Spiritual Odyssey

As the weather or should I say the deadliest combo of fidgety pervading wind and the dense witchy smog intrude my new year, I feel like blogging again. The Gurgaon chill has left me no option but to share by cameo blissful stint in Godz own place at the advent of this New Year.

To begin with it was sheer serendipity that I landed, on a more modest note jhuk-jhuked there. It was a smoggy 31^st Dec dawn. Suddenly my phone beeped with a clarion call from Vrindavana. It was a friend on the other side. The conversation blossomed with a pervading and refreshing aura of the blissful entity followed by a delightful invitation to witness the New Year on the divine land. For a moment I was like “Naaaaa”. Suddenly something serene was invoked within and in no time I found myself browsing the indianrail.gov.in. By the time I made up my mind the departure of the “Centenary” oops Shatabdi was 90 mins away. Ritika emerged as an angel as she zoomed me to the dilapidated Nizamuddin Station shattering the myth of women not being so good in driving. (Strike 1)

It was 1.15 P.M and the train was about to depart in 300 sec. The queue for the current reservation appeared two meters longer than the esteemed train. I tried to persuade a few elderly representatives of the fairer sex which was reciprocated with an irksome and petrifying glare. Who says women are weak. I was almost bashed away from the queue. The armed personnel joined in and all I could do was run. Suddenly DDLJ splashed across my mind. The train started moving. I felt to be in Simran’s shoes running for her love. The scene was different for me though. In place of Raj there was a hugely tall, astutely robust man with a dark and thick moustache lending his Burj Khalifa like towering fist to pull me up. He splashed me with all “muft ka gyan”- being on time, etc, etc. (Strike 2)

I helped myself to a vacant seat besides a hugely corpulent and rotund lady justifying her Size 100 figure with non-stop hogging. You name it and she gulped it. Petha, Peda, Laddoo, Kachori, Barfi all vanished into her black hole like appetite and all I could do was gasp with the imaginary background score “Janm Janm ka Bhooka”. 30 minutes into the journey the TTE barged in her comfort zone, “Ticket Please”. She gave a deadly grin as if he has assaulted her, quickly splashed her ticket and got back to her hogging spree. It was my turn. I admitted to be ticketless which led to another session of “Muft ka Gyan”. For a moment I was like verbally assaulted. I stated my helplessness to which he demanded a towering fine. It took my best ever innocent look and a reasonable amount of unrecorded fine/bribe to calm him down. He agreed and asked me to move out from the other end of the Mathura Station or I would get caught for ticketless travel. (Strike 3)

It was 3.30 as I inhaled the divine air of the birthplace of the Lord and proceeded to Vrindavana to meet my friend. I stayed at an Ashram cum Temple with well equipped comfort and headed by an 82 year old lady living-in with an 85 year old saintly male. Yes u heard it right. They have been together for the last 30 years. Cute ehh. It was an amazing chemistry. The lady had hyper sensitive ears whereas the saint can only hear if you shout. Opposites attract you see!!!! It was a lunar eclipse that night and I was strongly instructed not to eat after 8 P.M and to sleep by 9 as it was required to wake up at 4 A.M. What a new years eve you see.

So I woke up to the first day of the new year at a time I hardly woke up any day the previous year. The temple was serenely decorated with all varieties of flowers and the celebrations began. It was a blissful start. Then I headed to the ISKCON temple. It is unbelievable what I saw; Old people above ninety years walk the holy Parikrama in the morning hours chanting Sri Radhakrishna’ s name with full vigour. It seemed as if the soul lives in this land with energy of devotion and age was just the external embellishment or talk of life.

With all blissful frenzy I reached ISKCON called as Angrez temple locally. Most of the life workers there were Canadians and Italians. I almost uncoded the secret of a happy life there. Every individual was dancing to the groovy Kirtans and the sound of the Mridangam with open arms embracing the Lord. It was so blissful. Then I moved to Baake Bihari temple and gradually survived a potential stampede. Loved the Makhan Mishri Prasad offered there. Yummy in every sense.

I gradually realized that Vrindavana is the sacred land where the breeze, the stream and every particle of earth is worshipped. The dawn starts with bells of the temple and ends with chanting of lord Radhakrishna’s name. It is an abode of bliss on this earth, where every sense and nerve of body with the soul has soaked in devotion.

As one walks down the narrow streets of Vrindavana , one often hears of the Rickshaw Pullers calling out “Radhe Radhe” to pedestrians to give way, unique in every sense. I was overwhelmed as even residents living in Vrindavana for a long period never failed to obtain the darshan of Radha Madhav and partake of the bhog – unmatched bhav. Every aspect of the stay at Vrindavana opened up yet another avenue of devotion, piety, simplicity and surrender as I returned back the same day. Every aspect of the journey is something I will cherish for a long time and yes all the ( Strikes).

As I ruminate in this chilly evening I realise that I lost my heart in Vrindavana.

Spiritually Yours

DevDC