Part--I

Jivendra Kumar(JK) is twenty-seven years old. He is a graduate and works in a Multinational Company. He is a devotee of Lord Shiva. He is stationed at Hyderabad.

He learned about a Shiva Temple through friends, located in a nearby forest hill, approximately one hundred kilometres away. One weekend, he wanted to visit the temple. He started at 6.00 am on Saturday on his motorbike. He had breakfast at a roadside hotel. He arrived at a village at the base of the hill to the temple by 8:00 am. He enquired about the temple. No one helped him with the details. As he inquired, an older person informed him of the path leading to the temple and cautioned that people did not venture there.   The place is dangerous, uninhabited by people. With these warnings, the older man disappeared.

JK did not heed these warnings and continued on the hill path. It was twenty km deep inside the forest. The path was an untraveled one, not suitable for a motorbike ride, yet he rode slowly and cautiously. He struggled to reach the Shiva temple. The temple was situated in a dense forest on the hill. There was no priest or any indication of a pooja for Lord Shiva. There were dry leaves scattered around the deity and throughout the entire sanctum. He cleaned all the leaves and the dust. There was a transparent water tank nearby. He took a head bath and brought water for Abhishekam to the Lord. After the Abhisekam, he was astonished to find that it was made of a rare gemstone from Lehsunia. The stone is also known as a cat's eye.  It removes ‘Kala Sarpa Dosha’ or ‘Ketu Maha Dasha’. It promotes calmness, mental clarity, and relieves stress.

The Shiva Linga was cylindrical shaped, three feet high and nine inches in diameter, with a semi-spherical top. The cylindrical and the spherical surfaces were smooth and glittered brightly.  When the Sun rays hit the Linga, the sanctum was filled with divine light radiating from the Shiva Lingam. At this moment, JK placed his Kutastha on  Lord Shiva to pray. As he closed his eyes in reverence, he heard a voice in the sanctuary, saying, "My dear Jivendra, I am pleased with your devotion. I am offering you   ‘Sacred Vision’. You will be able to read another person's mind. As his head rested on the Linga, he found cosmic light rays entering from the Linga through the Kutastha up to the Medulla. The voice saying so vanished into the universe. He found himself with renewed energy and a sense of illumination on his face. He bowed to Lord Shiva in devotion. There was no one present inside or outside the temple. He could not imagine the changes this trip would bring to him. He returned to the village at the base, had tea and snacks. He searched for the older man in vain and returned to his apartment. He attended to his routine office work.

*

 JK’s parents were anxious about his marriage and were seeking an educated girl from a decent family background for him. They informed a local marriage broker and provided information about JK. He sent the details to the parents of the two selected girls. They said they would proceed with the proposal. The marriage broker arranged for a meeting between the parents from both sides, including the bride and the groom.

*

On an auspicious day, JK and his parents went to the bride's home in the city. The bride's parents welcomed them at the gate. After brief introductions, they had snacks, and the bride brought tea to all, then sat in another chair. The bride's mother introduced the bride as a graduate and as an officer in a company. JK's mother inquired about her education and cooking interests. The girl was of average height, physically well-structured, with a bright, beaming face. She answered JK's mother's questions with respect and obedience. JK's mother was happy and asked her son to talk to the bride. When JK looked at the bride, she was smiling. JK requested her parents' permission to speak with the bride alone, separately, for a few minutes. Her parents agreed. The bride looked unhappy. JK and the bride entered the room. She was not facing him.

 JK asked, "What is your opinion on marrying me?"

She said, "I have no objection, you look smart and handsome with a good education and a job. I leave it to my parents for the final decision."

JK said, "Initially, I thought, with your qualifications and family background and job, we would both make a good couple and lead a happy and colourful life. Let me tell you frankly, I have no love affair in my life."

JK continued, "Normally, in colleges,  beautiful girls like you will have lovers. Did you love anybody during your college studies?"

