Radha

 Radha is love, Radha is Devotion, Radha is innocence, Radha is strength. As the drops fall on her forehead her mischievous eyes twinkle and she runs in the meadow, many more rain drops falling on her head now making her cold, but that Diya ignited inside her is giving her what she wants - the realisation of the self, that warmth. There is an obstacle though. What is it ? The skin over her forehead twitches. She wakes up with a start, inside her house, somewhere in the outskirts of Mathura.

Still in her early 20’s, Radha is exuberant and exceptionally beautiful. A budding doctor and an obedient daughter, she is truly a blessing to the society and her parents. Her training at the local hospital is rigorous though, on several occasions she has to skip meals and also cut down her sleep. There are times when she feels lost, she feels empty, she feels lifeless. Wandering amidst all the noise, hustling to find that light deep within, and somehow spread it selflessly.

On one such night when she was extremely tired and was returning home she heard a voice. Ah! She knows this voice, it sounds familiar, she introspects. She deviates from her path to home and begins to follow the voice. To her confusion she never reaches the originating point of the voice. Surprisingly the coming week was as hectic as that day, and every night she followed the voice but was never able to reach its origin. By the weekend her mind is completely exhausted so is her body. She is already looking weak. She looks at the sky. Several clouds cover the sky in a matter of seconds and it begins raining heavily. She feels she is broken from within, yet she wants to walk, towards that voice. She does not have an umbrella and she is all drenched. Despite the heavy rain weakening the intensity of the mysterious voice, she follows it. Look! There! She stands with her fist clenched , before the huge mountain. The voice is coming from just behind that mountain. She finally smiles in the rain, all wet, shivering yet very sure that she will reach that voice, the voice which was calling it not from a week, but from a million years.

What is an obstacle? An obstacle is anything that hinders one’s progress. In life too we face many such obstacles. Now we have two options, either to turn our back to it and run away and lead a life under the influence of darkness or to face the obstacle with courage to find out who we truly are. The wind is violent so is the thunder and lightning. Yet Radha smiles. She closes her eyes, the voice becomes clear. It is the voice of water, waves resonating with the music of a percussion instrument. She starts talking to the waves. Her relation with her goal is strengthened and the obstacle looks weak now. She starts singing with the waves, Ah the obstacle is nothing! She opens her eyes.

The huge mountain has risen up in the air. The sight is magical. Shri Krishna has arrived and he has lifted the mountain on his little finger, he looks endearing, emanating golden radiance. He is smiling, Shri Krishna the epitome of knowledge. Radha walks towards him under the mountain now, protected from the brutal rain now. She touches his feet as the universe watches with happiness. Krishna speaks-“Someone is waiting for you my child, don’t stop “, Radha observes that due to the supernatural glow of Krishna she was not able to look beyond. She bows again as Krishna instructs her to keep walking.

As she takes a few more steps she finally is able to come on the other side of the mountain. She is no more blinded by Shri Krishna’s light now and she is clearly seeing something. Behind the mountain is a huge river, the water of which spreads till the point her vision can see. All she sees now is glistening water, the sky is clear above and the voice of the waves are resonating with her heart beats now.Ah it is river Ganga, she is in Kashi! She looks inside the water. She sees herself for the first time. A doctor, a daughter, a human. No. She sees herself for the first time clearly. Her image is comprehensible to herself for the first time today. Who is she? Sat Chit Anand. Existence Consciousness Bliss. The light of the Diya. No one could touch that Diya, absolutely no one, she repeated to herself- no one or no circumstance could touch that Diya. As she saw her reflection on the water surface, with every passing second the water reduced and it seemed that her eyes became more moist. Yes she was lost, but not lost in darkness, she was lost in herself, in self love. Very slowly all the water was gone and her eyes appeared to be filled with drops looking like crystals. She didn’t notice something though. As the water of the river cleared, something started becoming visible slowly. On the river bed was a humongous Shiva Linga, which got uncovered as the water vanished slowly!

The voice is that of a Damroo. Mahdev’s Damroo. Shiva’s Damroo. Her vision is blurred. Radha is in a state of ecstasy too, maybe beyond, in trance. She can definitely see the huge Shiva Linga yet it isn’t clear due to her magical eyes. Her soul is anxious, she questions “ My Mahadev is here, how am I going to perform the Abhishek.” In the same mood with the same questions she walks towards the the Shiva Linga, the sound of the Damroo is increasing in intensity. Something mystical happens when she finally reaches the Shiva Linga, from her eyes are poured a million tear drops which appear to be like crystals and pearls, they are poured onto the Shiva Linga. The sky which was blue turns red as slowly from the Shiva Linga Lord Shiva originates with the Damroo in one hand.It begins to snow. The location changes. She is on mount Kailash. Muscular body covered in ashes, holding a trident in his other hand, a snake around his neck, his third eye emanating brilliance, his stature is tall, his skin is glittering, he is the destroyer of the evil, Shankar, Bholenath, Shiva. Radha begins to shiver once again and falls on his feet. 

Shiva speaks- “ You are Shakti- the supreme divine energy. How could you even think you are lifeless? You are pristine, You are beautiful, You are the source of spiritual enlightenment. Why do I say so? Because we are very very close, more than you can imagine. When you looked into the river to see your reflection, you saw yourself….but it was me who actually felt all your waves and made you realise what the truth is, we are non dual. Shiva and Shakti are one, their union is inevitable.” Radha fainted at Shiva’s feet.

Several emergency calls from the casualty, stomach calling for food, body calling for rest, yet Radha is working incessantly with her Prabhu’s name on her lips. The obstacles are huge at times, fatigue hits her mind, yet she bounces back every time with greater energy for she knows how closely connected she is to her lord, for she now knows how to defeat the obstacles, for she now knows what her true nature is..Shiva Shakti…. Somewhere on mount Kailash, Shiva contemplates silently…