We had been planning a visit to Tirumala and Tirupati Devastanams
(TTD) for my son’s “mundan” ceremony. Hubby dearest decide to drive to Tirumala
instead of taking the bus or train. It had been raining all the way, but the
ride had been lovely. Once we hit Chittor, the roads were fabulous and we had enjoyed the ride amidst
loud family chatter. It was almost 8pm when we reached the foothills and we
debated whether we should drive up or stay in Tirupati for the night. Hubby
dearest insisted on driving up right then, so that we could get in line for
darshan early in the morning. Since our parents seem to concur, we began our
ascent in the heavy downpour.
He drove slowly, maneuvering every bend and curve expertly. It
was quite dark and surprisingly the road seemed to be clear of the umpteen
number of TTD service buses that keep plying every few minutes. We just
had our vehicle headlights for assistance. We must have climbed about half way
up, when we heard loud honking behind us. We could see a couple of TTD buses
behind us and assumed they wanted us to give way. Hubby slowed, moving to one
side, and letting the buses pass. The honking continued and we wondered what
they were trying to signal. Hubby braked to a stop and got down to see if
anything was wrong with the car. To our surprise, instead of coming behind us,
the buses went up another curve, leaving us behind.
We realized we were on the wrong path. We had to go up the
curve and we had driven straight ahead. Maybe that is why they were honking, we
reasoned. Imagine our horror when we realized that the path we were on, ended
abruptly 50 mts ahead of our car and there were some branches kept to block the
road. And horror of horrors the “path” would have led to a free fall several thousand
feet down the hill!! That was what the buses had been trying to signal!
The look on hubby’s face said it all! His hands wouldn't move as he tried to switch on the ignition! He sat for some time in the driving
seat, eyes closed, and not speaking a word. We understood what he might be
going through. For all we knew, the whole family could have crashed down the
hill in minutes had the buses not suddenly showed up. Surprisingly, the buses
had halted as if waiting for us to show up, and when we did, they began their
ascent again, showing us the path up the hill.
Words cannot describe how grateful we felt towards those bus
drivers and to the Lord himself.
Was that a miracle? Maybe.
Was that the lord’s way of
telling us, no matter what, I will always be there to protect you? Definitely!
