Immersion with the ultimate
Immersion with the Ultimate
Kasi or Varanasi, the renowned bastion of Hinduism.. the place believed to be owned by Lord Shiva himself, with his consort Ganga flowing in full might to the east. The city is older than any other live habitation in the world tracing its origin to the Vedic period. Lord Shiva was reputed to reside here – not in any temple, but in every cell of this city. That is probably the reasons why even the repeated plundering by the muslim kings did not reduce the stature of the city as the spiritual capital of the country. The city stands as the citadel of culture and spirituality attracting lakhs of people from all over the world in search of spiritual enlightenment. It is believed that anyone dies here is supposed to go straight to heaven and will have no more births in this world. Death, therefore, is the main celebration here.
It is here that we have decided to immerse the last remains of our mother. This was to be final ritual to bid farewell to her who lived a life of sacrifice and love for the sake of her children. Depositing of the mortal remains in the holy ganges is expected to absolve all imperfections of the person and provide sure access to the heavenly abodes.
Both of us have left on the 3rd of June 2008 carrying the mortal remains of our mother taking the Ganga Kaveri Express from Vijayawada. The train carrying thousands of holidaying crowds to holy places, was unusually crowded. As the train winded its way up to the north passing through the Nagpur and Jabalpur, both of us remained sombre and silent punctuated only by the recitation of Bhagavad Gita. As we tried to grasp the inner meanings of the Gita, and the association of those verses to our father, we were thrown back in to the memories of our parents. Little did we realise that the train got late enroute after Allahabad and reached 1 and ½ hour late at Varanasi.
As we arrived we were welcomed by Mr Upadhyay Commandant of the Provincial Armed Constabulary force. Mr Satyanarayana IPS who has been our associate and friend arranged the accommodation and the vehicle. The ritual itself was arranged by Mr Sundara Sastry of Andhra Ashram in Varanasi. We refreshed at the police guest house – the same place we stayed last time when we came to immerse the ashes of our father. We left for the Andhra Ashram at 11 a.m. and had to wait for an hour for ‘arrangements’ to be made at the Ghat. In the meanwhile, we paid Rs. 10,500/- each in the name of our father and mother for Anna Daana for 10 persons each year on the tithi of their demise.
As the Brahmin got ready, we wound our way through the labyrinthine alleys of Varanasi to the Ghat – Raja Ghat – it is called. It is clean and was not crowed and the sight o Ganges ahead of us was very inviting. The Brahmin was a telugu person and had performed the ritual to the perfection. We have bathed in Ganges twice – a holy river with high degree of pollution. But we noticed that the quality of water was better this time than we bathed in it almost exactly 4 years back. After worshipping the ‘salya devata’ (bones) we did Pinda pradanam. After an 1 and ½ puja, it is time to go in the boat to the middle of the river to deposit the last remains of mother. As we deposited them, we were moved with a complex feelings of sadness, sobriety and bhakti towards our mother. As we watched the Ganges accepting our offerings, we were sure that she would be taken to heavenly abode. I am sure that she would have got to the heavenly abode with all her piety, devotion and sacrifice – even without this ritual – but we wanted to play our part in the process.
After the ritual is completed, we changed back to our clothes, paid the Brahmins and proceeded straight to Kasi Vishwanatha temple crossing the various ghats. Most of them seemed fairly clean – contrary to the popular belief that ghats are very dirty. As we crossed the Dasasvamedha Ghat – the most important ghat of all, where ganga aarti is given every evening, it was time to turn to Viswanatha temple.
Kasi viswanatha temple was referred in vedic texts and is probably the oldest hindu temple anywhere. However, it was pilloried repeatedly by Muslim kings and destroyed. The old temple is gone. Though rebuilt, it shares premises with the gnana vapi (aurangazeb) mosque which dominates the temple, at least in terms of the size. The temple was reached through the winding narrow streets of Varanasi – all paved but not always very clean. Both sides of these narrow streets are age old houses, duly renovated; and I am sure, will be hosting people who chant Vedas and keep researching on their meanings. The way to the Viswanatha temple was through a narrow gate and we were ushered into the sanctum sanctorum immediately. We have done abhishekam to the deity with great devotion and could touch the sacred lingam.
