All World
Gayatri Pariwar

For the past many days, we have been taking bath in the icy cold water. Mustering all the courage we could, we used to have a quick dip or two, but due to the biting cold, we could not dare to properly rub and wash the body clean. When we reached Jagnani camp, we came to know of three hot water spring ponds at the top of the hill. We could not resist the temptation to avail of the chance of having a proper bath, by rubbing and washing the body clean in hot water. We crossed the Ganga over the bridge, and panting and tired and resting many a times, we climbed up to the top of the hill where the hot spring ponds were situated. There were three ponds side by side. The water of one of them was so hot that you could not even touch its surface with your hands, leave alone taking bath in it. We were told that raw rice and pulses, bundled in a piece of cloth, when dipped in this water, would be cooked in no time. We could not experiment it ourselves, but in the second pond, which was tolerably hot, we bathed properly after a few weeks. We also washed clean our clothes.

I wonder how some hot springs exist here and there in the high Himalayan Mountains, which are mostly covered with snow, and from whose breasts flow cold streams down to the planes. It appears that there may be deposits of sulphur inside which might be imparting tremendous heat to the under-surface water currents passing through deposits. It can be compared to a gentleman endowed with many virtues and behaving coolly like the cold springs, but also letting out a trace of boiling anger lying hidden inside. Or may be the mountains are letting out their pent-up steam within in a controlled way through the medium of these outbursts of hot springs, rather than hypocritically suppressing them. It is bad to have defects, but to conceal them is worse. The mountain knows this principle. How nice would it have been if man too had realized it!

The mountain might also have deemed it better to pour out whatever heat is left within so that the passers-by like us, distressed due to coldness, might get relief. Having become cold from outside, a little heat might be left within. So the mountain might have thought, " why to save the little heat left in when the whole thing has become cold, why not give it to the needy, since I may have no use of it ". If only there were many human beings following the ideals of this self-sacrificing mountain! However hard we may try, we can never forget these hot fountains of the cold region. Thousands of travelers like me will sing paeans of praise for the mountain, for it is a manifestation of selfless sacrifice. Providing heat to others while suffering in cold oneself is like providing food for others while himself remaining hungry. 

Today a group of pilgrims to Gangotri also joined us. There were seven members in the group - five men and two women. We were carrying our luggage ourselves, but their luggage was carried by a porter of the hilly area. The porter was a villager and his language was also difficult to understand. He was rude and quarrelsome by nature. While we were going along the top of the hill leading to Jhala camp he pointed to something, making a queer and frightening face and muttered something in his colloquial language. What he told was not fully understood but a member of the group thought that he heard the porter uttering Bhalu, Bhalu (Bear) and started looking in the direction indicated by him. The fog was heavy at the time, making clear vision impossible, but some black animals could be seen moving in the area indicated by the porter.

Our companion, who heard “Bhalu, Bhalu" from the porter and saw the black animals in the indicated direction, was very much frightened. He was now fully convinced that ferocious bears were roaming about nearby. He was some distance behind us, but now he moved as fast as he could and joined us. His lips were dry and trembling with fear. He stopped us and, showing the black animals moving below, told that they were bears and that we were in danger.

Fear gripped all of us, but none could suggest any way out of the lurking danger. The forest was dense and fearsome, too. So it seemed to provide a good habitat for wild bears. It was only two days back that we had heard from the pilgrims who had been to Manasarovar two years back, about the terror of wild bears. Our fear began growing. The black bears were advancing towards us. Due to the thick fog the shape of the animals could not be seen clearly. The black color and their size, matching with that of the bears, in addition to the utterance “Bhalu, Bhalu" by the porter, left us in no doubt about the animals being bears. We then thought it proper to ask the porter himself as to what could be done. When we looked for him, he was not found to be with us. We concluded that he, sensing the danger, might have hidden himself somewhere or climbed on some tree for safety. We were left in a helpless situation, paralyzed by mortal fear. 

We all stood together close, two each facing the four directions, holding our lathis (sticks) with the sharp pointed nailed end out as if they were guns. The idea was to push the nailed end into the bears’ mouths and dealing them lathi-blows, in the event of attack. It was decided that all will stay together and none will run away, come what may. With this planned strategy, we began to move slowly. The bears that were earlier found coming up towards us, were now moving downwards. We doubled our speed. To get out of the danger zone as quickly as possible was our single-pointed aim. All were chanting God's name. Fear had gripped us tightly. Running thus, we covered the distance of nearly a mile and a half.

Fog began to fade. It was about 8 '0' clock in the morning. Direct sunlight started spreading. Dense part of the forest was also left behind. People grazing the sheep and goats were seen ahead. We heaved a sigh of relief. With the feeling of great relief, having come out of the danger, we sat down to take rest. By now the porter also arrived. Seeing us all frightened he enquired of the reason. The companion said, "God saved us from the bears you had shown us. But you simply deceived us. Instead of telling us what to do you hid yourself in safety."

The porter stood bewildered. He sensed that there was some misunderstanding. When told about the Bhalu (Bear) he had indicated, he got the point which caused the confusion. He explained, “The Aloo (potato) grown in the village 'Jhala' are famous for its big size. Such crop is not grown in any of the villages here. This is what I had told you by sign of fingers. When I told of 'Aloo of Jhala' you heard it as Bhalu (bear). The black animals you saw are the black cows that graze here all the day. Due to the fog, they appeared to you like bears. There are no bears in this region. They are found on the higher mountains. I stayed behind for easing beside the stream. Else I would have been with you and there would have been no confusion. "

We laughed at our folly and were ashamed as well. We blamed and ridiculed the fellow-pilgrim who heard the porter wrong. Fear was transformed into humor. We kept chatting about it the whole day. Recalling what everyone said or did in the state of fear, there went on mutual teasing throughout the day. Everyone was keen to prove that others were more frightened. The journey passed joy¬fully. The subject became a good entertainer. 

The imaginary existence of the bears which had become a reality and question of life and death for us an hour earlier, eventually turned out to be a mere phantom.

It made me think that there are many ghostly phantoms rooted in our life, due to which we remain constantly under unfounded fears of family, neighbors and society. Under the false notion that we will be looked upon as poor and ordinary fellows, if we do not indulge in pomp and show, many of us incur heavy expenditures beyond our means. It is appropriate to be conscious of public opinion when the question of morality and character arises, but not with regard to being forced by fear of social stigma to incur exorbitant expenses on social functions, marriages, post-death rites, etc. We must stand up firmly against such phantom fears. 

With all kinds of worries, troubles, dilemmas, provocations, desires and ill will staring at us from all sides, the world appears to be terribly evil and frightening. Everything here appears frightful like the bear. But when the light of the knowledge of Self dawns, when the fog of ignorance fades away, when mental weakness diminishes, we realize the folly of having assumed the cows to be bears. When the light of true knowledge dawns, we realize that those whom we thought to be enemies are in fact reflections of our inner states of deluded minds; basically all are sparks of the Spirit. If God is flawless, his creations too must be intrinsically auspicious and benevolent. It is like imagining a frightful “Bhalu” out of a nourishing “Aloo”.