ZEN State of Mind!!!

ZEN State of Mind is a state where Mind is not attached with Mind. It’s precisely a state of “No-mindedness”.

Let me start with a Disclaimer, I was wondering what to write on Alphabet Z, I am totally stuck you know. Nothing was coming to mind. Then I browse through the  folders to get some ideas from my occasionally written stuffs. Then found this piece draft written by my Son Aaditya which he had asked for some editing. He was supposed to submit this for something in his school. I am just posting it here.

The Writer of the Artcle is – Aaditya Mahapatra @antimeridian 

What does it exactly mean?

It means having some time for ourselves where we are not indulged in the thoughts of the mind. Like is as if we don’t have a mind. It is not a religion; it is not a belief, and it certainly is not a piece of knowledge. It’s a practice. And trust me it works.

I agree, we can’t be like Monks, especially Zen monks who most of the time stay in a meditative state. But even for a while if we practice this then it’s going to work wonders.

There is the zen story: “Once a person asked to a Zen Monk, “What is Zen?” The monk quickly jotted the word “Awareness” on a piece of paper. A bit confused, the person compelled him a bit: “Could you elaborate & explain?” The Monk again wrote a second note: “Awareness Awareness.”

The person, now totally confused asked again. This time he pushed him to elaborate kit properly. However, he got the written response as “Awareness Awareness Awareness.” Totally frustrated & annoyed, the person literally yelled, “What the hell does Awareness Awareness Awareness mean?” Undaunted, undisturbed, the monk again penned “Awareness Awareness Awareness means Awareness.”

So precisely, Zen is nothing but being aware that “we have a mind & we need to be in a no-mind. Initially it doesn’t happen that way.

Our mind is like a river, thoughts flowing in it as water. Most of our life we drip ourselves wet in the mind. Once we are aware of that, we need to sit, not allowing ourselves in the flow. It’s not easy initially. But as I say, it’s a practice. Everyone has the knowledge. But knowledge without practice is nothing.

Once we sit for a while, we find that the swollen river recedes, with time though. Thoughts appear to be vanishing, slowly…not all though. Also there are hidden thoughts that come to our notice in the beginning.

However, with time, we fill like we have found an island in the river of mind. Eventually it starts looking like as if you have developed a beautiful place for yourself.

Zen state of mind is where we just allow our mind to relax and feel good. Initially it’s like channeling the thoughts in one direction. Or just thinking something beautiful. In this way at least for a while the “Chaos” of different thoughts takes a pause.  That’s why in any guided meditation they take your mind in to a trance.

Is doing Meditation mandatory to achieve ZEN state of mind?

The answer is No. Though, meditation is an important part of Zen, but you do not need to sit in a certain position or listen to certain meditation videos or all that stuff, always. You can achieve Zen mind state by finding your own meditation technique.

See, meditation is something that you do to clear your mind so you can have a fresh perspective of things. But everyone can have a different meditation technique.

If you want to live the Zen life then you must find your own meditation technique. It should be something where you think that you are at peace and can easily clear your mind of all the thoughts that constantly keep roaming in your head.

Zen represents the path to awareness & full awakening meant to help you embrace the original nature. This is always present in our life right here and now.

You don’t need to force yourself to attain Zen state of mind, if you do something that makes you happy, helps you concentrate properly on this world and the things around you, keeps your mind clear then you are practising Zen. Just keep practicing your meditation technique. That’s all.

Whatever activity disconnects you from your immediate world & makes you happy, that’s also meditation. Doing that constantly, practicing everyday will lead to a ZEN State Of Mind for yourself.

Writing, reading, playing, painting…whatever. Just do it religiously for certain moments every day. Do it forb two weeks to experiment & then see the difference!!!!

I have written this post for  Alphabet Z for  #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2021 by Blogchatter 

EX PARTNER – Never Entertain Them Again!!!

EX PARTNER, EX Partners – will I get back my Ex in my life? It’s a common question for most of us. In fact, last couple of months, I have doing been Tarot Reading. I found that most of my clients, no matter what age, gender, community…etc they belong to have this question. I am not a relationship expert. Neither I ever prefer to write on relationships. Because they are complex depending upon the people, surrounding, circumstances. And the prospective always differs.

