The Traveller From Shivshail

The lost road of Timir' had always been there, so was the 'light' that shone upon it, from the creator of this magnificent cosmos.The road stretched long, till ones vision could reach, the surface being Rocky yet smooth, small fresh grass arising from minute occasional crevices. Surrounded on both the sides by a dense cover of maple trees, the lost road of Timir had seen many travellers. Travellers from different parts of the world, beating hearts, anxious minds, curious souls. One such day, arrived on it a man named 'Om'.

With every step he took, the fallen maple leaves rustled. Om looked in astonishment and took one such leaf in his hand. A gleaming red light emanated from its border. The rustling sound was gone, yet inside his heart he could hear the rustling. Ah! He realised on the lost road of Timir that he had a heart that beats. He brought the same leaf close to his chest. Could he find purpose by reflecting within even when he was lost? Gradually, he closed his eyes and the flaming maple leaf submerged inside his heart.

There were many travellers who could never reach the end of 'The lost road of Timir', yet here was Om, who realised his unique existence through a maple leaf. A lost traveller who turned his consciousness inward and arrived at the end of the lost road, he had finally arrived at the shore of 'River Sheetla". It's water reflected the blue sky with ease, the pebbles within which appeared crystal clear due to the pure water kissed the sky . It seemed that the river was singing, as if calling Om. On its shore was a small boat, which Om boarded and set sail. He chanted his own name and he felt the river sang with him in her soft voice, as was the nature of River Sheetla- pure and soft-

" O Traveller from where do you come
Your Identity I must learn
For I'm aware of My Prabhu Shiva and his might
And only his commands I must abide"

To which Om replied reverently-

" O Maiyya Sheetla I am om, a traveller from the lost road of timir- darkness
I'm in search of inner purity and calmness
I bow to you and also to Shiva and his might
Will you help me find the lost divine light?"

The breeze with its gentle touch, mesmerized Om, as if it was a blessing from the holy River Sheetla. The sun was setting. The river flowed with elegancy amidst forests of sandalwood trees. The evening sunlight pierced the trees it seemed and brought a fragrance and vitality which touched Om's skin. Om bowed down now, as River Sheetla began to speak again-

"  Nothing's lost O traveller, the light is eternal
Sometimes you must search in depths internal
To find the truth which is hidden by illusion
Which can be uncovered by silent and sincere contemplation's inclusion "

Om gave his final reply to the magical river-

" A million obeisance to you O Maiyya Sheetla the pure
Your answers and my efforts shall now cure
The pains of this quest of mine
My attempts to reach the utmost divine"

To which Ma replied and ended her song-

"Blessings O child, may you reach you goal
In your succes may even the smallest twig play a role
For when one decides to find that truth with his most passionate emotion
Each element of nature begins to work so that the devotee crosses strife's ocean "

It was night now, the stars in the sky scintillated around the boat. Inside the eyes of om, scintillated a dream which Om was seeing with open eyes. A dream where he had united with his Aradhya(reverend), like a small child unites with his mother. His eyes were teary now. In the mystical night he felt that his pain was going unnoticed, but in reality it was not just being noticed, it was felt, it was shared, it was understood, and it was answered too, by the creator by his own voices, but through the soul of Om.

The morning sun tenderly touched Om's eyelids and woke him up. The boat had drifted to an unknown shore which led to a mountain range. Surprisingly the mountains seemed to be covered by snowy caps. Om stepped out of his boat, bowed before 'River Sheetla' one last time and begun walking towards those enigmatic mountain ranges. The closer he reached to those mountains, the more extreme the weather conditions got. The cold seemed to be unbearable, the breeze which was soothing hours before was now piercing his skin it seemed. In those moments, Om thought.
Who sets the limits of bearable and unbearable? If all answers are in the depths of nature, then wasn't penance a part of nature? Another story of divine creation?  Wasn't it his duty now to accept it and make the best out of it? Make the best out of his breaths? Driving through penance, reaching the truth, wasn't this his purpose?
During those moments of thought, Om seemed to forget what he felt physically and entered a realm of Shakti (power). He had already arrived at the entrance of a cave inside one of those mysterious snow covered mountains.

The cave was dark, he could not see a thing, his steps trembled , and he decided to walk slowly. Then very gradually he saw a mystifying golden light, it wasn't sharp, it was dispersed, soft yet very powerful. As he took a few more steps, he saw dressed in red, holding a small diya(lamp) in her beautiful pale hands- Ma Parvati(Ma Durga). In that golden light he saw her eyes, Motherhood dripping and colouring his heart. In her soft voice she called-
"Come my child, come to your mother, I have waited for a long time..."
Inside the golden light Om saw himself, an innocent child who was realising the powers of the divine creators. He ran towards his mother and surrendered himself to her feet. His mother lifted him up and brought him close to her bosom. Om's tears didn't stop! He was blinded by them and the Shakti. She says kindly in her enthralling voice -
" Your father is waiting for you child, at the top of this same mountain, which is our home, mount Shivshail! Hold my hand now and close your eyes, we shall levitate to Shivshail's top"
Ma Parvati placed the Diya in her hand onto the floor of the cave, and held Om's hands.

The light of Knowledge, the purity of rivers, the quest through darkness, the voices of nature, the core of this cosmos, the 'one' voice, rose through the cavernous mountain Shivshail to reach its top. Amidst the whiteness of the glowing snow, walked a muscular Deity, a snake wrapped around his neck, a trident in his hand...and his third eye on his forehead, radiating flowers with ignited petals. Ma Parvati seemed to be standing alone now, though she wasn't , inside her joined hands was the seed of creation. Shiva walked towards Ma. He wrapped his hands onto Ma Durga's, and both now faced the world where life dwelled. As they opened their hands, arose from it a conch shell, originating from it the voice 'Om' continuously and repeatedly. Om. The ultimate truth. The ultimate Divine. The all powerful. The voice of God, and the voice which immerses itself into Godliness. The non-dual purity of all beings, from quests to results of infinite wisdom and further pristine powers. Om. Through the euphoric music it came to light, that Om was always there, it had not journeyed to Mount Shivshail,  rather it was just reflecting it's depths from eternal times, it always resided there at Mount Shivshail.  The sacred Om echoed in the Mountain Shivshail, and all the mountains around, over the Holy River Sheetla(she smiled listening to the voice)..over 'the lost road of Timir' too where an inquisitive traveller was lost.. Om.