April 10, 2009

In Gods lap

“If you want to find God, find him in yourself...
And if you still can’t...then head for the mountains...!”
The magnificent Himalayas surrounding the Kashmir valley protect it like a great wall against the mythical dragons and evil spirits...the mountain range provides the valley with breathtaking natural beauty and its own patches of paradise on earth...It also provides mountaineers with great opportunities to conquer the mightiest mountains and the toughest peaks ever known....
The famous Sufi saints of the valley drew their inspiration from the mountains...The mountains form a part of the famous legends and myths and an integral part of the mystical world...
It was during my famous and rigorous Biscoe school camps that I got curious to know why some people give up all their worldly wealth and come to mountains, leaving behind their ‘few’ friends, families and desperate enemies...giving up all the earthly pleasures and luxuries and all the glory just for the sake of sitting on a mountain peak and gazing at the sky...!
It all seemed so inappropriate and crazy for such successful people to give away their fortune and take up the life of a homeless wanderer with nothing to lose...Maybe they were possessed by the demons or maybe they were insane...Whatever it was, it never made any sense...
The good old Biscoe days when we were made to scale the traditional tough terrains with heavy haversacks on our adolescent backs and wood for camp fire in our soft hands...
Even long before we hit puberty, we were already scaling the mighty Himalayas aimlessly in search of something we knew not....!
And that something was something we were never aware of...All the while I used to wonder the point of punishing our bodies and going beyond limits into unknown terrains and territories...Maybe it was the lure of conquering the mighty mountain and the treasured feeling of standing on the highest peak as if proclaiming our superiority over all other creatures or maybe it was the adrenaline rush of walking the treacherous and most dangerous narrow paths...I believed it was the natural greed of the human nature for glory which kept us going even in the worst situations...
But how wrong could I have been...!!!
Having passed all the physical endurance tests and conquered all the mountains...Still the same question haunted the adolescent mind...
The question which had no answer...Some gave up and moved ahead into a world of unsatisfied accomplishments where they would always find something missing from their lives, an internal peace and satisfaction which would haunt them for the rest of their mortal life...
But some persevered and resisted until they lost their sense of existence in search of the answer...
Some say the mountains are haunted by the Jinn’s and the wandering spirits and some say by the walking snowman called ‘Yetis’...and sometimes such unbelievable myths come to life when you gaze on the giant footsteps in the snow or an exorcism being performed on a mountain side...
Sometimes what you see is hard to believe...and sometimes such truths shake your soul inside out awakening it to an unbelievable reality...!
Many monks climb the steep slopes in search of the eternal Shangri-la and many Sadhus wander in hope of finding the mighty Shiva in the mountains...
The tough treks up the steep mountain slopes and the uphill battle against the elements... Maybe I used to interpret such voluntary self torture as the human nature of ambition and greed for power...But the truths hidden in the mountains never lie and they speak of the divine...
The gigantic mountains are a source of mystical experiences...Breath taking sunset and sunrise, the lush green forests, the treacherous steep slopes, spine chilling piercing winds...the melting glaciers and the fresh snow...the huge rocks surrounded by wild flowers...the gushing white waters...sparkling fresh morning dew...the unending long days and the starry nights...the uncertainty of time...the calm of the valley...everything a mortal could ask for...and yet the same old greed of wanting more...the desire to fulfil all the unsatisfied emotions, an ambition to go to the top...a struggle for an internal satisfaction and peace...a fight for power and desires...a fight for the title of strongest and most powerful
When the mountain finally beats you down to earth...tired and beaten...ashamed of the unsuccessful efforts...defeated and broken, having lost to the mother nature...then for the first time in your life you start looking around yourself, admiring all the gifts that nature has bestowed on us...contemplating and reflecting on how the water always manages to break through such massive rocks and make its way forward...how the weakest of creatures manages to survive in the most hostile environment...how each and every creation is unique and wonderful as if designed by God himself...humbled by the experience, you watch the tall mountain in awe and wonder...

And finally a DIVINE intervention....!
The spirit is awakened...a divine satisfaction and peace blesses the soul...
A soul which suddenly wakes up after years of slender and wakes to the voice of nature...The Gods nature....you give up and let yourself be defeated and feel like having achieved all that was to achieve...you no longer want to win...
It’s the feeling when you realise how small is your existence...how powerless are your most powerful attributes...a true realisation, as if you have conquered death itself
this feeling of being mortal and weak makes you lie back and enjoy the painful moment of your defeat...the moment when you look up at the sky, close your eyes with the last bit of strength left in your body...you see yourself elevate to a land unknown to this world...a land of the pure and divine...a land of freedom from desire and ambition...a land of fulfilled promises and wishes...a land of peace and satisfaction....a land of perfection and blessings...a land of joy and justice
Sitting on the peak of the mountain and looking at the world with a changed perspective, praising the God who created you from dust...
All the achievements and all the wealth are of no value any longer...All the ambitions and desires disappear into thin air...Finally you have found the answer, an answer to all your questions... you bow down and gaze with utter humility at your own humble soul...
Opening your eyes, you find yourself lying back in Gods own lap...
The mountain is no longer a question of intimidation...it’s no longer a challenge...you move on with respect for each and every step that the mountain allows you to take on its back...the soul has finally awakened to the reality of this world and the world after...
God always gives you traces of his existence...it’s we who need to open our eyes, awaken our humble spirit and start admiring God in everything that has been created...it maybe the mighty mountains or the vast plains or even a simple rock lying by a river...God flows through all his creations
A divine realisation of our mere existence and a divine creator of all...a humbling experience...an eternal peace and satisfaction found in the magical mountains and mystical valleys where you find yourself lying in Gods own lap...
Your own Shangri-la, an answer to all the questions...

7 comments:

kashmirviews said...

You write well dude.
Keep it up, this one is amazing- I wonder of you drop on my blop--has updated it and the post is related to Sajad's shift...
regards.

Unknown said...

Stupid. Go get a life.

Unknown said...

Go do something meaningful in science and technology instead of spending time with hatred, violence and guns. We Muslims have a lot to give to the world.

Musadiq Ali said...

We muslims have a right to fight against oppression...!

Mrinalini said...

Probably today I'm on a reading spree!!
A soul enriching insight, was a delight to read.

Mrinalini said...

And probably you are rite, not only Muslims but everybody has a right to fight against oppression. But,it shouldn't involve hatred and violence as this dissolves the very essence of struggle, the fight for the rise of mankind!!

Mrinalini said...

By not involving violence I don't refer to the Gandhi's world as you have mentioned in one of your write ups; where people continue facing the aggression and suppression with no force but a non-violent will to suffer eternally until the oppressor decides mercy...!!!
Rather,I resent vindictiveness
Fight for ones right should be on the grounds of strong morale.