As a Tarot Reader being neutral whatever I get as the answer I say them to my querent. But as a person I always feel why should one go back to an Ex – Partner? Or why should we entertain someone who has broken our trust and left us? Isn’t our past, is past for a reason?

Let’s me tell how I see it!!

I believe in LOVE…there is no doubt about it. But when we talk of Love, I feel it is a pure & divine feeling. You are truly blessed if ever LOVE has happened to you. I am not talking about the Attractions, infatuations…etc. Love has a direct connect with the heart. There is only one condition for LOVE, that is UNCONDITIONA. Means “There is No Condition”.

Now let’s see how it happens. Two people meet, no matter where or when, one pursues, the other one finally falls. Their energies meet. There is a connect between heart. Both the partner invests their energies & emotions on each other. And it gives the maximum pleasure, content under the sky. There is nothing right or wrong in love, because everything is fair in it.

Now something goes wrong. May be one partner was just attracted, the other one in love. Whatever could be the reason. They BREAK UP!!

Now as per me if a BREAK UP happens then at least for that moment either both or one of the partners is not completely to it. As per my observation mostly the person who was not in to it completely, LEAVE.

Because I always feel LOVE is mutual but BREAK UPS are hardly mutual. One partner break, the other has to face. In most of the cases at least.

It would be a long thing we discuss why break up happen which is not a point here. My point is once you become EX or your partner becomes EX…

For a moment, let’s assume it’s YOU. Your partner LEFT you…no matter for what? I am not blaming anyone. There could be valid reasons too & a BREAK UP was inevitable. But I always feel if Break up is inevitable, then it should be done with a CLOSURE. Closure in the sense, enough time, space, and do it slowly giving both of you enough time to get accommodated with the developments in your surroundings.

But it’s painful when it is done SUDDENLY & most of times it happens that way. In such cases, One Person Moves Ahead, the other person LEFT BEHIND. Let’s assume You are later case. I always feel such scenario is no less than a MURDER & I think the person who does this knowingly or unknowingly commits an unpardonable sin. But then everyone is free to choose.

Now, you experience hell, have painful days & tormenting nights. Love, makes vulnerable because it makes you Pure & Clean. Anything pure is vulnerable…right. And let’s say you break, you are wounded, you are betrayed, you cried, you sobbed and eventually you accept, you heal yourself and then get back to own self. It takes time.

Now tell me why to Get That Person back in your life who has given you worst pain? That means you are still dependent on the other person to make you feel better. You still carry the baggage of that relationship. You LOVED that Partner…agreed but it could be one-sided…right. Else why that partner would leave you knowing very well that it would kill you from inside?

Had the person been a little genuine in terms character and emotion, he/she would have thought thousand times before hurting you, no matter what compulsions they faced.

My point is if you have gone though a painful break up, just because your partner wanted it, I tell you if that partner comes back, nothing will be same again.

Your energies changed, realities changed, feelings changed and most importantly both of you change as PERSON, you no more remain the same. Then what is the point having the same person when the relationship will not remain same anymore.

If You have truly LOVED, LET that person GO, Wish All LUCK to Her/Him in life. TRUSTR ME…there is something called a HIGHER POWER, UNIVERSE. Your truthfulness & Honesty is recorded there. You will get the LOVE you Deserve. Often exes are sometimes a major distraction from the things which we truly deserve in life.

Remember as a Caterpillar You might be TRULY in Love with the Leaves, and it’s perfectly fine. But if you have gone through extreme pain of break up because of it, then you become a Butterfly, you are destined to be in a Garden of Flowers. So, as a Butterfly is there any point to go back to leaves?

Pian is an Alchemy which renovates us for better things.  There is a purpose, why a person becomes a present & then EX. The purpose of Your Ex is to cleanse you for better person. Accept it and Have Gratitude for your EX, but getting back her/him in life means knowingly getting into something bigger, in terms of pain.

I hope you understand my point!!!!

So, I feel, Ex-Partner – Never Entertain in Life Again. Especially if it is separation without a Closure.

Lord Krishna had to separate from his beloved Radha, but he had given his most favourite thing to her, His Flute…That’s is called the closure. that’s why their love has is considered the Greatest Love…. under the sky.

In LOVE there is Separation but not Break Up!!! Once someone becomes Ex Partner, means it’s past and our past is past for a reason. 

