{"id":1660,"date":"2018-03-08T02:18:50","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T02:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2018-03-10T22:07:26","modified_gmt":"2018-03-10T22:07:26","slug":"a-glimpse-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/?p=1660","title":{"rendered":"A Glimpse of India"},"content":{"rendered":"

India is a total sensory experience, a plethora of sights, tastes, smells and sounds.\u00a0The mundane or the bizarre, the chaotic or the silent, the profane or the profound can be waiting around any corner.\u00a0Sooner or later, those of us who study and practice the teachings of Vedanta, get drawn to visit India.\u00a0 The Land of the Veda calls us home.\u00a0 Whether you answer her call or prefer armchair travel, here\u2019s a small glimpse of what India has to offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sacred Rivers<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rivers are the life-blood of India.\u00a0 As well as providing water for crops and village homes, they are used for bathing, laundry, washing animals,\u00a0performing sacred rituals and are the pilgrimage\u00a0destination\u00a0for devout Hindus. The sacred river also becomes the\u00a0final\u00a0resting place for many a devotee\u2019s cremated ashes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

India\u2019s holiest river, the Ganges descends from the\u00a0snow capped\u00a0Himalayas turning westward to wind her way across India\u2019s great northern plain.\u00a0 Ma Ganga as she is known,\u00a0is worshipped throughout India as the compassionate Goddess who flows from heaven bringing\u00a0life, sustenance and purification to\u00a0all who are touched by her waters.\u00a0\u00a0The devout believe that bathing in the Ganges washes away the sins of hundreds of lifetimes.\u00a0 Having dipped in the Ganges many times, I now realize what a bad boy I must have been!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Temples<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Temples and shrines of all shapes and sizes\u00a0are found in\u00a0towns,\u00a0small obscure villages and on lonely hilltops, throughout India.\u00a0\u00a0Many\u00a0date back\u00a0thousands of years, some having been knocked down by invaders and rebuilt by a later generation.\u00a0\u00a0Popular\u00a0temples are often filled with\u00a0pilgrims from all over India and beyond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On your first visit to an Indian temple you may be surprised by the amount of noise and activity, quite unlike the demure silence of Western churches and cathedrals.\u00a0 Priest will be chanting,\u00a0making offerings at a variety of shrines\u00a0and breaking open\u00a0coconuts.\u00a0\u00a0Bells will be ringing,\u00a0hoards\u00a0of pilgrims\u00a0will be\u00a0crowding excitedly in front of their favorite deity and, in the larger temples, you may even\u00a0meet\u00a0an elephant or two.\u00a0 Cows and dogs are commonplace in the outer areas and the monkeys of course go where they like.\u00a0 However, beneath all the hustle and bustle is a deep spirituality and, for the devotees, the temples are objects of adoration and the home of\u00a0their\u00a0gods.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sadhus<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

