Gratitude to the forest

Bowing in reverence to Lakkadkot Forest.

A few days ago, our shelter was a temple in the middle of a forest. From here, we had to walk about 20 km through an area without any human habitation. This was the first time I had walked in the middle of a forest, and I was in awe of the tall trees, streams of water, colorful birds, the setting sun, the wind, the rocks, and the twinkling stars.

While observing all of this, I felt I was a guest here. Guest to the age-old trees that have been standing here for decades, spreading their roots deep down while growing up high in the sky. Some of the roots were so large that we had to climb over them. There were many river beds that seemed to flow during monsoons and were dry in this season, and a few river streams that were still full of water. While putting our feet in those streams, we could see the fish dancing around our feet.

Every time we paused for a break, we could hear the wind, and at other times, we walked on a carpet of fallen leaves that were turning into the soil again. Dry leaves were happily falling down as if making space for the new ones to sprout in the spring. I could feel the presence of rocks that were helping me hold my feet. We kept hearing and seeing the sounds of a variety of birds. One of them was this big grey bird. We felt like his presence was that of an old, wise grandfather, still and silent.

Few animals had marked their presence by leaving footprints. We knew there were wild animals around. And I asked myself whether our presence was an interference for them as I walked through their paradise. But they made sure that we walked out safe.

A single unstable rock could have changed my experience, but all that came our way was taken care of by an invisible force. As we stepped out of the forest, we took a few moments to share our gratitude to Mother Nature for the uninterrupted, wholesome journey with her.

GPS vs NPS

I could relate so much to this week's Awakin passage. So instead of GPS, we have the NPS - Nature / Natural Positioning System. 

We rely on people and wilderness for direction. It allows us to connect with shepherds in the middle of the forest, a lone farmer plowing his field, or people from a nearby village. We are learning to recognize and name trees. The directions here are like: take a left after you find a banyan tree, walk in the direction of the rising Sun, and let the river always be on your right. 

There are times when there are no people for a couple of miles. What do we do then? There are flags. People who have walked before us put up these colorful cloth flags as signboards. We feel so grateful each time we see them in long stretches of forest. We look around for footprints when there are no signs. Sometimes animal excreta also gives up hope, and we feel we are not lost 😉😅. And sometimes we tune in with the birds and animals, and they show us the way. At nigh,t the light of the moon helps us find our way. 

Today, me and swara were chatting about how when we ask people in the forest for direction, they tell us to take the highway instead of the forest route. They tell us that we will definitely get lost. We were thinking: what is the use of having an iPhone, a GPS, or a Master's degree when we cannot understand the basic sounds and signs in nature, like bird calls, footprints, wind, and the list goes on? 

We are in Sita van (Valmiki ashram), the place where Sitaji gave birth to his two sons, Lav and Kush. For the past two days, we have been walking through a forest. And the forest will continue for a few weeks. 

Little Guiding Stars

Rohit with the little kid he is taking care of. 

When we reached Ram Mandir at Sulgav, we saw a teenage boy holding his grandmother's hand and gently leading her somewhere. He saw us entering the temple and quickly ran to get a plastic sheet for us to sit on and rest. He is then busy answering questions from other pilgrims. He makes quick runs to a nearby shop and gets things for pilgrims. He takes us to the place where lunch was being served. In between, he is also playing and taking care of another kid younger than him:)

His name is Rohit, and he is in class 7. Swara calls him and asks about the grandmother. He said she is blind and that she wanted to go to the temple, so he was just helping her out. We asked him, "How about serving all of us? Why do you do that?" He said, " You are doing something good. You are serving the river Narmada, and I am serving all of you.

This little tot was in his school uniform, so we inquired about the daily schedule. He said, "Before going to school at 10 am and after returning from school at 4 pm, I am at the temple. I will be late at school as the person who takes care of the temple and pilgrims has gone to the market. He gave me the charge of taking care of everything until he is back. I will tell my teacher the same thing"" :) As soon as the temple caregiver came, he took his school bag and ran off to school.