We moved to the Kasi Annapurna temple next, the main consort of Viswanatha. The temple is just next to the viswanatha temple, though in a different premises. We chanted the name of Annapurna, may be a million times (it being a part of the mantra given by our mother) and it was a very special feeling to go to the temple. As we entered, we find that the temple is very well maintained and more importantly, it is a totally telugu temple. All notices are in telugu! The main deity is sitting in great splendour with kind eyes. The extensive worship of sri chakra is all evident. We were allowed to sit at the feet of the deity for 5 minutes, and it was a very special feeling. When we were moving out, a very old monk came and told us that we should eat here and go. We realised that it is the call of Goddess herself and went in to eat. The food was delicious and we felt blessed. (Only bad thing was that all other devotees were kept waiting when we ate). There is Anna Daana scheme where with a donation of Rs. 1,500/-, one person will be fed every year on the designated day.
From here we went to Kaasi Visalakshi temple which was being maintained by Tamils. The sri chakra worship is very visible here too. The present deity stood covering the original vigraham that is believed to be swayambhu.
From here we went back to Andhra Ashram and had food there as promised. The food at the Ashram was bad when compared to the food at the temple. We waited till 4 p.m. at the Ashram and boarded the PAC force boat on the Raja Ghat to see the ghats of ganges. There are 84 ghats on ganges – all constructed more than 100 years back. These ghats have seen the history unfolding – the wars fought, disasters ravaged, progress made – with equal dignity and poise. We have seen the Manikarnika ghat where dead bodies are being burnt with great gaiety. Every day, at least 100 bodies are burnt here. We have passed by Dashashvamedha ghat – the main ghat, Prayag ghat, the ghat made by rajput kings, the sinking temple (more ornate than the leaning tower of pisa and more spectacular), Harishchandra ghat (another place for burning of dead bodies) and finally ended up at the Samne ghat. This is the parking place for the 20-odd motor boats of PAC force, which are used during the natural disasters.
We climbed to the police tent on the banks of the river and sat in specially made seating facing the great river. The cool breeze form the river caressing us, and a cup of special lassi in hand, we were transported to a blissful state. Half an hour and later, it was time to go.
As we reached the station waiting for the recalcitrant train that came 5 hours late, the memories both remote and recent past breezed through. A sense of achievement of having done the rituals to the best of our abilities combined with a feeling of togetherness pervaded as we got into the train on our return journey.
Kasi or Varanasi, the renowned bastion of Hinduism.. the place believed to be owned by Lord Shiva himself, with his consort Ganga flowing in full might to the east. The city is older than any other live habitation in the world tracing its origin to the Vedic period. Lord Shiva was reputed to reside here – not in any temple, but in every cell of this city. That is probably the reasons why even the repeated plundering by the muslim kings did not reduce the stature of the city as the spiritual capital of the country. The city stands as the citadel of culture and spirituality attracting lakhs of people from all over the world in search of spiritual enlightenment. It is believed that anyone dies here is supposed to go straight to heaven and will have no more births in this world. Death, therefore, is the main celebration here.
It is here that we have decided to immerse the last remains of our mother. This was to be final ritual to bid farewell to her who lived a life of sacrifice and love for the sake of her children. Depositing of the mortal remains in the holy ganges is expected to absolve all imperfections of the person and provide sure access to the heavenly abodes.
Both of us have left on the 3rd of June 2008 carrying the mortal remains of our mother taking the Ganga Kaveri Express from Vijayawada. The train carrying thousands of holidaying crowds to holy places, was unusually crowded. As the train winded its way up to the north passing through the Nagpur and Jabalpur, both of us remained sombre and silent punctuated only by the recitation of Bhagavad Gita. As we tried to grasp the inner meanings of the Gita, and the association of those verses to our father, we were thrown back in to the memories of our parents. Little did we realise that the train got late enroute after Allahabad and reached 1 and ½ hour late at Varanasi.
As we arrived we were welcomed by Mr Upadhyay Commandant of the Provincial Armed Constabulary force. Mr Satyanarayana IPS who has been our associate and friend arranged the accommodation and the vehicle. The ritual itself was arranged by Mr Sundara Sastry of Andhra Ashram in Varanasi. We refreshed at the police guest house – the same place we stayed last time when we came to immerse the ashes of our father. We left for the Andhra Ashram at 11 a.m. and had to wait for an hour for ‘arrangements’ to be made at the Ghat. In the meanwhile, we paid Rs. 10,500/- each in the name of our father and mother for Anna Daana for 10 persons each year on the tithi of their demise.
