It was five years before our yoga society formed another group for an Indian adventure. This time, we wanted to make a pilgrimage down the Ganges river together with Swamiji. Swamiji, myself and a senior disciple landed in Bombay on the eve of the 1971 India/Pakistan 17-day war that saw the secession of East Pakistan from Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. The announcement of the beginning of the war came as we were in mid-flight. Passengers broke into tears and an uneasy tension spread throughout the cabin of the plane. We landed in darkness. The hotel on Marina Drive was in darkness when we arrived. Air raid sirens blared through the night. In a few days we were to fly to Delhi to meet with others. We wired them to tell them what was happening and asked them whether they still wanted to come to India or whether we should postpone our trip down the Ganges. Surprisingly, everyone still wanted to proceed – believing that most likely the war would not affect the areas where we planned to travel and also that spiritual activity such as pilgrimage took on an even more significant meaning in such times.
We
couldn’t have known how short the war would be.
The war ended in 17 days. Although the urban centres remained subject to
curfews and the occasional air raid siren, vehicles still had the top part of
their lights blackened and the Taj Mahal had a camouflage net over its white
marble dome, we were able to function well enough. With a car and driver, we drove from
Rishikesh to Varanasi, stopping at the major pilgrimage centres along the way.
The light that lives in the sun
Lighting all the world
The light of the moon
The light that is in fire
Know that light to be mine.
My energy enters the earth
Sustaining all that lives:
I become the moon
Giver of water and sap
To feed the plants and the trees
Flame of life in all,
I consume the many foods
Turning them into strength
That upholds the body.
I am in all hearts
I give and take away
Knowledge and memory
I am all that the Vedas tell
I am the teacher
Knower of Vedanta.
Chapter 15 Devotion to the Supreme Spirit in the Bhagavad Gita
