My Numinous Visit

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Varanasi (Ancient name:"Kashi") is believed to be one of the oldest living Cities in the world. The city is said to be established by Lord Shiva himself although there are various stories related to the origin of this land. Apart from Kashi Vishwanath Temple-the most famous Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, Ganga Aarti and various Ghats in the city are major centres of attraction. My short journey and this mere elucidation of my perception of the city is dedicated to the ‘City of lights’-Kashi.

 

As I made my way through the crowds, rushing towards the Dashashwamedh Ghat to be on time for the veneration (Ganga Aarti), I recollected the time I left West Bengal on my journey. The Auto-wale Bhaiya was accompanied by his father as it was his first late night ride. I could feel the same love, care and the same sense of solace as I moved closer to the ghat. I was where I belonged to, my place of belongingness celebrated my homecoming with open arms, as if it awaited my visit since forever. After reaching the open space, I saw the vast mesmerizing Ganga right in front of my eyes. I was spellbound. I took a twirl around to see what it would feel like to be looking upto the Ganga everyday. I felt covetous of every brick, stone and every temple bell who get to see the sun rising from Ganga every morning and to see its reign vanishing in Ganga every sunset. 

              The same morning I had left my stay, and left the same stay in the evening. Once to reach where I was supposed to reach, and once to reach where I was meant to reach. Very minutely yet accurately this sentence differentiated the probabilities of both the destinations.   

              For every loss there is a hidden gain. And for every gain, there is a hidden loss.   

Very gracefully stated by Prof. Hazrat Inayat Khan. Whatever the situation may be, things aren’t as good or as bad as it actually seems to be. A coin has two sides, although they exist together but at a given point only one side is visible until we flip the coin. So, haven’t I emptied the whole of me, I would not have filled myself enough with my new self.

              There was something very magical in the aura and it was transforming me rapidly. The crowd, the enthusiasm, the devotion, the purity, the lights and the life was something unseen. Similarly, the calmness and the feeling of distinctiveness amidst the buzz was something unusual too. While roaming and trying to find my way towards better view, I reached the front row, close to the platforms for the six learned Priests of vedas and Upanishads. My mind continuously kept recalling the morning rush when I stood determined to add worth to my being and success to my journey. My journey was indeed destined, not as I planned it, but as it was planned to. I was again standing amidst a crowd on that holy land, much appropriately adding depth to my existence, and reason to my journey.

              And then the Priests started with the enchantment of the mantras, and a magical dust started to pour on us. The panaroma was turning resplendent. All the movements of the Priests were adept and impeccably coordinated. The holding of massive multi-layered prayer lamps and circling it effortlessly by the Priests, that balance, dedication and calmness manifested the art of meditation. The synchronized blowing of the conch shell by the Priests was not just sanctifying the air but every ounce of my soul. Including the fact that, after multiple efforts through couple of years I was able to meditate for the first time without imagining something and my full concentration focused on my breath right in the spiritual capital of India. I had nothing of my own, nothing of myself, no imperfections and yet I was whole of myself. I was distant to the clasp of worldly rush. I was on a journey very rare, I was different from the person I looked at in the mirror everyday.

                After 45 minutes of spellbound magnificent transformation of spirit, the holy enchantment came to an end, but probably with no end to the zest or the serenity in the soul. The crowd started to recede, I greeted the water Goddess one more time and  started moving away from the enchanted land. This time there was no rush, we were sauntering away with a sense of fulfillment. I was consoled, I wasn’t going home empty handed, my fist was brimming with love and admiration. Although being away for years, I was as happy as a clam that I belonged to the land of magic, life and salvation. I belonged to the land of spirituality. 

                                                                                                                                            VAISHALI

Comments

  1. VedikaDecember 30, 2021 at 2:17 AM

    Brilliantly described how you connected to what you experienced and how transparently you made us feel the same. More power to your thoughts.

    ReplyDelete

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