Chapter 8. Children of Light

There are two ways of finding her. One, you worship her. Two, you become her. Amrit’s head rests in the lap of Meera as he looks deep into her eyes. A universe of constellations and undiscovered flames, their eyes speak silently.

‘How was the trip?’

‘A journey of self discovery.’

‘What is that.. How does it look?’

‘It looks like oceans of glimmering gold’

‘Did you dive in that ocean?’

‘ No. I was already it’s drop...or the whole ocean itself?’

Smiles. No words uttered yet so much told through the voice of the souls. Her hand sliding through his hair which had become rough from the extreme cold of Amarnath, his hands on her cheek enjoying the creations of life. Sleep. Sleep arrives inside tired bodies with enlightened minds and dreams now make way into their beautiful minds. They holding hands in the moonlight walking on a path laid with crystals of the shape of flowers, searching for the mother goddess. When will the search end? Will it always be a dream or will they actually find her?

Morning arrives. It is one of the few days when both Amrit and Meera have decided to visit their 18 year old son Om at his hostel. Om, their second child who moved to hostel a year back when he got admission in a medical college. His college was 50 miles from the place the family stayed, almost in the outskirts of the city, where there was a much better green cover and natural aura. He was an altogether different kid, spiritually inclined, too tranquil for his age and he never showed any sign of ego for all the good behaviour he exhibited. Sometimes Amrit and Meera would worry about him but though abnormally silent at times he never did anything unusual. The car made some noise before it started as Meera settled on the first seat beside Amrit. As eyes looked out of the window, flashbacks of Om’s childhood played within. The day when he was born, his eyes twinkled as if asking where had he come. The first time when he said ‘Ma’, it felt something resonated with a voice echoing in the mountains of Vaishno. The first time he walked, the celestial bodies seemed to move after an infinite spell of stillness.His love for the Spider-Man toy which he used to take with himself to sleep, Om would grow one day to be that powerful they imagined in an innocent way for their child. He did. He grew up to be powerful in his own subtle ways of thinking and morals, and who did that? It was Ma’s blessings.

They were nearing the destination as the density of the trees around increased. Sunshine piercing the leaves colouring the roads of life. Birds chirping around and a soothing breeze that gushes in through the windows. From the corner of his eyes Amrit observes something unusual. A flutter of butterflies flew behind a tree and vanished.

“ Did you see that?”

“ No what are you talking about..”

“Those butterflies that just vanished behind that tree”, pointing at the tree on the other side which had passed behind seconds ago.

“ Umm..strange”

They finally reached Om’s hostel. It was a holiday so there were no lectures. The warden called Om and he came outside surprised to see his parents. 6 feet tall, with long hair coming till shoulders, radiating eyes, face beaming with an eagerness to learn and a smile that was soothing like the river, that was Om. He walked to his parents and touched their feet’s and then hugged them.

“ My son has become so thin eating this hostel food”, exclaimed Meera.

Om smiled looking at the innocent concern of his mother.

“ How are you young Man! Hope you are studying well and reading Anatomy regularly “

“ Yeah Papa, pretty much”, he replied with a sparkle in his eyes as if the tough subject was troubling him but he was enjoying it at the same time .

The three decided to have lunch in Om’s college mess itself. There, Om’s friends interacted with his parents and shared a laugh on jokes made on the hostel life. Next, Meera came up with the idea of taking a long leisurely walk outside the campus in the lap of nature, to which everyone agreed. Sometimes you get your answers only in the depths of nature and nowhere else.

The three walked on the deserted road surrounded by trees and bushes and flowers. As they walked Meera gently plucked some flowers, mostly hibiscus. They discussed about Om’s studies, his upcoming exams and also the college fest where he was to participate in the poetry competition. He was in a different mood as if searching for something. As they walked he finally took a sigh of relief, he was so near to that tree. It was the same tree behind which Amrit saw the butterflies vanish. 

“ Mummy Papa come along, I’ll show you something”

Both Amrit and Meera exchanged expressions of confusion and followed Om who had just stepped outside the road on the grass towards the tree. As they walked Amrit quickly recollected that it was the same tree he had seen earlier. There was something peculiar about the tree. It was giant, and as they moved towards it a fragrance that of oil was sensed, they had also started feeling a bit cold, it was already evening and a mist had surrounded them and the area around the tree. They were standing in front of the huge tree now, a faint voice was audible too, the voice of flames, but where was the flame? 

