Dharmam Protects

On a Chitra Pournami evening, people gathered to listen to a story about karma. At that moment, the sage narrating the karma story announced that, as today was Chitra Pournami, an auspicious day related to the moon, he would share a story about karma associated with the moon. He explained that since the moon plays a significant role in our daily lives, he would narrate this story about karma.

The Life of Kedarnath and Kasturi:

In a village, there lived a couple named Kedarnath and Kasturi. They had a son named Badrinath. Their livelihood involved cooking food at home and lovingly serving those who came to eat. With the income earned from this, they supported their family. Kedarnath’s father had been in this business, and after his time, Kedarnath took it up. This profession became familiar to them over time. Badrinath, after completing a certain level of education, began helping his father in the mess.

Badrinath Starts Following His Father’s Path:

After joining the food business, Badrinath’s job involved delivering food to elderly customers at their homes. This continued regularly. As time passed, Badrinath got married, and a baby girl was born. They named the baby Nandini. Badrinath’s wife was named Kamala. She was lively and resourceful. Kamala would make items like vathal and vadam at home and neatly stack them in the mess for the customers to see. People would buy these items, providing an additional source of income.

The Lesson Nandini Received:

One day, as Nandini was returning home from school in the evening, she noticed that an abhishekam was taking place at a nearby Shiva temple. The abhishekam milk was flowing out through a pipe and spilling into a drain. Seeing this, she thought about the milk going to waste, so she collected it in a small vessel she had. While walking home, she saw a woman stitching shoes while holding her crying child in her lap. Nandini offered the collected milk to the woman, explaining that it was leftover abhishekam milk she had gathered in her vessel.

The woman, little by little, gave it to her child. The woman then told Nandini, “So much money is spent on buying milk for abhishekam, but it flows away as waste, while this milk alone has truly reached the divine.” Her words left a deep impression on Nandini. She internalized the belief that anything given with love reaches the divine and returned home with this thought.

The Change in Nandini:

From that day on, Nandini started setting aside enough food for herself and began distributing the remaining food to everyone.

Expansion in the Food Business:

After starting to share leftover food, they began distributing it to neighboring homes. One day, a visitor who was impressed by the taste of their food asked if they could cook for a function at his house. They agreed, and soon orders started coming in from different places. When her father and grandfather cooked for special occasions, Nandini would take any leftover food to various homes, such as children’s homes and old-age homes. Time passed.

Nandini completed her schooling and began attending college. She asked her grandfather and father to continue the tradition of sharing food, and they continued without change.

Receiving a Large Catering Order:

While they had been handling small orders, they received a very large order for the first time. This was a challenge, as they had never taken on an order of this size. From this point onward, they named their catering business “Bala Nandini Catering.”

Nandini’s Visit During Vacation:

Nandini returned home alone for a ten-day vacation, but on the day she was supposed to go back, her family had to cater for a grand wedding at a wedding hall. So, just as she had arrived alone, she took the train back to college alone.

The Sorrow That Befell Nandini:

The day Nandini left for the city, her father and grandfather loaded the supplies and set off early for the wedding hall. As usual, while they were busy with the wedding arrangements, they left their personal phones at home, only keeping the phone for catering orders with them. This was their routine to avoid any disruptions at work, and that day was no different.

As usual, Kamala and Kasturi were managing the mess when the phone rang. Kamala answered and recognized a police officer’s voice on the other end. She immediately rushed to the location he mentioned. When she arrived, she found her daughter sitting at the railway police station, looking completely lost and bewildered, as if in a daze. Kamala’s heart wrenched at the sight, and she began lamenting in various ways, overwhelmed by her daughter’s condition.

At that moment, a woman at the station recounted to Kamala what had happened on the train. She explained that Nandini had been holding and comforting a child. When her phone rang, Nandini handed the child back to its mother and answered the call. Later, when she wanted to take the child again, the child began to cry, so the mother comforted the child and walked up and down the compartment. As they passed, the compartment door was open, and the mother accidentally lost her grip, causing the child to fall out. The woman saw this happen and cried out, and Nandini, watching, screamed, “Oh no!” and fainted. Despite many efforts to revive her, Nandini remained unconscious. For an entire week, I tried splashing water on her to open her eyes, and finally, at a station, she opened her eyes. Afterward, I called the police from her phone to contact you,” the woman explained. She handed over Nandini to Kamala and left on the next train. Kamala sought help from the police officer and took Nandini to a nearby hospital.

Kamala’s Rush to the Hospital:

With the help of the police, Kamala rushed to the hospital and explained the incident to the doctor. After examining Nandini thoroughly, the doctor informed Kamala that her daughter had suffered mental trauma, which they couldn’t treat there. He recommended a doctor named Lokanathan, who was skilled in handling such cases, provided his address, and handed her a referral letter.

