Last Updated on September 18, 2022 by
The Soul Within Thee is a River;
Its Sacred Bathing place is Contemplation;
Its Banks are Holiness;
Its Waters are Truth;
Its Waves are Love;
Bathe in that River for Purification;
Your Soul will not be made Pure by water alone;
The above poetic verse was the finale of several contemplations over the past few weeks with Swamiji, who is performing Sadhana on the banks of the Ganga right now.
The poetry itself is attributed to the Tantrasara, which consists of poetic verses written by Abhinavagupta, a famous historical proponent of the Kashmir Shaivism philosophy of Hinduism.
Imagine chanting for four to six hours a day with a backdrop of the continuous sound of the Ganges rushing through a valley covered with trees. Here, there are no people. There are no cell phones. There are no computers. It is just you, nature, and your sacred offering of sadhana.
It is here in the Himalayas that nature has a sacred way of expressing herself and that over the ages Sadhus of all traditions have come to contemplate.
The poem above likened the River to our Souls.
Swamiji likened the continuous flow of the River to Life itself.
The River relentlessly flows, flows, and flows. Similarly, life too is a continuous flow of infinite expressions.
The River reminds us of the greatness of the Goddess, who brings life to all. Through life, She too relentlessly expresses Herself in infinite ways as She expands Herself through the universe.
Gratitude is what we are left with – gratitude for all of the wonderful expressions of life and for the opportunity to contemplate and do sadhana on this sacred River.
May we all be blessed with infinite opportunities!
Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji!