AUTUMN IN HIMALAYA

                                              THE SPIRIT OF HIMALAYA

                  PEOPLE WERE ALL PRAISE FOR PURAN, WANTING TO LOVE AND FONDLE HIM, BUT AS SOON AS THEY APPROACHED HE WOULD  RUN AWAY. NEITHER PROUD NOR SHY, PURAN WAS TOO MATURE INSIDE TO NEED OUTSIDE CARE OR ATTENTION. A TRANSPARENT WISDOM SHONE IN HIS EYES. AS HE SAT CROSS-LEGGED WITH HIS MOTHER IN THE TEMPLE OR WITHHIS FATHER IN SATSANG, HIS BODY REDMAINDED AMAZINGLY MOTIONLESS. DEVOTEES OF MAHARAJ AND DEVIJI REVERED HIM AS A BORN YOGI. 

               ON THE OCCASION OF THE FESTIVAL OF SHARADA, PUJA, PEOPLE TURNED OUT IN GREAT NUMBERS. AS THE CENTRAL FIGURE, BHAIRAVI WORE A WHITE SILK SAREE WITH A WIDE BLOOD-RED BORDER. GOLDEN ORNAMENTS SPARKLED ABOUT HER NECK, ARMS AND HANDS, AND UPON HER BROAD FOREHEAD A LARGE RED POWDER MARK SANCTIFIED HER, MAKING HER FACE SHINE IN DIVINE BEAUTY. STANDING IN FRONT OF THE TEMPLE IMAGE TO PERFORM THE CEREMONY, BHAIRAVI APPEARED THAT DAY AS A MANIFESTATION OF THE INIVERSAL MOTHER. HER BACK WAS TO THE AUDIENCE. FACING HALFWAY BETWEEN THE DEITY AND THE AUDIENCE, SAT KAPALAK WHO HAD BEEN SPECIALLY INVITED TO HONOR THE OCCASION.

            AT AN APPOINTED MOMENT THE RITUAL COMMENTED WITH BHAIRAVI  SLOWLY PERFORMING WORSHIP IN A SYSTEMATIC AND RHYTHMIC WAY. THE DRUMBEATS AND RINGING TEMPLE BELLS JOINED WITH BHAIRAVI'S RHYTHMIC MOVEMENTS, ENHANCING A HYPNOTIC SPELL THROUGHOUT. OCCASIONALLY THE SOUND OF THE CONCH SHELL WAS HEARD, AWAKENING THE SLEEPING SOULS. IN THE CHANGED ATMOSPHERE, ELEPHANT WITH DIVINE MOTHER'S VIBRATIONS, THE PEOPLE WERE ABSORBED IN THE AWESOME SCENE.

              GRADUALLY, BHAIRAVI'S BODY BEGAN WAVING SLIGHTLY, KEEPING TIME WITH THE RHYTHM OF THE WORSHIP WAS CLIMAXING IN A CRESCENDO OF ECSTASY, THE OIL LAMPS AND INCENSE FELL FROM HER HANDS AND SHE BECAME OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYTHING AROUND HER. THE LADIES, SECTION OF THE AUDIENCE SIMULTANEOUSLY BEGAN MAKING A SPECIAL INVOCATION AS THE FORCE OF DIVINE MOTHER DESCENDED INTO BHAIRAVI. THE MEN'S SIDE WAS REPEATING MA.... MA..... WITH JOYFUL TEARS IN THEIR EYES.

               BEFORE SHE COULD FALL, TWO LADIES CAUGHT HOLD OF HER AND GENTLY LAID HER DIVINE BODY ON THE FLOOR. HER BODY SEEMED LIFELESS, A SOFT BUNDLE OF FLESH AND BONES WITH EYES PARTIALLY CLOSED AND GAZE DRAWN INWARD. AN INDESCRIBABLE LUSTER SHONE ON HER FACE.