Kamala hurried to Dr. Lokanathan’s hospital and recounted everything that had happened. She also shared details of the previous examinations and handed over the reports. After reviewing them, Dr. Lokanathan administered a sedative to help Nandini sleep deeply.

Contacting Kamala’s Husband:

That night, Kamala’s husband and father-in-law returned home after finishing the wedding feast. Kamala’s mother-in-law informed them of what had happened. Both searched for their phones, realizing Kamala had taken hers. Badrinath called his wife, and she reassured him that Nandini’s condition was stable, explaining that she couldn’t inform them earlier since the phone was at home. Kamala requested to stay at the hospital for two or three days, and her husband agreed.

When asked if Nandini had safely reached the city, Kamala assured them she had arrived safely. They then agreed that Kamala should stay for two more days. Kamala then called her sister, explaining that she was at the hospital due to Nandini’s situation, and warned her not to disclose this to her husband as it might cause him unnecessary worry. Instead, Kamala had told him that her sister was unwell

Her sister soon joined Kamala at the hospital, and the two of them stayed there for two days.

In the meantime, their two catering orders—one for a grand wedding and the other a simple wedding—were completed. On the evening of the third day, Kamala, confirming that her husband had finished the wedding arrangements, called him.

Kamala’s Husband and Father-in-Law Visit the Hospital:

Badrinath mentioned that they had just returned from the wedding hall to their house and, per their daughter’s usual practice, had given the leftover food to a local home. Kamala then asked them both to come to the hospital, and they arrived shortly.

Hearing what had happened, they were deeply shaken. Kamala, who had been holding back her emotions, broke down and cried. After a while, they consulted the doctor, who prescribed some medication and advised them to take Nandini home, as hospitalization was no longer necessary. He explained that she would recover gradually on her own and discharged her.

They all returned home, arriving by nightfall. Seeing them, Nandini’s grandmother felt both fear and worry and burst into tears when she saw her granddaughter. She immediately went to the family deity, offering prayers and asking, “Save my child and bless our lineage with prosperity.”

Nandini’s Condition at Home:

There was no change in Nandini’s condition, and three months passed. Kamala was the one feeding Nandini every meal, and as Nandini remained bedridden, Kamala also took care of all her natural needs, cleaning up after her.

Kamala cared for Nandini just as one would care for a newborn child. At that time, Kamala’s sister came to visit Nandini, bringing her children along. The children began flipping through TV channels one after another. When Kamala’s sister scolded them, they quickly stopped on a random channel out of fear, which happened to be playing a movie. Just then, Kamala finished feeding her daughter and stepped out.

Seeing the scene playing on the television, Kamala sat down on a nearby chair, captivated. The movie showed a mother and daughter holding each other’s hands tightly as they were swept away by water. Kamala watched, taking in every detail. At one point, the mother lost her grip on the child’s hand and was carried away by the water.

After witnessing this, the child in the movie stopped speaking. A while later, people at the scene took the child back home, but the child’s speech didn’t return. The child sat there in a daze, appearing lost, as time went by.

Meanwhile, in the movie, the child’s mother, who had been swept away by the water, was rescued and returned home. However, the child could not recognize her mother, and despite numerous attempts, the child’s speech did not return.

A doctor examined the child and explained that the child’s speech and mental state, affected by the shock, would only improve through a similar shock. A well-meaning family friend then took both the child and the mother to the very place where the incident had occurred. There, without the child seeing, he pushed the mother into the water.

Upon witnessing this, the child immediately cried out, “Mother!” The mother then emerged from the water and ran over to embrace her child.

Kamala’s idea helps

Seeing this gave Kamala an idea. She quickly ran to a store and bought a doll resembling a two-year-old child. Placing it in a bag, she prepared her daughter Nandini, then took her to the railway station in an auto-rickshaw.

She purchased a ticket to a random location and boarded the train. Just as she had hoped, a mother with a two-year-old boy sat across from them.

Kamala thought to herself, “They say Dharma protects, and it seems God is indeed guiding us right now.” She then requested the mother to help her in saving her daughter.

The mother agreed and began following Kamala’s instructions. Kamala took the mother’s child, while the mother held the doll against her shoulder as if comforting it, mimicking how one would soothe a crying child.

Kamala instructed her to approach the train door and drop the doll out, then cry out, “Oh no, my child!” as if it were real. Following Kamala’s instructions, the mother did so, and upon seeing this, Nandini shouted, “Oh no, the child!”

