Signs – Its everywhere

March 12, 2009

 

          Looking at the closed doors of the ironing shop brought a sense of disappointment. I was puzzled naturally as it was just few minutes back I drove that way to my home. I was puzzled for the mere reason on how/why I didn’t notice that the shop has been closed that too a corner shop. Had I noticed, it would have saved me some energy in rather an unsual hot evening. I had clothes in my hand which were lying for weeks in the bureau since they went through washing, one or the other way I have successfully found reasons so far to postpone this walk to the iron shop. It was obvious that closed shop brought a dull feeling, I looked at the shop for few more seconds, turned back started the walk towards home. As I walked for few steps, again the same question creeped in on why I didn’t notice that the shop was closed, it was not as if I was buried into my own thoughts while I drove that evening, hmm… I thought, what could be the reason for this? Probably some questions don’t have answers?

 

          Exactly a fornight ago, March 1, 2009, I was in my native for a function. It was a Sunday and my relatives and few friends joined us, one of my uncles told me he is planning to go to a temple in Thirunageswaram a place nearby to my native Kumbakonam that evening for abhishekam (general term usually referred to the ritual where milk, rosewater etc… are poured over the idols, its symbol of holiness,it’s a believed to be very special/auspicious and supposedly bring prosperity/well being), I was naturally very happy and immediately expressed my desire to join him, when he said he is planning to start by 3, I didn’t enquire much and said ok.

 

          It was around 3, I got a call from my friend who has picked another friend of mine from the busstand, the other fellow has travelled just to be part of the function, back of my mind I remembered about the timing I confirmed to my uncle, I wasn’t too driven by time this time as I know temples in my part of the native opens by 3 pm after the afternoon closure and would be open late in the evening. I asked my uncle if it’s ok if we can start in 15-20 minutes as it would take that much time for my friends to come, my plan was to invite them, spend some time and leave for the temple. Since my friends were known to my family for longtime it wouldn’t be any kind of uncomfort feeling for them to stay even if Im not there. All went as planned, ofcourse few extra minutes and finally I excused myself from my friends and asked my uncle to start, I guess it was around 3:35, we started in the bike and as I was about to leave, noticed one more aunt of mine and uncle along with some more relatives were coming in at distance, since I started I didn’t want to getoff and waited for them to walkby, few more minutes passed by and they reached, after exchanging pleasantaries, I told them about the trip and promised to be back in an hour and half, started finally, I was not particularly too critical about the time we have lost all the while as for me in my mind the temple would be open till late evening, which later proved how illogical it would be to assume on things and repent on the unclarity which results because of that. We started and as planned earlier filled in petrol on the way and when we reached the temple it was around 4:00.

 

          What I found at temple kind of took me back, my uncle’s plan was to do abhishekam for the God-Raaghu/Kethu, significance was that the abhishekam happens exactly on the time called as Rahukaalam (Time which is not considered auspicious in Hindu tradition for any new things, example, someone who is going to start the travel will not start in that time). Every day rahukaalam comes for one and half hours, but different times in different day during the week as per Hindu calendar (Example one day it comes on morning 7:30 to 9:00 and some other day between 12 and 1:30 in the afternoon, but every weekday has its own fixed one and half hours slot which keeps repeating everyweek). In Thirunaageswaram the speciality itself is that this abhishekam happens exactly on that time and people from various parts come and pray for their wellness. Being Sunday, the rahukaalam is between 4:30 and 6:00 in the evening, the information about this auspiciousity of the abhishekam I came to know only when I reached the temple, as I noticed, there was a huge queue already, and my uncle told me that usually people come early and stand in the line so that they get the darshan before the rahukaalam time (before 6 pm). Not even in my thoughts was I expecting this, I was only expecting it to be normal abhishekam and time wouldn’t be a problem, but it wasn’t to be, we took the tickets and joined the queue, my uncle was telling me about the tradition there in the temple and he hoped that we will get the darshan in one and half hours, that’s about 5:30-5:40, that comforted me as otherwise I would feel guilty that I was the one responsible for us missing the abhishekham before 6.

