Darshanam

Sankara couldn’t digest the truth that his mother is not going to stay alive for more than a day. All his relatives reached his home to see his mother on death bed. Kesava struggling with himself to control his tears, because no society accepts a man cry.

One young girl came in backyard, where Sankara sat with his relatives. “Your mother wishes to see you Sankara anna” she said to him. Sankara went inside the home and as soon as he saw his mom, Ganga flown out of his eyes. His mother is so weak and couldn’t even turn her head. He reached the bed and sat beside her. “Amma..” he called his mother.

“Sankara. Is that you?” she asked.

“Yes mom. “ he replied.

“Sankara. There is one secret I hidden from you for my whole life. Now it needs to open. You need to listen me very carefully.” she paused for few seconds.

“No man in our family lived a complete healthy life. Your father died because of a snake bite which decayed his health completely and paralyzed him for years until he died. Your grandfather died with unrecognizable fever. Your uncle died because he touched a very poisonous plant. These type of sudden deaths happening in our family from last ten generations. This is a curse on us . Trilokapati, your great grandfather once visited a sage named Sureswara maharshi, hoping he could save our family. After your great grandfather spent hours praying to him, he finally offered a slat book. The book consists of the description of the route to reach Lord Shiva. The one who could see him, will be free from all kinds of curses and burdens. But no one in our family could start the journey. I tried to save you every time you reach something dangerous. Now I can’t anymore. I think death understood that it have to consume me, before it reaches you. As soon as I die, I want you to memorize those slat books and begin your journey. It’s not going to be easy. I can assure you that. If it was easy, everyone would do that. I don’t know why we got the curse. But I showed you way to stop it. Don’t loose this opportunity.If not for your life, atleast to fulfill my last wish do as I say.” she closed her eyes and never opened again.

He started his journey the next day. He walked towards south. A bullock cart offered him help for half the distance. He continued to walk the rest half. He reached a dark cave with full of bats. He remembered slat book. He is in the right direction. He entered the caves. The more he goes farward, the more darker it gets. The ground have too many potholes with cold water. The cave divided into three ways. He chose one in the left as written in slat book. He walked the whole night in the caves.

When he finally found a exit from the cave, he felt like he reached half the way. It was the sunrise that filled him with hopes. But it doesn’t helped him for long. He reached a thick forest with dark green leaves covering enough to prevent sunlight from falling on soil. It’s always been here the same way. He continued into the forest. He heard some barking sounds. He knows that those sounds are not dogs. His heart weighed double and raced with time. He heard howling of wolves and roars of lion and beasts. He heard a very terrrifying sound from his behind that made him look back. There are wolves behind him with falling salivas in their mouths. He didn’t thought for a second and raced to save himself. He didn’t carried any luggage with him, that helped him to run fast. He ran too hard and too long until it’s dark again and fell on the land. He is tired and paralyzed. Lost hope and closed eyes. Smoothly slipped into sleep. A sleep that separates life from the burdens, a sleep that helps you lose the war to tell peace is the real achievment. A sleep that rools on your eyes to rest and to rest. A sleep, which is the only thing needed by all living beings. A sleep that roars into dark with rage and hunts you in dreams. A sleep that is so deep and down that no light can reach to wake you up. Sankara slept for two days straight.

When he woke up, a mid day sun is shining on his head. Sankara didn’t felt any laziness which suprised him very much. No cruel animals were around him. He relaxed for a minute and continued pacing. He walked until the sunset. His legs cried for rest. He stopped under a tree and decided to sleep under a tree and to continue next morning. With the arrangement of a small fire near him, he slept.

 It’s the surise that decided to bath him and activate his photoreceptors. The chirping’s of the birds slowly danced into his ears. The “om” sound coming from the mass of meditating sages is the actual sound that woke him up. There are butterflies around him and deers that were jumping just to look like they’re dancing. He stood and reached the sage who looked like the guru to the rest of them. He kneeled in front of him, with his hands joined like namaste and spoke, “Swami. My name is Sankara. My journey is destined for the darshanam of Lord Maha Siva. Please bless me and help me to reach Kailasa.”

Guru opened his eyes and replied, “ No one could reach Kailasa. But if you wish to see Lord Siva, reach Kaasi as quick as possible. You have to go South until you reach a river that discended from river Ganga. This river is a very tricky one. Because, half of it flows in one direction and the other half in opposite direction. You have to cross a desert with full of quicksands.Then you will reach Himalayas. I bless you to reach kaasi as soon as possible.” he closed his eyes again.

 Sankara stood from there. As the Guru said he decided to reach Kaasi, not Kailas. When he walked ten steps from there, a hand stoped him from behind. It’s another sage. “Sankara” he spoke like he knows Sankara from long ago. “I know that a curse is tormenting your family from generations. But the way you are choosing could may or may not lead you to your desired destination. Join with us. Spend your rest of your life with us.”

