The River Flows Within Me

Chapter 1: The Ambrosial Hour

“Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame!” — William Butler Yeats

The specific complex emotion that I encounter on seeing the Mighty Himalayas from the flight to Leh and back to Delhi is ‘ the sublime’. As the Plains and Lesser Himalayas of Dhauladhar and the Pir Panjals give way to the Great Himalayas, the glaciers, the endless spires of the peaks, the Trans Himalayan Plateau, the Tso Moriri Lake, the Zanskar Range …. the physical landscape immerses within me. Unknowingly this hour long flight of fantasy transcends into the ambrosial hour of meditation. The ocean of thousands of Spires rushes in the dynamic range of emotions ; fear as well as strange calmness, joy and excitement, mystery and reverence. I think of the ancient times when the Rishis crossed these formidable ranges on foot! The small window of the aircraft provided me the opportunity to embrace the grandeur of the Himalayas with folded hands. I close my eyes to chant:

Asatoma Sad-Gamaya

Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya

Mrytyor-Maa Amritam Gamaya

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantihi

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantihi

Lead me from the untruth to the Truth.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from death to immortality
Om Peace Peace Peace.

This meditative journey continues.