As we walk the narrow dark alleys of Varanasi, chants of 'Ram Naam Satya Hai' echo from behind us, getting louder by the second. We quickly duck into the side of the alley, giving way to the troupe of men confidently marching forward towards the Manikarnika Ghat. I see their grim expressions, the bamboo sticks upon their shoulders, the brightly coloured cloth upon the deceased's body. Due to the winding nature of the alleys, they are quickly out of sight. But very soon, yet another call of 'Ram Naam Satya Hai' emerges from behind. I guess one should expect no less from a cremation ghat which operates 24/7. I sense we are nearing our destination when the tiny shops give way to huge piles of interlocking wood, meticulously stacked at least 10 meters high each. The sheer size of some of the piece of wood, combined with the height & width of the piles, somehow made the already dark night even darker. Turn a corner, & everything was illuminated red & orange. The funeral pyre nearest to us had a leg sticking out of it. There was no sadness nor grief in the air, but a very distinct feeling of solemnity. After spending a few moments taking in our surroundings from the top of the ghat, we decide to sit at a tea stall on the edge of the ghat. Walking pass the pyres, one inevitably feels the heat emanating from the large flames. From the tea stall, I can observe the Antyesti rites being carried out for each deceased person. At any one time, there are at least two fires burning, & numerous groups of men sitting around the ghat, waiting for the fire to perform its purpose, so that they can continue on with the rest of the ceremony. I see red spots on the ground a few meters in front of me. A cow is dripping blood from its right hock. In the distance, a few other cows & some dogs are foraging amongst the thrash. To my left, a cow sleeps peacefully, while a dog sleeps on the step beneath her, its nose touching her hoof. The cremation ground workers dutifully unload wood from boats, the priests prepare the bodies for the burning, there is soft music playing from a radio in one of the tea stalls. The flames transform into small clouds of smoke which billow up into the air, disappearing into nothingness... Seemed like just another day in the office for everyone. Which it actually is. We are all dying. Since the moment we took out first breath, we were already dying. Sometimes we forget the reality that death is approaching, & will show itself at any given moment. But is death something to be afraid of? Is it something horrible, something to be avoided at all costs? We seem obsessed with immortality, ever-lasting youth, & avoiding all discomfort at any cost. That which remains consistently the same, is not real. It is plastic, manmade, fake. & how can one compare the beauty of a living flower to that of a plastic one? By sheer coincidence, a friend of mine passed away the morning I was scheduled to leave for Varanasi. I bawled my eyeballs out for around an hour. But who & what was I crying for? Sometimes grief can be a selfish thing. It demands attention, it demands the reenactment of a certain connection/relationship/event. It demands control over a situation. But life stops for no one. You may kick & scream for all you're worth, but death will never delay its arrival. Even if you cry a million tears, or swear to perform a thousand good deeds; whether you are happy or sad, rich or poor, respected by society or not, life will never stop for you. Life is plain & simple. It is just up to you to remove all preconceived notions, expectations & judgments about it, & accept it as is. & along with acceptance of life & death, comes the ultimate flowering. To see the great irony of life; the futility of it all, yet the sheer beauty of being totally immersed in life in each moment... To come face to face with the reality that in the end, nothing matters, & everything goes back into the earth... To wonder, 'Oh my God, what the hell have I been doing with my life?' & make amendments if necessary... To realize that this life is only once, this life is so precious that each exhale may not be followed by an inhalation... All that is unnecessary falls away, & everything which is essential rises to the surface. Life becomes a sheer joy, a beautiful leela...& each moment becomes a reason to celebrate... We travel to foreign lands, only to return to our own homes - does that mean we should not travel in the first place? Similarly, we come from dust & we will return to dust. Just because this body will return to the earth, does not mean we should cease celebrating life. In the distance, the lights of the floating diyas sparkle amongst the gentle dark waves of the Ganga. Even in the belly of death, the playfulness of life refuses to surrender. Har har japo, pyare-a...Gur mat lay, Hari bol..! (Meditate on the Lord, oh my beloved, follow the Guru's teachings, & speak of the Lord!) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. - Psalm 23 -
4 Comments
Gaurav
4/10/2017 06:06:54 pm
U left me spell bound. What an organized compilation of the words and thoughts. Small details, analysis, observation and than putting them in words, everything just amazed me. Reading the same story you have lived has never been so beautiful for me. Thanks for writting and sharing.
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Thank you G...always an honour to receive positive feedback from you. :)
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Anonymous
6/10/2017 11:19:24 pm
Death is a mystical truth of life. It is not a painful act yet the mind tricks us and makes us scared of the very truth of this life.
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About Prabh LehriI am a yoga teacher based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am passionate about yoga as a form of healing on the physical, emotional & mental level. I have been on a yoga journey for almost a decade and have been formally sharing my experience in the last 4 years. Archives
December 2017
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