Hello all! Welcome once again to another new edition of Monday Truclusions. Today I want to take you through a mythical journey, for which I roamed the nook and corners of the mighty Himalayas. On a 10-day tour away from the modern world, away from network, phone calls, away from social media like Whatsapp, Facebook and Twitter, in the cradle of life! I learned that we, as the modern generation, claim to have created great things; we have reached the moon and even the mars, but I learnt of a mystery that the greatest minds of our race haven’t been able to solve.
To tell you more about it, I’ll have to take you ages ago. To the time when the epic “Mahabharat” was written.
Writing The Epic – Mahabharat
Many of us might know that the author of the holy scripture was Rishi Veda Vyasa. But not many of us know that though the legendary story was the brain child of the sage, it was written by Lord Ganesh.
The legend says that when the sage asked Lord Ganesh to write the story he dictated, Lord Ganesh placed one condition. He would only write the epic if the sage narrated the story without any break. The moment he stopped or paused, Ganesh would quit writing the narration.
The sage then thoughtfully put forth his condition saying, his scribe would have to write every single verse only after completely understanding it.
As the two legends were doing their bit, it so happened that that the nib of the pen in which Ganesh was writing broke. He didn’t have a spare. Ganesh had to think on the fly before the sage could finish the verse he was singing. Without thinking for a second he broke one of the two tusks and started using it as his pen.
Where Did Saraswathi Go?
As the ritual of penning one of the greatest epic in the history of mankind continued; the River Saraswati, whose source was nearby was flowing in her full grandeur and hence creating noise, which was disturbing both the author and the scribe. Both requested the river to slow down but she didn’t lend an ear to both of them. Finally the sage lost his temper and cursed the river to submerge under the ground.
The river disappeared ten feet from its source only to resurface 100s of miles away in Allahabad. Great minds across generations have tried their best to find out where does the water go but nobody has been able to trace it out!
How Do Yogis Beat The Cold?
The other mind boggling experience that I had was related to the cold I experienced there. I had covered myself with multiple warm clothes, but still was shivering in the spine-chilling cold. But up there in the mountains I met a yogi who was wearing a single piece of cloth, with the holy ash all over his body, meditating in the cold without a care in the world!
The power of the human mind and the human spirit amazes me each and every time. The temples in the high mountains are open only for about 4-5 months every year. While no people stay near the temples as the winters begin, these sages and yogis spend all their time in the high mountains irrespective of the climate.
Another example of the strength of the human spirit I encountered was when I found the ways in which the locals in the mountains earn extra money to make their lives a little comfortable.
There are people who carry tourists at least double their weight for distances like 22 km and more, on very tough terrain at a height of 11,000 feet. Think about it; a single wrong step and both the carrier and the carried may fall to death thousands of feet under. How much is required to do the job day in and day out, where nature is at its cruel best!
Food For Thought
How would our life be if we get out of our virtual lives to a little extent, and spend more time with our loved ones, and amidst nature? Rather we choose to spend all our time staring at electronic screens!
In the mountains, I have realised that if given a chance, life always finds a way doesn’t it? Think about it.
Where the peaks kiss the horizon
And life awaits the sun
Where a frozen glacier
Melts as hope and flows as a river
Where in a cave, under some rock
Secrets of life were set to unlock
Where from these mountains
Bliss springs out as fountains
Where even the soul does shiver
And one’s will is his only cover
I learnt though death is the truth to stay
Life always finds a way
Liked reading this? Then you might also like to read Monday Truclusions – The Power Of Living A Life With Humility
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