Nigambodh Ghat is indeed a great
leveler and the real final destination. Its holy pyres do not differentiate between the men in power and those
shorn of it, super rich and the super poor, brahmin and the shudra, male and
female. A visit to its premises therefore does much to cleanse the heart and
the brain of thoughts that are not in conformity with the fundamental tenets of
humanity, even if only momentarily.
“Ram naam satya hai, satya hi
mukti hain” is always repeated by the men carrying the body for its last rites.
The premises of the ghat also reverberate with the sounds of these words. Satya
means truth and Ram is the name of the divine hindu god, yet I wonder why this
saying is reserved only for the last journey? Is truth not an important and
essential pillar during the journey of life itself? Why many of us who generally
err on the side of falsity throughout our lives, repeat these words that underline
the importance of truth only when one of our close ones leaves for his
heavenly abode?
Watching a pyre in full flames is
also an exhilarating experience. The final destination of each and every single
one of us, the funeral pyre obliterates the very existence of people who
considered the world of themselves and for whom till then death was something
that happened to others. A view of the pyre has the capacity to bring down to
earth even those who regard earthly pleasures as the ultimate goal of life and
so it does to me. Power, position and wealth ceases to matter at that very
moment and for the next couple of hours till the materialistic world takes
over.
Yet life has to go on and so it does.
Amen!
“At least three times every day
ReplyDeletetake a moment and ask yourself
what is really important.
Have the wisdom and the courage
to build your life around your answer.”