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Chapter 10
CONTEMPLATION OF GOD’S MANIFESTATIONS
52. God In Creation
12. And the holy river Ganga! When I was at Kashi (Benares), I used to go and sit alone on her banks in the silent hours of the night. How lovely and pleasing the Ganga is as she flows by! That serene and majestic expanse and the countless stars in the sky reflected therein would make me silent. This holy river has descended from the matted locks of Lord Shiva, that is, from the Himalayan forests. Many kings cast off their kingdoms, considering them no better than a bauble, and performed austerities and penance on its banks for Self-realisation. The sight of that holy river would give me an experience of sheer peace. How can I describe that peace? Words fail in describing it. I would then realise why a Hindu wishes that if he cannot take a bath in the Ganga during his life-time, at least his remains should be immersed in her after death. You may ridicule such sentiments; that does not matter. I find such sentiments sacred and worth cherishing. It is a custom to put a couple of drops of the Ganga-water in the mouth of a dying man. Those drops symbolize God’s grace. The Ganga is a form of the Lord. In the form of the Ganga, it is His compassion that is flowing. Like a mother, Mother Ganga cleans us all over, washes off all the impurities of our body and mind. If you do not find the Lord in the Ganga, where else could you find Him? The sun, the rivers, the majestic roaring ocean, all these are forms of the Lord. 13. And the winds! Whence they come and where they go, nobody knows. They are the messengers of the Lord. In India, winds blow from the unmoving Himalayas in the north as well as from the serene ocean in the south. These holy winds touch us and awaken us. They whisper melodies in our ears. But who cares to hear their message? If the jailor withholds an ordinary letter addressed to you, you feel dejected. Poor wretch! What is there so precious in that letter? The winds are bringing the Lord’s loving messages every moment. Listen to them. |
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