The Incense Stick and The Fragrance

A nostalgic story associated with a sweet fragrance.

Let me switch on the time machine. Let me travel 6 years backwards. This nostalgic event happened then….

  I was at my study table cramming a chemical equation. I heard a knock at the door. I opened it. It was my Mother .My mother was coming back after attending a “Pooja “in the Neighbour’s house. This Pooja was a kind of  regular phenomenon in that house and all the ladies of the colony used to attend it regularly. The attendance would increase dramatically when a lady, who was called “Amma”, used to visit that house.”

“Amma” –A holy lady who had got the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi. In fact if I remember correctly she had made Goddess Lakshmi to appear in front of her through her sheer devotion. People had great respect and awe for her .They used to share all their problems in front of her and “Amma” used to give solutions for those problems.

“Amma” also used to amaze everyone with the miracles she used to perform. Every time my mom came from Pooja she used to tell me about all those miracles. Some of the miracles which my mom told were as follows..

·         “Amma” used to compose Mantras and songs about Goddess Lakshmi spontaneously.

·         If I remember correctly once when she was chanting a mantra a Saligrama (a holy stone) fell out from her mouth.

·         The Arishina (Turmeric)-Kumkum offered to goddess Lakshmi would grow into a mountain in the due course of Pooja and then “Amma” used to put her hand in these “holy” mountains and she used to get idols of Gods out of these mountains.

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On that day when my Mom came back from Pooja I was eagerly waiting as in what miracle or story she  is going  to tell me .I casually asked her “how  was the Pooja and if any miracle had taken place”. My mom replied that Pooja was good and she further went on to explain a unique thing that had happened during the Pooja.

Mom told that during the Pooja that day all of a sudden a sweet fragrance got emanated. It was an unusual fragrance that emerged all of a sudden.”Amma” explained that the fragrance is an indication that Goddess Has entered the house and she further told that whenever Goddess enters the house this kind of sweet smelling fragrance is emanated inside the house.

It was pretty impractical for me to accept what my Mom said. But I couldn't deny it either. I half-hardheartedly acknowledged what my mom told and continued with my work.

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Days Passed. One fine day while I was juggling with a Physics Problem my nasal receptors suddenly smelt of sweet smelling fragrance. Initially I didn't pay much attention to it but my mind reminded me of what my mom had told. I thought for a moment “Is it the indication of the emergence of Goddess Lakshmi in our home?”. I immediately called my MOM and told her about the smell. She came down and even she could smell the sweet-smelling fragrance. My Mom was very happy; convinced that Goddess Lakshmi has made an appearance in our house. On the other hand I was in a state of semi-denial and semi-belief. After few minutes the smell vanished….

 Time passed .One day while I was talking to my neighbour this sweet scented smell emerged again. I was amazed .I asked my neighbor about the smell. I was expecting that he will tell about the occurrence Of Goddess Lakshmi. But the answer he gave blew my ‘semi-belief’ which I had about the fragrance. He pointed to an incense stick which was freshly lit indicating that it was the source of the smell. I went closer to it and was convinced that indeed that’s where the smell is coming from. This made me think that the smell which came during earlier days was due to the incense stick…and I told the same to Mom and told her to stop believing such things…

Yet another day the smell recurred. It stayed for a while and then vanished. I didn’t give much attention to it this time as I knew that it was the incense stick that was responsible for the smell...But suddenly some thought struck in my mind that left me in a state of awe and limbo…

“I realized that my neighbour was out of town since a week. There was no chance of the incense stick being lit.”

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