Pilgrim - Black Cat

Long long ago, a sage used to worship an idol under a banyan tree in a village.
One day a black cat appeared in that area. And much to the sage's distress, it tried to drink the milk before he could offer it to God.
He had to shoo it away frequently, and thus was unable to concentrate on his prayers.

Therefore from the next day, before starting his prayers, he would search for the cat, tie it to a nearby tree and then start praying.
And release the cat after finishing his prayers.

After his death, the villagers decided to continue the worship of the idol.
And some laters, even a temple was built for the idol.

But every morning the villagers would not begin the prayers before searching for a black cat and tying it the nearby tree. And if they couldnt find a black cat to tie, the temple would remain closed on that day.

One day a little girl took pity on the tied, mewing cat and offered it milk from her house. She got a thrashing from her parents for offering milk to the cat, before the prayers could be completed at the temple. But I think, atlast, God drank the milk, which the devotees wanted to offer.

Whenever there is a custom I have to follow, I think of this story. The credit for the first part of the story, goes to my mother, and I just added my own version to it:)

Pilgrim is a new series.
Post number : 217