He wished to join them. But he remembered his mother’s wish. Atleast to fulfill her last wish, he decided to proceed to Kaasi.

 Sankara slowly exited the forest. But it didn’t bring any joy to him. What he can look is an never ending distance covered with sand and the hot sun to kill him from above.

Every step he taking burning him, internally and on surface. It’s the place that lacks sign of life. The animal left over bones sickened him. His legs couldn’t hurt more. The sunset view could calm every creatures mind, but not his. It was night again. He lost in his own thoughts, but didn’t doubt himself in reaching Kaasi.

 It’s not a pleasent morning like the previous day. The sun firing him from dawn. But pausing in the middle of the way is not a real option for him to choose. Finally he reached the river descended from Ganga. As Guru said, half of it is flowing in one direction and the other half in the opposite direction. How could this river possibily behaving in this way is a real mystery. There were neither boats nor woods to cross it. The only possible way is to swim throught it. Sankara jumped into the river without even thinking how tricky the river that flows in two directions. When he jump, he discovered the actual depth of the river. It’s so low and he felt like something is pulling him down. It’s not a living thing or anything with physical appearace. It is the aura energy surrounded him and pulled him inside the water. This energy took him to a longer distance along with flow of river. He tried to get away from it and entered the reverse stream. The other stream pulled him back and finally saw the sun and draw his head out of water to breath. There is some water that entered his nostril along with the air. It almost took his life. With great wrestle with two flows he stepped again on Earth. He continued his path to reach Himalyas. Walking all the day and the night made him weak and in addition to it, It’s the Great Himalayas path he chose. The Great mountain shaken his bones before he reached near it. The freezing breezes flown all over his body. Every bone in his body trembled. Yet the only heat he gets is from his hope. As he climbed the steep,his leg plunged into a root of very ancient time that made him fall from the steep. His weaker body couldn’t arise.

 He woke up in an ancient temple in Kaasi. He surprised that how did he reached the oldest of the oldest city. An Aghora was sitting beside him. He joined his hands to say Namaste and greet him. Aghora, who was deeply involved in meditation opened his eyes to see his eyes.

“I came here for Lord Siva darshan. Could you guide me mahasaya?” pleased Sankara.

“Visiting this holy city is itself enough for a person life to become worthwhile. Visit the Siva linga inside the temple of Varanaasi and leave the city.” replied Aghora.

“I ain’t leaving the city without his darshan.” cried Sankara.

“You don’t need to see him, as long as you got his blessings.” said Aghora with a calm voice.

“You don’t know anything about me. If I have his blessings, I wouldn’t come here. May be he hates me and doesn’t want show any mercy on me.”

Listening to his complaining, Aghora smiled slightly.

“you think, I don’t know anything about you Sankara. May be you are right. Or may be you are wrong. But I know a little about you. Remember the time, when a sage asked to join them, instead of going to Himalayas. Everyone in that group are like you who decided to see Lord Siva but couldn’t reach half of your way and decided to spend their rest of life as yogi and Joined Sanyasa. Lord Siva blessed at the time you decided not to join them but to reach Kaasi. How did you think you crossed such a tricky river, which nobody ever did? Who did you think bring you here, when you fallen from the steep?”

Sankara surprised to learn the wiseness of the Aghora.

 Sankara saw him with astonished eyes. He looked so divine at the moment. He deeply involved in Aghora’s appearance. All the surroundings dissapeared into a cosmic place. He is not on ground, floating in the somewhere in space. The Agora in front of him changing his appearance. His neck turned blue, like he consumed poisnon. His hair aggregated and from top of it, a stream of water is projecting. Leather appeared on him as clothes. A third eye emerged on his forehead. He enlarged into the size of sun. His body charming with vibrancy. He looked so divine and holy that Sankara felt like his soul is part of the Siva. It’s the lord Siva Darshan. The vibrant light brightened and brightened and the whole appearance of Lord Siva changed into Sivalingam. The Sivalinga shrinked into smaller size and everything around him appeared again. Sankara is standing in the middle of the temple and the lingam is in front of him. Devotees apppeared around him and his head felt so light and chill.

 It’s the sunset in Varanasi and the Aghora came again near Sankara.

”So Sankara. Are you leaving the city today?” asked Aghora

“I don’t know. I can’t see the true purpose of the living beings who struggle everyday only to struggle next day. I think I should stay here and Join you?”

“That’s mistake you are commiting. Remember that, you got his blessing when you decided not to join the Sages. That’s how life is designed. People like you should give your life more for the benefit of humanity and society. We are the guidance you’ll need rarely. I can see your service could help mankind as a light to reach more better society. Be the torchman.”