"Among purifiers,
I am the wind: I am Rama among the warriors: the shark among fish: Ganges among
the rivers." Chapter 10 Divine Glory in the Bhagavad Gita
In Rishikesh, at that
time still relatively undeveloped, we crossed the Lakshman Jhoola bridge to visit Gita Bhavan and
strolled along the lane of huts leading up to Swarg Ashram. We joined other pilgrims in singing Jai Ganga
Mayi as the oarsman rowed us across the river in his ferry boat. We paid our
respects to this great river as it came tumbling out of the Himalayan foothills
and listened to the stories of the origin of the goddess Ganga. I embraced this ancient way of worshipping the
feminine divine force. Walking in these
archetypally symbolic places, surrounded by the living presence of nature
touched the nascent yearnings of my heart for a greater reality beneath that of
the senses. It was here that Gurudev bestowed the mala I use to this day with
instructions for recitations.
Haridwar
was the next stop along the journey.
At
Hari ki Pauri, we joined in the evening arti, walked along the ghats and spent
a few nights in a shelter overlooking the Ganga river which, in the centre of
this town was bound by a canal. Considered to be the gateway to the Gods, we
felt especially blessed by our guru’s introduction to this holy city. As a group, it was also part of our
experiential learning to develop harmony and understanding between us similar
to that of a family. In our guru’s style
of training shikshas, that became as important for spiritual growth as the
pilgrimage itself.
Our
next holy city along the Ganges river was Kanpur which sits between the Ganga
and Yamuna rivers. Although it has a
colourful secular history, its significance for us was spiritual. The city's name is believed to derive from Kanhiyapur from the Hindi meaning "town of Kanhaiya", making it a city special to Lord Krishna. I especially was taken by a Krishna bhajan
which I sang to myself much of the time praising Kanhaiya. After a quick visit to the banks of the Ganges
and a stay at an old colonial-style hotel, we drove on to Allahabad.
Allahabad is the sacred site of the confluence of the
Yumuna, Ganga and Saraswati (now extinct) rivers.
The
place where these rivers meet is appropriately called Sangam (union) and hosts
many religious festivals and fairs.
Sangam is also known as Tirth –Raj - the royal pilgrimage centre. At the
time of our visit, all was quiet. The
holy name for this city is Prayag. I like the Mughal name, AllAhabad, given by Akbar. His
great fort overlooks the Yamuna near the confluence of rivers. At Allahabad, I
experienced a sense of the grandeur of the Ganga river. Its nature seemed to change – a personal
subjective experience of the river as somehow expanding as it swept towards the
ocean. The historicity of the city also
attracted me.
We
soon moved on to Benares, or as it is now known, Varanasi or Kashi as it is known in ancient Hindu texts. In scriptures it is known by many other
names. It is considered by Hindus to be
the sacred site of the creation of the human being. This cosmology greatly fascinates me, coming
from the western world dominated by the Adam and Eve mythology. It is considered to be the most ancient
populated city in the world. Kashi is also known to be the eternal city of Lord
Shiva and populated by many gods. The city is important to Jains and Buddhists
as well as Hindus. This was our final stop on our
pilgrimage. The city of light blessed us
– I could feel within my being a connection that transcended what I could see
with my physical eyes, as if there was a city within a city.
Swamiji instilled in us a love for simplicity and
weaned us off many materialistic habits. We grew to appreciate the idea
of ashram life and continued to yearn to have a place of our own.
Eventually, with the help of Guruji and his father we took it upon ourselves to
establish an ashram by ourselves. After the pilgrimage down the
Ganges, I stayed in India together with another disciple to help Gurudev
obtain the land and start to build an ashram.
At
Hari ki Pauri, we joined in the evening arti, walked along the ghats and spent
a few nights in a shelter overlooking the Ganga river which, in the centre of
this town was bound by a canal. Considered to be the gateway to the Gods, we
felt especially blessed by our guru’s introduction to this holy city. As a group, it was also part of our
experiential learning to develop harmony and understanding between us similar
to that of a family. In our guru’s style
of training shikshas, that became as important for spiritual growth as the
pilgrimage itself. Our
next holy city along the Ganges river was Kanpur which sits between the Ganga
and Yamuna rivers. Although it has a
colourful secular history, its significance for us was spiritual. The city's name is believed to derive from Kanhiyapur from the Hindi meaning "town of Kanhaiya", making it a city special to Lord Krishna. I especially was taken by a Krishna bhajan
which I sang to myself much of the time praising Kanhaiya. After a quick visit to the banks of the Ganges
and a stay at an old colonial-style hotel, we drove on to Allahabad.Allahabad is the sacred site of the confluence of the
Yumuna, Ganga and Saraswati (now extinct) rivers.
The
place where these rivers meet is appropriately called Sangam (union) and hosts
many religious festivals and fairs.
Sangam is also known as Tirth –Raj - the royal pilgrimage centre. At the
time of our visit, all was quiet. The
holy name for this city is Prayag. I like the Mughal name, AllAhabad, given by Akbar. His
great fort overlooks the Yamuna near the confluence of rivers. At Allahabad, I
experienced a sense of the grandeur of the Ganga river. Its nature seemed to change – a personal
subjective experience of the river as somehow expanding as it swept towards the
ocean. The historicity of the city also
attracted me. We
soon moved on to Benares, or as it is now known, Varanasi or Kashi as it is known in ancient Hindu texts. In scriptures it is known by many other
names. It is considered by Hindus to be
the sacred site of the creation of the human being. This cosmology greatly fascinates me, coming
from the western world dominated by the Adam and Eve mythology. It is considered to be the most ancient
populated city in the world. Kashi is also known to be the eternal city of Lord
Shiva and populated by many gods. The city is important to Jains and Buddhists
as well as Hindus. This was our final stop on our
pilgrimage. The city of light blessed us
– I could feel within my being a connection that transcended what I could see
with my physical eyes, as if there was a city within a city.
I sensed closure as we drove back, settling finally
in Haridwar at Sravanath Ghat where we remained for a few weeks and then
dissolved as a group, some of the members returning to Canada. We had grown
during our experiences in ways we never could have dreamed of. We developed a
desire to be in India longer and to give back to the country.
He who is
free from delusion, and knows me as the supreme Reality, knows all that can be
known. Therefore he adores me with his whole heart. This is the
most sacred of all the truths I have taught you. he who has realized it
becomes truly wise. The purpose of his life is fulfilled.
Chapter 15 Devotion to the Supreme Spirit Bhagavad Gita
