Dev Badri Shaligram*
After having the darshan of Mother Lakshmi’s temple, we were standing in the temple courtyard. A crowd began to gather around! Just then, the head priest came toward me. I noticed that in his hands was a Shaligram, adorned with a beautiful tulsi garland. My heart leapt with joy! I felt a divine energy fill that very moment. The priest placed the Shaligram in my hands and said, “Now have a good darshan of Him! I have just brought Him directly from the temple after the evening worship.”
What a beautiful moment that was! Words cannot describe that bliss.
It felt as though all my wishes had been fulfilled. I held the Shaligram close to my heart and bowed down with deep reverence, wondering how the Lord Himself had orchestrated this divine play — how I had forgotten to bring Him along, and now, how He had come to me! Tears of joy filled my eyes. Then everyone who had come with me took turns holding the Shaligram in their hands and receiving His blessings.
I even showed the Shaligram to the crowd gathered there — it felt as though the Lord Himself had come out of the temple to meet all of us!
And indeed, that was the truth — in Badrinath, Lord Vishnu’s form is that of the sacred Shaligram stone! And now, He had come to us in that very form. It was such a divine moment. After a long while, I said, “Let’s return this Shaligram to the priest. We’ve been holding on to Him for quite some time.” Then, turning to the head priest, I said, “We wish to return this to you now. Saying thank you for such grace feels too small. By giving us this darshan, you have made our pilgrimage complete!”
Everyone was moved to tears, chanting the Lord’s name in devotion. All were speechless, immersed in divine bliss.
At that moment, the priest said to me, “Babaji, this Shaligram — I brought it from the temple especially for you. It is the Lord’s command that I give it to you.”
I was stunned! My mind went blank for a few seconds, and my heart seemed to stop beating. When I regained my senses, I could utter only one word: “What?! For me? Why? How? The temple’s own Shaligram — for me? So many great devotees come here… why me?”
I was at a loss for words. We were all completely astonished. Tears streamed from my eyes, but deep inside, I wanted to understand how this was possible. No one knew what was going on within me — only the Lord knew my heart’s desire for a Shaligram.
And this was no ordinary thing — for a Shaligram to be given directly from the Badrinath temple itself was beyond imagination. Darshan alone would have been a blessing, but to be given one — this was surely a divine miracle of the Lord Himself.
Then the priest said, “Do you know why I was told to give this to you?…”
To be continued…