It was so amazing to see this kid tuning in to everything that was happening at the temple. We were struck by his gentleness, prompt response, mature conversation, and his inclination to serve with so much love.

In the evening, we met eight-year-old Shyam. Before responding to any of our questions,s he would

Shy, am my little teacherTake

Take these little pauses. We could sense his thoughtfulness and the genuine sharing. 

We were having dinner, and he was partly sitting with us and partly watching television. I was telling Swara that the food was a little spicy for me. 

Shya,m who was still looking at the screen,n told me as a matter of fact, " You eat what you get,t and some day if you don't get anything,g you just eat a packet of biscuits and sleep, that is how it is when you are on a pilgrimage." I did not expect anything like this coming from a kid, but yes, my youngest teacher was telling me to just go with the flow. 😊

Kumbhar :)

We were in Dhamnod village, where we met Bhagwan bhai. Bhagwan bhai is a potter. We watched him change a blob of clay into earthen pots.

Once the pot is off the wheel and just about to go into the kiln, the potter keeps one hand inside the pot for support and uses the other to tap the outer surface to strengthen it and give it shape.

Reminded me of this analogy about relationships: if the hand inside is that of love, the relationship can withstand many outer storms.

The round darts that you see in the picture are for the inner support, while the flat darts are for the tapping. Bhagwan bhai shared that the inner darts are always heavier than the outer darts. Looks like the weight of love should always be greater :)

On a sunny afternoon, when I am fetched a glass of cool water from a similar pot, I know the amount of love and labor that someone has put into it, with a lot of gentle tapping.

@Ghaths of Maheshwar.

Rang Hai :)

We were walking the 20th kilometer, our last stretch for that day. And we saw a beautiful dome in the middle of a few trees. 

The sun was about to set, and we still had to walk a few more hills, but I felt like walking inside the mosque. Thankfully, religious lines are not that strong in villages. I am happy with it; it has helped me connect. Few women were cooking inside the premises, and two children were running behind a puppy. Part of me was hesitant to go in, so I asked a gentleman if I could, and he showed me the way.

It was the tomb of a Sufi saint. As I bowed down, tears started rolling down my face. My heart felt deeply touched. I could feel warmth in that space; it felt like I was resting on a mother's lap.



From Kali Bawde: Madhya Pradesh

Antidote to Scarcity

When one is on a pilgrimage, there is uncertainty. In such a state, the mind looks for certainty and serves as the gatekeeper, raising red flags. On the other hand, those who have walked this path before tell us to just have faith, and we won't sleep hungry or without a roof.

One of the rules for a traditional pilgrimage is "ask nothing and refuse nothing," which reminds us of Brother David. This means one has to have faith in humanity and trust. Stepping into this way of being takes time, which results in hoarding. Hoarding onto food, extra bedding for cold, the usual route, and many other mind patterns. When we walk with all of this, we start to feel comfortable and secure in the first few days. Slowly, you start to feel the weight of all that, all that I kept storing for tomorrow.

In the first week, my mind went through so many mental calculations that I started feeling more tired of it than walking. There would be times when I wouldn't have shared my food. Finally,  we decided to just give it away. We started sharing it with children who came running to us, greeting Narmade Har. The smile they shared fuelled us, and gradually the weight in my mind and my bag started to lift. It is in the giving that we receive,e as Nipun bhai says.

The design of the universe is crazy. As we started giving, we started receiving. We would give in this village, and people would give us in the next village. When we walk past their homes, they invite us for tea. When we walk from their farms, they offer us groundnuts and sugarcane fresh from the harvest. The oldies who are sitting out in the sun bless us. When we reach anywhere at lunchtime, they offer us from their share. In the evening, when we reach a village, a bunch of them arrange for a safe place for us to sleep. Some offer us money to buy food,d and the offerings are endless.

