There is no doubt that good actions produce good results. Not only that, even good thoughts are capable of bringing about good results.Moreover, this story also makes us understand the reason why Hindu sages have developed manasa puja or mental worship. In Kali Yuga, the best form of worship and prayer of Bhagavan is in mind.
It was a small town. In that town lived a famous astrologer. One evening, a poor farmer visited the astrologer with his horoscope. After perusing the farmer’s horoscope, the astrologer was reluctant to disclose his findings because that farmer was destined to die at eight o’clock that night. Unwilling to tell anything directly to the farmer, the astrologer avoided the farmer and said: ‘Sir, today I have an important work. I had forgotten about that amidst many tasks. Please leave your horoscope with me and meet me tomorrow morning.’ Believing the astrologer’s words to be true, the farmer took leave saying that he would return the next day.
After the farmer left, the astrologer told his wife: ‘The person who visited me just now is destined to die tonight. Instead of telling that to him, I have sent him away asking him to visit me tomorrow. How can he meet me tomorrow when he will die tonight?’
Leaving the astrologer’s house, the farmer set on foot towards his village nearby. On the way, it started to get dark. Since it was rainy season, there was a small drizzle. Soon, there was thunder and a heavy downpour. At that time, the farmer was going through a forest-path. He looked around him for a place to protect him from the rain and saw a dilapidated Shiva temple. The farmer ran to the temple and took shelter inside a hall in front of the temple. Standing there, the farmer felt bad about the dismal state of the temple and thought: ‘Alas! The sanctum and the hall of this temple have been neglected and have become dilapidated. In many places, the roots of banyan and bo trees have grown. Had I got sufficient wealth, I would first renovate this temple.’
The farmer continued thinking. He imagined having renovated that Shiva temple. He mentally constructed the gopurams, the main gopuram, inner prakarams or inner compounds, and halls. He imagined that a procession of Vedic brahmins were bringing the metal spire to be installed on the gopuram on the day of the temple consecration. Standing in the dilapidated hall, the farmer imagined the elaborate performance of the temple consecration and he saluted the image of Shiva, who had been mentally installed in the temple.
Immersed in such thoughts, the farmer happened to again look at the hall in which he was standing. There, just above his head, from a crack of the dilapidated hall, a black cobra had come out because of the thundering clouds and had raised its hood and was about to strike the farmer. As soon as the farmer saw the cobra, he ran out of the hall. At the same instant, the dilapidated hall that had been further damaged by the rain collapsed and crumbled to the ground. It was eight o’clock. The rain subsided.
The farmer returned to his home. He visited the astrologer the next day. The astrologer was surprised. Thinking that he was mistaken in his astrological calculations, he started minutely examining his astrology books. He found that his calculations were correct. The astrology books said that if one had to escape such a destiny, one had to acquire the merit of building a Shiva temple and consecrating it. The astrologer felt sad that the poor farmer could never construct and consecrate a Shiva temple. He explained to the farmer what the astrology books had to say. The farmer recounted what had happened the previous night. Then, the astrologer instructed the farmer what he had to do henceforth. The moral of this story is that even imagining doing the works of God can remove many obstacles.
Source - Prabuddha Bharata Magazine March 2020 Issue page 41 - 42.