India has an ascetic tradition like none other in the world.\u00a0 For thousands of years, individuals have stepped out of the conventional norm to pursue their own inner search for the Divine.\u00a0 You will meet these\u00a0holy\u00a0people, known as Sadhus, wandering\u00a0along a dusty road,\u00a0making offerings\u00a0at\u00a0a\u00a0sacred\u00a0shrine\u00a0or bathing\u00a0in sacred rivers.\u00a0 Some have chosen this life from an early age while many others have\u00a0\u2018completed\u2019\u00a0their family obligations and decided to renounce the material world only in their later years.\u00a0 Today there are between four and five million Sadhus in India,\u00a0about 10%\u00a0of which\u00a0are women.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most Sadhus still follow the codes laid down by the great sage and spiritual reformer, Adi Shankara in the ninth century.\u00a0 Most wear orange robes although some go completely naked\u00a0and\u00a0usually belong to a particular sect,\u00a0paying\u00a0homage to a specific deity.\u00a0\u00a0Followers of Shiva\u00a0are recognized by the\u00a0three horizontal stripes,\u00a0painted on their foreheads\u00a0in\u00a0sacred ash.\u00a0\u00a0Followers of Vishnu wear a yellow or white,\u00a0\u201cU\u201d\u00a0shaped symbol on their forehead.\u00a0\u00a0These\u00a0wandering\u00a0holy men\u00a0rely on the generosity of\u00a0ashrams and\u00a0temples for a place to sleep and food to eat.\u00a0 At festivals and auspicious times, many thousands will gather, some wild haired and wild eyed, others with grandfatherly eyes twinkling through bushy gray beards.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Although they are still treated with great respect, India\u2019s move towards westernization is making it increasingly difficult for Sadhus to follow their traditional habits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cows<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You will see many animals working or roaming the streets in India but none as prevalent as the cow.\u00a0 Cows are worshiped in India as the Divine Mother and, as such, are loved and respected by\u00a0every Hindu.\u00a0 You will often see them colorfully painted and decorated.\u00a0\u00a0 It is auspicious to see a cow first thing in the morning and killing a cow is considered a great sin.\u00a0 The cow represents Lakshmi, the goddess of abundance, and lives a life of selfless giving.\u00a0 Its milk, dung, urine\u00a0all\u00a0have\u00a0a\u00a0usefulness.\u00a0 It\u2019s even said that breathing the air that passes over a cow generates energy and vitality\u00a0\u2013\u00a0try it!\u00a0 Bulls are\u00a0put to work\u00a0pulling\u00a0carts and ploughs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cows very much set the pace of India as everything and everybody gives way to them.\u00a0\u00a0Except in the center of major cities, you\u2019ll find cows wandering the streets, lying down at intersections and helping themselves to anything that looks tasty.\u00a0\u00a0I was once\u00a0\u2018mugged\u2019\u00a0by a cow who took a fancy to the flower garland I was wearing.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Space<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike westerners, most Indians do not need\u00a0\u201ctheir space\u201d.\u00a0 Indians enjoy being close to each other and often, close to you.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be surprised if, after carefully mapping out\u00a0\u201cyour space\u201d\u00a0on a train seat, park bench or temple floor, two or three Indian mange to happily\u00a0insert themselves\u00a0alongside you.\u00a0 You will also see this with traffic, where drivers love to squeeze themselves into impossible spaces when passing another vehicle.\u00a0 Every Indian driver knows the thickness of paint on his\/her vehicle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Children will crowd around you wanting to know\u00a0\u201cyour name\u201d,\u00a0\u201cwhich country\u201d\u00a0and wanting to shake your hand.\u00a0 For some unknown reason, men will often stand uncomfortably close and just stare at you\u00a0\u2013\u00a0smile, they will eventually leave.\u00a0 In India,\u00a0heterosexual men holding hands with\u00a0each\u00a0other is a common expression of friendship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Noise<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Indian is a land where many of us go to experience deep silence.\u00a0 The inner silence of our meditation, the silence of the majestic mountains, sitting by a sacred river or watching the sun set over the ocean.\u00a0 And truly there are many wonderful and peaceful places however, your\u00a0first experience of India will be filled with noise.\u00a0 Indians love everything at full volume.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s the Bollywood hit blaring through a shop door, the chants being broadcast from an ashram roof, the wedding procession band, it has to be loud and the more distorted and crackly the better!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there are the horns.\u00a0 The pride of every Indian driver is his horn.\u00a0 An Indian driver without a horn is mute and probably would rather stay at home.\u00a0 There is almost no road rage in India but drivers will take every opportunity to honk their horns.\u00a0 Honk\u00a0honk\u00a0I\u2019m passing you, honk\u00a0honk\u00a0you\u2019re passing me, honk\u00a0honk\u00a0I think the red light is about to change, honk\u00a0honk\u00a0I\u00a0have\u00a0a new horn!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Roads<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Indian roads, it is the survival of the biggest.\u00a0 With the exception of cows, who always take precedent, the bigger the vehicle the greater the respect.\u00a0 Indian drivers do not like to give-way\u00a0or wait\u00a0and always look for an alternative, which often includes driving on the wrong side of the road, honk\u00a0honk, the sidewalk or even across a roadside field.\u00a0\u00a0You, as a pedestrian, are only slightly above dogs, on the highway pecking order.\u00a0\u00a0When crossing a road, look both ways at once, pick your moment, pray to your favorite deity and run.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chai<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nowadays, a drink called chai tea latte can be ordered in most western coffee shops.\u00a0 However, the Hindi word chai, actually means regular black tea.\u00a0 The spicy variety made with milk is called masala chai or mixed tea.\u00a0 The best place to drink it is at the side of the road where the Chai\u00a0Wallah\u00a0makes it fresh (not from concentrate), boiling together water, milk, loose black tea, sugar and his spice mix, often over an open fire.\u00a0 When ready, the piping hot mixture is strained into small disposable, clay cups. Sit on an upturned milk crate and enjoy, slurping is socially acceptable.\u00a0\u00a0Ahhhhhhh!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

India is a total sensory experience, a plethora of sights, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-india"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1661,"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions\/1661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rogergabriel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}