Madhu and His Dogs
Madhu walks the streets,
Lost in his own world —
Sometimes smiling, sometimes thinking,
His hand resting on his cheek.
Muttering something under his breath,
He stops suddenly.
Torn shirt, ripped pants,
A frayed sack slung over his shoulder,
His body thin, bones jutting through the skin.
Offer him coins — Madhu won’t take them,
He only wants food.
His days are spent scrounging for a meal;
At day’s end, he eats alongside the street dogs —
Feeding them, too, with his own hands.
Everyone calls him “mad.”
Madhu just smiles quietly;
That smile — his only true companion.
He plays, roams, and searches for food
With his loyal dogs always beside him.
One day, Madhu felt like going somewhere new.
He wandered all day
And reached the other side of the city,
Where a temple stood —
Worship was going on.
Driven by hunger,
Madhu stepped inside and said,
“Please give me something to eat,”
Stretching out his hands for the prasad.
The crowd cried out — “Get away!”
Someone pinched their nose in disgust;
The priest too said, “Ugh! Drive him off!”
People scolded, some pushed,
And in the scramble,
Madhu stumbled on the temple steps,
Rolling down to the ground.
Even then, he kept smiling,
Gazing up toward the temple.
Suddenly, from nowhere,
A pack of dogs came running —
Madhu’s companions.
They stood for a while,
Looking toward the temple,
Then barked fiercely —
Their cries echoing through the holy air.
And for the first time,
Tears filled Madhu’s eyes.
He whispered, “Come, let’s go from here.”
The people — the passersby,
The worshippers, even the temple’s head —
All stood frozen, watching
As Madhu and his dogs walked away.
And somewhere deep within,
The One seated at the altar —
The Inner Witness —
Watched it all in silence.