“ This might surprise you both a bit mummy papa but keep your calm and see this”, Om went behind the tree and his hands were folded in a Namaskaram position( A hand position Made during prayers). They followed and whatever they saw behind the tree made their eyes moist. The trunk of the tree from bottom to the top was carved into several boxes. Each carved space had lit oil lamps. Surrounding each oil lamp were several butterflies, the same which Amrit had seen in the morning. The butterflies were constantly revolving around the flames and it appeared each flame was Saturn and the ring was made up of the beautiful butterflies flying in Majesty. Amrit and Meera joined their hand too. What followed was unbelievable. Slowly the butterflies transitioned their bodies into small birds of the colour of the flame, orange with a red tinge. They changed their paths swiftly and moved towards the three, over them and then behind them. The three turned to look where the birds flew. The moon was now visible in the sky and the mist in the forest area increased. Some amount of dew had settled on the bushes and the small plants around them. Om was leading and His parents walked behind him in utter silent and amusement, little did they know what was about to happen. They followed their son, their son followed the birds voice, the birds followed where his soul was.

In a matter of steps they had already entered deep inside the forest, the road behind wasn’t even visible. Amrit and Meera could only see Om’s back, a high neck black T-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. Gradually they noticed something that was absolutely unexpected. Om’s height began to decrease. He did not turn to his parents, he continued walking, his back visible to his parents. His height decreased further and his clothes changed too. He was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and track pants with slippers now. Meera faintly recollected that he used to wear those outfits when he used to go to the ground to play with his school friends. His height decreased further and he was now dressed in his school uniforms from primary school, cheques shirt and a half pant with neat black shoes, his gait changed too now, it was a more playful one. Amrit and Meera watched in amazement. Om’s height was now of a 2 year old wrapped in a blue towel. Amrit recollected how he used to bathe him when he was young and play with the soap bubbles, how he used to sneeze when the soap would accidentally go inside his nose and both used to laugh. Amrit and Meera’s eyes were so focused on Om that they didn’t even observe that Om had already reached a small water body. A small pond surrounded by trees from all the sides. The flame coloured birds flapping their wings above the water surface. In a slow, majestic way the birds now dive inside the water. The water appears bluish with a glow of red for a fraction of second and again clear. The moon shines bright. Om’s height decreased rapidly now. He was naked now. Sparse long hair on his small head, his tender buttocks and fragile back visible. Amrit and Meera begin to run now as Om is on the edge of the pond and about to fall inside. No single Individual can fall when they have devotion for Ma Durga. From inside the water two huge beautiful hands appear, flame coloured, the same colour that of the birds, that of the oil lamp’s flame. Om falls into the hands. Amrit and Meera awestruck watch the beautiful site holding each other’s hands. A females head now appears, black lustrous hair, a forehead now with a eye that is vertical in orientation, the two eyes now in the orbits, so dark as if they have the whole universe within them and gradually the whole body, skin of the colour of the flames wrapped in a vibrant red Saree and holding little Om in her hands. She walks on the water a little further reaching the center of the pond now, facing Amrit and Meera now. Bending her head Ma Durga reaches her lips near Om’s ears and begins to say something. Astonishingly Amrit and Meera feel as if Ma is speaking in their ears. They hear the enthralling voice so clearly in their ears-

I am what you are. You are what I am. Chant my name and I’ll be there. Close your eyes and I’ll be closer. Focus your energy on me and I shall enter you. Surrender to me and I shall be you. Who am I? I’m Ma Durga. Who are you?

Meera knows what to do now. She releases the flowers she had collected on the way into the pond, they magically float and convert into crystals forming a path to Ma Durga. Holding each other’s hands tight They both walk towards Ma. Ma Durga stretches her hands now. First they touch her feet. Ma Durga delicately handles Om into their hands. Amrit and Meera embrace him tightly, closing their eyes, Om staring them with glitter eyes as if he knows who they are.

They open their eyes and  find themselves in the same position, the difference is that they are hugging their 18 year old son Om now, dressed in a black high neck T-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers, in the parking lot of his hostel. Om’s eyes still glittering with a flame, his parents eyes moist.

“God bless you child. Work incessantly with the Seva(service) Bhaav( emotion) and surrender to Ma Durga’s feet.. It’s time for us to leave”

“ Yeah dad..”, Om replies softly.

The three hug each other again like a team and bid farewell. Amrit and Meera get inside the car and begin to drive back now. On the way Amrit sees the tree again, this time their are no butterflies or birds, yet inside his soul he sees a flame, the flame of Ma Durga, Om.

(To be continued.......)