What can I say about the mountains that hasn’t been said before? They’re magnificent. They’re sublime. You stand before them to understand your own insignificance. You see them for what they are, and know that your problems, all your issues are trivial and just a passing incident. They have stood for centuries, and they’ll be here when you’re gone. The river that flows beneath carries the power to wipe you out but also cleanse you inside out. It is no wonder that people came to this spot however many years ago and fell immediately to their knees to worship this scene. It is undoubtedly holy, and holds the secret behind life - that the world is big and we are not.
I have visited the banks of the Ganga twice. The first time was in early 2022, and the second was now, in October 2024. It has been a strange life lived between these two visits. I have graduated high school, gone through the turmoil of settling into university, lost people, lost myself, and most importantly, changed my major. But the feelings of coming to these banks has been the same. Serenity, peace, and faith that something higher than myself is at play. I have to throw myself into the river, and trust. Something is taking care of me and my story. Seeing the river reminds me, but unfortunately I forgot this for a few months. It is difficult to not assign power to a higher being bringing me here at just the right time when I needed to remember the most. Swim or drown. Float or fight. Always swim, but don’t fight the current. Swim in the direction you were meant to.
The Ganga is often associated with so many things. A classmate had once made a passionate speech about Manikarnika - the cremation grounds on the Ganga. While it can be dismissed as myth and superstition, there is something about huge flowing rivers amidst the backdrop of the Himalayas that make you think about death. That life must end. When I visited last I had come with family friends. As often is with teenage girls, we chatted through out the trip and so I don’t remember the details. Except of course the Ganga. Her father passed away sometime last year. Being here again made the loss more pronounced, his absence exemplified. His unwavering faith in the Ganga was what brought us here the first time. It is something I will remember for a lifetime. And I’m glad I have that experience to remember him by. It is not lost on me why people would want to come here even in death. To float in the Ganga as your end, our ancestors knew the perfect way to say goodbye.
Over the centuries a religion grew on the banks of the Ganga. It is the basis of much of our civilisation. I visited Rudraprayag and Devprayag, the unions of two rivers considered extremely holy. To an untrained eye it might seem like just a pretty scene, which it definitely is. However, I saw the faith and belief that so many had in the purity and divinity of these sites. For uncountable generations people came here with hope and prayers, believing that two rivers meeting meant dreams came true. So I, who fears getting my feet dirty and was raised with no thick skin for discomfort, walked into the Ganga. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but I felt that like the rock she polished smooth into round pebbles, I too was rubbed clean.
A guide told us that the two rivers that met at Devprayag, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi, represent the two sides of human nature. One runs fast and noisy, while the other is slow and calm - touching both at the same time will create balance in your soul. The balance is something I desperately need. I don’t know if walking in fixed me, but at least I know that any part of me is a part of nature. This means it’s okay. The Ganga, which forms has a result of this union, is the beautiful result of the two opposite sides of the spectrum of our personality. She accepts them both.
This region is full of such anecdotes, myths, sayings, and stories. It is after all the birthplace of one of the oldest religions in the world. I stood on the banks watching the Ganga Aarti, a practice done everyday to worship all that the river provides us with. People seem to always say that Rome must fall, everything that comes up always come down. But, people have been doing this for 4000 years. I’m not a hyper religious person, but I’m spiritual enough to know that this means the survival of a culture. Against many odds, and time. That deserves my devotion.
At some times in life, it is perhaps crucial for people like me to have a belief in something more than myself. I need to have faith that all of this has meaning, and that I’m going somewhere. It is said that no one chooses to come to her, she calls them to herself. From some twist of fate, or God’s will whenever I have needed this the Ganga has called me to her. Some people will laugh if I say the Ganga has magical properties, but there is just something about this place. Positive energy, mysticism, legacy, the sublime. Give it any name you want, but it showed me my place in the world. It showed me my pain is temporary, and so is my pleasure. And that all of it ends, with our atoms flowing in the river.
Comments