An Auspicious Ceremony
It was late December 2015. We arrived in Coimbatore, India well after dark; to attend an auspicious event at the Agathiyar Gnana Peedam. We made our way to Mettupalayam the following morning; the small mystical town resting in the Nilgiri foothills. We reached our destination at around 6am just as the sun was gently awakening and people were beginning to dash about in starting their day.
Greetings
Greetings with Swamiji, Mataji and others followed with much excitement, enthusiasm and delight. We spent some time engaged in warm, friendly conversation before Swamiji showed us the new structures and buildings around the ashram which included living accommodation, a prayer hall and a consecrated meditation sanctuary. He also took the time to enlighten us around the numerous bundles of precious, dried leaves and herbs which were to be offered to a sacred fire later that day. By that time the sun was smiling down pleasantly revealing the sheer beauty of the surrounding greenery and the rolling hills far into the distance.
Gratitude to Swamiji
Events of the day commenced with a morning prayer, officiated by both Swamiji and Mataji. Upon reflection, I am enormously grateful for the opportunity to have participated in a sacred ceremony of such a nature as Swamiji is no longer with us. The day was busy and scheduled with numerous activities. The number of devotees and supporters grew as the day unfolded. It presented an excellent opportunity to meet and engage with new people from various parts of the world. The ashram; in a small, little heard of town unquestionably held a global reach and had attained interest and an audience far and wide.
Secrets of the Forest
Another prayer followed later in the day which comprised the chanting of several mantras and the enactment of various rituals before a fire. A significant part of the rituals included the offering of 108 sacred medicinal herbs, leaves, shrubs and bits from the forest into a raging fire. These items were sought and collected from the forest over a period of weeks leading up to the auspicious event. Gathering of the items is usually the task of specialists, generally siddha doctors who have the exceptional knowledge of recognizing with precision which item is to be picked based on it’s medicinal properties. It is held that each herb, leaf, plant or bark of a tree is recognized for its properties to cure every illness currently known to man. These were secrets known to siddhas and were passed down to a selected few.
Sacred Fire
It was a little after noon and the mighty Sun was out in full glory. A sacred fire took center stage. Numerous devotees encircled it from a safe distance. Mataji held up each bundle, introduced it by name, provided a brief explanation of its medicinal properties, praised it for its extraordinary value to human life, then chanted relevant mantras to invoke the divine energies and benefits thereof; before graciously offering it to the roaring fire. Each bundle was devoured by the smoldering inferno, crackling, popping, snapping and finally releasing a strong fragrance. It is believed the burning of the dried foliage facilitates the release of emissions and fragrance into the air which is to ward off illness and diseases before they arise. The energies radiated from the blaze, the chanting of mantras, vibrations from devotees around the fire and the participation of the fiery sun was indeed potent enough to literally scorch one’s karma.
Magic, Wonder, Mystery and Surprise
The day ended with the sun bidding farewell, people gradually taking leave and silence descending to the state it was that morning. It was certainly a day filled with magic, wonder, mystery and surprise. I did not expect to leave such an extraordinary energy vortex without something of value. The event did not disappoint. That morning, I encountered someone quite by surprise. I did not see the person approach. I heard a “hello”, turned around to see a sage looking, ochre clad sannyasi, a renunciate. It was not unusual as there were others similarly dressed who had attended the event. However, a distinct characteristic of these individuals is their preference for solitude. They impose a desired distance from others and tend to maintain silence, either meditatively or through observation. Devotees, aware of this generally do not disturb them as a sign of respect and reverence. Hence, being approached by one not only took me by surprise but caught me astonished and somewhat overwhelmed. He appeared kind, friendly, cheerful and very mysterious. It was clear to me that he knew more about me than he disclosed. Our interaction was brief but he shared something which he described in detail and requested that I look out for it. His words held true as I did come to encounter and experience his grace later that day. On a different note, when asked about himself and where he hailed from, his warm, candid response was “I move about a lot, I’m usually here, there and everywhere”.
Awareness or Oblivion
My introspection and reflection that night was extensive. Much was out of the ordinary in comparison to my mundane, regular routine activities. I was extremely appreciative for everything I could recall but also pondered over what I may have missed from not being fully aware. Therein lies the miraculous power of “awareness”. We could be missing the magic of miracles every day. I had to be guided to one by a mysterious entity that day or... I most likely would have missed it.
Self-Reflection
Have you experienced an event, interaction or encounter you believe was something more than what it appeared to be? More than an “event”?
Did you perhaps dismiss it, rationalizing it was nothing out of the ordinary or did you attribute it to your penchant for over analysis?
