Rude Awakenings - Forest Sangha Publications

^0 T H I R D M O O N 06cycle—a vast interweaving mandala of mud and refuse, and of a lightso dazzling my eyes could hardly look at it. From her, people derivedtheir livelihood and faith; it was the place of their spiritual purification,an open sewer, and a graveyard. Ganga, a goddess descending fromVishnu through Shiva’s hair, was the span of life itself. No wonder shewas hard to cross over.The few minutes of meditation were terminated by somethingthumping into me; it was Nick scrambling to his feet—an oxcart wasbearing down on us, only a few feet away. “Jai Ram!” bobbed into focusagain, as we jumped onto the lower step of the parapet clutching ourbags, and a train of oxen trundled by, the driver clucking and whoopingat his beasts, probably wondering where we had sprung up from.So onward, more as fugitives than devotees, but onward. A whiteonion-shaped dome, bluish in the morning light and misty, shone fromthe other shore. “That must be a Sikh temple” the mind chirped again,“rest ... hospitality ... food ... not far now.” But the road marched on andGanga knowingly danced.Because, having crossed over the river, the bridge was in no hurry tomerge into the maze of streets—it soared disdainfully over the rooftopsthat clung to Mother Ganga’s sleeve and continued heading south. Wehad to abandon it. Finding a blocked-off stairway winding down the sideof one of its legs, we ignobly clawed over the barrier to climb down tothe world below. The white dome had disappeared.We had decided to stay in a Sikh temple, or gurdwara, while in Patna.Religious places seemed far more appropriate than cheap hotels. Thereweredharamsalasinthecity,butlocalpeoplehadrepeatedlyandemphaticallywarned us against using them—they were dirty and were full ofthieves, and Patna was a lawless city—we should be very careful wherewestayed.Sikhgurdwaras,however,haveareputationforhospitality,andPatna had the largest outside of the Punjab. Nick’s simple guide to thecity indicated “Shri Harimandir Sahib,” the main gurdwara, somewhereoff intheeast.Sotherewasanotherjourney,morechurningintheflow—1 7 6