Spiritual Healing

Jingling of bells, chants of mantras, fluttering of doves the entire semblance in the temple was exquisitely spiritual. Few scattered beggars were roaming here and there begging few pennies from the visitors. I say visitors not pilgrims as their face just showed that their visit to temple was mere perfunctory. Some women were dragging there disinterested children along with them, some were flogging them to bow down and pray. Children with boredom and fear seemed to obey everything. Their looks reminded me of famous Letterman kid during the American election 2004 campaign who had attended the President Bush’s speech during the wee hours and couldn’t help himself from not yawning in front of TV. I had later seen his interview in Hannity and Colmes and the kid was saying he was just tired. Who could blame him and who could blame the others? This is how children are made acquainted with god.

My first experience with God was also similar. I used to accompany my mother to temples she visited. Instead of anticipation of meeting with God, my reason for visiting temple was driven more by the temptation of all the sweets that were to be given to me as a Prasad. I remember holding to the cord of her purse and scurrying around the temple trying to keep up with her pace. Temples were strewn with the meditating Jogis whose long beard and dark eyes made me afraid. Despite the fear I was willing to take their blessing which they whole heartedly gave after I put few pennies in their palm. It is amazing these god men who have left Sansara for the spiritual wakening; all of sudden with the weight of few coins yielded to the gravity of the temptation. I remember once seeing a Jogi, around the Durbar Square area, who actually used to take pictures with the tourist in return of few dollars. His exotic mystic look must be fascinating to the western world.

In fact the occidental realm always seems to be at awe with the eastern mythology. Best instance is the so called Hippies of Flower Generation which according to my father flocked Kathmandu Valley during the disenchantment age of Vietnam War. He used to tell me the deluge of motley harlequin that used stroll around chanting Hare Krishna Hare Ram and smoking pot in the name of spiritual healing. Though they claim their action to be driven as a rebellion outburst I personally consider it to be childish proclivity towards unknown. With the advantage of 20/20 hindsight I think they were less driven by spirituality and more by Imp of Perverse. Their genteel spirituality was escapism rather than act of rebellion.

As I was pondering, my entrance was broken with flocks of pigeons that rained over my head and suddenly levitated towards the roof of temple. Like sinusoidal wave they rose and fell making series of crest and trough. The usual suspect behind their action was a bird feeder. He was an old man who appeared to dwell inside the temple premise and as usual he was throwing the rice grain into the courtyard. Movement of his hands and wave made by birds very much resembled an orchestra. He was maestro and birds were music of Philharmonic. As birds began to feed on the grains, the image vividly reminded me of news few days back regarding global food crisis. It was shown on CNN that few kids in South India were trying to collect grains of rice spilled from silo. So poignant. As more and more lands are being cleared for growing sugarcanes for producing ethanol as bio-fuels, rice has become rare commodity. Besides drought in Australia and rising middle class in China and India whose demand for protein supplement has caused cereals to be fed to livestock instead to people has made matter even worst. Robert Zoellick, chief of World Bank has already said global food crisis can push 100 million or so population towards the poverty. Rush Limbaugh has already blamed Al Gore and his harem for their high handed answer towards the fight against Global Warming as an entire cause. Being an outsider of the debate, for me both Global Warming and Global Food Crisis looms like Scylla and Charybdis. I just hope mankind has wit of Ulysses to fight this insidious danger. If we cannot come up with answer sooner then it will be a cogent cause for another act of rebellion which ironically unlike the popular cliché -“Rebel without cause” will have legitimacy.

Serendipity! A rebel’s face flashed in front of my eye. Just like the description of Big Brother in ‘1984’, a face donning a heavy black mustache and masculine ruggedness in background of red with dark deep eye stared at me. The stare that can take you to the abyss of Hades was of none other than legendary communist guerrilla Che Guevara. The T-shirts that was being manufactured in China which depicted his image was in vogue in the capital city of late. And one of the visitors in the temple was wearing it which is an irony in itself as the entire communist doctrine is dead against the merchandising, fashion and religion. Che Guevara must be turning in his grave right now as it is the blatant example of tu quoque. For me personally it is disgrace. Not because I have any sympathy for the Che Guevara or his likes but the fact that in today’s context rebellion has been misguided. Before act for rebellion was for some profound cause and being labeled a rebel was hard thing. Now it is so easy to be rebel, say anything against neo-conservatism, Bush doctrine, capitalism and feudalism and you are rebel. Just like that line from Coldplay’s song- “I will buy a gun and start a war if you say something worth fighting for.” But being a rebel doesn’t always mean killing people and destroying property. Gautam Buddha was a rebel. Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Dr. King all were bona fide rebel. But when talk shifts to rebellion the popular image is shaped by that of Col. Aurelliano of ‘100 years in solitude”. Roster of rebellion is bedecked with likes of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and worst Osama Bin Laden whom many like to lionize some even deify. Some how the advocates of peace don’t seem to have right qualification to be in folk lore of rebellion instead it is filled with criminals.

The guy in red stooped his head and bowed to the god seated in the middle. Che Guevara was plastered in back of the shirt and therefore his face was in leeway from that of god. Incense was burning and worshiping people with vermillion in their hand hummed like bees. I myself bowed to feet of lord and prayed. Being the believer I always visited the temple in the morning. It has become a part of my morning walk routine. However, I have become kind of dying breed of late as God is being displaced from our everyday life. People are questioning God and his existence. Rebels like Richard Dawkins and other influential thinkers of our time has constantly attacked god in recent days. Besides, because of the bad examples set by Church with their inquisition; Mosques with their subdued voice against Jihadist who wants to hold great religion of Islam in hostage; Temples with their insistence of cast system; non-believer has enough fuel to make god crest fallen.
For me the argument for and against God has always been fascinating one and I have always taken the safer side that is God’s side. Non-believer pose the theory of evolution as the greatest evidence against god, but with vantage point of being Hindu that teaches universe being created and recreated several times over many Manbantarams, I don’t have any dilemma in embracing both. Being student of science, I agree that evolution and Neo-Darwinism best explains how we came to this god forsaken planet. But only doubt I have on evolution is why does it contradicts Law of Entropy- the most fundamental law of Physics which says universe ambles towards disorderliness. But evolution is about orderliness isn’t it? I have always asked this question to my friends who consider themselves as a disciple of Science and they haven’t yet come up with cogent answer. Besides, recently a new research on crustacean planktons – Facetotectans has brought some tremors in the evolutionary science. These planktons in larval form are more developed than in adult form where they are just a blob of little mass. So who says science has been settled.

Therefore nowadays whenever an argument props up regarding the god and his existence I have stopped saying he resides in my heart. I have also stopped taking refuge to statement made by Khalil Gibran in his masterpiece Prophet that say- “instead of god dwelling in my heart , it is I who dwell in heart of god”. In lieu I say I believe in God because Science doesn’t have all the answer and the day science is settled perhaps may be I will change my mind. But till then let’s give God a chance. This ratiocination has become a spiritual healing to my ambivalent and contradictory brain.

As I was musing I put on my shoe turned back, tolled the bell and came out of the door. God Bless me! The milk being sold in front of the temple door just ran out. Again like yesterday I won’t be having any milk tea. This fact just frazzled my nerve and with fray look I made my return back from morning walk that began with alacrity of muscles. Now the celerity in my legs disappeared and with portend of my sisters plausible wrath I headed home. I needed all the spiritual healing available.