Boat to Benares

||Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Aum Namo Narayanaya

Boat to Benares

Sunrise at Varanasi- google images

With much trepidation I stepped out into the narrow, grey and chilly alleyway, as I proceeded to the pavement where animals were scattering on account of the increasing pedestrian traffic. There was a sense of urgency in the gait of everyone but that did not deter many making a brief pit stop at the chaiwala who enticed the lot by waving his urn filled with strongly brewed chai. The exchange was brief though, 2 to 3 swigs and the cup was disposed, upon which the journey resumed. It felt like we were all hypnotised by the notes of the pied piper, a mass migration of sorts to one part of the city. It was not long before hundreds if not thousands from their different pathways arrived upon the ancients ghats. There she was in all her majesty embracing one of the oldest cities in the world, Mother Ganga. It was to seek her compassion and blessing in bounty at the auspicious sunrise that so many fled their homes to the Ghats. 

Standing tall within the premium inches on the ghats which are sanctified and hallowed by the touch of great and enlightened saints and sages, it’s not long before a wave of solemnness engulfed the banks. Cupping small amounts of water for purification we all then joined our hands together eyes fixated on the horizon in anticipation of  the sun's arrival. This was no flash-mob but a morning regime that inspired hope, confidence and contentment in thousands by placing God at the centre of their beings. That has been the life-buoy of India, through all her difficulties God is always the first port of call. I recall Swami Vivekananda who said:  "Hidden under the ashes of apparent death, the fire of our national life is yet smouldering and... the life of this nation is religion, its language religion, and its idea religion. If you succeed in the attempt to throw off your religion and take up either politics, or society, or any other things as your centre, as the vitality of your national life, the result will be that you will become extinct.”

With the mind deeply lost in contemplation, time seemed irrelevant, a deep connection was negotiated between the earth and heaven by the coursing river. In that moment all differences dissolved and just the vastness and nothingness felt real and then the striking glow of the sun started to claw the mind back in. The rising ball humbled the assembled and in an instant they all bowed their head in reverence ceding all superiority to the divine. The sun now seated on the throne in the horizon signalled the start of the secular day.  My moment of beating with the pulse of India faded with the post midnight darkness. The sun convincingly identified me as an inquisitive tourist who was togged and kitted with a Bisleri in one hand for the morning cruise on the river. 

My tour guide made conscious gestures to lure me towards the chartered vessel lest I remain lost in the bustling assemblage. It was a modest craft powered by 2 oars. My disquieted gaze immediately prompted a response from the oarsman who reassured me through head and hand gestures that he had floated heavier people along the Ganga before. As I stepped on board and occupied my seat, the boat set off with some melodious singing by the oarsman. His singing was set to music by boat cutting through the murky waters.

As the boat made its way from one end to the other, I received a panoramic view of the city from the other bank. It's such a disruptive scene from what I thought would be a seamless run. The view from this side was grim and sulky for the untrained mind. The entire stretch was consumed by cremation grounds. It was a vulgar contradiction that convulsed me into utter bewilderment at how a city teeming with the stench of death can at the same be the epi-centre of bliss and peace. Varanasi or Benares is the terminus station, it's where millions have come to cast off their bodies yet in the very cold face of death everyone adorns a smile and maintains their humanity. Here for certain death is the kind and friendly version!!!

There is space for research and investigation here because to the rest of the world death manifests as the most feared concept so much so that multibillion-dollar industries have thrived making people believe they can fool the inevitable. From tonics, medical procedures, apparatus, miracle crusades -you name it- have had the attention of the world, even extracting substantial financial resources from people but to no avail eventually.

Today, as this blog is being penned - the world is being harassed and tormented by a very micro form of death which ironically within weeks has the entire world in a shut-down. It is not possible to conceive that in the 21st century, not an army or an arsenal of weapons but a microbe has literally brought the globe to a standstill. Death seems to be roaming unleashed upon the earth with many countries succumbing to the virus with lots of fatalities. 

But as I pointed out above, humans have this inherent fear of death, but when placed in a crisis we start to see the extremity of this fear is so great that peoples actions start to defy rationality and logic. When governments of the world ordered a lockdown to create social isolation, it was with the intention to flatten the curve and ensure the containment and spread of the virus to prevent deaths, yet people in the fear of running out of food and dying defy the lockdown and gather in large numbers at supermarkets and stores for long periods to get supplies. This social interaction is counter to the aims and efforts to flatten the curve and brings people closer and in direct contact with infection. 

Whilst this pandemic is ravaging the world Hindus are observing Ramayan Week and in the course of this great scripture we come across an episode where Sri Rama's  brother inscribed what is known as a Lakshman Rekha around the homestead and instructed Mother Sita not to cross the line for her own safety. We are all aware of the danger and hardship the Mother had to face when she defied the order. This valuable lesson is very apt and relevant to us now. 

Governments have ordered a lock down for our own safety. Please adhere to this call for the preservation of your own life and the rest of the country. Stay at home!!!! Be responsible!!! Grab this opportunity to take an intrepid journey inwards, to explore the uncharted territories of the universe within. In this journey you could find that great amounts of joy can be found in the simplest of things like a nice cup of tea in your own garden, or playing with your pet than in the rat race you are used to pursuing. Bring God back to the centre of your life so that He can bear the weight of your burdens, thus freeing you to adorn your smile and sail to Benares because death is a friendly citizen there!!!

With love and prayers always!!!

Yogan Naidoo