KAILASH
Rudra absolutely loved the
crisp air of Kailash.
There was a very pleasing aroma in the air always, which Rudra thought, “ Was the smell of freshness itself.”
There was no sense of time; only the golden sunrise and sunset would indicate dawn and dusk.
He loved all the birds and beasts that came to visit the mountains from the forests at their baseline. They were in absolute contrast to the people He had known in the city. Always natural, always spontaneous, always unabashed in their play, unlike the contrived displays in speech and gestures in the mannerisms of society. These beasts were exactly the kind of beings that would be termed ‘Uncouth’, He thought to Himself, but smiled because His own spirit resonated with them. “This is the way to be; in the lap of Nature itself, where one is natural,” He thought.
He loved observing the little birds as they walked up to Him, foot by dainty foot, and peered at Him with their slanted necks.
“Hello! I hope I meet with your approval,” He said many times, and thought that the birds fluffing their feathers into a coat at their necks, meant some kind of affirmation.
There was a very pleasing aroma in the air always, which Rudra thought, “ Was the smell of freshness itself.”
There was no sense of time; only the golden sunrise and sunset would indicate dawn and dusk.
He loved all the birds and beasts that came to visit the mountains from the forests at their baseline. They were in absolute contrast to the people He had known in the city. Always natural, always spontaneous, always unabashed in their play, unlike the contrived displays in speech and gestures in the mannerisms of society. These beasts were exactly the kind of beings that would be termed ‘Uncouth’, He thought to Himself, but smiled because His own spirit resonated with them. “This is the way to be; in the lap of Nature itself, where one is natural,” He thought.
He loved observing the little birds as they walked up to Him, foot by dainty foot, and peered at Him with their slanted necks.
“Hello! I hope I meet with your approval,” He said many times, and thought that the birds fluffing their feathers into a coat at their necks, meant some kind of affirmation.
The animals were very few,
wild, beautiful and tenacious. Thinner, but much stronger than their cousins
back in the forest, they shared the same quality of being unintrusive. It was
here in their midst, atop snowy rocks that Rudra decided to meditate for hours
each morning. They too, watched Him with widened eyes just like the forest
friends. Sometimes it seemed they were just highly attained rishis in disguise!
Which was quite plausible, because the genuine rishis were always stalked by
the mundane kings
to fulfill their greedy desires, by some kind of magic. For hundreds of years, the rishis who were most articulate in their knowledge of spirituality, eloquent in their speech of the highest divinity, had failed, when it came to the kings. They had never been able to make the kings understand the absurdity of their wishes. Who would to go to the mountains to find magic, only to come back and use it for city gains?
to fulfill their greedy desires, by some kind of magic. For hundreds of years, the rishis who were most articulate in their knowledge of spirituality, eloquent in their speech of the highest divinity, had failed, when it came to the kings. They had never been able to make the kings understand the absurdity of their wishes. Who would to go to the mountains to find magic, only to come back and use it for city gains?
And like the rishis, it was
here that Rudra realised that all the treasures one wanted, all the riches of
the world, were within one’s own spirit, and needed just a little prodding to
manifest themselves into a pure joy. Could this realisation have come in the cities? Indeed, yes, because divinity was omnipresent,
so too, self-realisation could have happened anywhere.
But the mountain solace seemed to greatly hasten the process.
But the mountain solace seemed to greatly hasten the process.
He had virtually all the self-containment
that anybody could ask for. It was as if He had made the beasts and birds His
family.
Over time, some more beings, who were different from humans, and from the other beasts as well, started joining in, creating an even more extended family. The word had spread that Rudra never asked anyone their antecedents, never questioned their strange appearance; it was enough for Him that someone wanted to be part of His family.
“We are one big family,” He would tell His forest friends.
“Ah, but we are different,” they would say. “Look we have three eyes, or then two noses, some of us limp or then stammer; our breath is called foul by others, we are different.”
“Everyone is beautiful,” He would re-assure them. “You all have your own beauty! You don’t have to have two eyes just because we have two; you could have three, because you see more!”
“Oh, but we are told you also have a third eye,” the beasts would smile coyly and hug Him. He was so understanding, so empathetic, and so humane.
Then again, at times, insecure with their own appearance, they would ask sincerely, “What are we, really? Are we from other planets; are we from some other time? Why are we so different? What are our origins and our purpose?”
“You are the Elementals,” He said.
“Elementals?”
“Ultimately we are all elements. Some of us are formed distinctively into humans, lions, tigers, the oxen, but ultimately we are all from the elements, aren’t we?
So you are beautiful in your own way, with features that mark you out. You are different, but goodly different; some of the most beautiful are unlike any other, aren’t they?” He said, looking at Nandi, who beamed and swashed his tail in the air like a saber.
“So,” He continued gently, “you, are simply, the elementals.”
~ From the book Shiva The Ultimate Time Traveller
Over time, some more beings, who were different from humans, and from the other beasts as well, started joining in, creating an even more extended family. The word had spread that Rudra never asked anyone their antecedents, never questioned their strange appearance; it was enough for Him that someone wanted to be part of His family.
“We are one big family,” He would tell His forest friends.
“Ah, but we are different,” they would say. “Look we have three eyes, or then two noses, some of us limp or then stammer; our breath is called foul by others, we are different.”
“Everyone is beautiful,” He would re-assure them. “You all have your own beauty! You don’t have to have two eyes just because we have two; you could have three, because you see more!”
“Oh, but we are told you also have a third eye,” the beasts would smile coyly and hug Him. He was so understanding, so empathetic, and so humane.
Then again, at times, insecure with their own appearance, they would ask sincerely, “What are we, really? Are we from other planets; are we from some other time? Why are we so different? What are our origins and our purpose?”
“You are the Elementals,” He said.
“Elementals?”
“Ultimately we are all elements. Some of us are formed distinctively into humans, lions, tigers, the oxen, but ultimately we are all from the elements, aren’t we?
So you are beautiful in your own way, with features that mark you out. You are different, but goodly different; some of the most beautiful are unlike any other, aren’t they?” He said, looking at Nandi, who beamed and swashed his tail in the air like a saber.
“So,” He continued gently, “you, are simply, the elementals.”
~ From the book Shiva The Ultimate Time Traveller
SHIVA,The Ultimate Time Traveller is
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and for INDIA exclusively:
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Art : Sapna Poudel Mhr
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