Everywhere around us, we see abundant nature. Tall tregiving shade. Birds singing songs. Cranes on the river banks are taking their gentle flights. Small puppies are licking my toes. Dew drops shine like pearls as the early morning sun rays touch them. Squirrels running ahead of us. Butterflies are spreading their color across the green field. Bells of the evening prayer. Night lamps far away in a home help me connect with someone I don't know.

 

It's interesting how each day I walk to this new village, I sleep under a new roof, eat with new people, as things start to get a little comfortable, and it's time to move on:)

And as we walked, we were singing: "We have enough, we are grateful, share the blessings, bodhi-swaha, remembering Rev. Heng Sure."

This design has taught me to trust. There is a higher plan within a person

Transforming the M capital: Money to Math to Maitri

 At Nani Ambaji, a few children came to us asking for money. We didn't want to feed into the Money capital, so we engaged with them in conversation. The graph went from a little resistance to shyness to sharing. We had children from different classes, including a special child. Swara knew some of their curriculum, so after a few check-in questions, she told the kids she would be available for the next two hours and that they could come with their books if they had any doubts. And then in no time, the number game started. It was interesting to see how, in a few minutes, so many children joined in.

We had a few chocolates and a packet of pencils that we had received on our way to give forward to children going to school. Before leaving, ng we shared those little gifts and a lot of friendship.

Writing From Nani Ambaji  

Serving and Spiralling Love

After saying goodbye to our grandfather, we started walking to our next destination. The road seemed longer today, and by lunch time, as we were about to collapse, we heard a sweet voice welcoming us. Arti called us into her house; she had the most radiant smile. She pointed us to a room specifically designed for pilgrims, and the very first meal we had today was bundi and jalebi (Indian sweets made from chickpea flour). Looking at our food, we remembered all our dessert lovers, and, with a big smile, ate it all. We were so tired that we couldn’t move an inch, so, with our stomachs full, we slept straight for an hour. In my half-baked, sleep, I heard someone say," Don’t talk so loudly, they are very tired, let them sleep and take proper rest. 

Once we came to our senses, we saw Arti making food for us. We joined her in making some rotis (Indian flat bread) and later shared a meal with them. Arti teaches English in her village school. Her parents have been in this profession for over 30 years. Interestingly, this family serves jalebi and bundi to everyone who passes by their shop, be it a pilgrim, a customer, a child, or an animal. We spent almost three hours with them, and we saw people constantly knocking on their door, but they kept finding space to serve everyone walking by with a big smile. 

Arti, in her conversation, shared how we should even meditate while we are doing the pilgrimage. She shared about different meditation courses she has been through, and now she is looking forward to a 10-day Vipassana course. There was so much to connect; it felt as if we were meeting our sister living in another village. 

With more intimate conversations, we had special ginger tea made by the uncle. Aunty shared how she worked hard so that both her daughters could study well and find better opportunities for their lives ahead. 

While waving goodbye, Arti asked us if she could give us a bike ride to the next village. Because we are walking this time, we said we will keep that offer for the next time. 

What a joy it was to connect to the family serving andspiralingg love:)

Garudeshwar to Vagach via Boriyad

Small Packets of Love

There comes a time during the day when the sensation of pain overpowers the bars of equanimity, and the weight of the bag feels doubled. In these moments, what elates us is being greeted with a lot of joy, giggles, and innocence. Children would come running to us as soon as they saw us coming and say" Narmade Ha"r in a very typical musical tone, which would bring a big smile to our faces and ease our tired minds.

There are times when we cannot even see them but only hear their voices. And sometimes there is this unsaid game they play with us, where we keep repeating Narmade Har in various tones until we can keep hearing each other's voices.

We are walking on hilly terrain these days. By the time we have finished walking 10 steps, these kids run down the hill barefoot, waving their hands just to shower us with their love. There are stones, thorns, and a slope, but nothing stops them.

People tell us that you will meet Reva (another name for the river Narmada; it is believed that if you have faith on the same day, you will meet the deity of the river Narmada). I tell them I meet Reva every day in the form of these little children, who bring a bucketful of happiness.