Kashi

THE city of Kashi is a city of magnificent temples, the domes and turrets of which, when viewed from a height, lend a charm to the scene on the banks of the holy river Ganges. The whole of India rightly recognises that Kashi is one of the most important shrines of Hindustan. Everyday, pilgrims by thousands are pouring into the place from all parts of India. As Ram took Ramdas on this pilgrimage in winter, the cold was very great here, and the Sadhuram and he had not sufficient clothing, and sleeping as they were in an open place on the bank of the river, the cold was felt very acutely – especially by the Sadhuram. The Sadhuram was getting impatient everyday. His main object of travelling in the North seemed to have been fulfilled after visiting Kashi. Now he wanted to return to South India. Ram’s will. Nothing happens in this world but subject to His divine will. Ram’s ways are inscrutable.

Next day, the train carried the Sadhuram and Ramdas to Ayodhya, the place where Sri Ramachandra lived and reigned. It was night when the pilgrims reached the place. They rested for the night in the open passenger-shed outside the station. The cold was intense. The Sadhuram suggested that both should lie down back to back, the backs touching each other. This device was adopted in order to exchange one another’s heat of the body for mutual warmth. Really an original idea! Thus passed the night. Early next day, both proceeded to the city and then to the Sarayu river. Washing the hands and feet, the Sadhuram suggested that no bath need be taken as the cold was very great. So, returning from the holy river, they visited various Mandirs of Sri Ramachandra and Hanumanji, secured food at a Kshetra and that very night caught a train going down towards Bombay.

Now, the Sadhuram had once and for all decided to close the northern India pilgrimage and hence the journey towards Bombay. ‘O Ram, Thy will is supreme. Although Ramdas has yet to visit more shrines of north India it is beyond Thy humble slave to know the reason for Thy taking him to Bombay. Every move Thou givest to the situation of Thy Das is considered by him to be for the best.’ The train travelled taking the Sadhus south and south. Station after station was passed. At a small station, while the Sadhuram was dozing, some passenger who had not perhaps any pot with him, took away, while alighting, the brass pot of the Sadhuram who woke up and discovered his loss after the train had left that station. He began to fret over the loss a great deal – in fact he wept bitterly over it like a child.

The next station was Jhansi which was duly reached. Here the ticket inspection was very strict. So the ticket-clerk pulled down these Sadhus as well as many others from other carriages, and led them all near the gate, leading out of the station. There were in all about ten Sadhus. The ticket-clerk made all of them stand in a line on one side of the entrance or exit – it was both. The passengers were now going out of the station and the clerk was collecting tickets at the gate, his back turned against the Sadhus, who were made to stand only at arm’s length from the clerk. The first in the line of the Sadhus was a young Sannyasi with a Jatah or tuft of matted hair. Whenever the ticket-clerk had a momentary respite from the collection of tickets, he would turn round and clutching the Jatah of the young Sadhu, who was nearest to him, shake his head violently. The next moment he had to attend to ticket collection. When the stream of passengers thinned and there was some break, he would again handle the head of the Sadhu and give it a shake or inflict blows upon it with his fist. While this was going on, by a look at the face of the Sadhu, who was next to him in the line, Ramdas made out that there was a happy smile on the face of the young Sadhu.