Recently I had been to Madurai to give a class to 6th grade students in a well-known school there. The orientation camp was at our branch ashram in Madurai. The heat was excruciating and for a person who comes from outside the state, it is really difficult to adjust to this weather. All the same, it is a mystical place.

I was there for 3 days. It was a Sunday evening, and I was walking on the terrace. That day there was an auspicious pooja at 5pm in the brahmasthanam temple. The temple was about to be opened. At that time from the terrace I saw a beggar, all in rags, with long hair, walking from the Tirupparankundran side and coming towards the temple. I watched him closely. I am sure he must not have taken bath for days. He was picking up papers as he was walking and putting it in his torn bag. When he came by the side of the temple he stopped. There was a small bridge. He removed his chappals and got on top of the bridge, looked down, bowed and offered his respects. It looked strange to me. Then I saw him walking towards the city. Just 20 yards from there, he sat down where the food waste was dumped. He started eating from the dump. I could not bear the site. There was pongal and some curd rice in the kitchen, I rushed down took 2 leaf cups filled it and asked one of the volunteers to give it to him. I was so happy to see him eating the food, and at that moment someone came and told me, that the brachmachari in charge of Madurai ashram who was doing pooja is calling me down to do abhishekam for Nandi, who is Lord Shiva’s favorite.

I went down and very soon I was doing pooja and abhishekam to Nandi while the man there on the street was having his food (prasadam).

I immediately remembered AMMA’s quote, “Serving the poor and needy is serving God”.

– Yogamrita