Endless Love of Sakhi's

A few days ago, we met these extraordinary grannies in a village. After crossing a little stream, trekking up a rocky hill, and walking through a few farms, we reached Bel Gau. As we were walking through the village, we found a little space (otlo) to sit. We sat there for some rest, water,r and snacks.

There were friendly nods and greetings with people passing by. We shared snacks with the kids. They suggested that we can go to the nearby temple sometime to have food served. There wasn't any laziness or resistance, but we didn't get up. We kept sitting. In the middle of all this,s a granny invited us to her home for a cup of black tea. And both of us just started walking with her. She was coughing badly as she was leading the way.

She said I will call my friends to meet you. All of us did parikrama a few years back, and they will be very happy to meet you. One by one, the grannies started coming, and they called each other "Sakhi," which means "friend." There was joy and deep respect for each other, which was so subtle.

At one point, while we were sharing, I looked at one of them who was listening with her complete presence. I could feel that. The stillness and her presence made me feel so alive and quiet,t as if I were in a forest or in front of a mountain. We rested there for some time, and when I woke up, I felt I was in the company of these extraordinary angels.

One of the grannies sat with us for some time, then asked if she could go to her farm for a while. She promised she would come back soon. We hugged her and waved goodbye. Later in the afternoon, she brought us fresh carrots from her farm :)

Some of the distinct qualities they shared were respect for each other, deep listening, and sharing the good things they encountered. All of them were farmers, which meant hard work each day, year-round.

In just a few hours, we got a glimpse of their way of life, the quality of their presence, and the universal love of a mother. A gang of eight women came with us for half a kilometer just to say goodbye. When we were walking with them, we could sense courage, strength, and oneness beaming from each soul. We kept telling them to return, but as a few of them were not wearing their chappals (shoes), they continued walking. While we hugged and asked for blessings, they kept holding back their tears and shared words and blessings, giving us courage and strength for our journey ahead. It was an immense gift to receive these subtle gifts in multiple forms.