             NO TRACE OF RESTLESSNESS STIRRED THE PEOPLE. OCCASIONALLY SOME OF THEM AROSE TO BEHOLD HER, BUT OTHERWISE ALL WERE SERENE AND OBLIVIOUS TO THE WORLD OUTSIDE. THE BELLS, DRUMS AND CONCH SHELL CONTINUED THEIR RHYTHMIC SPELL IN TIME WITH THE LADIES, INVACATION.

           ALL DURING THIS, PURAN SAT SPELLBOUND, LOOKING QUIETLY AT HIS MOTHER. BUT NOW HE COULD NO LONGER HOLD HIMSELF. HE BEGAN TO CRY LOUNDLY. HIS FATHER, WHO HAD REMAINDED SOAKED IN THE DIVINE ATMOSPHERE, LIFTED PURAN INTO HIS LAP AND PRESSED HIM AGAINST HIS BOSOM. PURAN SOON GREW QUIET. KAPALAK TOO SEEMED IN HIGH ECSTASY.

           SOME TIME LATER, THE EYES OF BHAIRAVI SLOWLY BEGAN TO OPEN AND HER BODY SHOWED SIGNS OF LIFE. HER EYES MOVED, BUT THEY STILL DID NOT SEEM FOCUSED ON THIS WORLD. TORRENTS OF TEARS BEGAN FLOWING FROM HER UNUSUALLY LARGE AND REDDENED EYES. WHAT IMMENSE LOVE AND PURITY FILLED THEM!

            TAKING UP THE RITUAL MATERIAL, SOME LADIES BEGAN WAVING LIGHTS AND INCENSE IN FRONT OF BHAIRAVI. JUBILANCE ONCE AGAIN BOWING DOWN TO HER FROM WHATEVER THEY WERE SITTING. BHAIRAVI'S VERY APEARANCE WOULD MELT AWAY EVIL PROPENSITIES. THE HANDS OF THE DEVOTEES REMAINDED FOLDED IN ADORATION FOR A LONG TIME.

           WHEN PURAN REACHED HIS FOURTH YEAR, SATYAKAM BEGAN EDUCATING HIM. ON THE FIRST DAY BEFORE THE LESSONS COMMENDED, SAYYAKAM HELD A SMALL CEREMONY IN WORSHIP OF SARASWATI, THE GODDESS OF LEARNING, PURAN LOOKED LIKE A SMALL ANGEL, DRESSED IN A SIMPLE WHITE CLOTH, WITH A SACRED THREAD ROUND HIS BARE TORSO. HIS HEAD WAS SHAVEN COMPLETELY EXCEPT FOR A HAIR TAIL ON THE BACK OF HIS HEAD. A SMALL MARK OF SANDALWOOD PASTE WAS ON HIS FOREHEAD AND HIS FEET WERE BARE. HIS FACE, NAY, HIS WHOLE BODY SHONE IN PURITY AND GLORY. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE CEREMONY, WHEN HE BOWED DOWN BEFORE THE GODDESS, ONE COULD NOT HELP BUT HE SOBERED HIS DEVOTION.

                      SATYAKAM STARTED TEACHING HIM THE SANSKRIT ALPHABET,  SENTENCES AND SMALL RHYMES. HUNGRY FOR EDUCATION, PURAN WENT ON GULPING DOWN THE LESSONS QUICKLY. FOR ONE FULL YEAR, WITH UNABATED ENTHUSIASM, HE CONTINUED DIGESTING EVERYTHING HIS FATHER IMPARTED TO HIM. OCCASIONALLY HE HAD HIS FUN TOO, PLAYING AND RUNNING WITH OTHER BOYS IN THE VICNITY. UNDOUBTEDLY, HE STOOD OUT FAR BEYOND HIS COMPANIONS. PEOPLE WATCHED HIM WITH GREEDY EYES, FEASTING ON THE EXTRAORDINARY AURA AROUND HIM. UNLIKE OTHER CHILDREN, HE WAS NOT FOND OF TOYS, EXCEPT FOR A FLUTE THAT HE TRIED TO PLAY UPON.

                                        

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