I once asked Jagadguru Jayendra Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, how there could be hundreds and thousands of Gods in Hinduism, and also only one God. While the long cue of questioners tried to push me aside, the Shankaracharya asked me to be seated and said, ''Multiplicity and oneness, both are available to suit the entire spectrum of human beings, each one of them being completely different from the other in spiritual maturity and aspiration. Also, every single experience of human senses has been deified and so are all the aspects and elements of nature such that people will deal with each other and with nature with respect and courtesy. At the same time, Adi Shankara says that every being is a residence of God. You are free to choose what you want or not to, and will find what you seek. While you are still making your choice, Ram
japa will keep you calm.'' With this, he dropped a yellow marigold flower in my palm, looked right into my eyes, and gave a heart-melting, warm smile. He then turned to others in the queue and told them not to push away youngsters, because he liked to know what was on their minds. Thankful for this time with him, I squeezed my way out of the crowded audience room, and while I took deep, refreshing breaths of fresh air, I felt as light as a cloud and glowed with joy. I was all of nine years old. With time, Ram, Krishna, Siva, Hanuman, Ganesh, Murugan and all their numerous friends, teachers, wives, cousins, children, rishis, holy men and sadhus found adequate space in my mind. Listening to the mythological stories my mother told with elaborate explanations and analysis, it became more than clear that, with all its complexity, contradictions, and diversity, Hinduism is the religion closest to human experience. Meanwhile, I continued Ram japa uninterrupted. Years later, when Ehud (now my husband) spoke to me on the phone for the first time, instead of saying, ''Hi, how are you?'' he greeted me with, ''Ram Ram.'' I was surprised. We had been corresponding for a few months with the as-yet-undeclared intention to marry in the near future . Was he trying to impress and flatter me by saying ''Ram Ram''? Why should he? The hungry worm of curiosity had started drilling holes into my gray matter. For some reason, though, in the ensuing correspondence, ''Ram Ram'' did not surface. I wondered if he expected me to greet him saying, ''Moses, Moses.'' I knew nothing about the Jewish way of greeting (Ehud is Jewish), but I was not convinced that ''Moses, Moses'' would be an appropriate way of greeting him. I did not wish to educate Ehud about my ignorance but resolved that some day I would find out the reason for Ehud''s ''Ram Ram.'' Was it just a word he had heard and memorized from his many trips to India, or was it a genuine salutation to Lord Ram before commencing conversation? Well, what I found out subsequently filled me with delight, and now that you have read this story so far, I must share this finding with you. It was 1989. Ehud had traveled to spend a few months in India with the late Harish Johari, a noted scholar and author. After participating in the Kumbha Mela, they went on a pilgrimage to various shrines, temples, and to yogis and sadhus, many of whom Harish had studied with while learning tantra, ayurveda, occult teaching and yoga. This journey took them to Chitrakoot. In Ramayana, Chitrakoot is mentioned as a place where Sri Ram, Sita Ma and Sri Lakshman spent thirteen years of their exile. At present, this place has a temple for the three. Besides this contemporary temple, there is an ancient cave on a river bank. At the very entrance of the cave there is a mammoth rock outcropping with a huge footprint, believed to be Sri Ram''s. Not long ago, when the surrounding wilderness was intact, tigers came to drink water from the river,As you enter the cave, you find yourself in a cathedral-like cavern with water up to your knees and a rock island in the middle. For illumination, a florescent lamp is hanging right above the water, its tip almost immersed. The cavern narrows into an entrance to a tunnel from which water oozes out, making the knee-deep pool around the rock island and merging into the milky-turquoise river below. This tunnel is so small that only one person at a time can fit in its opening. It is believed that right beside the point at which water oozes out, Sri Ram came to meditate during his stay in Chitrakoot. All pilgrims to Chitrakoot try to visit this very spot. To get to this spot, however, the person next in line must be patient and let the person before him turn around and come out before he can get in. Thousands of pilgrims visit this holy spot every day; and the day that Ehud and Harish were visiting was no different. ...REST IN NEXT PART
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