This is my post for Alphabet X written for #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2021 by Blogchatter 

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Valmiki The Sage – The Story of Transformation!!!

Valmiki The Sage – The Story of Transformation!!!

Valmiki The Sage – The Brahmashri – is the author of the Maha kavya The Ramayana which is also know as the Adi Kavya – The First Poem. It’s the Life Story of Lord Ram in Treta Yug!! He is a very prominent character from our Mythology

Valmiki The Sage – The Story of Transformation!!!

Our Mythology has innumerable stories loaded with life philosophies, values & motivations. From childhood, I feel everyone of us has been grown up with listening to such stories from different sources. I have been grown up with listening to such stories from my father.

The story of The Sage Valmiki has always been very fascinating for me. Because I could really imagine the picture in my mind. It’s one story that is still afresh as it is what I had heard first time. Another reason why this story always motivates me is we can change our destiny if we can change or transform ourselves. The Sage Valmiki was the transformed form of The Dacoit Ratnakar.

THE STORY OF THE SAGE VALMIKI!!!

Valmiki, in Sanskrit language it means anthill. It was not the birth name of the sage. His name was Ratnakar born to a rishi Prachetasa.

When he was young, he was lost in the jungle. A hunter found him and took him to his home. His new parents were quite loving, so he forgot his originality. Under his foster father’s guidance & care, he became an excellent hunter. Eventually he was married and had children. However, as his family grew larger, he felt that only hunting wasn’t enough to feed the family. So, he resorted to robbery and looted people in the village around.

One day The Mahamuni Narada was passing through the Jungle. Dashyu (Read Dacoit) Ratnakar attacked him for some valuables. Sage Narada instantly played his Veena & sang verses praising Lord Ram to calm down the anger of Ratnakar. It really worked. Ratnakar became very cool as he heard the music & verses, It had worked instantly.

Then the Sage asked him, “Why are you doing this?”

“For my family!” Ratnakar replied.

“Do you think the members of your family will also share the sin you are committing by this way of earning. You are attacking & looting people with your might.” Narada asked.

“Of Course, they will.” Ratnakar replied with confidence.

“Do one thing, you tie me here against a tree. Go and ask each of your family members. If they say yes, you come, I will be here only, waiting for your return. “

Dacoit Ratnakar thought it’s not a bad idea. He himself was curious also.  He did the same and went away to ask his family.

After couple of hours, he returned with shrunken face. It was evident that his family had refused to share the sins he was committing.

He untied The Sage Narada and asked him for the guidance to wash away of the evils he has already done.

Narada muni taught him the name “Rama” & asked him to mediatate on it. Since he was neck – dipped in sin, he couldn’t even chant RAMA. So Narada asked him to chant MARA continuously and left telling him do meditate by chanting till he returns.

Ratnakar did follow the instructions, sat and mediated for years. Eventually his body got completely covered with anthill. After some years, Mahamuni Narada came back, removed all the anthills, & said that his Tapashya Paid off. He is a transformed person now. He was bestowed with the title BRAHMASHRI and renamed VALMIKI – as he was reborn from the ant-hill.

After that we know how did he envision Lord Rama’s Life and wrote the Maha Kavya Ramayana. He also authored some other scriptures like Yoga Vashishtha – The Philosophy of life

The story ends here.

The moral of this story is no matter where life puts us, no matter what we have done so far, there is always scopes for New Beginning and a Self-Transformation.

We are accountable what we do in terms of actions or thoughts. Also, we are the one who can change ourselves. There is a Valmiki within every one of us.  There is a Sage in Us. We need to awaken it. Because there lies the PURPOSE OF OUR LIFE….the very reason why we have been given Human birth. So, let’s enlighten us from within!!!!

This is my post for Alphabet V written for #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2021 by Blogchatter 

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You Matter & Your Feelings Matter!!!

You Matter & Your Feelings Matter!!!

You Matter
And Your Feelings Matter
Your Voice Matters
Your Story Matters
Your Pain Matters
Your Happiness Matters
Your Success Matters
Your Failure Matters
You Are Important & Everything That Makes YOU…. Matter!!!
 

