I had a quick two-day tour to Haridwar with parents. A meeting with a Guru was arranged and they were excited about it. I, as was the deal had only one plan; to walk as far and as close to the mother river Ganga, as much she allows.
4 a.m.
When we reached Parents took to the ashram and I to the mother river. But this time without impressions. Past months have seen a difference in the way I am doing things and one thing that I am particularly peaceful about is leaving the camera first and then leaving this want, to make the most beautiful, meaningful looking photographs. I am not. I am not doing it. I am letting the days pass by without making any digital memory out of it. I feel no desire anymore to keep making memories. As of now I imagine I have done my quota of “always looking like a crow” to do something all the time. I am walking without me institutionally looking to make images or even document per say, instead I seek the unity of all my organs to concentrate, to only attend to my inner nature. I want to now feel the pull from within, away from the gadgets, away from the tech that has made man a slave of leisure and comfort to only distract him further from the meaning that life provides.
Also read: Moon, Woman and the Essence of a Long Life
Whole moon in the sky feeds the brain like nothing does. Its azure affect intensifies the inner nature to feel more of whatever you are carrying within you. This day of the month brings people in numbers from villages far and near to the Ganges. Many ascetics, sages, monks appear from their otherwise slumber, only for this day. To come out and let the rays that come reflected from the full moon’s surface touch their matted hair and hard skin. It was still early, dark in the morning when I started walking on the still empty ancient ghats of Haridwar, without my phone, even without a wallet, wandering consciously looking at the revered river with night lights reflecting feelings on it, reflecting dreams. And as I roved, little ahead sat an old, frail figure, sitting in the dark, his spine straight as an arrow against the river, perhaps facing the direction of soon to be rising sun. His eyes were closed and was breathing intently. Seeing him breathing made me conscious of my breath. It was such an important sight, above all a beautiful one that I otherwise would have certainly made a portrait or two but this time I let myself to sit and observe this being. He was filling his stomach full and with similar steadiness emptied it. Looking at him felt like he was drinking breath. Again and again. His aura soon got rubbed on me and I started following his resolve. I sat behind him, looked around. It was quiet but for the mother river, i took the deepest breath in and closed my eyes while looking for the light around my frontal cortex.
I do not not know how much time had passed when I heard a movement nearby. I opened my eyes to look at the old man and he was looking right back at me, while getting ready to take the cold dip. I bowed and said Namaskaram, he accepted it with an uncanny laughter, his hands flying all over the place. He spoke in the local mountain dialect, “Bhakti hi prem hai that devotion only is love. I stood up with him as he continued, giving and eating is no Devotion. That is delusion of the mind. Drink and eat the subtle thought. Drink the waters of deliberation. Ganga is peace. Peace is water. And to settle on the Waters of Peace is the Delight of Yoga.
Give up the Gross Joy, and attain the subtler.
Give up the Gross sleep, resort to the subtler.
Find out who you are. Find it out. Other is not the truth; cultivate the ‘Sama’ i.e. equality. Reach to your core. Sense of distinction is not the truth. In your words shall be sameness. Burn up the physical sight and look.
I kept hearing as I collected my belongings and together we started walking towards the banks as the old man continued spreading the seeds of wisdom- Knowledge is in the Nadi*; in this Nadi is sleep, in this Nadi is the Sushupti*. There is no wakefulness in sushupti. Get to this sushupti. Uniting the inward and outward breath, and resort carefully to the subtle sleep. See true delight in the inward and outward breaths; in harmony, attain to it. The seat of breath is the truth. Within is the expanse of the sky. Inside of it is the tower of eternal delight. The tower of eternal bliss is the seat of peace. Sleep consciously in the gross sleep; not the sleep of the beast, but have the sleep of man-sleep which is the aim of life, sleep of consecration; talking or sitting, sleep without ideas, without thoughts. Sleep placing the breath in sleep, without any other objective. Do the japa of the inward and the outward breath. Cultivate bhakti in the mind. Attain liberation. Saying this he again rejoiced in his laughter with his hands towards the sky.