As the Brahmin got ready, we wound our way through the labyrinthine alleys of Varanasi to the Ghat – Raja Ghat – it is called. It is clean and was not crowed and the sight o Ganges ahead of us was very inviting. The Brahmin was a telugu person and had performed the ritual to the perfection. We have bathed in Ganges twice – a holy river with high degree of pollution. But we noticed that the quality of water was better this time than we bathed in it almost exactly 4 years back. After worshipping the ‘salya devata’ (bones) we did Pinda pradanam. After an 1 and ½ puja, it is time to go in the boat to the middle of the river to deposit the last remains of mother. As we deposited them, we were moved with a complex feelings of sadness, sobriety and bhakti towards our mother. As we watched the Ganges accepting our offerings, we were sure that she would be taken to heavenly abode. I am sure that she would have got to the heavenly abode with all her piety, devotion and sacrifice – even without this ritual – but we wanted to play our part in the process.
After the ritual is completed, we changed back to our clothes, paid the Brahmins and proceeded straight to Kasi Vishwanatha temple crossing the various ghats. Most of them seemed fairly clean – contrary to the popular belief that ghats are very dirty. As we crossed the Dasasvamedha Ghat – the most important ghat of all, where ganga aarti is given every evening, it was time to turn to Viswanatha temple.
Kasi viswanatha temple was referred in vedic texts and is probably the oldest hindu temple anywhere. However, it was pilloried repeatedly by Muslim kings and destroyed. The old temple is gone. Though rebuilt, it shares premises with the gnana vapi (aurangazeb) mosque which dominates the temple, at least in terms of the size. The temple was reached through the winding narrow streets of Varanasi – all paved but not always very clean. Both sides of these narrow streets are age old houses, duly renovated; and I am sure, will be hosting people who chant Vedas and keep researching on their meanings. The way to the Viswanatha temple was through a narrow gate and we were ushered into the sanctum sanctorum immediately. We have done abhishekam to the deity with great devotion and could touch the sacred lingam.
We moved to the Kasi Annapurna temple next, the main consort of Viswanatha. The temple is just next to the viswanatha temple, though in a different premises. We chanted the name of Annapurna, may be a million times (it being a part of the mantra given by our mother) and it was a very special feeling to go to the temple. As we entered, we find that the temple is very well maintained and more importantly, it is a totally telugu temple. All notices are in telugu! The main deity is sitting in great splendour with kind eyes. The extensive worship of sri chakra is all evident. We were allowed to sit at the feet of the deity for 5 minutes, and it was a very special feeling. When we were moving out, a very old monk came and told us that we should eat here and go. We realised that it is the call of Goddess herself and went in to eat. The food was delicious and we felt blessed. (Only bad thing was that all other devotees were kept waiting when we ate). There is Anna Daana scheme where with a donation of Rs. 1,500/-, one person will be fed every year on the designated day.
From here we went to Kaasi Visalakshi temple which was being maintained by Tamils. The sri chakra worship is very visible here too. The present deity stood covering the original vigraham that is believed to be swayambhu.
From here we went back to Andhra Ashram and had food there as promised. The food at the Ashram was bad when compared to the food at the temple. We waited till 4 p.m. at the Ashram and boarded the PAC force boat on the Raja Ghat to see the ghats of ganges. There are 84 ghats on ganges – all constructed more than 100 years back. These ghats have seen the history unfolding – the wars fought, disasters ravaged, progress made – with equal dignity and poise. We have seen the Manikarnika ghat where dead bodies are being burnt with great gaiety. Every day, at least 100 bodies are burnt here. We have passed by Dashashvamedha ghat – the main ghat, Prayag ghat, the ghat made by rajput kings, the sinking temple (more ornate than the leaning tower of pisa and more spectacular), Harishchandra ghat (another place for burning of dead bodies) and finally ended up at the Samne ghat. This is the parking place for the 20-odd motor boats of PAC force, which are used during the natural disasters.
We climbed to the police tent on the banks of the river and sat in specially made seating facing the great river. The cool breeze form the river caressing us, and a cup of special lassi in hand, we were transported to a blissful state. Half an hour and later, it was time to go.
As we reached the station waiting for the recalcitrant train that came 5 hours late, the memories both remote and recent past breezed through. A sense of achievement of having done the rituals to the best of our abilities combined with a feeling of togetherness pervaded as we got into the train on our return journey.
RS
6th May 2008
posted by subbu at
5:57 AM
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