BRAHAMSTALA is a narrative about the journey of a man through a parallel world
where he finds the meaning of existence and the key for the ultimate truth as he explores the spaces around him.
The environment of the story mirrors the kinesthetics and the elements of ancient Indian temple architecture into a much larger scale to create a surreal sense of space.
“BRAHMASTHALA” - An abode of altruism
Stumbled!
I descended into the sea of staircases, a maze all around going deep into the earth beneath the blanket of the dense forest with very little light filtered through the leaves creating a shadow world. A perfect disguise I could have possibly found to save myself from the sharp Sentinelese arrows trying to find a way through me for in-filtrating their world unannounced.
Their chase didn’t end, frightened I looked towards the bottom of the step well to find an escape to save myself. To my surprise instead of the reflection of the forest above I saw a guiding light coming out of the water. "Could it be a passage or a tunnel?"....
....Curious and afraid I took a leap of faith into the mirage. With the arrows following me I hit the surface of the water and the chills broke me as my vision faded. The water felt deep as my life was shrinking out and was drawn towards the light coming from the other side. Suddenly it felt I was not drowning instead coming out into the light, that’s all I could faintly remember before everything went dark....
....Afloat on the other side with the breath of fresh air and the soft rustle of leaves falling on the steps, I opened my eyes to find myself amidst the peace and calmness of the place I was in. The fear faded away, slowly I swam out of the water under the clear blue sky to be welcomed by the warmth of the newly carved step well with each stone dressed, polished and perfectly aligned to become a monolith again. I noticed the monks in saffron attire indulged in their daily routine as I go unnoticed.
I started to climb the steps to begin my exploration of the place with the thought echoing inside my head that I once read “where life carries you is exactly where you are meant to be”. So, I let go of all my resistance and moved into a posture of surrendering to whatever is unfolding....
....As I ascended, the world began to unfold. Every leaf crushed under my feet on those steps brought an element into my sight. The floating temples of the forgotten gods and the gigantic gateway to the realm. All the stories I ever heard and the mythical worlds I ever imagined, I was living it at that very moment. Ecstatic, I walked further to be stopped by a huge four headed sculptural deity beautifully carved in stone with arms floating in air offering the world with necessities of life in all the directions visible. He was “Brahma” the god of creation who wanted me to see the world he created and guide me towards finding the truth about existence, all by seeing what is hidden behind the gateway
He told me- " Your life my friend, is a journey to an unknown path, half of the fun is not knowing what's going to happen next. Life is always changing. The way you think it's going to unfold is not the way it's meant to be”.
In that very moment of self-introspection, I realized it was the “Choice-point” of my life. A choice-point is all about leaving the world you know and venturing out onto the unknown frontiers of your highest life.
With that thought in my mind, I began walking towards the partially visible, stone gateway peeking through the misty clouds above the mountains. As the sun was setting, the gateway became more captivating by the scarlet glare falling on the ancient golden symbol on the pinnacle of the gateway which became a beacon of hope for the people. I saw a sky-walk rested on the vaulted archway connecting the mountain to the gateway, spanning over the giant canyon, with the monks passing through the sky-walk in an unusual sync with the sacred hymn.
On the sky-walk, I noticed the “Gopuram” the sacred gateway with the two pillars piercing into the sky, above the entrance following words were inscribed “Know thyself and you will know the Universe”. Their world was surrounded by the deities standing guard as the protector of the realm, with one of them welcoming me- “This is the ancient city created by lord Brahma also known as the “BRAHMA-STHALA” with the sole motive of relieving the people from their ego and selfishness.” What about the floating temple islands? I asked. He further explained- “Gravity does not affect those islands. Here the floating temples that you see are like planets, their motion and the alignment is guided by the position of the sun.” Grasping all the knowledge, I climbed a flight of steps vanishing into the slit of the gateway taking me to a horizontal surface between the two pylons from where I witnessed the largest floating temple aligning itself to the gopuram....
....Admiring their grandeur, I set foot on the enormous plinth of the temple, shining like a mirror creating a mystical environment with grid-iron markings on the floor and aligned giant towers set afloat. Suddenly I was swayed with force of monks walking towards the “Sabha-mandapa” the gathering place. The sky was full of Nandi shrines covered in blossoms with their eyes shining like a star as the day descended towards horizon. The monks were gathering at the center for the evening rituals to reap and share the activities of the day with their loved ones. The plinth bound them together as a unity, a family, a home, evoking a sense of equality within their hearts for each other....
As the sun descended and it all went dark, I noticed an unusual sky sparkling with light. Approaching, I found that those were the floating pillars that I saw from afar and compared to them I was like a fly under a huge floating stone rubble, such was the scale. During the day these towering members form a unified arrangement resembling that of a hypostyle Hall filtering the Sun rays creating a Tyndall effect and at night they glow like lanterns of fireflies in the sky. I couldn't believe that these pillars were actually residential towers of the people and the small bright openings were fenestration adored on facade creating a mesmerizing landscape.
While observing everything around, I felt a sudden calmness and all I could hear was a bell sound echoing, followed by a bright divine light coming through a door into the darkness. As I followed the guiding light, my companion through this journey.
I remembered, when few months back I received the envelope that said Dr. Arthur on its cover, an official letter stating, I was to conduct an expedition to explore the life on the Sentinel Island. All I ever knew that it’s home to Sentinelese tribe, who just want to be isolated and refused any interaction with the outside world. They are hostile and have killed people who approached or landed in their territory. And now here I am, somehow the words of Brahma started to come true....
....With these thoughts passing my mind, I moved closer to the gateway which was circumscribed by the cornices in form of mythological scripture framing the door. The light was coming from the "Garbhagriha" or the Sanctuary, the most sacred part of the temple.
Entering, I faced an outburst of light almost blinding me. Slowly it faded and I walked further to see the light from the oculus illuminating the interiors of the sanctum. The flying motifs of the sacred gods, the tessellation on the internal walls of the ‘shikhara’ the top portion of the temple, creating a heavenly ambiance. The grandest deity with hands in the posture of offering had an unusual zen on its face. As I looked lost, its voice broke the silence and told me the ultimate truth about life.
“The key can’t be delivered through mind, nothing can be said about it. There is no way to perceive it other than experiencing by oneself, with this blossom I give you the key to the absolute truth”.
He offered me a flower bud. As I touched the bud, it blossomed and with it came the bright light. Scented breeze blew the petals all around me. Suddenly I felt weightless, my eyes closed devoid of all the doubts, I reached towards the light to dissolve into the absolute…….to become one.
Those last words elated me, making me see and understand life through a new perspective with altruism.
Arthur! Arthur! I could hear someone calling my name, it was my wife's voice. Slowly I opened my eyes to find myself in a hospital and all I could remember was that somehow, I survived the helicopter crash during my expedition and found the Sentinelese tribesmen chasing me, as I ran for my life and....
....Stumbled! I descended into the sea of staircases…
T H A N K S !
