One day, a simple village boy named Shyam saw a sage praying.
Once the sage finished his prayers, Shyam respectfully asked "O great sage, I would be pleased if you would tell me what it is that you were doing?" The sage told him that he was praying.
The eager Shyam asked the meaning of prayer. The sage told him "Praying is a way you connect with God”.
The sage then explained that even if a person’s religion or caste differed, it did not matter as the Holy books and God are all One.
Shyam nodded, but politely asked " What does God do? Who is he? And how does He help?
The sage humbly said, “God shows us the true way to knowledge and enlightenment. He is a spirit who has made us and tests us. He teaches us through all the incidents we have in our life. That is how he helps us.
Shyam's head was full with questions. “Why can't we say all prayers at one time and become enlightened?” he asked.
After hearing this, the sage said “My dear, there are different stages for chanting different prayers. Chanting wrong prayers at the wrong time can cause problems. We must say the right prayers at the right time.”
“What would happen if the prayers aren't said properly? What would happen then?” asked Shyam.
“The prayers would have no effect then,” said the sage. “Each of the 108 beads in a mala works on a separate part of your body.”
The sage then said, “The holy book for the Hindus is The Bhagvada Gita, The Bible is for the Christians, The Quran for the Islamic people. They all mean the same. They help our soul grow.”
Then the sage told Shyam that "Spread this message everywhere".
I hope that this story helped you.
© Samruddhhi Kotecha