Have boundless Bhakti my child, he continued looking at me enlarging his eyes as his brows appeared to me whiter than they looked. Confine the breath and draw it upward and downward. Drawing up the breath is Rechaka; suspending it is Kumbhaka. Kumbhaka is your station. Letting the breath down is pooraka. While breathing in, draw up as water from a well. Draw up the breath to bhramhandhra. By this inbreathing and out-breathing kindle the agni– the fire. Purify all the nadis. Burn up the wind, bile and phlegm in that fire. Deliberation is the fire, the yoga fire, the fire digestive in the stomach. The fire of deliberation is the lustre of the sun. There is nothing superior to fire in the universe. All is agni– fire within and without. In the middle is the earth. Below is the earth, above is the vayu- Air. The vayu is in the universe; the universe is in the vayu. First is vayu, second agni. First is thought, second is sound. Soundlessness is in the form of vayu. Soundlessness eternal bliss. It is Sat Chitt Ananda. In soundlessness shall be merged yourself. That merging is manhood, that is the knowledge of the self, knowledge of Yoga, knowledge of time. And that is the knowledge of triple time, in the heart. In the heart lies liberation, and this liberation is the eternal delight.
By now most of what he spoke bounced off my head as I waited half naked for him to stop for a moment to leave in a way not to disrespect him. It was bright morning by now and sun had shown just at that moment when the Old wise man had stopped his sermon. He laughed and went ahead to take the dip. And I thought to my self, was it pre-planned? Did he know the moment when he will complete his discourse because it was just perfect timing. As I went in the coldest river carrying my thoughts, I was happy that I stopped and that I had no camera because had I had, I would have only made an image and walked away from what then felt like a divine intervention.
Har Har Gange
Sharing some images of the Haridwar Ghats from a previous Journey.
A Portrait of my Sources- Parents
Love, Ma
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Ghats – Stairs or passage leading down to a river.
Nadi – Nadi is a Sanskrit word that can be translated as “tube,” “channel” or “flow.” It refers to the network of channels through which energy travels through the body. According to ancient texts, there are 72,000 nadis in the human body.
Sushupti – Hibernation
Rechaka Kumbhaka Pooraka – Names of Breathing ways in Sanskrit.
Bhramandhra – A suture or aperture in the crown of the head.
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Also read: 9 Most Read Stories from Road To Nara in 2022
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You did well to leave the camera and other technology behind. In order to have a truly spiritual experience it is necessary to separate from all those man made things. I took a trip once where I wanted to lose myself in the scenery, to appreciate the privilege I had been given to see such a special place. It was a good decision for me too. Thank you for writing about your experience. Best Wishes.
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Yes Caro, difficult it is but important. Even in the 70s people were depressed about landline phones and Television sets coming to homes.
Also, now as it has been around 2 decades with the internet, its a good time to let be and use it wisely. For me mostly because you won’t find many wise faces around the worlds who’s eyes have not seen the screens. And I would love to meet them all.
Thank you Caro.
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The paragraph beginning, “Have boundless Bhakti…” says so much that I will have to read it again and find out more. Leaving the “techie” stuff behind is vital; like walking barefoot, feeling the earth (sand, stone, grass) beneath one’s feet. A fresh observance and a reminder of wonder! 🙏
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Absolutely Ashley, walking barefoot could be the most refreshing thing a man must do everyday outside on different surfaces, its an important experience, if not and only an (natural)exercise.
Thanks for your lovely, kindling comment.
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Today’s continuation of Narayan’s spiritual journey documents the two-day trip to Haridwar and the sacred River Ganga with his parents. The first difference is not using digital help in creating memories but concentrating on finding the unity of inner nature. That was the right decision as not having the distraction of taking pictures allowed Narayan to respond to the pull from within. His excellent description of the ghats of Haridwar illuminated by the night lights gave the reader understanding of his feeling of being in a dream-like state while awake.
The importance of deep and correct breathing was known and analyzed from
ancient times in Sanskrit and is an integral part of yoga. Meeting the old guru who is meditating made Narayan follow suit until the wise old man came back to reality and he tells him of some laws that are coded into the very nature of the universe, and the most important one is that devotion is love, this knowledge will last a lifetime, and it shows the reader the power of Hindu believes. The words that the Mother Ganga is peace resonate with every Indian, and to touch the waters of Ganga is of utmost necessity to the Indian soul.
The spiritual teaching of the old guru intensified Narayan’s desire to reach the tower of eternal bliss and attain liberation.
