Prayer of a Child

Once upon a time, a saint arrived in a village. With his mystical powers, he predicted that an epidemic was going to hit that village. As he wished for the well-being of villagers, he called all the villagers for a gathering. After all the villagers arrived, the saint told them about his prediction. The villagers got worried and asked for its solution. The saint said, "Although nobody can alter what is in the destiny, but all of you can pray for the well-being and be cautious for next few days. Prayers hold a lot of positivity and one who prays whole-heartedly can counter anything in the world with that strength." The villagers requested the saint to stay till the time epidemic was over. The saint accepted the request and started living in an ancient building present in the village. The villagers decided that they would pray everyday at the place the saint had decided to stay.

Next day, the villagers gathered around the saint. They asked the saint, "What should we pray?" The saint replied, "You can say anything that you know to the almighty with your feelings. God will listen." Everyone started chanting the scripts that they had learned in their lives. Some of them chanted some mantra, few others chanted the verses of their holy book. Everyone tried to pray as per their knowledge.

There was also a child, who was not aware of any religious scripts. He went near the saint and said, "My mother is very sick so she could not come to pray. I do not know any mantra or verses. What should I do to pray for well-being of everyone?" The saint replied, "Don't worry son, you could say anything that you know and pray for well-being for everyone with clear heart." The child started shouting alphabets he learned in school and prayed for everyone's well-being through his feelings. Everyone in village made fun of the way the child had prayed.

As predicted, the epidemic spread in the village. Miraculously the little child and his mother were not affected while all other villagers fell sick because of the epidemic. It claimed the lives of few villagers too. After the epidemic was over, all the villagers gathered around saint and said, "Respected Saint, We all fell sick and some of us even lost their lives, but why this child and his mother were not affected? In fact, his mother recovered from her sickness in this period." The saint replied, "Because only this child prayed in true sense. All of you were just saying words, not feelings. This child said his feelings through his heart. God listens what is in the heart, not what you speak from your mouth. You can not hide your feelings to God. This child prayed with a clear and innocent heart and hence his prayer was heard."