Kamala then, without Nandini noticing, handed the real child back to the mother. The mother, holding her child, reassured Nandini, saying, “Thankfully, nothing happened to the child.” Seeing this, Nandini immediately ran over and took the child in her arms.

She kissed the child, saying, “There you are, troubling everyone and making us all worry in such a short time!”

Realizing that her daughter had recovered, Kamala held the mother’s hand and thanked her. Kamala and Nandini then disembarked at the next station.

Nandini, surprised, asked Kamala why she had come and why they had gotten off at that station, especially when she was heading to her college town. Kamala replied, “I came to ensure you didn’t travel alone,” and took her daughter home.

Entering the house, Nandini noticed many changes. Since she had been unwell for three months, the home had lost its usual liveliness, resembling a place drained of spirit. When Nandini asked, “What happened to me?” Kamala explained everything that had transpired. Nandini felt proud thinking of her mother. Her aunt (chithi) was also overjoyed and showered Nandini with affection. Chithi, who had always cared for her sister’s child as her own, had raised Nandini with such love. After this, Nandini’s studies were put on hold, and her family decided it wasn’t safe to send her away. She completed some courses by correspondence.

Arrangements for Nandini’s Marriage:

Nandini’s mother decided it was time to arrange her daughter’s marriage. She began seeking alliances, and the first match was a doctor, whom Nandini liked immediately. They decided on him as the groom, and plans were underway for a grand engagement ceremony.

The Halted Engagement

The engagement began with much celebration. The groom’s mother mentioned that her elder brother, a doctor, would be arriving after completing a surgery that day and requested a bit of patience for his arrival. Accordingly, everyone waited.

The doctor arrived, and he was none other than Dr. Lokanathan, who had previously treated Nandini. The bride’s parents went over to greet him, and he recognized them immediately. Upon inquiring with his sister, he realized that they were about to become related through marriage. Feeling troubled, he took his sister aside and revealed that he had been Nandini’s doctor and that she had suffered mental distress. He declared that the marriage couldn’t proceed, stopped the engagement, and left with his family, bringing the engagement to a halt.

After everyone returned home, the house fell into a deep, grave silence. Three days passed, and no one could return to normal. Then, Nandini broke the silence, saying loudly to everyone, “If you keep calling me insane, will I actually become insane? We need to focus on our work.” She encouraged everyone and instructed them to complete a wedding catering order they had taken on. Following her lead, her father and grandfather handled the event successfully. As usual, Nandini took the remaining food to various homes, distributing it before returning.

That night, Nandini told her father and grandfather that she did not want to get married. She expressed that anyone willing to marry her would likely do so only for the family’s wealth and might later discard her as “insane.” Therefore, she declared she would not agree to marriage.

The Family Deity Fulfills the Grandmother’s Prayers:

They had hired a young man named Balachander to assist with their catering business. He had overheard everything they discussed from outside. When they stepped out, he spoke up, saying he was a good person but poor, and that the salary they provided was his sole livelihood. He explained that he had no parents and had been raised by his grandfather. He then humbly asked them to give Nandini to him in marriage, promising to care for her ten times better than anyone else could. While everyone was deep in thought, the grandmother confidently declared, “I will give my granddaughter to you.”

She explained to everyone that they were not wealthy but had worked hard to reach their current standing. She felt Nandini would be happiest with someone of similar background and expressed that the previous doctor match hadn’t felt right. If the doctor had married Nandini, their long-standing cooking business might have ended. She believed their family deity had guided her to choose Balachander as the groom and felt joyful with this decision. The marriage took place beautifully, and they lived happily together.

The Significance of Karma in the Family:

In a family, if children are born under the stars Bharani, Magam, Ketai, or Uttaratadhi as their birth star, as their lagna star, or as the lord of the lagna’s position, it indicates that the family is governed by the influence of Moon karma, which is embedded in their DNA. This DNA-based finding reveals that if children are born within Moon karma’s influence, the family will typically excel in the culinary profession. Furthermore, another significant discovery is that, if a child born under Moon karma has a highly skilled mother, the child’s mother-in-law may lack such skills, and vice versa. This correlation is a major discovery in DNA. In this story, too, it is clear that Nandini’s mother is very capable, while Balachander’s mother is absent, which aligns with this DNA finding.

In this story, the influences of Moon karma, Rahu karma, Saturn karma, and Venus karma all contributed positive vibrations, which helped the family overcome any major challenges. Their culinary profession flourished, as they never wasted food and shared the surplus with local homes. This practice of dharma created positive vibrations that resolved the family’s difficulties, proving that dharma truly protected them. May they live long and prosper.

For a more generic understanding of Karma, please read this.

Or simply read our short stories on karma. Or hear the tamil audio stories

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