Unexplained ...

Certain things that happen in life make us bewildered for ever. We don't get an explanation and we just wonder how and why they happened. I can recollect a few such occasions in my life.

My mother's condition was getting worse as days passed. We knew she would not recover. Everyone who knew her came to see and all went back seeing her pleasant and confident face.

That morning I found my mother drowsy. She ate very little breakfast. But she asked for an early lunch. While I was feeding her, she fell asleep. She was in that state of semi consciousness for hours. Doctor was called in and we knew she was leaving us slowly....

All our dear and near ones visited. All sat beside her talked and showed their love for her but she did not respond. By evening her grandson Ramu [Arjun] came to see her from his college. It started raining heavily and the lights went off.

I made Ramu sit beside his grandma and I told her it was Ramu. He had held her hand. Then I saw her lips moving and she was whispering something.. She was repeatedly saying, "Neela Shanghupushpam". May be she wanted Ramu to give her that particular flower.

It was getting darker outside and I didn't know from where I could get a flower for her. It is a very common flower seen everywhere but at that time I didn't know where to get one.

I looked eveywhere around and saw a plaintain leaf in the pooja room with some flowers someone had brought from the temple in the morning. There were a few petals and flowers and I took them to mother's room.

I gave one flower to Ramu and asked him to place in her hand. He did so and to our surprise she moved her hand and threw the flower. Her eyes were closed and she recognized the flower by touch. Ramu and me tried the same twice more, but she didn't accept any of it. Still she was asking for a Neela Shanghupushpam".

I felt sad that I couldn't give her one and saying, "Krishna, where can I find a Neela Shanghupushpam", I once again searched the leaf containing the pooja flowers. Then I got the shock of my life, there was the flower which mother asked for, under the petal of a hibiscous flower. I rushed to the room gave it to Ramu and he placed it in her hand. She slowly folded her fingers and kept the flower tight in her hand.

Mother went into a coma and died on the third day. Mother was always fond of flowers and there were a good variety of plants in her garden but I don't understand what significance this flower had in her life.

I still can't find an answer how she recognized the flowers in that semi-conscious state. How that flower came from nowhere as I'm so sure that it was not there when I searched. But I'm grateful to whatever power that brought the flower to my vision as I could fulfill my mother's last simple wish.....