Thread by @prernabhardwaj_

Thread : My Journey From Being An Atheist to A Shiv Bhakt.

I belong to a family where there’re proper prayers in the house twice a day,religious trips every year,A typical Pandit family you can say but I never actually believed in the existence of any particular god.

My mother used to be very upset sometimes as she didn’t consider me a typical sanskaari kid since I didn’t visit temples often or pray without my mother literally forcing me to do so (while she used to be on her periods) otherwise she knew I won’t,I always thought,why should I?

My friends too tried to make me believe but I was reluctant asking ‘Have you seen god yourself’ ‘No!Right?’ ‘Do you have any proof of the existence’ typical 15 year old questions. Everyone gave up and I thought maybe there’s some positive power but NO SINGLE GOD.

So in 2016 while I was in Indore attending ABVP’s Adhiveshan,everyone made a sudden plan to visit Mahakal Temple & as usual my reaction was to rather explore the city than to visit a temple(since you can find ‘Shiv Ji‘s Temple everywhere’ but not the same street food or art.)

But since everyone wanted to go,I gave in,so we visited Mahakal Temple in December 2016,I clearly remember,the moment I stepped down there was a different vibe,the designed Tilak they put on your forehead at the market and so many rudraksh and pooja samagri,typical temple scene.

We happened to attend the Aarti and trust me,there was something I never felt before,a feeling of positivity so strong,I clearly remember I was very upset but I moment I folded my hands during the Aarti,I don’t why I felt there’s something that’s supreme. I sat there for longer.

I participated in the pooja,got the Kalava tied on my wrist & it’s been almost 4 years I haven’t untied Kalava away,ever,
.Without even exaggerating a bit,the moment I believed there’s something more than ‘just a positive power’ my intuition power grew 10x times,I have gained

immense strength,I remember laughing when my mother used to tell me things before they happened,she senses that there’s something not right and it always turns out to be true,I then knew,it’s because of her immense faith in god & her prayers that keep all of us protected.

I may not make sense to so many people,since it made no sense to me also at first,but slowly when I started remembering the vibe I had at Mahakal Temple,it made me believe in Mahakal,I remember breaking down once and just chanting OM seeing my Kalava & asking to show me a way.

To my surprise,the next morning my problem was solved,my journey started from believing in my Kalava.
The next thing that I remember is Kedarnath Floods,everything got washed away but the temple stayed,Mahakal stayed,untouched,protected people in the shrine miraculously.

My faith just deepened,I understood why people who believe in god,don’t need proofs,don’t need logics,they just have faith because they have felt the god blessing them,helping them in unresolved situations & when it’s time,the god shows up himself as he did at Kedarnath.

I still have no proofs but I have a belief that none can shake,I have visited so many temples after that and desperately wanting to visit Kedarnath and Badrinath.

God can bless you with a Kalava,a simple Tilak or in ways you never know. Just trust the process.
Har Har Mahadev.