There lived a Braahman Pandit. He had a son, of about 8 years of age, whom he used to train in worshipping, prayers etc. He had some idols also whom he used to give bath, to clothe, to worship them daily two times a day - in the morning and in the evening. The boy was learning all this slowly.

One time he had to go out of town for some urgent work. Since he had been training his son for this work, he handed over his idols to him and said - "Serve Bhagavaan daily two times faithfully. Never forget to do worship two times a day. And don't take food without offering it to Bhagavaan." The boy nodded in agreement and Braahman also, a little bit convinced, went away.

Next day the Braahman boy started with the same procedures as he used to see his father doing. He Gave a nice bath to the idol, then put on new clothes to Him, applied sandal paste on His forehead, offered rice, offered light also through a big large lamp, folded his hands, bent his head and said some prayers whatever he remembered. It took him some time to do all this, he started feeling hungry.

Now the turn was to offer Him food, because his father said - "Do not eat anything without offering first to Bhagavaan." and he was feeling really hungry by now. So he brought some food and kept it before the idol to have it, and said "This is the food, please eat it, so that I can also eat food."

But after all it was an idol, how could it eat anything? But the boy asked Him repeatedly to eat it, saying that he was very hungry and he also could not eat anything until He ate the food. But the idol wouldn't eat anything. The boy started crying with hunger. 

When Bhagavaan saw him crying he appeared in the same form as the idol was and said to him - "Why are you crying thus?" The boy said - "My father told me that I should eat only after you have eaten food, and I have been requesting you to take food, and you are not taking it. I am very hungry and cannot eat anything without offering you first, so please come and eat this food." Bhagavaan said - "Why first me? Come and let us have this food together. You seem to be very hungry." "Yes, I am." And then both ate that food. After eating the food, Bhagavaan disappeared.

Now the Braahman was out for three days. For all the three days he had been thinking about his lonely son and that how he might have done the worship of Bhagavaan. After three days, as soon as his work was over he returned home. He asked his boy whether he followed his instructions about the worship?

The boy said - "Your Bhagavaan is very obstinate. He gave me hard time in eating food. First He did not come to eat food, but when He came, He ate a lot. Then He came daily to eat food and we have been eating together since then." Braahman got very surprised to hear all this, he said - "What are you saying? Did He come really to eat your food? You must be joking. How can an idol eat food?" The boy said - "OK, I will show you tomorrow."

Next day the boy worshipped the idol in his usual way and invited Him for taking food. Bhagvaan came to eat his food in person and both started eating together. The boy showed Him to his father but the father could not see Him. The the boy prayed Him to appear in front of his father also saying that otherwise his father will think him a liar. Then Bhagavaan gave Darshan to Braahman also.

Braahman asked - "Bhagavan, I have been worshipping since my childhood and you never appeared before me in person to eat my food, and this boy who has not yet learned worshipping properly, you ate food with him? And still you don't want to appear before me?" 

Bhagavaan said - "You have been performing only rituals, but he worshipped me with his true heart. You ate food after just offering me, but he could not have eaten food unless I had appeared and accepted his food, so I had to appear in person and eat food myself, otherwise he would have lost faith in me." Braahman repented for all his life he spent, but thanked his boy because of whom he could have Darshan of Bhagavaan.

[Bhagavaan is hungry of true love, not of rituals, if one calls Him from deep down of his heart He certainly listens to him, appears before him and helps him.]