Ganga ji
I spend an hour in the morning with Ganga ji. I am 73 and my
legs hurt when I walk down the stairs of the ghats. I am a Brahmin and I
perform my rituals every day. Ganaga means life to me. It has been a part of me
since I was born. When I was 10 I use to run along the ghats when there were
lesser people. My father had a boat in which I would accompany him while he was
fishing. I have grown up along the Ghats. Since I am a citizen here I still stay
here with my family.
Varanasi has changed in many ways but Ganga ji is still the
same. She supports the lives of people residing in Varanasi. “mun ki shanti,
ganga ji ke tat pe hi milegi”
Ganga ji has taught me how to live. I had no one to teach me
how to swim but Ganga ji did. I could’ve drowned but Ganga ji saved me. I have
always prayed to Ganga ji so that she blesses everyone with the blessing she
continues to bestow on me. I pray for forgiveness when I am unable to walk down
to take a bath. I live with the thought that one day my ashes will be immersed
within her and I’ll flow with her.
I found myself
I am 56 and I was a believer. Because my parents used to
worship Ganga I would go along with them and take a bath. I never questioned
and I believed it to be holy.
Today I have to look after the shop I run. I am mostly busy
doing my work. This is one of the reasons I haven’t been able to fine time to
go to the Ghats. What is shocking is that I've come across people from Varanasi
who is hostile to Indian tourists but warm to the outsiders. The city has
changed along the years the people are fleecing money from the tourist’s in the
name of god. I see most of our own people harass the visitors in the crowd.
They pickpocket, eve tease and create a nuisance in public.
I have worshiped the holiness of Ganga yet I couldn't find
what I was looking for. I came across this person who told me to follow a
public figure. I watched a few shows, red articles about him. He offered
exercises to calm one’s mind. There were times in the past when I sat at the
banks of Ganga but with the help of this exercise I have found myself. It is
not an alternative for me but definitely something I would advise to follow.
I've left behind the ‘aarti’ and ‘pooja’ done at the ghats.
I need not depend on Ganga to find quiet.
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