Good horn, good breaks, and good luck
There are four main pilgrimage sites for Hindus: Badrinath is one of them. And i promise not to make this a boring post about facts, dates, and such, because you can find all that on Wikipedia.
I write about my journey there, now -in May- although the actual trip took place in September when the weather is cold and crispy. The mountain road – with no guardrail – from Mossoorie to Badrinath is long, winding, and super trafficked; sometimes the flow of cars comes to a halt because of the many pilgrims reaching this site before it closes for the winter. Often devotees and/or sadhus reach Badrinath on foot (sometimes with bare feet), making it a pilgrimage. It can take months to reach and all sorts of events can take place on the way: imagine being on the road for 60/90 days and more! with only a small bag containing your scarce belongings, possibly a blanket (the temperature drops very quickly), no certainty if you will eat or not, not knowing where you will sleep… this kind of pilgrimage…
i remember sitting in the front seat of the small white car and wondering about how everything in India has the power to make you feel alive and in the hands of God. The vehicle could slip at any moment (“if i die here, on the way to Badrinath what kind of reincarnation will i have?”), a rock could fall from the tall mountain and hit us, someone could crash into our car… at the speed they drive in the opposite direction!… but none of this happens. In reality when i accept that i am ultimately not in charge and i completely abandon myself to the greater power that watches over us, it gives me such a sense of freedom! Of course i am in charge of the little things – am i going to eat a parantha today (oh please not again!) or am i going for momos (if i see one more of these on my plate i’m going to scream!) – am i going to wake up at the crack of dawn and leave at 5 or am i going to sleep in and make it to my destination a day later?- But the greater picture of it all is not in my hands. i remember reading this a few years back by the indian sage Ramana Maharishi “Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try as you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to prevent it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is t remain silent.”
Although i pondered upon these words when i was in the USA, here in India they take a complete different meaning. When i leave the house in the morning to do whatever i think i have planned, all sorts of things can (and will!) happen to test my patience (there is only so much honking my ears can tolerate), to keep me on alert (is the monkey going to grab my bag of bananas?), to keep me connected to every possible sense of my body (is that cow really eating plastic?) and yet constantly reminding me that my life could change at any given moment without any notice at all (am i invisible? did that motorbike really not see me? If i cross the road quickly right now is that tuc-tuc going to run into me or not?). It is an incredibly empowering feeling, as long as i don’t fight it. As long as don’t want things to be different from what they are. And so i remind myself to enjoy the moment, as every one here in India seems to do. That all the worries and fears i used to stress about in the western world are of no importance here. That what i need (or think i need) i already have. And that to live a joyful life not much is needed; i practice aparigraha (not hoarding) and it feels refreshing knowing that all my possessions can fit in 4 (not so big) suitcases. And i don’t even know how i got writing about this when i started with Badrinath… i am going to conclude here, before i get off the subject too much, with a few pictures and the sweet words of Sri Anandamayi Ma, “If you aim for the supreme, you will be led by the movement of your true nature. There are waves that carry you away, and waves that pull you back. Those who can surrender, will be taken by Him. In the guise of a wave, he holds out His hand and calls you… come, come, come…”
RISHIKESH, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA
