A Night of Certainty
Amidst all the darkness and the numb silence outside the house, I was waiting patiently and trying to grasp the loud drum beats in the distant hall. It was a cold yet not chilly night. There were winds just enough to move the leaves but not the entire bark of woods. The Christmas atmosphere had me all in for the celebrations and tasty food, but again, I couldn't get a chance to taste the fluffy looking cakes and savories. Being the determined and disciplined person, the thought of leaving the house unguarded and joining in the distant, glowing hall with effervescent fragrance and joyous music didn't strike me.
What else could I do then? Check my Instagram and Twitter feed, not quiet, my phone had run out of juice. Talk to some one else, nope, I was the last-man standing! Then, my only option was to interact with mother nature; the trees, the fireflies, the stars and the pebbles on the road. At that moment I realized how bright the sky was even during night, as if the stars were dancing along to the loud amplified tunes played in the hall. One thing which really caught my attention was there was no sign of our satellite, the moon; felt like it had gone for a nice little sabbatical for the night!
And then, the bombastic music suddenly took a pause, as if someone were pressing the space-bar (pause/resume) key while watching a YouTube video. It was almost a 15-20 second nematic pause, filled with silence and intriguing thoughts in my head. The darkness swell up in the environment as if the light source was dependent on the music. There was some tension and uneasiness in the body and the mind was almost going into a panic attack. Imagine being the only person in the woods with nothing in sight and only your breath as the sound!
While looking up towards the mighty universe, I saw a big source of light slowly emerging into existence. The stars weren't as bright as they were before and the winds were't as strong as before. There was the Moon, not exactly a crescent, but a beautiful half moon in the vivid dark blue universe. As I was enjoying this visual treat, across the road from the distant hall, the visibility started improving. I could distinctly see the leaves of each tree, the yellow divider line on the road and Him!
His aura was so magnificent that with small steps towards me, he grew bigger in size and his white clothes turned sparkling gold and fire. With each step starting from the hall towards me, I froze in time and my mind went for a toss, my eyes couldn't perceive this creation. I started stepping back a bit and could feel the moist water and dew emerging from the grass. Remember the fragrance I was talking about, that sandalwood blissful aroma had entered the air. The earth I was standing on started vibrating, not exactly a quake, but enough to keep me rattled yet grounded to experience this moment.
Now I could see his face clearly, he was neither smiling nor was he expressing any melancholy. He was neither walking nor sprinting, but taking large steps to cover more distance and using the environment to glide onto. But his eyes were different, his gaze was fixed towards me and the moon was reflecting in his pupil. As he approached me, he asked me " Did you get a chance to be in the hall?" To which I replied, " No". Then he asked me " What's your name?" I almost forgot my own name, but mentioned it in a few seconds. Then he asked " Did you have dinner?" To which I again replied " No".
I was getting embarrassed of replying truthful No's to each of his question. Later on he mentioned that my name was pretty uncommon nowadays, to which I didn't have any response, but a simple smile. As I smiled, I could see his forehead compress, similar to an equal to (=) sign but 3 lines instead of 2 in parallel. It was an honor to see him smile with his eyes bigger than the planet and his presence making me feel like an ant in front of an elephant.
He walked inside his house, leaving me feeling intrigued but yet wonderstruck. In a moment or two, someone else came down walking from the stairs of the house and handed me a paper plate filled with delicious and colorful food. The gentle man whispered in my ears, " Please have this food, He just mentioned it to me!" I innocently and gracefully accepted the food plate and kept staring at each food items. They were sour, sweet, a bit spicy, bitter but overall, the only well-balanced meal you want once in your lifetime!
I couldn't help but recollect all the things I had felt and seen in the 1- hour window. The half-moon, the strong winds, the dark blue and starry night, the deep long inhalations and exhalations and Him! The compressed forehead, the magnanimous eyes, the glowing aura divinity in the atmosphere and his blessing in the form of food! The five elements (Na is earth, Ma is water, Shi is fire, Va is wind or air, Ya is space or sky) and the never-felt qualities of truth, innocence and beauty respectively tying to Om Namah Shivaay and Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
Yes, I had met him, the most profound Yogi, the instrument of inner consciousness, the formless who is omnipresent, the Shakti present in everyone and the divinity which is beyond idols and pictures!
- Pralhad