         

The first 30 mins was hardly any movement in the queue as the abhishekham itself starts only at 4:30. We were talking and catching with whats happening in each other lives, we have almost touched all the topics and on top of it all, in my mind was the distance we need to cover to reach the place where abhishekam happens, with my prior trips here I know it is quite far and I wasn’t sure if we would make it. As the time flown by, with very little movement coupled with not knowing where the queue would end up it resulted in bit of nervousness, but for some reason it never bothered us or rather we didn’t take it very seriously, it was around 5:25 when there was flurry of movement and we were happy that we reached the final turn, we needed to just take one turn and that would lead us to the prayer hall, as we were about to walk more freely, gates were closed as they already allowed enough of people to pass in by in the previous batch, that means we need to wait till they open again for the next batch, we were hopeful and was more or less confident that they would open for one more batch. We were in front with couple of more people when the gates were closed hence we were somehow calm that we would get a chance to get a glimpse, but what god gave us was more than what we even would have dreamed off. We didn’t notice exactly how much time we would have stood there, we only know it was short, gates opened again.

 

There was a escort in front of us who led us and stopped in the prayer hall few metres behind the previous batch who were sitting and viewing the darshan, the rituals of the previous batch was still on, we noticed the time was 5:45, somehow felt bit relieved, we didn’t know what god has got in store for us that time, we got a glimpse of abhishekham as we were standing at far distance behind the previous batch, once done, the other batch started leaving rather asked to and being the first ones in the next batch we obviously got to the front near the karpagruha (place where they have the god idiolised), as the pooja’s started we realized how lucky we were to be in this batch, since its almost close to 6:00, we were the last batch and hence all the abhishekam and alangaaram (makeup) to the god was done with bit more grandness, even the milk abhishekham which is what my uncle came for, we were previliged to see for good length of time. Neither of us spoke as we lost ourselves in the beauty of what is happening in front of us and it was evident with the goosepimples I got with what I saw, it was some sight to watch the rituals, such a heart warming thing. It was close to 30 mins and probably the longest of all the pooja’s they have done since 4:30 pm that day.

 

          The awe of having witnessed such a pooja from such close vicinity didnt sink in even after long time, myself and my uncle discussed how significant it was to miss the previous batch, had we got into the previous batch we would not have witnessed what we saw, we probably would have been at far distance and would have to be contended with only the glimpse, we acknowledged  that the best thing was to miss the previous batch which happened in front of us, we were separated by seconds, well it striked me then, had we came to the temple few mins earlier also we would not have received this darshan, one and half hours before what seemed a problem turned out to be the best thing to have happened, it was no more a guilty feeling, rather I was thankful to my aunt and uncle who came in as we were about to start from home and the time we spent talking to them proved to be decisive, sounds like F1 race isn’t it. well its that close, still to think of it, its not only the last minute entry of my uncle and aunt, its also about my friends coming in at that exact time….., it looked to me like a perfect script tailor made which nobody could planned any better, those things leaves an amazing feeling which would leave us stunned.  Ever since that experience my earlier belief of  “Things happens for a reason and for the good” has gained a huge boost, I don’t know how many friends I would have told since then, but everytime I tell them it’s a feeling of utmost satisfaction.

 

          Well, with all that, today more than the disappointment of the shop being closed, I was more oriented in thinking on why I missed the shop while I drove that way few mins back, I would have walked few metres and in front was a couple who were walking from the other side towards my direction and the guy was looking at me and the dresses I was holding in my hand, it was very momentary and nothing was in my mind, I was probably thinking he wanted to ask if the shop is closed, I presumed that they are going to give some clothes to the same shop for ironing as well, then I noticed his wife looking at the clothes I was holding and asking if I want to iron them, taken aback a bit, I realized in few seconds she is the one who does the ironing in that shop which is right now closed and I failed to recoginise her all this while, confirming, I handed over the clothes and walked home not only with the lightened hand but also with the lightened heart which seemed to have got the mysteries answered from god, its because I didn’t notice the closed shop while I drove that I actually made attempt to go to the shop and ended meeting the person who were coming back from some function. Signs are obviously everywhere to guide us through good and bad times and its only us fail to read them for a better life, Im yet to get over these experiences, well, life is indeed beautiful with all these stunningly beautiful moments.