She was taken aback and stared at JK with suspicion, saying, "Why did you get that doubt?"

JK, having known her details through his Sacred Vision, said, "Please speak the truth, this decision at the moment is going to influence both our lives in future."

She started weeping and said, "I am in a relationship with my classmate, and we are living together in another city. My parents are unaware of it, and they are arranging the marriage. I am sorry."

You don't dare to inform your parents. By agreeing to this marriage, you are spoiling my life and your life. You have kept it a secret from your parents. Take courage and inform your parents. She was weeping and requested him not to reveal to her parents.  

JK came out and said, "She will inform you in detail."

She came out of the room weeping and declared before everyone in the hall that she was living with her classmate. Please excuse me for not having the courage to inform my parents. There is no mistake on my parents' part in arranging this meeting.

But how could JK know my details is astonishing. I thank JK for enlightening me on my life.

Thank you, JK, and I'm sorry for the trouble it caused you and your parents. Her parents were surprised at the revelation. JK and his parents returned home. The marriage broker deleted her name from the list of possible brides.

*

JK's parents were worried about finding an educated, homely, devotional girl and considered advertising in the matrimonial section of newspapers. They gave an advertisement in one regional and one English newspaper on Sunday. They requested that the bride's details be sent to them by mail. They sorted out the biodata and selected two probable girls, showing them to JK. His mother was interested in one girl and said they would first visit that girl. His father contacted her parents by phone and arranged an auspicious date for a meeting.

JK and parents visited them. The girl's parents were a simple, middle-class family. The girl is an engineering graduate working in an MNC. She is the same age as JK. As usual, JK's mother started the discussion, and the girl gave free and frank answers. JK's parents were happy. Her parents enquired about the properties and holdings of JK's parents. They answered promptly. It was the turn of JK.

JK said, "I want to talk personally with the bride."

The girl said in a low voice, "If you have any questions, you can ask here itself." 

JK's parents also said, "That is okay with us.”

They looked at JK and said, “Why trouble the girl? You can ask and clarify your doubts here."

JK said, "I have to talk to her personally. This is going to be a lifelong association, hence certain things need to be clarified initially at this stage itself."   

The bride and her parents were reluctant, but after discussing among themselves in a private room, they agreed to proceed.

JK and the girl went into an adjoining room to have one-to-one discussions on their interests in marriage.

The girl was not shy and started to question JK about his job and salary. JK answered patiently, but was worried. Why was she talking about finances at the start? This raised doubts about her thinking on marriage. Is she interested in love, affection, family relations, solace and mutual trust or something else? What is inside her mind?

He prayed to Lord Shiva to give him Divine Knowledge about the girl. He stared at her kutastha with his Sacred Vision. He could read her mind. The girl could notice brightness in his face and a halo of light surrounding him. She was worried that he might know her background and her thoughts.

JK was worried about knowing her background details.

He asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

She said, No.

JK directly asked, "Why are you hiding your living relationship with your boyfriend, and why are you trying to deceive us?"

He continued, "What are your plans? You want to marry me for my money and property, and later kill me. Your thinking is bad. You and your boyfriend are in a state of mind that is cruel. You both have to work hard, earn money, and enjoy. Don't think of duping people for your enjoyment. You enjoy working together, helping others and caring for your children and parents."

She was dumb founded at these details and left the room.

She said to her parents, "I am not interested in the boy."

JK said to his parents, "We will leave. The girl does not suit us."

*

That way, the second marriage proposal ended.

JK's parents were worried about receiving such proposals and considered looking at other proposals from the advertisement. But JK was against any proposal.

He said, "I am vexed with the proposals. I lost interest in marriage at all after these two issues. I will consider it after a year. Now I want peace of mind. Please stop searching for girls and don't force me to visit the girls and their parents."  

JK's parents understood his mental agony and didn't want to trouble him further by visiting girls. They prayed to God the Almighty to provide JK with a suitable girl. (Contd.  Part II)