I am a self-claimed mental health activist. Because from a very tender age I have seen the how mentally stressed people suffer & make others suffer too. And I feel very intensely for those people who end their lives in an impulsive moment. I was very much disturbed when the news of actor Sushant Singh Rajpoot’s demise had surfaced.

I know this is a reality. We have people around who might be going through the same impulsive state. It doesn’t matter to what strata of society we belong to, in what profession we are in, what’s the gender…nothing matters because inside the brain, the network is same for all.

Suicide is always a permanent decision to deal with a temporary problem…. we all know that.
It’s a whimsical reaction to sudden a flush of strong emotions that makes the person edgy for that vulnerable moments.

Let me clear it, Depression isn’t the only reason for it. Because It’s not that every depressed person will commit suicide or everyone who is committing suicide is depressed but those who are in depression are vulnerable for sure.

It’s very difficult to understand a person having suicidal thoughts or behavior unless you have gone through the same. Trust me, I was having chronic suicidal thoughts. Can you believe it?? I agree it could be because of some traumatic childhood/upbringing things. Or may the reason be I am too sensitive. But every one has a very sensitive side. At least once in a life time every one goes though the life’s sulking experiences & become very vulnerable. But some people just don’t find it easy to digest it. They need help. And there where I feel we can step in and save lives.

As I say, I’m very sensitive & a small trigger to my emotions edges me to that state. I had tried to end my life couple of times also. But Thankfully, saved, narrowly escaped. It’s a confession…
However, Every time after I got that narrow escape, I felt, how stupid it was of me thinking of ending my life for the people, reasons or issues that bothered me a lot. In fact, after every escape I didn’t even find those things worth thinking for let alone dying for it. It’s just sheer STUPIDITY…I tell you.

But yes, I know what a person goes through just before committing suicide. Death appears easier than living. It gives tremendous courage to die, which in normal state we can never do. We fear death…right. But in THAT state, that FEAR just disappears for that moment. But later, everyone – except few who are unlucky to escape that moment – realizes that life is worth living for. Life is not just that “Particular Moment” but the countless moments we are suppose to live.

Now I am stable, I know very well how to live with it. I spoke to couple of my friends to understand why I feel that way, at first place.  I spoke to experts also. Took some professional help too. And then I realized, at the end the day, It’s ME matters for me more than anyone else.

I realized that accepting that I have some mental issues is the first step to deal with it. Mental health is a reality. And then I understood that it’s okay to sad & sensitive but never hurt ourselves.

At last, I feel the best thing is to talk about it. Sometimes, we just don’t find anyone to talk how we feel. For this, I feel we should avail ourselves for others in their most vulnerable moment. And I did the same.

So, if you are reading this, and you or anyone who you know, ever go through such sudden flush of strong emotions, then please connect with me. @tina_acharya.

It’s okay Life sucks at times.
It’s okay people who we trust betray us,
It’s okay we face issues, unfairness, wrong people, judgements.
It’s okay we make mistakes
It’s okay we don’t get what we want, what we deserve….

But it’s NOT okay to hurt ourselves, end our lives…A BIG NO! Because “YOU MATTER”

The best way to deal with such occasional emotions is to understand your own emotional states. Speak to someone when you feel the surge of those emotions. It works wonders.
No matter who you are, if you are reading this …feel free to talk to me or anyone else who you feel can understand your feeling…
Before taking a plunge to a permanent decision…. TALK ONCE…I know I can help YOU.TRUST ME

TRUST ME, I CAN HELP YOU…I AM THERE FOR YOU…Because I understand how it feels to be in THAT STATE.

This is my post for Alphabet Y written for #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2021 by Blogchatter 

JUST LEAVE IT

 JUST LEAVE IT!!

Just Leave it, when it’s not in your hand
Just Leave it, when you know you can’t
Just Leave it, when you find yourself in a wrong tale
Just Leave it, when you know it gives you nothing but pain
Just Leave It, Just Leave It, & Trust Me
The Magic Will Happen as Things will settle of its own!!!

It was in the year 2011

We had relocation from Delhi to Mumbai. My new rented house in Mumbai was smaller than that of the fully furnished flat at Delhi. Not only undersized but also there was no storage space available in my new house.