The importance of greatest gift given to mankind is fire, which became the deity worshiped for centuries in religious rituals. Agni is part of the universe.
Narayan’s deep feeling that meeting the old guru was a divine intervention gave us a glimps into the world of devotion and its power over the minds and believers’ lives.
The few pictures from Narayan’s library add to the story, especially the photo of his beloved mother, the love of his life, and his words will touch the hearts of many readers.
In all, this essay is the fascinating, mind-expanding work of a talented writer.
Joanna
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Dearest, why is your comment not showing your name?
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It is that WP again but my name is there, and more importantly, what is your comment?
I had to clarify your thoughts because from the two comments there the readers didn’t get the whole important picture. If you think that it is too long, say so.
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Exactly, its a review, an assessment. And is more than welcome and always invited.
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Thank you.
Joanna
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But your extraordinary assessment of this essay is priceless, just like these moments were with me.
Your words dearest, have always been a source for inspiration. A heartfelt Thank you.
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You are more tha welcome!
Joanna
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I love the photos. But having said that, you are quite right in that it’s best to leave behind the camera at times. I take fewer photos now, since I decided I would often be looking for the perfect photo rather than observing properly what was around me.
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Thanks Mick, yes. Its again a different, elevating kind of discipline. To wait with the camera in hand. Waiting for that moment while supervising the urge.
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What a marvelous post. Was transported to the river for a moment, just being, nothing else. Thanks for sharing the sadhu’s words, will read them again to absorb and understand their true intent.
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Diti, thank you for your humbling comment.
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Also I myself have been floating with his sermon ever since they passed by me. It was important to give them shape before other things had taken over.
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What makes this post significant. Your leaving behind the camera, the wise man’s sermon, the atmosphere of the ghat, the knowledge imparted impromptu by the old man, the realization that we know nothing, our understanding is limited or everything in togetherness. Still thinking. But there was one wish, very strong, which rose in me – what the old man would have said to me if I were there in your place?
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Aah how uplifting it is to read this Gita, as you know it all happens in moment- you see and you act, all understanding comes later. And had you been in my place Gita, it is possible you would have sat longer with Ganga than I did.
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How well you know me Narayan. I would have sat for hours. Water intrigues and attracts me. But I believe mountains are more mysterious! However, I can never travel on hills. The journey sickens me and hilly roads cause breathlessness. I am happy with lapping waves and flowing rivers.
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You can never travel on hills!!? Dear Gita is it hard for you to reach a mountain house?
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Reblogged this on anastasiakalantzi59.
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Thanks
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Me too for your beautiful writing! Have a nice and productive week ahead. Best regards 🙂
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Humbling dear Ka, kindest words. Thank you.
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I didn’t understand what he said, but I didn’t need to. I felt it fill me as I read, and breathed. Beautiful.
I love the serendipity of this meeting. Perfect that you had no camera, and you and the old man came together at exactly the right time and place. How can we ever doubt the existence of miracles.
To me Hardiwar itself is a miracle and I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to visit myself.
Alison xo
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Yes dearest Alison you know what Haridwar is, Rishikesh is, Ganga is and the ideal they present among us, inside us, in front of us, for whole humanity. Thank you for this precious comment.
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I haven’t seen your posts in my Reader for a while and I thought, “Did Nara stop writing?” But it seems that the infinite power, uh, infinite glitches of WordPress dropped you and some others from my followed sites. I’m very happy to find you are still here.
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Oh Martha, Nara didn’t stop.writing but Martha had some other skies to look at..I feel joy to read you again.
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Always the sky. 💙
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💙
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💙
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your words helped me to imagine the scene. And that is as wonderful as seeing a photo.
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aaah Lakshmi Ji, very kind of you. thank you !
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This post is profound 🙏🏻Hope it will change even my attitude towards life at least a bit.
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You are kind Venky. It is lovely that you came over and wrote. Thank you for this 🙏🏻
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My pleasure 🙏🏻
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Some encounters are meant to be — to educate and enlighten. Blessed are you to have had one such encounter. And yes, the absence of camera is the key to finding many such moments. I had recounted a trip we had taken when the children were young, without a camera and on a shoestring. The images from that trip are etched in all our memories, decades later.
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Many a times I have intentionally left my camera to just live. Its a two way sword now when everyone has it. Thanks for your kindest and precious words dear mam 🙂
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