Seema's Vow

Diya was a bubbly girl, all of 11 years.  She was thrilled and excited as it was Sunday that meant lot of fun with games and TV.   Seema, her mother was preoccupied with  routine chores.

After having played with her friends in the colony play area in the drizzle, she returned home with a headache and fever.  Seema dried her head with a towel, gave her hot soup and made her lie in a bed. But the head ache worsened and the temperature went up in the evening. Seema who was busy with some pressing work asked Diya to take one  Paracetamol tablet from the medicine box. Diya asked what colour.She said white.

Next morning there was no fever and Diya insisted on going to school though Seema was against it. At school, Diya felt difficulty in speaking and swallowing. What was initially bearable became worse with her tongue becoming swollen and immobile. She wrote on a piece of paper her condition and handed over to her classmate sitting by her side. Her parents were informed and she was rushed to the emergency room of a hospital.  The doctors could not make out this strange condition with her face and neck also swollen and immobile tongue that had a bluish tinge. As the pulse rate was falling, the doctors swung into action and administered medicines intravenously. As she had breathing difficulty, she was put on oxygen and connected to various monitors. The doctors surmised that some strong dosage of wrong medicine had been taken by her but they could not pinpoint. Her condition was causing worry with the pulse and pressure rapidly falling. The senior doctors were around her bed closely monitoring her health.

Meanwhile Seema went down to pray at a Ganesh temple at the ground floor. With tears flowing  profusely she prayed rather audibly with her eyes closed”Oh Maha Prabhu, Ganesha, please save my child from the danger and ensure no harm comes to her. Please make her normal. I am at fault. I should have given the medicine instead of allowing her to take .I feel guilty.Vigneshwara; I will break 108 coconuts before you. Please save my child.”

As she was praying, she heard the peal of bell and opened her eyes to see a fat and short boy of 10 years with ash mark on face, and a big tummy before her. There was a strange power of attraction towards him when he said ”Aunty, do not worry. Your daughter will be fine. Here is the vibhuthi (sacred ash). Please  apply this on her forehead and drop a little on her tongue. She will instantly talk”

“Thank you my child. I will do it immediately. It is as if Ganesha Himself has come to answer my prayers through you” she said.

“Do not forget the 108 coconuts you promised. I will watch your breaking them” he said with a smile.

Seema bent to take her bag and immediately turned towards the boy. Lo, he was not there. He had vanished in a trice. She asked the others around. They said they saw no boy at all and that too a stout boy. She was perplexed and turned to look at Ganesha inside the sanctum with the dim oil lamp glowing by His side. She felt infinite grace radiating from Him.

She rushed to the Emergency room. Her husband came and said with a beaming face “Seema, Everything is fine. Thanks to the doctors’ relentless efforts, Diya has miraculously recovered from the jaws of death. Even doctors are surprised at the sudden turn for the better when they were themselves losing hope.”

Seema rushed to Diya applied the ash on her forehead and dropped a little on her tongue. In a few minutes Diya called “Amma, I am able to talk now “Seema hugged the child and said “Wait a few minutes I will be back very soon”

She rushed to the temple and fell before Ganesha and said “I know it is only Your grace. That small boy is none else than You. I will come tomorrow with 108 coconuts to discharge my vow”

While Seema’s hubby was gloating at the great skill of doctors, Seema was certain that it was Divine intervention that saved her daughter.