Thread by @gowkinkara

Bedtime story:
There once lived a poor Brahmin who was an archaka in a Shiva temple. He was very devoted, and did all rituals in the temple with devotion and care. He was content with what he had, but always pleaded and yearned for SHIVA SAKSHATKARA. He would daily ask shiva +

When will he be able to see him. He had a happy family with a loving wife and a well mannered innocent son of 8 years. His son SHANKARA would assist his father sometimes in pooja whenever he had time. One day,the Brahmin had to urgently go on some work during the Time of nivedana

And he asks his son SHANKARA to give food to Bhagawan. And jokingly says if you do the ritual nicely by reading the mantras with bhakti, God will eat to his full, else he will go hungry. Shankara nods and goes into the temple with naivedya and after doing the rituals with mantras

Places the food in front of God and waits sitting in front of him. After a while, he asks Shiva why he isn't eating? Not getting any response, he pleads Bhagawan to eat. Still when God doesn't eat he starts crying and says, My father will be upset If you don't eat, and he will

Think that I haven't Done the rituals with bhakti and will beat me. He keeps crying and says if you don't eat now, I will break my head and starts hitting his head to Shiva linga. Then a hand comes from the side of Shiva Linga, and a voice says, you feed me with your hand. Happy

With this Shankara wipes his tears and makes morsels out of the food and keeps them in Shiva's hand, and shiva eats. After feeding him, he takes the empty bowls, bows to Shiva, locks the temple and goes home. His mother seeing the empty pot, asks him what happened to Prasada and

He happily says the food must have been very tasty, Shiva ate everything. His mother smiles and thinks Shankara must have been hungry and must have ate it. This continues for a couple of days aas the Brahmin leaves on work . One day his mother tells her husband that Shankara has

Learned to lie, and he's eating away all the naivedya and saying that Shiva ate, and this habit of his is worrisome. He calls Shankara and asks about the naivedya, and he innocently says Shiva is eating everything and not leaving anything for them. The Brahman gets mad and in

Anger, slaps Shankara and screams at him for lying Shocked with this, with tears in eyes Shankara says he isn't lying, and challenges his father to come and see for himself that Shiva is finishing the food completely and not leaving anything for them. The next day Shankara

Takes the naivedya, finishes the rituals, and asks Shiva to come and eat while his father was watching. When nothing happens, Shankara starts crying and screams at Shiva. You finish off all the food everyday, and my parents think that I am lying and eating all myself, if you

Dont come and eat now, I will be proven a thief and a liar. I will never again come to see you . As he says this a hand comes from the side of Shiva Linga, and Shiva says sorry Shankara I was a little late, I am hungry won't you give me food? Seeing this, Shankar's father

Prostrates in front of shivalinga, and hugs his son with ecstasy 🙏
Faith and bhakti indeed makes the Bhagawan heed to the tantrums of his bhaktas.
Om Namah Shivaya 🙏