in our house. I prepared tea for Him. When I brought the tea, He told me this story. It was about a boy who was a devotee of Lord Shiva. He lived somewhere in India and wanted to visit the temple of kedar Nath in the Himalayas. He believed that Lord Shiva resided in Kedar Nath. But he was a poor boy. Somehow he managed some money and set for Kedar Nath knowing nothing about the temple. Kedar Nath temple is in the peaks of Himalayas and is open for devotees only for six months during the summer. The other six months is impossible because of snow. The day he reached the kedar temple was the last day of that season. He saw people returning from the temple and advising him to return because the temple was about to close. Everyone that he came across were either surprised or had the same advice. He couldn’t believe that he could never see Lord Shiva today. He kept on walking towards the temple. When he was very near, he crossed the head priest of the temple. “ Where are you going?” asked the priest. “To the temple to see the Lord”, replied the boy. “ The temple is closed. I have just closed the door and am returning. You too return or it would be too late. The snow is about to fall” said the priest.  The priest was in a hurry so he just left after throwing those words. The boy slowly went near the temple, sat at the steps and started to cry. He was telling Lord Shiva about his pain of not being able to see him. He didn’t wanted to return before seeing Him. Time was passing fast, it had started to become dark. He didn’t care and remained seated there. Suddenly he saw a saint coming along the way near the temple. He was a tall man with very long hairs and beards wearing a deer skin. Seeing him cry the saint asked,  ” Why are you crying son?” The boy elaborated the whole story. “Who told you that the temple would be closed for six months? This will be opened tomorrow” exclaimed the saint. He asked the boy to follow him to a nearby cave where he stayed for the night. The boy happily followed him.

Coming into the cave, the saint sat at meditation. There was a fire within the cave to keep it warm. The boy sat opposite to the saint and waited for the night to pass. After a few hours, the boy felt very cold. He started to shiver. The saint saw him and gave him half part of the blanket for getting warm. Wrapping the blanket, the boy fell asleep.

When he woke up, he could hear voices and cheers of men coming into the cave from the road leading the temple. He was very happy. He jumped up and started to ran towards the temple. He thanked the saint though before leaving. He felt very happy standing on the long queue and waited for the door to be opened. The door open and everybody rushed into the temple shouting praises of Lord Shiva. He also entered the temple and was heading towards the deity. When he reached near the deity, he was amazed to see that the deity Lord Shiva was wrapped with the half part of that blanket that he had. It was Lord Shiva who came to him and took him to the cave. It was not a night, it was six months which seemed just like a night. Extreme love and reverence overflowed his heart. He couldn’t stand, neither talk, he fainted near the deity.