So, when the packers’ people unloaded the consignment and asked for the space to keep the unpacked things, I had no idea how to allocate them. Nevertheless, some regular things like refrigerator, Television, sofa etc were unpacked immediately and took their respective allotted places. But a lot of boxes could not get unpacked due to non-availability of space.

Undecided, we finally had to keep them the other bedroom. And it was looking like that of a warehouse. A total mess.  I am a very sorted person. I just can’t be comfortable if things are not organized.  As expected, I was mentally very upset for this. I couldn’t free my mind. Every time I had a look in that room, I would feel very distressed. Clutter is something I really hate.

I felt as if the unorganized thing boxes) had occupied the whole space in my MIND. Every time I look at them, they were quite annoying. I kept thinking how to organize them. I was just unable to get them out of my mind. In fact, I was so stressed that I fall ill and became unwell for a week.

In those days my friend Rachna from Delhi called me up to know my whereabout. Whether we got settled or not. I told her how I was feeling. Then she told me, “Tina, Just Leave It, don’t think so much about it stressing your mind. Things will be fine with time.”

It was difficult not to think about it but there was no option also. I wasn’t physically well too. So, slowly I stopped thinking much about it that time.

Days passed. Then slowly I realized that I have to stop thinking about them completely. Because nothing could be done immediately. I had to stop worrying anyway. With every passing day I started accepting the mess, getting used it. When we resist, we feel difficulty in accepting. #Fact. So probably I had stopped resisting the reality. And it worked.

Later my husband and I decided to go for some storage furniture as per the requirement slowly but surely. Till then, we let it as it is”. I just leave it as it is!!! Later on, everything was fine and nicely accommodated. The boxes were unpacked & certain things were discarded. Rest of the things were kept well organized.

Today when I look at this incident though it appears as a very trivial yet I find it as an “piece” very tactfully scripted by The Universe to teach me a very good lesson. With this incident I understood that Life is like this. We have many things to do. But sometime we don’t have enough resources. At least in particular moments. Again, however smart we are…. we cannot do anything unless we have adequate resources for it…. right!!!

May be sometimes our resources in terms of money, emotion…etc are not sufficient to take care of our immediate need. Sometime this kind of situation arises for a temporary period and may be sometime permanently they remain as it is. However, whether it is temporary or permanent in nature… usually they lead us to keep worrying. Sometimes, in fact we worry because we expect too much out of a situation. External things happen leading to some kind of mess in our life.

But thing is, we need to accept it first, then accommodate and then sort it out, in whatever possible way.

Life is full of desires, dreams and responsibilities. Also, it has some short of missing things in terms of knowledge, time, education or finance. In short… there will be always a crash between requirements and resources. So, whenever there is a collision between requirements and resources it is better to simply “JUST LEAVE IT” and stop worrying about it. Things will take care of themselves. Cool your mind…after all we are not here to do everything at any time nor could we ever do it like that. Isn’t it??

JUST LEAVE IT….ALLOW IT TO SETTLE DOWN ON IT”S OWN!!!

This is my post for Alphabet J written for #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2021 by Blogchatter 

This is also Published in…CLICK HERE

WEAR YOUR WINGS & DANCE!!!

WEAR YOUR WINGS!!!

Wear Your Wings & Dance!!
Let Your Soul Get into a Trance
 
Look at the life from above
With Faith, Trust & Love
 
Limitations & obstacles will always Remain there
But before a strong willpower they hardly dare
 
There are enough hammers to break
Putting our determination & tenacity at stake
 
But for a strong resolve they hardly crack
So, stay sturdy & strong no matter what
 
Storms & Gale try their Best
To dislodge the heart from its quest
 
The tempest at last down their guard
Before a positive & confident heart
 
Stay grounded & hold your ground
Till you hear the victory sound
 
You are born to win & not lose
So, wear the wings & the shoes
 
Let your soul fly & dance
Hovering over a beautiful land!!!!

Often, we allow our heart & soul be hurt & damage by the situations, people & challenges. But life is all about holding the ground even if it’s tough. Survival of the fittest…as Darwin said. Sometimes we can just fake it, because that will help us to make it.

You are born to fly, and in dreams you remember the soul has wings…Robert Moss
Read My Other Poems…CLICK HERE
This is my post for Alphabet W written for #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2021 by Blogchatter 
Kumbh Mela – A Divine Encounter!!!

