When Almighty Becomes Your Savior 

Can you evade unfortunate incidents in your life? You cannot. When a mishap or an unfavorable situation knocks at the door of your life, you have no other option but to resort to Almighty. In times of difficulty, when you are surrounded by a problem, a ray of hope comes to your rescue. There comes a time in everyone's life when people do not understand how to get out of a tough situation. If you are feeling the same right now, then you should know that your problems are transitory. Without losing hope, you should believe in the miracles which can happen at any time in your life. Today, I will share a story with you which will not let you fall in the pit of disappointments. 

It was the day when my parents and I decided to go to Tirupati. It is believed that Lord Vishnu's abode is in Tirumala hills. One who seeks His blessings gets free from all miseries. The term misery can be interpreted in many ways. Misery differs from a person to person. The misery we faced is a little different from others. We were excited to go to the Lord Venkateshwara's shrine at Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh. We have boarded the train from Mumbai and reached Tirupati station at the right time. After reaching the station, we took a cab and the driver drove us to the enchanting Tirumala Hills. In order to reach Tirumala, one has to cross seven hills. Our Lord resides at the top of a hill. The driver helped us reach safely on Tirumala Hills. We have our hotel room reserved which was situated in the hills. The large premise of the hills was echoed with "Om Namo Venkatesaya". If you want to visit heaven, then you should come to seek the  blessings of Lord Balaji in Tirumala hills. 

By God's grace, my parents and I had glimpses and blessings of Lord Balaji in the temple. Everything was running smoothly. We were having a peaceful and wonderful time in the hills of Tirumala until we bumped into a problem while driving down to Tirupati. It is said that if you seek blessings of Lord Balaji, then you must seek blessings of His Consort, Goddess Padmavati. Knowing this, we decided to book a cab and go to Tirupati to perform our Puja to the Goddess. There was another family who wanted to share a cab with us. They too wanted to go to Tirupati. 

We had our stay in Tirumala for a week. On the fifth day, we booked a shared cab and drove down to Tirumala. We were enjoying the captivating views of the mountains and valleys. The hills were covered with dense forest and fog, as we started our journey to Tirupati early in the morning. The tall mountains which were standing amidst the forest were beckoning tourists to delight in the exhilarating location of Tirumala. We reached Tirupati safely and had performed puja to the Goddess peacefully. Now, it is time to drive back again to Tirumala hills. 

As it is said that problems do not forewarn you. It was evening time. Sun was setting behind the hills. As we were driving up the hills, the beautiful view of the setting sun caught our eyes. The journey from Tirumala to Tirupati was indeed tiring. My parents and the other family were exhausted due to gruelling journey. As we were driving up the hills, our cab came to a sudden halt. As we stepped out of the vehicle, we came to know that the two tyres got punctured. Getting a mechanic shop in the hills is next to impossible. Driving on the hills of Tirumala is risky, as many animals come out of the forest as night sets in. Darkness prevailed in the hills and on the roads. Few vehicles were passing by the roads. We decided to get back into the car and wait for assistance. It's been almost two hours and there was no help from anyone. We were not only dead tired but we all were extremely hungry. After we came out of Tirupati temple, we had been to see other temples which were close to Tirupati. As we were traveling all day since morning, we skipped eating lunch outside. We managed with the fruits which we carried with us. Before getting in the cab, we had only a plate of idli sambar. It was almost 6 pm then. Now, it is 20:00 pm and we are stranded with our conked car in the middle of the road amidst rocky hills. There were hardly any street lights on the roads of the hills. There was no food and no water left with us at this moment. 

We were completely at sea. Our minds have stopped working for the time being. I had my old parents with me. The other family who was driving with us also had an elderly person with them. All we wanted was to get out of the place as early as possible. It has been four hours that we have been stranded at one place. My back started hurting badly. The sight of the hills at 22:00 pm was horrendous. The headlights of our cab were switched on. There was a tree close to our car. We could catch sight of a large snake crawling on a tree. The horrifying view made us icy cold. 

At that moment, the only thing I could do was to pray to God to come to our rescue. I want to save my parents and the family who was driving with us. It is 23:15 pm now and there was no trace of a person or a car moving on the road of the hills. We lost all hopes that we would get out of the place. Not only our bodies, but also our eyes were tired. The driver and the passengers had put their heads down and slept. My parents fell asleep in a sitting position. I was constantly chanting the name of God. It was around 23:45 pm now. I could see a ray of hope in the form of a four-wheeler from a distance. As it came close to our car, the four-wheeler stopped and knocked the window glass of our car. 

I made my parents, driver and other passengers who were with us awake. Two men were standing outside our car. They asked if we needed help. On enquiring about them, we came to know that they were security in-charge of Tirumala hills who patrol around the seven hills at the night. I believed it was Lord Balaji who had sent these two men for our help at odd hours. They drove us in their jeep and helped us reach safely at our hotel in Tirumala. 

We had no strength left in our bodies. We had little snacks and slept in no time. The next morning we started packing our bags, as it was time to leave our Lord's abode and come back to our home. That night I realized that God is always around us and He helps His children in the time of their need. The Almighty was dressed in the attire of the security people who came to rescue us that night. We should never lose hope nor lose trust from God. Your problems might seem to be unresolving for you. But, have profound trust on the Almighty at all times. He will be your savior and He will show you the light when you pass through a dark tunnel. 

Writer: Aparna Mukherjee