Varanasi
Would I visit Varanasi again ?
Yesterday my husband asked me if I would want to visit Varanasi again. I surprised myself when the word tumbled out 'Yes'. I remember saying an emphatic 'No' when I was asked that question in Varanasi.
What has changed ? Seeing Varanasi through a foreigners' eyes ? I am as much a foreigner as the others with whom I visited Varanasi. I have been out of the country for 40 years and I have changed and India has changed.
The adage 'You can take an Indian out of India but not take India out of an Indian' is coming true.
As we arrived at our hotel near Assi ghat, there was a concert of Hindustani music going on at the ghat. The mellifluous voices of Pandit Rajan and Pandit Sajan Mishra wafted through the trees as we checked into our hotel. The music that has been with me all these years whether it is Carnatic or Hindustani or light music made me feel at home right away.
The haunting melodies of Raag Durga tugged at my heart strings and I became 100% Hindustani at that moment.
The concert lasted through the late evening hours and added enchantment to my first night at Varanasi.
The next morning we walked down to the shores of the river where the only morning Ganga aarti is done. The young priests lined up and started the ritual of offering prayers.
“In short, the word Aarti comes from the Sanskrit word "Aratrika" - meaning a ritual that dispels darkness. This ritual worship traces its origins back to the Vedic time (circa 2000 BC) and holds deep symbolic value for Hindus. The various ingredients of an Aarti ritual includes water, flowers, lamps, incense, bells and various other ritual objects.
One of the most beautiful aspects of the Aarti is that after the ritual is first dedicated to chosen Goddess / God (in four cardinal directions, indicating omnipresence of God or the transcendental entity), it is then dedicated to all observers who are also, in effect, participants in the ritual. The latter dedication stems from a fundamental Hindu belief that divinity lies within each and every human being that everyone has a part of God, within.”
The ceremonial lamps were lighted when it was still dark and as the sun rose up and colored the sky pale pink we could sense world around us slowly come alive. The morning Aarti was an awakening of the body, mind and spirit; it left us with a sense of hope, of eager anticipation.
That is when I understood why Varanasi is where Hindus want to complete the cycle of life and death and why it has been the the oldest living city. Not just for the dying but for the millions of Hindus whose faith and devotion is deep rooted in their psyche.
