Bhagavan tells a story

Bhagavan had told the cubs to come back to hear a story. "Oho!", said Bhagavan, "Where were you the past two days?", as though He knew nothing. The cubs said they had gone camping. "Without telling poor Spotty?", asked Bhagavan with concern.
The cubses were about to say they had told Unca Stripes to tell Spotty, but then realized that would put Stripes in a spot. So they hung their head embarrassed. Bhagavan smiled and asked them if they were going to stand all day, if so then he would too.

Then Bhagavan began the story (in third person). This story goes back to the days when one 16-year old boy had left his home in Madurai and set off alone for Tiruvannamalai.

Lord Arunachala was guiding him back to his real home, the Arunachala Hill.

But now the young boy, earlier known as Venkataraman, was tired and hungry.

Tired young swami

He had walked many miles and had no strength left in him. He asked people at a temple for food.

Young swami asks for food and water

After many attempts he reached the house of Aunt Lioness. She saw an opportunity to serve a brahmin boy. She looked at him and thought, how fortunate am I. It is Gokulashtami today, the birthday of Lord Krishna. And this boy looks just like Krishna himself.

Dark boy looks just like Lord Krishna

She called out to him and served him a plate of food. He ate sparingly. She had to scold him a bit so he would eat more.

Aunt Lioness telling young boy to eat well

After eating a little he fell asleep, so azhausted was he.

Tired, young swami falls sleeps

Unknown to all (until now), sensing something in him, Aunt Lioness fell at his feet, surrounding them with her paws.

Aunt Lioness hugs swami's feet, cubs watch to see how its done

She then pressed her face on his holy feet and washed them with her tears.

Mum Lioness presses head on Bhagavan's feet

Her little cubs also took turns in kissing the brahmin boy's feet. Om apparently thought it was a good moment to steal a nap.

Lion cubs prostrate at Bhagavan's Feet, one goes into bliss

Arunacub lies at young swamis feet. Tiru getting impatient for his toahn nudging Aruna

When it came to Tiru's turn (praps this was the second or third time he was trying to kiss the boy's feet) the boy got up and tried to hug Tiru. He was not instraded in being worshipped at all.

The young swami trying to hug Tiru who is intent on stealing a third prostration

However, obstinate Tiru kept trying to dive for Venkataraman's feet.

Tirucub tries to dive at the young swami's feet

Then feeling a rise in energy (and perhaps realizing that the three cubs were a bit much for him to handle), young Venkataraman got up to continue his journey home. He toahned to them and bade them farewell. He said, "Goodbye Tiru Swami". Tirucub was taken aback. "Goodbye Arunachala Swamy! Goodbye Om Swami!". All three cubs were stunned. The little boy had addressed them as Swami out of respect.
He then turned to Mum Lioness and said, "Goodbye Amma Lioness! Take care of the little ones."

Mother Lioness and her cubs tried to hold him back but couldn't. They hid their tears as he departed.

Cubs comfort Mum Lioness on young swami's departure

Little did she know then that one day they would meet Him again on the hill, and that He would often recall her motherly love and care for him on that day (in 1897 was it?) when reminiscing the childhood days.

Little did she know that the one she had fed was Krishna and Siva himself.