Kashi, now modern Varanasi is a very ancient city at the banks of the River Ganges. It is believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva and Parvati. People from around the world visit Kashi for various reasons, as Kashi fulfills one’s quest/search. It gives spiritual experience to a spiritual seeker and materialistic satisfaction to the worldly man.

Kashi means the “Shining City” or City of Light.

It is not easy to encapsulate Kashi in words as is an experience that one cannot limit in words. To put Kashi in words is limiting its vastness and expansiveness.

After visiting Kashi for the first time in Dec 2021, something inside of me stirred. My room in the hotel to the saints, temples, Ghats I visited was a therapeutic experience for me. I am writing this piece to share what Kashi means to me personally, though I know it will not be even close to what my “inner being’ experienced.

For me, Kashi is a huge energy center. It is a place where all the great saints have walked upon and left their legacy. It is rejuvenation, re-energize, and recharging for the Atma. At the same time, it is Reality and Acceptance.

Acceptance of the Reality that Every Existence on this Earth is Time-Bound. When the Time is over, Story is Over

And at the same time, it is an understanding that Life and Death, Joy and Pain, Victory and Defeat, Celebration and Plaintiveness are two sides of a coin.

I witnessed the joy of life and the sadness of losing a life. I witnessed many dead bodies after every 30-50 sec passing through street flanked by eateries, varieties of shops, people laughing, joking & celebrating.  Nothing paused, It is a way of Life in Kashi.

I was even invited by an employee working in Manikarnika Ghat to come closer & take pictures of bodies being burnt.

I was speechless, motionless but chanted prayers inside my heart for departed souls and was trying to make sense of the sentence “ come closer & take pictures”.

Maybe the man wanted me to look at Death (the only reality) closely and maybe at the same time  “enjoy death “ as you enjoy life by taking pictures and creating memories.

I do not know what he meant but those words will always be etched in my memory.

I vividly remember moving away, standing on the rock in front of the magnificent view of the River Ganges, looking at all those bodies, some were dipped in the Ganges before the sacred fire could consume it, others were being burnt, and the rest were just waiting.

Prayers, rituals, chattering, laughing, and drinking everything was going on at the same time.

It felt like I was a motionless spectator, watching a movie in a cinema hall with so much Colour, Joy & Pain of life. It made me remember the words of Paramahamsa Yogananda from his book  “An Autobiography of a Yogi”, where he described that he stood motionless, in a bubble in the busy streets of Kolkata while Life  ( people, vehicles, bullock carts, etc)was zip zapping / moving around him.

I have not fully fathomed what I felt and witnessed in Kashi.  But for sure it stirred my Atma, my Being.

These are my few takeaways from my trip to Kashi, the place where I will like to go and stay for at least three months when my  Guru / God wills.

  • I understood, hopefully (though heard it many times) that Life does not come to standstill, upon anybody’s death
  • Death is the only Reality that does not Change.
  • Nothing stops after you die, it is business as usual. The clutches of Illusion (Maya Devi) are very strong. It makes people forget and make them dance to her tune.
  • Pray to Maya Devi to remind you of the truth of “Who YOU ARE “ and Your true purpose on this Earth.
  • I hope and pray that this Truth / Reality I remember every day so that I can detach myself from the transient, temporary and illusory world and attach myself to the ONE who is permanent GOD, / Paramatma. So that when I leave this physical plane, my hands will be empty but my heart will be full of Love (Bhakti)
  • Death is an integral part of this life and it is what it is. So Prepare yourself to meet your inevitable friend.

About the blogger:
Parul is a Wellness & Holistic Coach. She practices and teaches Atma Kriya Yoga, Traditional Yoga, Pre & post-Natal Yoga, Meditation, OM Chanting, and Reiki. She is a self-taught Sound Healer due to her strong affinity with OM. She conducts OM Chanting circles, Yoga, Meditation, Sound Healing sessions in Singapore and worldwide. She believes in the healing power of love and shares with others this gift as gifted by her Master Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda.

Contact her through:

Website: www.zarunahealing.org

Email: zarunahealing@gmail.com