Such is the desperation to find peace that this foolish mind tends to believe every Tom,Dick and Harry's experience knowing not whether its feasible, plausible or applicable....Walking into the oblivion far away from the madding crowd, trying to be engrossed in activities which seemed to be keeping the wandering mind occupied appeared to be the only getaway of a dead man's last gasp for air.There came many a Fata Morganas to allure me but the desire to explore the possibility of that wow moment continued to motivate me like the beacon at the end of a lengthy dark tunnel.....
And then, it happened.....I got initiated into a process which when I started had no clue whereto I was heading.I convinced myself that I had to keep myself open to whatever was happening around me and simply follow the instructions blindly ( Cos most of the time, I had to close my eyes forcefully).What seemed to be a handful of few simple 'asanas' set the ball rolling to something intense...something which I had never experienced in my entire lifespan.
To explore life beyond the mundane is to set on a new route and a guide is indispensable when the destination is uncertain. This guide or guru happened so spontaneously that the judgemental mind was not allowed moments to act otherwise.Those 7 days were one of the blissful experiences I have ever encountered and it would not be an exaggeration to term it serendipitous.The ultimate high came on a Sunday.....a Sunday which I would rate to be the best of all Sundays (Also sundaes) that I have ever had.
The usual late riser woke up before the sun to welcome the Sunday....with the excitement of a first day school goer.The excitement was neutralised with a bang gifted on the forehead by my car to bring me back into senses.As I reached the destination, I was surprised to see that the day had already begun for others. The day started with games of dodge ball and frisbee which made me run around like a kid oozing with dollops of energy. Then came a game which tested my alertness and although I was quite up for it, my team did not win.It was then I realised that winning or losing is not the entire thing.....playing the game wholeheartedly is what it mattered to usher in joy.
After a break and a porridge breakfast, the initiation process began with instructions how to go about it. Although I had heard a lot about it, but to experience it first hand was filling my stomach with butterflies.The main concern troubling my mind was if I were to close my eyes through the entire process, how would I see what was happening.And then it commenced......the asanas that we were taught were done in unison followed by meditation.
The enigma which unfolded in front of my closed eyes was so intense that tears flew through them.The music of drums reverberating in the background echoed somewhere distant but it did not break the momentum of the experience that I was going through.I felt engulfed from within as if I was going inside myself with a accelerated speed . I tried to break free many a time cos I was little uncomfortable exploring my inner self. But then I thought I am not supposed to get guided by my mind....I am supposed to let it happen...however and whatever.My body resonated to the shlokas and at some point I was so completely absorbed within myself that I felt the entirety of the self within me...I felt complete for an instant...And that was the WOW moment....Words will not be able to explain the one drop of spiritualism that I had tasted and I am self assured that nectar will not taste better.I was suddenly awakened to reality when I heard some one sitting close to me laugh out aloud and then break into loud sobs.
When I opened my eyes, I was drenched in tears but I was never that happy crying...I felt relaxed and happy as if I was liberated from some burden.I had a satvik lunch with my fellow participants and to my utter surprise I ate almost thrice of my regular diet that day.The day ended in the evening with prayers to the Guru who blessed us through the path and to the other Gurus who had made it possible to disseminate knowledge about this ancient practise.
I went through a CATHARSIS......and I realised that the drop tasted divine.....
ॐ सह नाववतु ।
सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
