BY THE RIVER

Along one part of the river Ganga between Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula there is an older dirt path, and below the Ganga and some beach area. Many of the Sadhus stay near this path.

One evening while walking along here to feed the dogs, some beautiful prayer music was coming out of some makeshift loud- speakers at the beach. Something was in the air, people had gathered, the atmosphere was charged, and even the sadhus were coming to listen. I was invited to sit on one of the rocks, and I noticed even the dogs and the cows were lying down, ready for something.

A small, frail looking man was helped down the path until he took his seat by the river. People lined up to pay their respects and receive his blessings, and then he began. Although the language was Hindi, and I couldn't understand a word, the message was loud and clear. This was a holy man, Swami Hamsa-ananda-ji [sic]. He was over a hundred years old, highly revered, and he gives satsang on the beach at night. Beautiful, moving, and sacred.

I meet two women who have traveled all the way from from Calcutta to receive darshan from this Saint.

The sadhus are starting to notice that I come regularly to feed the dogs. This has amused some, and some have chosen to engage in conversation with me. A few have suggested I go on pilgrimage to Gangotri, the source of the Ganga. Undertaking the Chardham (the four sacred spots) Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath, are the most sacred of all pilgrimages in the Hindu traditions. Undertaking a journey to these places will not just wash away one's karma, but will ensure release from the cycle of birth and death. It is said that heaven and earth converge in these spots. Gangotri has called to me for some time, but this is not the right time for me to go.

Of Kedarnath it is said "the unholy become holy, and the holy, holier." Kedar is also another name for Shiva, the preserver and the destroyer. It lies close to Rishikesh in a valley ringed by lofty snow-capped peaks. The views are breathtaking, and the climb to the shrine is steep. One is meant to walk the path, it is steep and long. But for those who can't, ponies and mules are made to carry the heavy, and physically unfit. The mules wobble, struggle, and are covered with sores, beaten with sticks to keep them going up the pilgrimage road carrying the holy aspirants in their journey for release and redemption.