The feeling of waking up early listening to the birds outside my window (which got annoying later on), the early morning mist, having converting itself into little droplets of water, and trickling down plants and the huge papaya tree just outside my bedroom window, were all sights i register in my heart and will take to my grave, knowing i have seen the simpler, and beautiful things this world had to offer…
So then, there I was lazily tossing and turning myself in bed, when my sis-in-law knocked at my door (oh the surprise she was in knowing I was awake at 6 a.m), asking me to get up and get ready to go to the temple. We were staying in GURUVAYUR, The land of the Lord Sri Krishna, the faith here is so strong, a powerful, positive energy blows along with the winds, it feels more like the cosmic energy itself is assuring the people and its devotees, that everything is fine, and the world is safe, now that he is here….
Finally we get dressed by 7 a.m and leave to the temple, we reach there in no time, to find a loooooooooooooooong que of devotees, but then we dint complain, I don’t think anyone who comes there complains about the que, cause I guess even they feel the wait is always worth it… I saw various expressions, some happy, some looked ecstatic, some content, some Sad, a few tearful, however just wen I was about to conclude that this place is pure and that the mind of all men and women will be focused only on the supreme power and nothing else, OH!!!!! WASN’T I SO WRONG!!!!!. The man standing in front of me and my Sis – in law, wudnt stop staring at us, or for that matter any woman who walked past, the ladies ahead of him wudnt, stop talking abt why some channel changed the timing of a cookery show which clashed with their afternoon nap time (OH!! NOW ARENT THOSE THE BIGGER PROBLEMS TO LIFE), seriously, I saw a woman who looked like in her late 30’s crying and almost begging god with words for which I think was for a baby to complete the void she and her husband were having, her husband like another man played the role of the sympathetic consoler and kept convincing her that things will be fine, ( well, to admit my sis-in-law and me were eve’s dropping, FINE, I am GUILT STUCK NOW)I guess it is at that moment one realizes the importance of the role the supreme entity himself plays…..
Anyways, to move on, we got inside the temple after a wait of an hour and a half, his divine figure, blended with Gold, and little lamps lit around his statue, all made my wait worthwhile, and I finally prayed my heart’s content. We came out, had lunch, and headed back home, had a small snooze and woke up by evening, only to find the orange sun slowly setting down, as if saying a good-bye to his empire, and promising to rise and shine again the next morning. We went to the temple again in the evening this time it was a short wait as the gates were closing, we entered quickly , and that when I saw the 4 majestic elephants , all waiting in line for the final show. For this nite the tallest elephant called ARJUNAN, was the show stopper, just to give a brief description, in the nite after the last rites and Rituals are done, the lords statue is mounted on top of an elephant, along with the Temple’s main Priest (who I believe is an unmarried Brahman)they walk around the main temple area and then finally the doors are closed for the day. Like this even my day came to an end, another day gone by……………..