Kumbh Mela – A Divine Encounter!!!

You are not a drop in the ocean.

You are the entire ocean, in a drop ~ Rumi

Kumbh Mela – A Divine Encounter!!!

Kumbh Mela – The very mention of “Kumbha” more clearly “KumbhaMela” had always been creepy and scary for me in my babyhood days. You know…in those stories of My Granny there was always a missing girl in Kumbh Mela. She was distanced from her parents as she left their hand in the crowd. And faced the hell of the world. Nobody was there to take care of her. Also, she was not able to find her parents after leaving their hands in the “Kumbha Mela”.

And finally, one fine day by God’s grace her parents could find her out after much efforts, searching for her. She was back to her home in a very bad state, hungry, untidy & messy. She learnt a lesson that she would never leave the hands of her parents again in any other gathering.  The moral of the story was, never go away from your parents while in a crowd or congregation.

May be the whole idea of My granny was to teach me how to remain with parents and never go anywhere without them. Sometime may be inculcating the Faith on the God almighty in me but I was also developing fear towards the “Kumbha Mela”. I used to quickly identify myself with the missing girl. And the very thought of it and the “Kumbha Mela” would be enough to give me “Goosebumps”.  It appeared to me as a place where little girls may part away from their parents.

Well, the horror remained till my teenage only. After that it washed away. First it became a laughing stock for me following the bollywood dialogues “Kumbh ke Mele Main Bichade Hue Do Bhai” (the two brothers who were separated in Kumbh Mela).

Also, after that the fear and apprehensions got converted into intense dislike following the horrifying nasty look (I’m sorry but honestly, I used to feel like that) of Aghori babas and Naga Sadhus pictures in any article or print material available on “Kumbha Mela”.

I used to wander, to be religious why one needs to look so much ghastly horrible! Is it really necessary to look horrible? So, in my entire college days I was never interested in learning about “Kumbha Mela” and its significance.

It was 2010

It was only in 2010 when the Maha Kumbha Mela was held in Haridwar I got some positive inclination towards it. Precisely because of a Divine Encounter.

That year My In-Laws – Mother-in-law and Father-In-law – visited the same, for a holy bath at Ganga and have a divine experience. Let’s not forget that “ATTENDING KUMBHA ONCE IN A LIFE TIME” is considered to be very auspicious, divine, religious & pious.

That time we were staying at Delhi When Baba & mamma decided to visit the Kumbha Mela, they insisted us to join them also. But my son was not keeping well those day. He had adenoids. So, we were supposed to keep him away from anything COLD. They came from Odisha, visited the same at Haridwar while completely in touch with us through phone.

It was almost the end of the Maha Kumbha Mela. My in laws were supposed to pack & return in two days. However, in the last day of it their phone became unreachable. At the same time, we learnt that a stampede had happened, from the news. We were horrified. We called up the hotel they had stayed. But they said that, my in laws had checked out from there. Then series of frantically calls, desperate attempts ask some people who lived there to find out the whereabouts of both, had already drained us.   Much efforts in vain, we thought might be something wrong have happened with them too. God Forbid!!!

LORD!!!

Without losing a moment we headed for Haridwar. I remember we just picked our son directly from the school. And in the car only I changed his clothes. A friend of my husband Santosh had accompanied us in the journey who hail from the Haridwar. His father had already done the search attempt.

On reaching there we enquired about them in the Hotels, akhadas, dharmasalas at every place where there was a chance or a possibility where they could be. But left with no clue about them. Kumbha Mela was almost over by that time. So, there was no such dense crowd also. It was almost night. So, we thought next morning we again go for searching. In the meantime, Uncle – The father of the friend of my hubby – had spoken to the police in charge as well.

Next morning, we visited the riverside of the Ganga. It was crowded but not so densely. People were still doing holy dip there. But we had a different objective. We parked our car in the prescribed area, and started searching the entire expanse by walking. Visited every nearby hotel, dharmasalas again along with the Photos of our parents. The first hotel where they had stayed recognised the photo & gave us the Adhaar Card of Baba which he had by mistake probably missed it there. The manager also informed that they had lost their phone too.

There were many Sadhus there who were insisting us to take the dip, visit the temple and all. But we had our different objective. In fact, I don’t know when but I had already taken a vow that if something (You understand it) had happened with Baba & Mamma, I would never take a dip in Ganga throughout my life.\

Around Almost 12.30 pm. We decided to return to Hotel as the scorching sun had already made it harsh on my son. It wasn’t possible to walk any more as he was feeling restless by that time. We had thought we would again visit the place in the afternoon, search for them and then would speak to the police as well.

We got into the car, my husband just put the reverse gear to get out of the parking & turn the wheel, when a Sadhu – A Tall Fair & Fair Man – having a broad smile on his face appeared before us. He knocked the window on my side with a gesture insisting us to open it. He didn’t seem to be asking for any alms unlike other couple of Sadhus.  I slide down the glass, with a question mark writ on my face. He asked with very loving yet clear voice, “Did You Take the Dip in the holy Ganga? Ganga mein dubki lagaya kya”

I said, “No, we have come here for a different reason.” Half dejected, half tired & done.

He smiled again.  “Uska Khel koi nahin samajh sakta, TU YAHAN AYEE NAHI HAI, BULAI GAYEE HAI. Bina dubki lagaye koi nahin ja shakta yahan se. Tumhare upar USKA bahut kripa hai”

I was in no mood to listen to such things that time. I was almost acquainted by such antics of Couple of Sadhus there by then. However, I didn’t want to be rude either. So, controlling my emotion I opened my wallet to give some money – That’s what we do often …right – he stopped me immediately.

He said in a firm voice, “Kal tu yahan dubki bhi lagaye gi, Mandir bhji jayegi, Diya bhi lagayegi. Maa aise nahin jane degi tujhe” & then he helped us to get out of the crowd. He headed to our hotel.

We had our lunch silently, deeply anxious & apprehensive.  However, we were exhausted too. So, we slept. Around 4 pm my husband woke me up. And said “You Know Baba & Bou, both are at Puri. They are at the same Dharmasala at Puri where their Guru stays.”

OHH!!! MY!!!!LORD!!!!

Relaxed, Relieved and thrilled!!! We offered our Gratitude to God, immediately.

Later we learnt, actually both the parents had already left for the railway station before the stampede occurred. They had no reservation, so the took the tatkal tickets to Puri & Boarded the train. Since they were not that familiar with mobile phones & didn’t remember the phone remember the phone numbers, they couldn’t inform anyone in the family. After reaching there, the manager of that Math where they stayed had the phone number of my brother-in- law. That’s how they informed about them & their wellbeing.

We immediately dialed the number and spoke to Baba.  In our culture, it is believed that, after bathing in Ganga (Ganga Snana), one should first Visit Lord Jagannath then only can go to home. Else it would not be considered a punya. In fact, after every Dip in Ganga on return one needs to visit The Lord Jagannath Temple before returning to home.  That is the religious process which we were not aware. As they lost the mobile, so they couldn’t inform us about their program of leaving Haridwar. Anyway, Thank God!!They were all fine.

In the evening we visited the Riverside of The Ganga & Attended Ganga Arti. We were entirely lost in the Divinity Around.

At night, had a peaceful sleep. Next day morning, went again, had holy dip in the river Ganga as per the rituals. The entire firs half went by visiting temples, offering our gratitude. In the afternoon we had a small drive in and around the place of Haridwar. At the evening again the Ganga Aarti. I was looking for the same Sadhu who had told me regarding my holy dip in Ganga but in vain.

Next day, we were on the roads towards Delhi.

That was my first visit to Haridwar and my first dip in sacred River Ganga though not witnessing or attending the “Kumbha Mela”. But the residue of preparation was testimony of the immense divinity of “Kumbha Mela”. I realised that there is indeed some mysticism about this sacred religious festival. Else how come since eternity it is happening! “Maha Kumbh” or “Kumbh Mela” is considered as the largest congregation of humans in the world & that to for a month.

There must be certain kind of divinity ruling it over.  I was filled with gratitude for God for making me visit it this way. As I looked through the car window, I saw the smiling face of the Saint who had blessed me near the River Ganga. Was he really a human or….????

A Divine Encounter…indeed!!!!

 

Kumbh Mela - A Divine Encounter
Kumbh Mela – A Divine Encounter

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This is my post for Alphabet K written for #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2021 by Blogchatter